The cheapest order to fly Rome, Athens and Istanbul from Los Angeles
There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $851 a person and the most expensive at $1,654, a difference of $803 for visiting exactly the same places.
Fly them in this order
Los Angeles → Rome → Athens → Istanbul → Los Angeles
About $851 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.
Every order, priced
- Los Angeles → Rome → Athens → Istanbul → Los Angeles$851cheapest order
- Los Angeles → Istanbul → Athens → Rome → Los Angeles$899$48 more per person
- Los Angeles → Rome → Istanbul → Athens → Los Angeles$1,094$243 more per person
- Los Angeles → Istanbul → Rome → Athens → Los Angeles$1,149$298 more per person
- Los Angeles → Athens → Rome → Istanbul → Los Angeles$1,627$776 more per person
- Los Angeles → Athens → Istanbul → Rome → Los Angeles$1,654$803 more per person
Why Rome first
- Los Angeles to Rome$304
- Rome to Athens$49
- Athens to Istanbul$56
- Istanbul to Los Angeles$442
- Out of Los Angeles, Rome is the cheapest first stop at about $304. Athens would be $1,057.
- Going home, Istanbul is the cheapest city to leave from at about $442, against $670 from Athens.
- Istanbul to Athens is about $40, but the other way round is $56. Same two cities, $16 apart on direction alone.
- The dearest order pays $1,057 for Los Angeles to Athens, a flight the cheapest order never takes.
- Istanbul to Los Angeles is 52% of what the cheapest order spends on flights, so it is the leg to watch.
Between the cities
- Rome to Athens: about 1,050 km (650 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
- Athens to Istanbul: about 560 km (350 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
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
- US passport: visa-free in Türkiye for up to 90 days in any 180. No e-Visa since December 2023, so you can leave the airport on a layover. 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 $803 a person on this trip, 94% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 1 for how much the order matters, one of the trips where it matters most: flying these cities in the wrong order is an expensive mistake.
The same cities from other airports
The cheapest order depends on where you start. From Los Angeles it starts in Rome.
- From New Yorkstart in Athens, about $677 a person, $263 less than the dearest order
- From Torontostart in Rome, about $790 a person, $64 less than the dearest order
- From Chicagostart in Rome, about $810 a person, $482 less than the dearest order
- From Miamistart in Rome, about $827 a person, $502 less than the dearest order
- From Bostonstart in Rome, about $888 a person, $467 less than the dearest 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 Rome, Athens and Istanbul from Los Angeles 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.