$357 Find Cheap Flights from Europe to California

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Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$356
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 9% increase in price.
Flight from Paris Orly 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 
RobertaFlew with United Airlines
CDG
-
SFO
Mar 2026
If flying from Paris to SFO, I would recommend if you are not familiar with either terminal to do some research: CDG is very well organized for signage and helpful general customer service. SFO is not as well organized for signs, and the people who work there (at least upon the returning/customs area) don't seem as cheerful. The TSA agents at SFO were super nice to us when we departed! Their French counterparts are not as pleasant - they are really pushing hard to get you through security. So, again, familiarize yourself as much as possible with the different systems to herd you through to your plane and getting in and out of the terminals, and you will probably have a better experience. I recommend looking at online videos and terminal maps, along with transportation options.
JanieFlew with SWISS
ZRH
-
SFO
Jan 2026
If you need to do an overnight layover, Grand Hyatt at SFO is perfect and has a 24 hour cafe!
ShengFlew with Aer Lingus
DUB
-
LAX
Jan 2026
Aer Lingus agent booked us a 1-stop reservation via Air Canada to replace our original 2nd leg flight to LAX. I was surprised to discover the new trip only has the 2nd part in the Air Canada system, 1 day before the departure time. I spoke to the ticketing agent again, who really made her efforts to confirm a new reservation for our big group of travelers. I was not happy about the surprise, which can be of a very rare situation, while at the same time I do appreciate the agent's effort to help us get back home ASAP. Lesson learned: even with a printed itinerary, you still need to double check on the carrier website to be sure.
AntonFlew with United Airlines
LHR
-
SFO
Feb 2026
United has a cool arrival lounge in london but it is a bit hard to find, after customs look left
ZeynepFlew with Scandinavian Airlines
CPH
-
SFO
Dec 2025
The lines are long. Make sure to get there at the recommended time
Verified travelerFlew with ITA Airways
FCO
-
LAX
Jan 2026
Be prepared for unintentional mistakes and rudeness due to the language barrier. If you’re on the taller, broader side, there will be 13 hours of discomfort with smaller seating and very tight bathrooms. The food is unsatisfactory so bring supplements.
PeteFlew with ITA Airways
FCO
-
SFO
Nov 2025
“Comfort economy” is worth it. Noise cancelling headphones/earbuds are important, along with an eye mask.
Verified travelerFlew with Iberia
MAD
-
LAX
Jun 2025
Arrive early to the airport, it takes a long time to check in and reach the boarding gates
MichelleFlew with Aer Lingus
DUB
-
SFO
May 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 Lufthansa
MUC
-
LAX
May 2025
Arrive early. There are a lot of flights and a lot of steps before getting to your gate.
IanFlew with Iberia
BCN
-
LAX
Jan 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 SWISS
ZRH
-
LAX
Dec 2024
Don't pack too much, as the carry-on back size is smaller than most other airlines.
AlastairFlew with British Airways
LHR
-
SFO
Feb 2025
Make sure your free checked luggage is for outward and return flights.
Verified travelerFlew with British Airways
LHR
-
SAN
Sep 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 SWISS
ZRH
-
LAX
Sep 2024
Have Swiss app it keeps you updated pretty instantly of any delays or gate changes
MeganFlew with Iberia
LHR
-
LAX
Sep 2024
Pack light and know you can always get stuff when you land.
NinaFlew with Aer Lingus
DUB
-
SFO
Nov 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 Airlines
LHR
-
SFO
Sep 2024
Download all your music. Add shows and movies to your queue. Bring short so you can relax. Bring long charger cords.
PGFlew with Condor
FRA
-
LAX
Oct 2024
Make sure you have plenty of time to get through the Frankfurt Airport if you are flying internationally.
MajFlew with Scandinavian Airlines
CPH
-
LAX
Sep 2024
Bring snacks! Other than the 2x international meals, everything else is for purchase.
SunnyFlew with Turkish Airlines
IST
-
SFO
Nov 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 Airlines
AMS
-
SFO
Jul 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 Airways
LHR
-
LAX
Jun 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 PORTUGAL
LIS
-
SFO
Jul 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 Airlines
CPH
-
LAX
Aug 2024
Make sure you request food restrictions! Otherwise they will make you purchase if you are unable to eat their free meal
GzimFlew with Lufthansa
MUC
-
SAN
Aug 2024
Buy your own food, choose seating where you have your own row or someone your flying with.
AmrFlew with United Airlines
MUC
-
LAX
Aug 2024
Boarding takes long time and traveling from T2 is far away from T1
Verified travelerFlew with American Airlines
LHR
-
SFO
Mar 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 Airlines
FRA
-
SFO
Apr 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 Iberia
LHR
-
SFO
Mar 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 Airways
MAD
-
SFO
May 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 Nui
CDG
-
LAX
Jan 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 airlines fly most frequently to California?

