$211 Find Cheap Flights from Europe to California

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Low seasonJanuary
High seasonJuly
Cheapest flight$211
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 8% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 20% increase in price.
Flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Los Angeles

Flights from Europe to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Europe to California 
Verified travelerFlew with IberiaMAD-LAXJun 2025
Arrive early to the airport, it takes a long time to check in and reach the boarding gates
MichelleFlew with Aer LingusDUB-SFOMay 2025
Make sure you arrive well ahead of the flight. We were lucky that security lines were pretty short but they could be very long and you do US customs and security in Dublin.
PatrickFlew with LufthansaMUC-LAXMay 2025
Arrive early. There are a lot of flights and a lot of steps before getting to your gate.
IanFlew with IberiaBCN-LAXJan 2025
Be aware that checked in bags are EUR70 per bag. You can board the plane via stairs either at the front or back. I thought the experience was ok a 13 hour flight
Verified travelerFlew with SWISSZRH-LAXDec 2024
Don't pack too much, as the carry-on back size is smaller than most other airlines.
AlastairFlew with British AirwaysLHR-SFOFeb 2025
Make sure your free checked luggage is for outward and return flights.
Verified travelerFlew with British AirwaysLHR-SANSep 2024
Flight overall is good. Service is very good. Bring yourself some snacks, in case the food isn’t up to your taste.
Verified travelerFlew with SWISSZRH-LAXSep 2024
Have Swiss app it keeps you updated pretty instantly of any delays or gate changes
MeganFlew with IberiaLHR-LAXSep 2024
Pack light and know you can always get stuff when you land.
NinaFlew with Aer LingusDUB-SFONov 2024
Make sure you include extra time to pass through US Border Control if you’re flying to the US! Also Aer Lingus bag drop closes 75 mins before flight departure for long haul so bear that in mind!
Verified travelerFlew with United AirlinesLHR-SFOSep 2024
Download all your music. Add shows and movies to your queue. Bring short so you can relax. Bring long charger cords.
PGFlew with CondorFRA-LAXOct 2024
Make sure you have plenty of time to get through the Frankfurt Airport if you are flying internationally.
MajFlew with Scandinavian AirlinesCPH-LAXSep 2024
Bring snacks! Other than the 2x international meals, everything else is for purchase.
SunnyFlew with Turkish AirlinesIST-SFONov 2024
Turkish lounge is so good, however receptionists are anything but receptive: they were inattentive and rude x 4 Airport is very large for a tight international transfer if inbound flight is 30 min late
Verified travelerFlew with United AirlinesAMS-SFOJul 2024
Fly either Business class or Premium Plus. Realize Business is unaffordable for most but Premium Plus is worth the extra fee.
SimonFlew with British AirwaysLHR-LAXJun 2024
If flying business class I’d research which cabin your aircraft operates. BA have some old business class on the 380 and new business class on the 777. (And 350). The new cabin is so much better. But the food just isn’t as good as it used to be
AmirFlew with TAP AIR PORTUGALLIS-SFOJul 2024
For any flight that's part of a Multi-City flight plan, don't miss it. Otherwise, all your remaining flights on that plan will be terminated.
KaraFlew with Scandinavian AirlinesCPH-LAXAug 2024
Make sure you request food restrictions! Otherwise they will make you purchase if you are unable to eat their free meal
GzimFlew with LufthansaMUC-SANAug 2024
Buy your own food, choose seating where you have your own row or someone your flying with.
AmrFlew with United AirlinesMUC-LAXAug 2024
Boarding takes long time and traveling from T2 is far away from T1
Verified travelerFlew with American AirlinesLHR-SFOMar 2024
Heathrow is vast, allow plenty of time to drop bags and go through security. At San Francisco the immigration takes a bit of time and we had to wait around 1.5hrs, bare this in mind when booking car rental. The is a shuttle train from the airport to the car rental area which is very slick and efficient.
HenryFlew with United AirlinesFRA-SFOApr 2024
connection took much longer than I expected; need 20 minutes between taking a shuttle bus and pass through custom before you get on your flight
Ana-MariaFlew with IberiaLHR-SFOMar 2024
In London triple check your flight they have multiple leaving for the same destination once - it is easy to get them confused
Verified travelerFlew with British AirwaysMAD-SFOMay 2024
Terminal 4 in Madrid is not well signed to tell where passengers need to go after each step. Planes are far from the Terminal. Baggage check in is slow.
Verified travelerFlew with Air Tahiti NuiCDG-LAXJan 2024
Fly this airline. Get to LAX early. 4 hrs. Its jyst enough time.

