The cheapest order to fly Prague, Bratislava and Budapest from New York
There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $975 a person and the most expensive at $1,069, a difference of $94 for visiting exactly the same places.
Fly them in this order
New York → Budapest → Prague → Bratislava → New York
About $975 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.
Every order, priced
- New York → Budapest → Prague → Bratislava → New York$975cheapest order
- New York → Budapest → Bratislava → Prague → New York$979$4 more per person
- New York → Bratislava → Prague → Budapest → New York$1,016$41 more per person
- New York → Bratislava → Budapest → Prague → New York$1,021$46 more per person
- New York → Prague → Budapest → Bratislava → New York$1,028$53 more per person
- New York → Prague → Bratislava → Budapest → New York$1,069$94 more per person
Why Budapest first
- New York to Budapest$357
- Budapest to Prague$30
- Prague to Bratislava$106
- Bratislava to New York$482
- Out of New York, Budapest is the cheapest first stop at about $357. Bratislava would be $453.
- Going home, the cheapest flight leaves from Budapest at about $449, but the cheapest order ends in Bratislava at $482 because the rest of the route is cheaper that way.
- Bratislava to Prague is about $83, but the other way round is $106. Same two cities, $23 apart on direction alone.
- Bratislava to New York is 49% of what the cheapest order spends on flights, so it is the leg to watch.
Between the cities
- Budapest to Prague: about 440 km (270 miles) as the crow flies. Also by ground: EuroCity, about 7h, usually $20 to $50. Or FlixBus / RegioJet, about 7h 30m, usually $15 to $35.
- Prague to Bratislava: about 290 km (180 miles) as the crow flies. Also by ground: EuroCity, about 4h 15m, usually $15 to $40. Or RegioJet / FlixBus, about 4h 30m, usually $12 to $30.
Entry rules on a US passport
- US passport: visa-free in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180. The Entry/Exit System registers biometrics at the border, and the ETIAS pre-travel authorisation may now be required; check the official site. Official source
Rules change; check the official source for your passport and dates before you book.
How much the order matters here
Getting the order right is worth $94 a person on this trip, 10% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 68 for how much the order matters, one of the smaller gaps: on this trip your dates are likely to matter more than the order.
What these numbers are
Cached one-way fares, 12 of 12 legs priced from real observations, put together on October 29, 2026, from fares departing October 30, 2026 onwards. Right for comparing one order with another, not a quote for your dates.
A plan prices your own dates and weighs hours as well as fares, so it can pick a different order from this page.
Put dates on it
Same cities on real dates, plus what one search cannot show: layovers long enough to count as a free city, two tickets that beat one, and cheaper days either side. No account and no card.
One press starts it on January 2, 2027 to January 16, 2027, 14 days, for 2 travelers. Our dates, not yours, and about two minutes.
Plan Prague, Bratislava and Budapest from New York nowOpen the form instead and pick your own datesSigned out, 3 plans a day per address, priced from cached fares and the free sources, so some legs may be estimates and the plan says which. Signed in, legs are checked live, with 2 free trips you can change afterwards.