We’ve seen great pricing to Europe at various times this year, but this is truly fantastic. Right now, prices to Zurich, Munich, and Vienna are about as low as they can feasibly go. Prices start below $300 from Chicago, and below $350 from the west coast which is especially good. These are available over Thanksgiving as well as all of winter except Christmas and New Year’s; in some cases these prices extend into next Spring as well. With Zurich and Munich you can use these for Alpine skiing as well as visiting the city, making them even better. All of these are from American Airlines and partners, unless noted as United. Fares include:
- Chicago to Zurich from $294 ($284 available with a 6 hour layover in Philadelphia), $316 to Vienna, $328 to Munich
- San Francisco to Zurich from $300, Vienna and Munich from $348
- Los Angeles to Munich from $368 (United)
- Miami to Zurich from $366, and Munich from $368
Image courtesy of Jonny_Joka (Pixabay)
These are basic economy prices, including carry-on and meals. Main cabin is $160 more (that seems the maximum difference to Europe this year), meaning round trips to Switzerland with seat selection and checked bags are available below $450. I expect some sort of low prices will be around for awhile, but I would expect these super-low fares to disappear at any time. So book quickly if you’re interested in these flights.
Sample Route
- Departure: Chicago
- Stops: Philadelphia outbound, Madrid inbound
- Arrival: Zurich
How to Book
- Follow link for sample dates or search your favorite OTA / Google Flights for departure and destination
Travel Dates
- Late October 2019 through March 2020
- 5-day or 7-day stay required
Where to Stay in Central Europe
- Hilton Garden Inn Munich City Center West
- Courtyard Marriott Munich City Center
- Holiday Inn Zürich Messe
- Hilton Garden Inn Zurich Limmattal
- Intercontinental Vienna
- Hilton Vienna
Things to Do in Central Europe
- Munich’s BMW Museum
- Munich’s English Garden
- Lake Zurich
- Zurich Old Town (Altstadt)
- Vienna’s Schonbrunn Palace
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
(SEE ALSO: The Top Destination I Want to Visit on Each Continent)
Good luck and happy flying!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Air France is running pricing like this as well on some special fares from certain cities.
Great news! I’ll look for these and if I find them I’ll post!
Hello Dan,
Rob from Prague. I am looking at this page and want to send this to my brother in Dallas. He is coming to Central Europe early fall.
Why is there not a symbol for email so that I can send this to him?
There are symbols for Facebook, Pinterest (which I do not know) and the bird symbol….Twitter. The other two symbols I have no understanding of.
Why do so many bloggers NOT put a link to just send an email of the page?
It would sure make it easier to forward info instead of taking screen shots on my IPad and then sending those screen shots to my family.
BTW, I did apply for a cc with you and I was turned down because of 5/24.
Thanks for the info and I will pass that on to my tech team. In the meantime, you can always just copy the URL and email that to him. Also thanks for applying for a card through my link; sorry you were bitten by the eeeeeevil 5/24 rule 🙂