FAQs for booking flights from Europe to California

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Europe to California?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Europe to California.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Europe to California?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Europe to California is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Europe to California?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from Europe to California with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Europe to California?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Europe to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in California?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in California is Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $698.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Monday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $803. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $944 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $650 on average. Morning departures are around 9% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $886.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Europe found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $274 round-trip. The most popular route is Amsterdam (AMS) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $274.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Europe to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from Europe to California is February, when tickets cost $623 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and August, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,057 and $966 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from Europe to California?

    To get a below average price on the flight from Europe to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 19 weeks before departure.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from Europe to California takes 13h 30m, covering a distance of 5678 miles. The shortest route is Amsterdam (AMS) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 10h 35m.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Los Angeles (40% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are San Francisco (20%) and Las Vegas (13%). Searches for flights to Ontario (7%), to Burbank (6%) and to Long Beach (5%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Europe to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Europe to California? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.0
DeltaOverall score based on 7959 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.9Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.5Crew
7.3Food
Airline reviews

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

8.0 ExcellentPrincess, Jul 2025SEA - LAX
Read more Delta reviews

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

My flight was extremely cold. I had a jacket and a cover was left in each seat. The cover was extremely thin and I have a disability, fibromyalgia and arthrithis and AC air is the worst. I closed my vent and my husbands vent and it still was frigid. I asked the attendant if I could get another cover and she quickly almost dismissively and totally unconcerned stating, (I quote) (one per chair) and walked off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to explain to her that I literally have adisability. I didnt want to make a seen so I set on that flight for over 5 hours in pain, joints locking up and extremely uncomfortable. When my fibromyalgia flares up my joints not only ache but they will lock up also and it takes me days to get back to my regular self even though I take medication for it. I felt like it would not have hurt anyone at all for her to just give me an extra cover because I'm sure they have all types of medical issues in people that fly every day.

Not a "Delta" issue, but a JFK issue: We booked a connecting flight with 3 1/2 hours between to clearn immigration and customs. Our inbound flight (BCN to JFK) was on the taxiway 45 minutes which ate into our layover time. Immigtration was insanely quick with the CBP MPC app; however, clearing TSA (again, after we were ALREADY cleared in Spain on the inbound international flight) took over 95 minutes. This left us with 10 minutes before boarding the connecting flight (JFK to SAN) to walk to the far end of Terminal 4 and try to find food. We didn't find any food that could promise to serve us in under 10 minutes so we boarded the Delta flight after coming off a plance and an 8-hour flight knowing that we wouldn't be served any food on the next 5 1/2 hour flight. I feel like Delta needs to put pressure on the JFK TSA to open more screening stations (by our count, we saw only 5 scanners open and a line of - as we said - over 90 minutes. The insult is that we WERE ALREADY SCREENED through TSA, but as you come off one flight into the USA, you have to go through the whole process again. It seems like if you have a connecting flight, there should be a way to pass through immigration and customs without needing to return through TSA.

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

5 hours of delay that could've been much shorter if Delta had taken the 1 hour delay they imposed on the flight before boarding to run any of the plane checks required for flight to find the hydraulic issue that required nearly 3 hours to fix. $24 of meal credit buys a sandwich and a soft drink. Poor communication within the terminal about what gate we'd be re-boarding from and when we'd be re-boarding.

The entertainment and wifi mostly didn't work on this flight.

Terrible entertainment system - kept freezing and audio kept cutting out. Snacks were mediocre at best for a 5 hour flight.

I am still upset that my bag was lost on a recent trip to Rome ; we were inconvenienced and out €150 Euros ; delta has refused to reimburse us

This had nothing to do with Delta… The flights were on time and flawless. The service was excellent. We purchased seats in (aisle/middle) comfort plus since this was a cross country flight. Unfortunately, the woman seated at the window was 300+ pounds and, as might be expected, covered up about a third of the middle seat also. there was absolutely nothing that Delta could have done about that… I just don’t know what the answer should be. If you purchase a seat, you should should be able to use the entire seat and not just the portion that someone else is not sitting/oozing in. Disappointing…there should be something that could be done….I'm just not sure what solution could be.

I love the free WiFi!! Crew was nice. Bathroom was decent. First time flying delta in a long time and I enjoyed it. Will definitely look into booking with Delta more but I think Delta is a little more expensive than the other airlines.

