Free stopover programs

Read the label carefully. A free hotel means the airline pays for the room. A free stopover means the stop adds nothing to the airfare, and you pay the hotel. A stopover package is a paid bundle of hotel and tours, sometimes discounted. A free transit tour is a guided bus trip into town, run by an airline, an airport or a tourism office, for passengers between two flights.

Turkish Airlines Stopover (Istanbul)

On a planned stop of 20 hours to 7 days, Turkish Airlines pays for bed and breakfast: 1 night in a 4-star hotel in Economy and 2 nights in a 5-star or boutique hotel in Business. If your first departure is from the USA, it is 2 nights in Economy and 3 in Business. The rules are strict: a round trip on one reservation, all on Turkish Airlines with a ticket number starting 235, no codeshares, no N or R fares, beginning and ending in the same country. Apply at least 72 hours before your first flight; applications after landing are refused. Separately, the Hotel Desk at the airport gives a free hotel on unplanned connections of 12 hours or more in Economy (9 in Business) when no shorter connection exists. Details on our Istanbul layover page.

Emirates Dubai Connect (Dubai)

When Emirates schedules a connection of 6 to 26 hours and no shorter one exists for your route, Dubai Connect gives a free hotel and the meals it serves; the Dubai Connect page also lists a free coach to the hotel and a 48-hour visa. Both flights must be Emirates-operated (flydubai flights via Terminal 3 can qualify) on one ticket starting 176. The terms set a minimum fare, base plus carrier surcharge, of $450 (£337) one-way or $700 (£524) return from the Americas and Europe, and $500 (£375) or $1,000 (£749) on Emirates and flydubai combinations. Add it in Manage Booking; the page gives both 12 and 24 hours before your inbound flight, so plan on 24. The terms also say entry documents are your responsibility. See our Dubai layover page.

Etihad Abu Dhabi Stopover (Abu Dhabi)

Etihad's page offers up to two free hotel nights in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain on a return flight with Etihad connecting in Abu Dhabi, plus a Stopover Pass for up to 15% off attractions. Book flight and hotel together on etihad.com, or call at least three days before your flight if you already hold a ticket. The page says flights booked through a travel agent are not eligible, and you need a UAE visa or visa-on-arrival eligibility.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are in the UAE, which the US State Department rates Level 3, Reconsider travel, citing terrorism and armed conflict (updated September 17, 2026). Read the current advice before you plan a night in town.

Copa Airlines Panama Stopover (Panama City)

Copa's own page lets you stop in Panama City for up to 15 days "at no additional cost in airfare", on trips to and from its network of 80 destinations in 33 countries. It is flights only; you book the hotel.

TAP Portugal Stopover (Lisbon or Porto)

Up to 10 days in Lisbon or Porto, outbound or return, on one-way, return or multi-city tickets, at no extra cost on the ticket. Look for "Add a free Stopover" when you book. You also get a code for 25% off one TAP flight within Portugal during the stop, and offers from more than 150 partners. Our Lisbon layover page covers the 20-minute metro into town.

Icelandair Stopover (Iceland)

Icelandair says a stopover "carries no additional airfare" on most fares, for up to 7 nights online, or up to 21 on Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex through the service center. Choose "Stopover in Iceland" when you book. Adding it later costs a change fee, and it covers flights only. See our Keflavík layover page.

Air France Paris Stopover. Since July 22, 2026, any cabin can add 1 to 4 nights in Paris when booking on the Air France website, with a minimum connection of 27 hours. Extime Travel sells the packages (transfers, hotels, experiences) up to 48 hours before departure. The release gives no prices and does not say the stop is free.

Lufthansa Stopover (Munich). Launched April 28, 2026 on US and Singapore routes: a stop of 24 hours to seven days in Munich, outbound or return, in all classes, booked on lufthansa.com. "A surcharge may apply." Hotels and activities are added through partners. Frankfurt has no offer yet.

Qatar Airways Stopover (Doha). Discover Qatar sells hotel packages to Qatar Airways, codeshare and oneworld passengers with 12 to 96 hours in Doha: 4-star from $14.30 (£10.70; QAR 52) per person per night (double occupancy), 5-star from $24 (£18.10; QAR 88). It is a discount, not a free night. The US rates Qatar Level 3, Reconsider travel (updated October 1, 2026).

Singapore Stopover. Book a multi-city ticket via Singapore and Singapore Airlines gives up to $15.60 (£11.70; S$20) in Changi transit e-vouchers, miles with hotel partners and 7% off up to three Pelago bookings, capped at $39 (£29; S$50) each. The old fixed-price Singapore Stopover Holiday hotels no longer appear.

Cathay Pacific Stopover (Hong Kong). Stop 1 to 7 days and get perks, not free nights: room upgrades or late check-out at hotels such as The Mira, up to 50% off a Citybus Dayrider and 20% off the Airport Express, that last one valid to October 31, 2026.

Incheon K-Stopover (Seoul). Sold by the airport, not an airline: paid packages for 24 to 72 hours with one hotel night, transport and tours.

• Touristanbul (Istanbul): free Turkish Airlines tours for 6 to 24 hour connections on one booking (ticket 235). Most sites are seen from outside, with no museum entries; the tour must end at least 1 hour 25 minutes before your flight. You cannot combine it with the Stopover hotel on the same route.
• Free Singapore Tour (Changi): 2.5-hour bus tours for 5.5 to 24 hour layovers, bags checked through, bookable up to 50 days ahead. Details on our Changi page.
• HKIA Free Layover Tours (Hong Kong): for layovers of more than 7 hours, three daily slots, bookable up to 3 months ahead or on arrival.
• Taiwan Free Half-Day Tour (Taoyuan): run by the Tourism Administration for 7 to 24 hour layovers, 18 seats, booked 5 to 90 days ahead.
• Incheon Airport Transit Tour (Seoul): for layovers of 24 hours or less; most free, some with a small entry fee, such as $3 (£2.20) for Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Doha's transit tours are paid. Narita lists layover tours but does not say whether they are free.

We found no current stopover program from KLM at Amsterdam, or from British Airways or Virgin Atlantic at London, and neither airport runs a free tour or hotel scheme. ANA markets multi-city trips within Japan "at an affordable price" but lists no free Tokyo night. We could not load the pages of SWISS, JAL, EVA Air, China Airlines or Finnair's stopover page on October 21 or 22, 2026, so we list nothing for them rather than repeat old terms.

• Lufthansa launched its first stopover program, via Munich, on April 28, 2026, and says other Group hubs may follow.
• Air France and Extime Travel launched Paris Stopover on July 22, 2026.
• Copa's page now allows up to 15 days in Panama City.
• Etihad's free nights now include hotels in Al Ain as well as Abu Dhabi.
• Singapore Airlines dropped its fixed-price stopover hotels for e-vouchers and partner perks.
• Taiwan's tours added a Tamsui morning route on May 15, 2026; its $18.40 (£13.80; NT$600) transit gift vouchers end October 31, 2026.
• Gulf programs still operate, but the US rates Qatar and the UAE Level 3 after hostilities with Iran began in February 2026.

Book the stop when you buy the ticket. TAP, Icelandair, Air France and Lufthansa add it in the booking engine, and adding it later can mean a change fee. Keep everything on one ticket with the airline's own flights: Turkish Airlines and Emirates both refuse codeshares or separate tickets. Note the deadlines, 72 hours for Turkish Airlines and 24 hours for Dubai Connect.

Check entry rules for your passport before you count on a night in town, and price the trip with and without the stop: a "free" stopover on a dearer fare is not free. To compare the hubs on everything else, see the best European cities for a 24-hour layover.