Every single article about saving money on travel says something about “using a hub city” or “flying into a hub city”. But what exactly are these travel hubs and how can they help us save money on travel?

A transport hub is a place where passengers (and cargo) are exchanged between transport modes or vehicles. Public transport hubs include airports, train stations, bus stops, tram stop, and ferry ports.

When we talk about travel hubs we usually refer to the best airports to fly into a certain continent/country, as well as the best cities which offer multiple options for onward by land travel.

Airports can be both transport hubs – offering great options for onward travel- and hubs for airlines – offering excellent connections on certain airlines but forcing passengers to change planes for onward travel.

In this article, I will go over a list of busiest and best airports and cities in Europe to use as hubs for your trips.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik’s International Aiport (Keflavik. KEF) is one of Europe’s busiest airports and an amazing one to use as a hub when you connect between North America and Europe. Icelandair (FI) is the main carrier here , connecting the two continents with very good and affordable flights.

You can also use this airport to switch to fly on a low-cost European carrier – such as EasyJet (U2)– for your onward travel.

>>book your accommodation in Reykjavik

Tip: make use of the free stopover options from Icelandair and plan to break up the trip and visit Iceland’s capital while you are at it.

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin’s Airport (DUB) is one of the busiest in Europe and a great option to connect to and from the States. Aer Lingus (EI) offers plenty of flights in both directions but you can also use Ryanair (FR) to connect to other cities in Europe. The US legacy carriers (American Airlines – AA, United Airlines – UA and Delta Air Lines – DL) also fly to Dublin.

Dublin is also a great start for a by-land trip in Europe. Take a ferry and train to get to London, for example, then continue to the rest of Europe by using its very good rail network.

>>book your accommodation in Dublin

Tip: just like Icelandair, Aer Lingus also has a free stopover option. Look it up when you plan to fly to Europe.

London, England

London’s Heathrow (LHR) is the third busiest airport in the world so it is not surprising that it can be an amazing hub for your flight into and out of Europe. All US legacy carriers fly here and there are endless options to connect onward. British Airways (BA) is a very good option to look at when you plan to fly through or into London and for your onward legs, you can look at low-cost carriers as Ryanair has a strong presence here.

By land travel is not a bad idea either for continuing into mainland Europe; you can take a ferry, train or bus to get to Paris and then continue using the continent’s very good rail and road infrastructure.

>> book your accommodation in London

Tip: you guessed it, British Airways also includes free stopovers when you book through them.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport (AMS) is Europe’s fifth-largest airport and another good option for your flights between the Americas and Europe. While London’s Heathrow does get some traffic from South America, Amsterdam is connected to a lot more cities thanks to being KLM’s hub (and thus hub for the airline’s partners as well: Alitalia (AZ), Delta Air Lines (DL) and Air France (AF).

If you wish to continue on a low-cost carrier, EasyJet is the best option, while Pegasus will take you all the way to Turkey.

>> book your accommodation in Amsterdam

Tip: and yes, KLM also offers free stopovers, so why not check out Amsterdam while you are at it?

Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt’s Airport (FRA) is the busiest in Germany and a very well known hub for connecting flights through Europe. Lufthansa (LH) rules here, but Condor (DE) also has a strong presence along with the US legacy carriers. If you are flying from the Caribbean into Europe, this is likely the airport of choice, though it receives a lot of flights from North America, as well.

It is a good idea to continue with your travels within Europe by land from here as Frankfurt is really well connected to the rail and road networks. Unfortunately, the well known low-cost airlines in Europe don’t operate here.

>> book your accommodation in Frankfurt

Vienna, Austria

Vienna’s Airport (VIE) does not compare to the others on the list in terms of how much traffic it gets. However, it is one of the cheap airports to fly into from a handful of US Airports: Washington DC (IAD), Miami (MIA), Chicago (CHI) and New York (JFK).

Austrian Airlines (OS) is the airline that calls Vienna its hub. From here, you can easily connect to the rest of Europe by rail, road or water (hello, Danube).

>> book your accommodation in Vienna

Paris, France

Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), serving Paris , is the second busiest airport in Europe and a hub for Air France (AF). It connects Europe to the entire world and offers a lot of flights from the Americas. The US legacy carriers fly here and if you want to fly on a low-cost carrier onward, you can choose EasyJet.

You can also connect to the rest of Europe by land or by rail.

>> book your accommodation in Paris

Tip: Air France also allows you include stopovers but, of course, it depends on the fare rules governing your ticket.

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