1.It will be better if sandwich is warm. 2.The food is too salty. 3.Breakfast needs some vegetables or fruits.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

It was all good flight was on time, service was good I enjoyed a few movies and everything was smooth

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

My flight was delayed a very short period of time but they did not hold my connecting flight to San Diego, also through United. So they closed the doors before we got off our plane. They would only have to help the door open for another five to ten minutes. So I missed a court deadline for a manditory mediation settlement conference for my client. I had to get an associate to be there in person and be on the phone with him relaying what he needs to do the entire time. The court was very upset with me and so was my client. United cannot be trusted.

We were given vouchers we couldn’t use with a 5.5 hour delay

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

Boarding was mayhem. Late boarding by 15 minutes because of lack of staff (missing 1 flight attendant. We had to wait for an arrival of another plane before we could board). Flight was a little rough, but cannot blame on airlines.

Great experience…left a bit behind schedule but made up fir that in the air and landed 10 minutes early 😁

Airbus plane, nice and polite staff, entertainment even as it was a short flight.

Amazing food, great staff, with one noticable detail missing ...but no seat entertainment in any of aircraft ...I am not a fan

Boarding gate in Honolulu was staffed with a great clerk with a soothing voice despite the flight delay of over an hour. Flight attendants in the plane were all grumpy, not pleasant looking bunch. Their sour attitude showed throughout the flight. Inly able to get a select few movies started. Most of the movie links in the “free entertainment” did not work.

I flew Business Class. Rory, one of the Cabin stewards, was attentive, explained the menu, provided appropriate drinks. was

This was a horrible experience. For a first class experience, my chair was held together by 3M tape - and I have a photo. The crew weren’t very attentive, somewhat dismissive and forgot my drink and snack, the chair reclined about 3 inches on a 6-hour cross country flight. I was also not informed that there was no lounge available in Newark airport because of renovations, so all around this was one of the worst experiences and I would actively avoid both American and Alaska Air going forward.

Boarding was very efficient. Everyone got on board and we got on our way very quickly. It was frustrating that the entertainment app was not functioning properly. I was not able to activate some of the movies offered. The crew on this flight appears to be pretty grumpy. They had no smile on their faces. I felt like they were doing us a favor for being there.

Loved the staff, boarding and drink options! Wish the comfort of the seat could have been better nevertheless

Honestly, I haven’t flown American in years, probably due to the pandemic and my being unable to travel for certain periods in the last two years, but it was a good experience to dig out or obtain a new American Airlines account after many years of traveling for business with American in the past.

Long 5 hour and 45 min flight and only one drink service and cookie snack

One bottle of water and a package of cookies for comfort plus. We had to literally beg a flight attendant for an extra bottle of water later in the flight due to feeling dehydrated.

Flight boarded from Gate 39 at OGG, the farthest gate in the terminal. There were no Hawaiian themed amenities for the flight. The first class service was mediocre at best; I received not special welcome or recognition as an executive platinum member of American Advantage program. The flight attendants were more concerned with their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as we disembarked. Fortunately, the flight arrived at LAX a few minutes early.

Best flight attendants ever! Very customer and service oriented, courteous, professional and helpful.

Flights were delayed but very last minute, also seats felt very squished on the second flight. Crew was very friendly and airplane was clean.

I darted through the Frankfurt airport to make my connecting flight. I asked if it was a possibility to upgrade and the agent did. This was the kindest gesture and it made up for the previous delayed flight and distress/anxiety of anticipating that Zi was going to miss my Frankfurt-Chicago connection. I cannot express my gratitude for the upgrade.. I am 5feet 10 inches do the leg space was amazing.

Good legroom. Attentive crew. Wine quality poor, you can do better

It was freezing. I asked crew member for a blanket and was told it might be in front of plane but I never got one. I turned off all the vents but still froze.

Great experience. Flight was on time and reached destination on time

I meant this flight was not good, the one from Tirana to Frankfurt was better!

Easy checkin. Things went off without a hitch. The the movie selection for the flight wasn’t great, though.

food, movie entertainment upgraded current, interconnecting flights being on time, we have a 24-hour overlay

Exit row seat that cost extra to book had a bad monitor marked as out of order, so clearly something they should have fixed.

They removed our booking without telling us. Cost us thousands to book last minute

The decided to just remove our booking without telling us. It ended up costing us thousands

We never made it onto this flight due to BA's lackluster organisation.

