If you and your friends are a little late to the Eurosummer planning party, and everywhere from Barcelona to Paris is starting to sound more like a financial commitment than an actual vacation, don’t fret.
The usual tourist hotspots may seem like the obvious choice because they’re the ones with the best flight connections from the U.S., but they’re far from the only European cities welcoming nonstop flights this summer.
2026 is shaping up to be the year of the destination dupe, and if you’ve always felt confined to Europe’s usual suspects simply because that’s where the direct flights went, you’re in for a pleasant surprise: you can now fly nonstop to 4 of the continent’s most authentic, genuinely underrated cities.
You know, the kind of places Europeans actually escape to for the weekend because they’re that good, yet somehow Americans still haven’t caught on.
No more layovers in Frankfurt. No sprinting between terminals, sweaty and sleep-deprived, praying your connecting flight doesn’t leave without you.
Rzeszów, Poland
The Unexpected Transatlantic Hub
You might be surprised to learn this, as Poland itself is still a pretty off-path country for Americans planning trips to Europe, but the relatively well-known Warsaw and Kraków are not the only cities you can fly to from America.
Rzeszów, in southern Poland, hosts flights from Newark every summer, which is honestly mind-boggling when you think about it: it’s only the 16th-largest city in Poland, with around 200,000 residents, and Rzeszów Airport is the 8th busiest.
Then again, a large share of Polish Americans trace their roots to southeastern Poland, so we guess there’s enough of a demand to warrant a nonstop Rzeszów flight? Anyways.
It doesn’t change the fact this is probably Poland’s most underrated city break, with a beautifully restored Old Town, a lively café culture, leafy squares, and a youthful energy largely attributed to the large student population.
Rzeszów Market Square is a living postcard, flanked by pastel-hue Renaissance townhouses and traditional milk bars, and Lubomirski Palace, a 17th-century fortress guarded by an impressive moat. The stuff fairytales are made of.
Fly Nonstop To Rzeszów From The U.S.
LOT Polish Airlines operates nonstop flights between Newark (EWR) and Rzeszów (RZE) for the 2026 season. Rzeszów is popular with travelers visiting southeastern Poland, particularly the Carpathian Mountains, and noticeably the sizable Polish-American community living in the New York area.
- Seasonal service runs through October 2026.
- Operates 1 flight per week.
- Newark departures: Sundays.
- Rzeszów departures: Mondays.
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (some dates may use 787-9).
- Flight time: approximately 8 hours 40 minutes.
- Roundtrip economy fares start at around $600–700 when booked early.
- Typical summer roundtrip fares range from about $800–1,200.
- Peak July and August fares can reach $1,300+.
Border checks for U.S. passport holders have changed this year, including the addition of mandatory fingerprinting, so make sure you’re prepared well in advance.
Before you fly to Europe this summer, verify the travel rules that apply to U.S. passport holders on the Entry Requirement Checker.
Santiago de Compostela, Spain
If you know Spain primarily for its sun-soaked Mediterranean beaches and the urban chaos of Madrid, you might be in for a little shock with this one.
Tucked away in Galicia, Spain’s northwestern corner—where it’s all about Ireland-like landscapes, weather that feels more like western France than southern Europe, and peaceful towns frozen in time—Santiago de Compostela is the perfect Mediterranean antidote.
Home to a timeless medieval core of arcade-lined streets and centuries-old granite townhouses, it’s a compact, fully walkable city that’s a whole lot easier to explore than your average Spanish metropolis. With a population of just over 100,000, it feels more like a big town wearing a regional-capital hat.
Think less rushing from one landmark to the next, and more slow, aimless strolls through atmospheric old lanes, ducking into family-run tavernas for some epic polbo á feira, and taking your sweet time admiring every last detail of the soaring Santiago Cathedral.
The reason millions of Camino pilgrims spend weeks, sometimes months, walking to get here is this jaw-dropping Romanesque cathedral, which is believed, according to Catholic tradition, to house the remains of Saint James the Apostle.
Religious or not, it’s easily one of Spain’s most awe-inspiring monuments, period.
Fly Nonstop To Santiago de Compostela From The U.S.
United Airlines has launched the first nonstop flights between Newark (EWR) and Santiago de Compostela (SCQ) for summer 2026. This is the first direct connection between Santiago de Compostela and the United States.
- Seasonal service began May 28, 2026.
- Operates 3 times per week.
- Newark departures: Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
- Santiago de Compostela departures: Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
- Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8.
- Flight time: approximately 6 hours 50 minutes.
- Roundtrip economy fares start at around $600–700 when booked early.
- Typical summer roundtrip fares range from about $800–1,200.
- Peak July and August fares can reach $1,300+.
Wondering how safe Spain is to visit this summer?
