15 Stopover Programs you Can Do For Free

Updated September 2026

Stopovers

Ever wanted to have two trips in one? A stopover is a great way to do it, but you have to know how to do it without it being expensive. Most airfares do not allow a free stopover, so if you are flying from Seattle, WA, to Warsaw, Poland via London, you typically can’t just get off the plane in London and continue your journey the next day for the same fare. At most, you can connect within four to six hours (up to 24 hours on many international tickets) without paying an additional fare.

But some airlines want you to stop. They’ve worked with their tourism boards and local partners to create official stopover programs that encourage you to visit their home countries, usually at no additional airfare cost and sometimes with a hotel included. On this page, I’ll show you every active program, what each one actually gives you in 2026, and how to book it.

Stopover vs. Layover: What’s the Difference?

The two words get used interchangeably, but to the airlines they are very different things, and the difference is what determines your fare:

• Layover (connection): a stop of less than 24 hours on an international ticket (less than 4 hours on most domestic tickets). You’re just passing through, and it doesn’t change your fare.
• Stopover: a stop longer than that, typically more than 24 hours internationally. On most fares this triggers a higher price or a new ticket, unless the airline has a stopover program or the fare rules explicitly permit it.

That’s the entire trick of this page: the airlines below have decided your stopover is good for their home city’s tourism, so they let you do it free or cheap.

Airline Stopover Programs in 2026

Here are the cities and countries with active stopover programs, and what each one gets you:

1. Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways

Etihad’s Abu Dhabi Stopover offers complimentary hotel nights on eligible itineraries connecting through Abu Dhabi. It’s one of the few programs where the hotel itself can be free. Availability varies by route and fare, so check the stopover portal or Manage Booking after you buy your ticket. The Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque alone are worth the stop.

2. Dubai: Emirates

Emirates runs two things people confuse: Dubai Connect, which gives you a complimentary hotel, meals, and transfers when your unavoidable connection falls in roughly the 6–26 hour window, and paid Dubai Stopover packages for longer, deliberate stays. Dubai Connect must be booked through Manage Booking at least 24 hours before you arrive, so don’t just show up expecting the hotel.

If your connection is too short for Dubai Connect, the Airport Sleep Finder shows your options for resting at DXB.

3. Hawaii: Hawaiian Airlines

No formal branded program, but Hawaiian Airlines lets you build a Honolulu stopover into trans-Pacific itineraries using the Multi-city booking option, often at little or no fare difference versus a straight connection. Price the multi-city itinerary against the through fare before you book. Some date combinations are effectively a free stop in Waikiki.

4. Iceland: Icelandair

The one that started the modern stopover craze. Icelandair’s Stopover lets you stay in Iceland for up to seven days at no additional airfare on transatlantic itineraries between North America and Europe. Hotels are on you, but the airfare savings versus a separate Iceland trip are substantial. Select the stopover option right in the booking flow. It’s built into their website.

5. Istanbul: Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines’ Stopover includes complimentary hotel nights in Istanbul, typically one to two nights depending on your cabin and market. You apply after purchasing your ticket, and it’s separate from their shorter TourIstanbul product (a free guided city tour for connections too short to leave overnight). Between the two, almost any Istanbul connection can become sightseeing.

6. Fiji: Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways’ Stopover packages let you break the long haul between North America and Australia/New Zealand in Nadi, with bundled hotel and transfer deals from their local partners. If you’re crossing the Pacific anyway, this is one of the most scenic places on Earth to split the journey.

7. Japan: Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines offers stopover routing flexibility on certain international itineraries. The value here is in the routing rules rather than a hotel. If Tokyo is your connecting point, check whether your fare permits the stop before assuming; JAL’s international fare structure is generous about it on many routings.

8. Kazakhstan: Air Astana

One of the sleeper deals in this list. Air Astana’s Stopover Holidays program offers packaged hotel stays in Almaty or Astana at token prices for passengers connecting on their network. Central Asia is wide open, spectacular, and almost nobody you know has been, and this is the cheapest way to fix that.

9. Madrid: Iberia

Iberia’s Stopover Madrid allows a free stopover of 1 to 9 nights (depending on itinerary) when connecting through Madrid, plus a bundle of partner discounts on hotels, museums, and experiences. Select the stopover option during booking on Iberia’s site.

10. Panama: Copa Airlines

Copa’s Panama Stopover lets you stop in Panama City from 24 hours up to 7 days at no extra airfare when connecting through their Hub of the Americas, with partner hotel and activity discounts. Request the stopover when purchasing the ticket. The Panama Canal plus Casco Viejo make an easy two-day stop.

11. Portugal: TAP Air Portugal

TAP’s Portugal Stopover is one of the most generous: stop in Lisbon or Porto for up to 10 days at no additional airfare, with a long list of partner discounts on hotels, restaurants, and even wine. It’s built into TAP’s booking flow, so pick your stopover city and length as you book.

12. Qatar: Qatar Airways

The best hotel deal in the sky right now. Qatar Stopover offers Doha hotels from USD 14/night for 4-star and USD 24/night for 5-star (from USD 83 with breakfast at the luxury tier), bookable for layovers between 12 and 96 hours, up to four nights in each direction. Separately, their free transit hotel (STPC) covers qualifying 8–24 hour connections at no cost. Book through Discover Qatar after your flight is confirmed.