The international flight from PHL to Lisbon was one of the worst I’ve experienced, ever. What was really disappointing was the entire experience of comfort and service in the coach cabin after takeoff. The food was inedible and the wine served with dinner was such low quality - it tasted of petrol. I couldn’t eat more than a bite or two of the chicken entree, being worried it would make me ill. The service took so long to reach the entire coach cabin, I ended up having the lights turned off on me as though I had to rush though dinner (though as I mentioned, it wasn’t as if I ate much - only the salad). Most of the attendants seemed generally annoyed and were not friendly or polite. While there was some turbulence, it wasn’t too uncomfortable and I know that is just a chance. The temperature of the cabin was so warm, even a friend a row or two up and on the other side of the plane felt like this. To top it all off, the seat was so uncomfortable and flattened/overused, I had back pains for DAYS afterward.

The air hostess were good, cheerful, but I didn't like the boarding. My son and I initially bought our flight tickets, making sure it included 1 luggage and a carry on. Tickets were purchased for British airlines, but we were merged with American Airlines. At checking in our languages, we were told, we don't have luggage prepaid so we had to pay extra $125 each and almost £60 on our way back. I think that's unfair.

Economy seats are so small and compacted so close together that comfort is negatively affected, especially on long flights. However that is due to aircraft design, not anything the airline can do about it.

3/4 bags delayed and 1/4 damaged at the other end. Flight was freezing

The crew were good. The flight was on time. The entertainment choice was ok. But the food was bad, tasted and texture were awful.

After boarding we were waiting in the plane for more than one hour to take off without AC with very high temperature inside

The flight was an hour late leaving Heathrow. The food was mediocre. When we got to Austin, my husband’s luggage was missing. He filled out information at baggage claim. We are waiting to hear something. His name is Henry Jacob Braunig.

Book cheap flights from Europe to California

Recent round-trip flight deals

9/24Wed
1 stopSWISS
34h 35mCDG-LAX
10/15Wed
1 stopSWISS
28h 20mLAX-CDG
$248
9/5Fri
nonstopLufthansa
11h 25mFRA-SFO
9/21Sun
nonstopLufthansa
10h 50mSFO-FRA
$327
8/25Mon
1 stopUnited Airlines
14h 10mLHR-SFO
9/10Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
14h 05mSFO-LHR
$516
8/24Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
16h 25mLHR-SFO
9/9Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
13h 25mSFO-LHR
$518
8/24Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
16h 08mFRA-LAX
9/6Sat
1 stopBritish Airways
23h 40mLAX-FRA
$531
9/8Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
17h 43mFRA-LAX
9/22Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
15h 50mLAX-FRA
$535
10/1Wed
1 stopDelta
13h 45mFRA-SFO
10/15Wed
2 stopsDelta
18h 46mSFO-FRA
$547
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1 stopDelta
13h 45mFRA-SFO
9/14Sun
1 stopDelta
17h 40mSFO-FRA
$548
8/28Thu
1 stopAmerican Airlines
14h 35mFRA-LAX
9/1Mon
1 stopAmerican Airlines
15h 50mLAX-FRA
$556
8/25Mon
1 stopAmerican Airlines
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9/7Sun
1 stopAmerican Airlines
15h 50mLAX-FRA
$557

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1 stopIberia
29h 30mMAD-LAX
$294
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Last minute flight, train and bus deals

7/22Tue
multi-stop
17h 24mFRA-LAX
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multi-stop
21h 40mLAX-FRA
$619
7/22Tue
nonstop
11h 35mFRA-LAS
7/29Tue
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19h 10mLAS-FRA
$637
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16h 50mLAS-FRA
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multi-stopLufthansa
33h 21mFRA-LAS
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multi-stopBritish Airways
24h 17mFRA-LAS
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multi-stopBritish Airways
14h 20mLAS-FRA
$749
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multi-stopLufthansa
16h 05mFRA-LAS
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multi-stopLufthansa
14h 06mLAS-FRA
$756
7/22Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
22h 46mFRA-SFO
8/5Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
17h 49mSFO-FRA
$784
7/22Tue
multi-stopDelta
20h 19mFRA-SFO
7/28Mon
multi-stopDelta
27h 35mSFO-FRA
$802
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multi-stopDelta
18h 40mFRA-SFO
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multi-stopDelta
19h 40mSFO-FRA
$806

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Everything you need to know for your flight to California

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