It scores 94 out of 100 on the Traveler Safety Index, a measurement tool based on reports from travelers, not some cold, vague official advisory spewed out by a distant Gov expert looking at data in an overly-conservative, not-boots-on-the-ground way.
Bari, Italy
If your idea of an idyllic Italian getaway begins and ends with the word Amalfi, Bari is about to completely flip your expectations.
For starters, it’s nowhere near the world-famous coastline. Instead, it sits on the Adriatic, on the eastern side of the Italian boot, where you’ll find a slower, grittier, and far more authentic side of the country. Not quite as chaotic as Naples, but still wonderfully, unapologetically southern Italy.
The Historic Center is one of the largest in the country, a maze of whitewashed houses spilling onto cobbled lanes, where nonnas still hand-roll orecchiette on their front porches and fishermen sell the morning’s catch straight off their boats.
That family-run bakery you stumble upon in the heart of Bari Vecchia? Chances are it’s been there longer than the United States has existed as a country.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of history, too. If Santiago de Compostela is Spain’s religious capital, Bari is southern Italy’s. The imposing Basilica of Saint Nicholas houses the remains of the very saint who inspired Santa Claus, drawing pilgrims from across the Christian world for nearly a thousand years.
A leisurely 10-minute walk away, the mighty Norman-Swabian Castle stands as a reminder that just about every Mediterranean power, from the Byzantines to the Normans, wanted a slice of Bari at one point or another.
Better yet, Bari is the perfect gateway to Puglia, Italy’s most criminally-overlooked summer.
Spend the day swimming at Lama Monachile, the postcard pebble beach tucked beneath dramatic limestone cliffs in Polignano a Mare, stroll Monopoli’s endlessly charming seafront lined with fishing boats and honey-colored buildings, or lose yourself among the trulli of Alberobello, where hundreds of whimsical, conical-roofed stone houses make the whole town feel like a fairytale.
Fly Nonstop To Bari From The U.S.
United Airlines launched the only nonstop flights between Newark (EWR) and Bari (BRI) for summer 2026.
- Seasonal service runs from May 1 through early September 2026.
- Operates 4 flights per week.
- Newark departures: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
- Bari departures: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
- Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER.
- Flight time: approximately 9 hours.
- Roundtrip economy fares start at around $600 when booked well in advance.
- Typical summer roundtrip fares range from about $900–1,400.
- Peak July and August nonstop roundtrip fares commonly exceed $1,500.
Trogir, Croatia
Croatia buffs went bonkers earlier this year when United announced nonstop flights to Split, the country’s second-most popular destination after Dubrovnik, and only the second Croatian city to welcome direct Transatlantic service… but we were excited for a completely different reason.
Sure, Split Airport mainly serves Split, but it’s actually even closer to the much smaller, wildly underrated fairytale town of Trogir. Hop on bus 37 right outside the terminal, and you’ll be there in about 15 minutes.
Despite its pocket-size footprint, covering barely half a square mile, Trogir somehow squeezes over 2,000 years of history into its tiny island core. Better yet, it’s slower, quieter, and infinitely easier to enjoy than its much busier neighbor down the coast.
Just like Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the entire Old Town is UNESCO-listed, but what makes Trogir special is that it doesn’t feel like an open-air museum.
It’s the kind of place where locals still hang laundry above marble alleyways, not tourists smoking on apartment balconies blasting their JBL speakers, and Croatian grandpas spend entire afternoons debating football over espresso, maybe chased with a shot of rakija, in shady little squares.
The Cathedral of Saint Lawrence is breathtaking, boasting what many consider Croatia’s finest Romanesque portal, while Kamerlengo Fortress, standing guard over the harbor and its gently bobbing fishing boats and yachts, has watched over the town since the Venetians built it in the 15th century.
Hot take: Trogir makes a far better base for exploring Central Dalmatia than Split.
It’s a tiny island wedged between the mainland and the still wonderfully laid-back island of Čiovo. You’re only 35 minutes from Split’s Historic Center, yet barely 10 minutes from some of Čiovo’s best beaches, like Okrug Gornji and Labadusa, both washed by ridiculously clear, turquoise Adriatic waters.
Split and the wider region is one of the safest destinations in the Mediterranean this summer, scoring an impressive 89 out of 100 on the Traveler Safety Index:
Fly Nonstop To Split Airport (SPU) From The U.S.
15 minute drive to Trogir
United Airlines launched the only nonstop flights between Newark (EWR) and Split (SPU), which serves both the city of Split and the wider central Dalmatia, including Trogir, for summer 2026.
- Seasonal service runs from April 30 through September 5, 2026.
- Operates 3 flights per week.
- Newark departures: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
- Split departures: Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
- Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER.
- Flight time: approximately 8 hours 45 minutes.
- Roundtrip economy fares start at around $540 if you book early.
- Typical summer roundtrip fares range from about $700–1,000.
- Peak July and August roundtrip fares will usually exceed $1,000.