If you’d rather stay at the airport, check the Airport Sleep Finder for DOH.

13. Saudi Arabia: flynas and Saudia

Saudi Arabia’s stopover program bundles a free 96-hour stopover visa with hotel offers on flynas and Saudia itineraries. I’ve written a full guide to how it works, since the visa piece makes this one different from the others. See the dedicated page for details.

14. Singapore: Singapore Airlines

Singapore’s stopover offering combines multi-city booking flexibility on Singapore Airlines with the Free Singapore Tour for eligible transits too short to leave overnight, a guided excursion run from Changi. For a longer stay, price the multi-city option; the city rewards even 48 hours.

15. Toronto: Air Canada

Air Canada’s Toronto Stopover lets you add a stop in Toronto on itineraries connecting through YYZ, with partner offers in the city. A practical option for breaking up Europe–North America or Asia–North America journeys on the Star Alliance side.

Quick Comparison: What Each Program Gives You

Program terms change often, so always confirm on the airline’s stopover page before booking. This table was last verified in July 2026.

How to Book a Stopover (Without Paying Extra)

1. Check the airline’s stopover page first. Programs like TAP, Icelandair, and Iberia build the stopover into their own booking flow, so book direct, not through an OTA, or you’ll lose the option.
2. Use multi-city search when there’s no formal program. Price A→B→C as multi-city with days between flights and compare it to the through fare. If the difference is small, that’s your stopover.
3. See where the airline goes from its hub. Use the Airline Network Explorer to see every city the airline serves from its stopover city, so you know your options for the next leg.
4. Book hotels through the program’s portal where one exists. Qatar’s $14 hotel rate only exists inside Discover Qatar’s stopover portal. The same room costs several times that booked normally.
5. Apply after ticketing where required. Turkish and Etihad hotel offers are requested after you buy the ticket, via their stopover pages or Manage Booking. Don’t skip this step.
6. Check visa rules before you plan to leave the airport. Most stopover cities on this list offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry for many passports (Saudi Arabia bundles the stopover visa in), but confirm for your passport before booking a hotel you can’t reach.

How Airlines Define a Stopover (The Fare-Rules Version)

The airlines define a stopover as a stop on your journey that is more than four hours (domestic) or more than 24 hours (most international fares). Typically, this changes your fare unless the airline purposely wants you to make a stop, and as you’ve seen above, some do. If you look at your fare rules when purchasing the ticket, you can tell if a stopover is permitted or not.
Here is an example from Iberia for a fare from Houston to Paris:

Category 8: Stopover restrictions

UNLIMITED STOPOVERS PERMITTED ON THE PRICING UNIT IN LON/
      MAD/HEL/BCN AT USD 800.00 EACH.

UNLIMITED FREE STOPOVERS PERMITTED ON THE PRICING UNIT
       2 IN TURKEY
       AT ANY OTHER POINT.

  NO STOPOVERS PERMITTED.

For that last one, the “X” means no stopping in Detroit. This is the innards of the fare rules, which you perhaps don’t even care about 🙂
HOU DL X/DTT AF PAR Q25.00 1685.00BHW09NMP NUC 1710.00 END ROE 1.00 XT 21.10US 5.60AY 19.00YQ 250.00YR 9.00XF IAH4.50 DTW4.50
Notice the difference: Iberia wants USD 800 per stopover, Turkish gives you two free stopovers in Turkey on the very same city pair, and Air France allows none at all. Same origin, same destination, but wildly different stopover value. That’s exactly why choosing the right airline for the connection matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an airline stopover program?
A stopover program lets you stay in an airline’s hub city, usually for one to ten days, without paying more airfare than a normal connection. Airlines run them with their tourism boards to bring visitors into their home country, and some include free or discounted hotels.
Which airlines offer free hotels on a stopover?
Etihad and Turkish Airlines offer complimentary hotel nights on eligible itineraries, Emirates provides a free hotel through Dubai Connect on qualifying long connections, and Qatar Airways offers a free transit hotel (STPC) on qualifying 8–24 hour connections plus 4-star stopover hotels from about $14/night.
Is a stopover free?
The airfare portion usually is. That’s the point of the programs. Hotels, meals, and activities are typically on you unless noted above. Always compare the stopover itinerary’s fare against the straight-through fare before booking.
How long can a stopover be?
It depends on the program: Qatar allows up to four nights per direction, Icelandair up to 7 days, Copa up to 7 days, Iberia up to 9 nights, and TAP up to 10 days. Outside a formal program, your fare rules decide.
Do I need a visa for a stopover?
If you leave the airport, normal entry rules apply for your passport. Many stopover destinations offer visa-free entry or visa on arrival for common passports, and Saudi Arabia includes a free 96-hour stopover visa in its program, but always check before booking.

Ready to Plan Your Stopover?

Stopovers typically work when you’re using a revenue ticket.

Once you’ve picked your stopover city, use Passrider’s Advanced Search to see every flight option between any two cities, including the connections through stopover-friendly hubs that the booking sites won’t show you.

Have you done any of these stopovers? Got a tip, or a program I missed? Leave a comment below and share it with your fellow passriders.