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The cheapest order to fly Rome, Athens and Istanbul from New York

There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $720 a person and the most expensive at $890, a difference of $170 for visiting exactly the same places.

Fly them in this order

New York → Rome → Athens → Istanbul → New York

About $720 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.

Every order, priced

  1. New York → Rome → Athens → Istanbul → New York$720
    cheapest order
  2. New York → Rome → Istanbul → Athens → New York$747
    $27 more per person
  3. New York → Istanbul → Athens → Rome → New York$780
    $60 more per person
  4. New York → Athens → Istanbul → Rome → New York$798
    $78 more per person
  5. New York → Athens → Rome → Istanbul → New York$847
    $127 more per person
  6. New York → Istanbul → Rome → Athens → New York$890
    $170 more per person

Why Rome first

  1. New York to Rome$220
  2. Rome to Athens$49
  3. Athens to Istanbul$56
  4. Istanbul to New York$395
  • Out of New York, Rome is the cheapest first stop at about $220. Istanbul would be $354.
  • Going home, the cheapest flight leaves from Rome at about $338, but the cheapest order ends in Istanbul at $395 because the rest of the route is cheaper that way.
  • Istanbul to Athens is about $40, but the other way round is $56. Same two cities, $16 apart on direction alone.
  • Istanbul to New York is 55% 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 $170 a person on this trip, 24% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 33 for how much the order matters, about the middle: worth getting right, and worth checking against your own dates.

The same cities from other airports

The cheapest order depends on where you start. From New York it starts in Rome.

  • 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 November 8, 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.

Other trips priced this way

From New York

Trips through the same cities

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 New York nowOpen the form instead and pick your own dates

Signed 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.