Flights to Central and Eastern Europe from the US

Quick answer: From the US, Warsaw and Vienna are the two cities in Central and Eastern Europe with nonstop flights in every season: LOT Polish Airlines flies Warsaw from New York JFK, Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami, and Austrian Airlines flies Vienna from New York JFK, Newark, Washington Dulles, Boston and Chicago, with Los Angeles in summer, as of recent schedules. Prague and Budapest had seasonal nonstops in 2026 (American from Philadelphia, Delta from New York JFK to Prague) and otherwise need one stop. All four countries are in the Schengen Area, so US citizens need no visa for a short stay, but fingerprints and a photo are taken at the first Schengen border under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES).

Facts checked November 2026. Schedules and entry rules change, so confirm with the airline and the official government site before you travel.

Central and Eastern Europe flights at a glance

Where you can fly in Central and Eastern Europe

Each city links to every route guide we publish into that airport; each guide covers the airlines, connections and baggage rules, with live fares when the page loads.

• Flights to Prague (PRG)28 route guides
• Flights to Vienna (VIE)8 route guides
• Flights to Budapest (BUD)28 route guides
• Flights to Warsaw (WAW)24 route guides

How this page fits with our Europe guide

Our Flights to Europe guide covers the whole continent: every main hub, the EES and ETIAS status, the UK ETA and the alliances. This page narrows that down to four capitals that US travellers often combine on one trip, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Warsaw, and answers the questions the broad guide does not: which of them you can reach nonstop, which nonstops only run in summer, and how to move between them on the ground.

Vienna also appears in our Germany, Switzerland and Austria guide. Use that page if your trip is mainly in the Alps, and this one if Vienna is the western end of a trip that heads east into Czechia, Hungary or Poland.

Which US cities fly nonstop as of November 2026

Warsaw is one of the two main gateways. LOT Polish Airlines flies nonstop to Warsaw Chopin from New York JFK, Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles and Miami, and in 2026 it added a summer San Francisco route that started on 6 May 2026 with up to four flights a week. LOT is in Star Alliance, so it connects with United at the US end and with its own short flights onward to Kraków, Budapest, Prague and the Baltic capitals.

Vienna is served by Austrian Airlines, also in Star Alliance. As of recent schedules, Austrian flies nonstop from New York JFK, Newark, Washington Dulles, Boston and Chicago O'Hare, and flies Los Angeles as a summer route that it plans to resume in late April. American Airlines has announced a daily Philadelphia to Vienna flight from 6 May 2027, which would add a oneworld option.

Prague and Budapest are the seasonal ones. American flew Philadelphia to both cities daily in summer 2026, starting in May. Delta flies New York JFK to Prague in the warmer months. Outside summer, plan on one stop for both cities. Treat all of this as a snapshot of recent schedules and check with the airline for your dates.

Connecting when there is no nonstop

A one-stop trip is the normal way in from most US cities. The common connection points are Warsaw on LOT, Vienna on Austrian, Frankfurt and Munich on Lufthansa, Zurich on Swiss, Amsterdam on KLM, Paris on Air France, London on British Airways and Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

Where you connect changes the border process. Connect at a Schengen hub such as Warsaw, Vienna, Frankfurt or Amsterdam and you register with EES once at that hub, then the last flight is treated like a domestic one. Connect in London or Istanbul and you register on arrival in Prague or Budapest instead.

Keep both flights on one ticket. If the first flight is late, the airline rebooks you; with two separate tickets, a missed connection is your cost to fix.

Entry rules for US citizens

Austria, Czechia, Hungary and Poland are all in the Schengen Area. US citizens can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, counted across all Schengen countries together rather than per country. Your passport should have been issued within the last 10 years and stay valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen Area.

Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System is fully running. At your first Schengen border, officers record your passport, a photo and fingerprints instead of stamping the passport. Because the four countries share the Schengen zone, there is no passport check when you cross between them by train, although random checks can happen.

ETIAS is not in operation as of November 2026, and no website can issue one today. Ignore sites that offer to sell you one.

Trains and getting around the four capitals

The four cities are close enough to link by rail. Direct Railjet trains run Vienna to Budapest in about 2 hours 40 minutes and Vienna to Prague in about 4 hours, stopping at Brno. Prague to Budapest and either city to Warsaw are longer runs, and many travellers take a short flight for those legs instead.

A common shape for a first trip is open-jaw: fly into Prague or Warsaw, travel by train through Vienna, and fly home from Budapest or Vienna. On one ticket the airline protects both ends, and you avoid doubling back on your last day.

Three of the four countries do not use the euro. Austria does; Czechia uses the koruna, Hungary the forint and Poland the zloty. Cards work almost everywhere in the cities, but expect a different currency each time you cross a border.

Best and quietest months to fly

June to August is the busiest period, and the Prague and Budapest nonstops run only in the warmer months, roughly May to early October in 2026. May, September and early October are usually the best balance of weather and space, and the Danube cruise season keeps Vienna and Budapest busy through the warmer months.

Late November and December bring the Christmas markets in Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Kraków, which fill hotels on weekends. January to March is typically the quietest time to fly and the cheaper window for a city break. The fare grid on each route guide shows what is live for your dates.

Route guides to Central and Eastern Europe

Frequently asked questions