Americans Can Fly Nonstop To These 3 Underrated European Cities With Gorgeous Medieval Centers & Less Crowds In 2027

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I used to live in the Western Hemisphere myself, and I know flight options going to Europe can oftentimes be limited to only a handful of ultra-popular destinations… or at least that’s how it used to be.

If you’re dreaming of a European escape next year, but you’re not exactly keen on another London–Paris–Rome circuit, United Airlines has just added three lesser-known Old World cities to its ever-expanding flight map.

We’re talking gorgeous medieval cores with maybe half the usual crowds, endless cobbled streets to explore at your own leisurely pace, and better yet, no stopovers required, getting funneled into long lines and running between terminals just to make the next flight on time:

Ljubljana, Slovenia

• Route: Newark (EWR)–Ljubljana (LJU)
• Frequency: 4 flights per week
• Aircraft: Boeing 767-400ER
• Launching: May 12, 2027 (seasonal service)
• Outbound: departs Newark at 4:20 PM, arrives in Ljubljana at 6:40 AM the following day
• Return: departs Ljubljana at 9:55 AM, arrives in Newark at 1:40 PM
• Outbound flight duration: approximately 8 hours 20 minutes
• Return flight duration: approximately 9 hours 45 minutes

Next year, you can be one of the first Americans to hop on a direct flight to Slovenia, this tiny Alpine country known for gorgeous snow-capped peaks, crystal-clear lakes, and of course, its postcard-ready capital Ljubljana.

You’ll be landing only 16 miles outside the city, and the public airport bus takes you to the city center in roughly 40–50 minutes.

Ljubljana’s historic center is truly the stuff fairy tales are made of: picture cobbled lanes running alongside a fast-flowing river, old stone bridges, including a ‘Triple Bridge’ and a crossing guarded by fearsome dragons… and that monumental hilltop castle to top it off.

The 20-minute walk from the Ljubljanica River promenade up to Ljubljana Castle is one of the most picturesque you can do, passing elegant Habsburg façades and family-owned bakeries, and if you like your dinners romantic and with sweeping mountain views, this is where you should go:

Strelec is an award-winning eatery in Ljubljana, located inside one of the castle’s towers, and their tasting menu featuring seasonal dishes and locally sourced wine is my personal favorite splurge when in town.

If the pork belly with red currant and yeast is on offer, make sure that’s what you go for.

Ljubljana is also a short one-hour to 80-minute bus ride to Lake Bled, the most iconic photo spot in the entire country: a mirror-like lake surrounded by pre-Alpine peaks, with a church on an islet in its very center.

Pro tip?

Go early, rent a kayak for an hour for around $18, and make a beeline toward the old church island before the crowds come, then return to the mainland and walk up to Bled Castle for insane panoramas of the Alps.

Check The Local Travel Rules In Europe Before You Fly

Before you go, double-check the entry rules that apply to you.

U.S. passport holders get 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen Area, which covers Slovenia, Luxembourg, France, and 26 other European countries.

The EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since April 2026, and the ETIAS pre-travel authorization is expected to follow, so confirm what’s live and in operation before you book.

Use the Entry Requirement Checker to pull the full documentation and stay on the clear side of border control.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

• Airline: United Airlines
• Route: Newark (EWR)–Luxembourg (LUX)
• Frequency: daily
• Aircraft: Airbus A321XLR
• Launching: April 2, 2027 (year-round service)
• Outbound: departs Newark at 7:25 PM, arrives in Luxembourg at 9:20 AM the following day
• Return: departs Luxembourg at 11:05 AM, arrives in Newark at 1:55 PM
• Outbound flight duration: approximately 7 hours 55 minutes
• Return flight duration: approximately 8 hours 50 minutes

Yet another pocket-size capital, this time one that spearheads a namesake Grand Duchy wedged between France, Germany, and Belgium, Luxembourg is that postcard-made medieval city I’ve always wondered personally why most tourists bypass it entirely.

It has a UNESCO-protected center split into a cathedral-dominated Upper Town, offering cobbled streets and rampart walks, and a Lower Town, or ‘Grund’, packed with cozy coffee shops and riverfront terraces, and that alone is detour-worthy.

Brussels is widely regarded as the de facto capital of Europe, but very few people are aware it actually shares the coveted title of European capital with Luxembourg (and Strasbourg, but that’s a story for another day).

The modern skyscraper district of Kirchberg hosts a number of European institutions, like the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Investment Bank, placing little, unassuming Lux at the heart of the EU.

That’s only the city. Wait until you see everything else the Grand Duchy has on offer, though.

In Luxembourg, tourists can travel anywhere in the country, starting from the capital, for free.

No need to get that day pass, nor worry about train reservations:

You can hop on buses, trams, and second-class trains without worries, both within the city and outside.

My favorite side quest here is getting to Vianden, a tiny village that’s even prettier than Luxembourg City, near the German border. Centuries-old houses, traditional eateries, and pretty little town squares right beneath the main attraction:

This humongous, Disney-like medieval castle, one that had Victor Hugo himself feverishly drawing sketches.

In fact, Hugo was so enamored with the village he spent several weeks here in exile in the 19th-century, and you can even visit the very house he stayed in temporarily, now a museum dedicated to the French literary giant.

Toulouse, France

• Airline: United Airlines
• Route: Washington Dulles (IAD)–Toulouse (TLS)
• Frequency: daily
• Aircraft: Airbus A321XLR
• Launching: April 26, 2027 (year-round service)
• Outbound: Departs Washington Dulles at 6:10 PM, arrives in Toulouse at 8:15 AM the following day
• Return: Departs Toulouse at 10:15 AM, arrives in Washington Dulles at 1:20 PM
• Outbound flight duration: Approximately 8 hours 5 minutes
• Return flight duration: approximately 9 hours 5 minutes

United’s third pick in Europe for 2027 is Toulouse, the Ville Rose.

It’s one of France’s most exciting city breaks right now, already voted best destination in the world by Lonely Planet: as beautiful as Paris, as warm as Nice, even though it’s not exactly on the Riviera, and with delectable food on a par with Lyon.

Why is it called the ‘Pink City’, you ask?

How about a timeless Old Town largely built from peach-coral terracotta bricks that seems to turn a unique burnt pink at sunset?

The Basilica of Saint-Sernin, dating back to the 11th century, is one of Europe’s finest Romanesque churches, and a major stop on the Camino de Santiago.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, that’s a network of pilgrimage routes stretching across Europe and converging on Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Nearby, the Couvent des Jacobins is this landmark 13th-century Gothic convent with a soaring vaulted ceiling shaped like a stone palm tree, and of course, there’s Toulouse Cathedral, an enormous medieval ensemble blending Southern and Northern French Gothic styles, with impressive stained-glass windows.

In the heart of the Old Town, at 13 Place Saint-Georges, Restaurant Émile is that longstanding Toulouse institution you can’t miss if you love a generous serving of cassoulet with duck confit and excellent wine.

I’m a sucker for a day trip, as you probably know at this point.

At around 55 minutes by car from Toulouse, there’s this UNESCO-protected medieval gem called Albi.

Best known for its fortress-like red-brick cathedral and rust-colored center, it’s just the perfect addition to a Toulouse city break. Make sure you don’t skip over it.

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