Round-trip flights from multiple US airports to Croatia for less than $600
Quick summary
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
With its stunning teal Mediterranean waters, historic landmarks and pristine beaches, Croatia has become a popular travel destination in recent years.
Come this fall, you can experience Croatia's natural beauty and rich culture with this off-season deal: Round-trip flights to Croatia are less than $600.
Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, LOT Polish Airlines, Air France and United Airlines are offering round-trip flights to Croatia's capital, Zagreb, for as low as $500 from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and O'Hare International Airport (ORD). KLM and Delta offer flights to Split — the city of many "Game of Thrones" scenes — from JFK for $532.
For the first time, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have deals to Zadar — a trendy city without the same crowds as popular destinations like Zagreb and Dubrovnik — for $597 from JFK. Lufthansa and Austrian also offer flights to Dubrovnik starting at $536 from JFK.
All deals are for basic economy seats, but you can upgrade to main cabin seating, including baggage, for as little as $75 each way on some of the airlines. Many of these deals to Croatia include long layovers in a European city such as Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna or Amsterdam, so be prepared for that.
Get these low prices while you can — round-trip flights to Croatia typically cost upward of $850.
Deal basics
Airlines: Air France, Austrian, Delta, KLM, LOT, Lufthansa and United.
Routes: New York City and Chicago to Zagreb, Zadar, Dubrovnik and Split.
How to book: Search Google Flights for the best dates, then book directly with the airline.
Travel dates: September 2022 to May 2023, although dates vary by route and exceptions may apply to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Book by: ASAP.
Scott's Cheap Flights flagged these deals to Croatia. The site has deals up to 90% off through its Premium membership, which has a 14-day free trial period and costs $49 per year. Scott's Cheap Flights also has an Elite tier upgrade for $199 a year which allows you receive the same Premium deals along with premium economy, business-class and first-class offers.
Sample flights
While many options are available from JFK, EWR and ORD, layover stops and times vary by airline. We rounded up the most notable flights to Croatia.
Zagreb
Air France: From JFK and EWR, starting at $541.
Delta: From JFK, starting at $539.
Lufthansa: From EWR, starting at $532.
United: From EWR, starting at $549.
LOT: From JFK and ORD, starting at $500.
Dubrovnik
Lufthansa: From JFK, starting at $520.
Split
Delta: From JFK, starting at $532 (transfer flight to KLM during the layover in Amsterdam).
KLM: From JFK, starting at $532.
Zadar
Lufthansa: From JFK, starting at $584.
Note: We didn't find any deals with nonstop flights to Croatia, and layovers can be up to five hours long.
However, the flight with one of the shortest layovers was a Nov. 23 Delta flight from JFK to Zagreb priced at $541 on Delta's website as of Aug. 11.
We recommend using Google Flights to search for your best dates and then booking directly with the airline because it is more reliable in the event of a delay, cancellation or booking change.
Prices on Google Flights sometimes tend to be slightly less than those on airlines' websites because Google Flights also shows third party booking options. For example, Google Flights priced a Delta flight from New York City to Zagreb at $539, but the flight was $541 on Delta's website. Prices can also vary by time and day.
With an 85-minute layover in Paris, the flight departs JFK at 9:30 p.m. and arrives at Zagreb at 2:20 p.m. In Paris, the flight switches airlines from Delta to Air France.
Air France operates the return flight to JFK which has an 80-minute layover in Paris as well.
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
All things considered, this is a great deal because you have the option to fly to four different Croatian cities, and there are multiple airlines to choose from. These deals give you the chance to fly to one of Europe's increasingly popular tourist destinations at a relatively low price, so act fast.