    Europe and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (114 flights per week), Air France (109 flights per week), and Lufthansa (102 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in California?

    There are 29 airports in California. The busiest airport is Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with 39% of all flights arriving there.

  • 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 $651.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Thursday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $921. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Tuesday, where round-trip prices are $1,039 on average.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $981 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 $981.

  • 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 $268 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 $268.

  • 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 $711 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and August, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,103 and $1,071 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 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 26% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 22 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From Europe, there are direct flights to California from 15 cities. The city with the most direct flights is London, with 686 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to California are there each day?

    There are around 235 direct flights from within Europe to California every day. Most flights (50%) depart in the afternoon.

  • How many direct flights to California are there each week?

    Each week there are around 1,640 direct flights from within Europe to California. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 15% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from Europe to California takes 13h 39m, covering a distance of 5717 miles. The shortest route is London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 10h 40m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to California each week?

    There are not any medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to California. Instead, there are 1,640 long-haul flights (6-12 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from London.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Los Angeles (51% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are San Francisco (19%) and Las Vegas (11%). Searches for flights to Ontario (10%), to Santa Ana (3%) and to Long Beach (3%) 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.
7.4
United AirlinesOverall score based on 9560 reviews
8.1Crew
7.3Comfort
7.7Boarding
6.6Food
7.1Entertainment
Airline reviews

Flight left on time, arrived early, pleasant staff provided water, coffee, etc. access to bathrooms was reasonable and were well maintained. blankets were available, lots of entertainment options. LUGGAGE SERVICE WAS GREAT. I got my one checked bag quickly and was able to make a bus connection for a 2 hour bus ride saving me from waiting another 1.5 hours.

10.0 ExcellentMitchell, Apr 2026
EWR - SFO
Read more United Airlines reviews

Flight left on time, arrived early, pleasant staff provided water, coffee, etc. access to bathrooms was reasonable and were well maintained. blankets were available, lots of entertainment options. LUGGAGE SERVICE WAS GREAT. I got my one checked bag quickly and was able to make a bus connection for a 2 hour bus ride saving me from waiting another 1.5 hours.

Terrible, if possible won't be flying again anytime soon!

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

we did a return flight from Paris CDG to SFO. This trip was much better than the departing flight SFO to CDG. The food was better quality, the crew was nicer, and the interior of the plane seemed cleaner.

Horrible service no Wi-Fi connection on both leg of the flight and they are refusing to fix bad service

We got to get extended leg room in Econ plus that was great. It was nice having our own dietary needs met with our meals, and the connecting flights had it as well. Only negative were the seats my bottom was/is really sore after a ten plus hour flight. Those seats are horrible, understandable for as many people use them. So we are going to purchase a gel seat pad.

Flight to Japan was was better across the board than the return to USA. Entertainment: Movie selection was old and not to my liking. Way too many woke choices. Not enough selections for sports or drama. Service: some of the crew were great. Not all. I paid for business class. a premium. Some of the crew thought they 'had' t do there job instead of wanting to serve and be polite. Food: Way to Japan was good. Way back to USA bad. Boarding: Wat out did not offer Business only; had to go thru general. If you pay for business, you should get business perks. Suggest you look for other than United for travel to Asia

I will never fly ANA again. They lost one of my large pieces of checked luggage, the heaviest one with the most valuable items in it, and they said they will not send me an email unless they can't find it, even though the paper they gave me to track the status of my lost luggage requires a code from an email they are supposed to send me so I can do baggage tracing. They claim to be an international airline, but they also insist on calling a Japanese telephone number to confirm where to send the lost baggage if they find it. It is impossible to find an actual contact email address for customer support on their website, and their AI chatbot is unhelpful, directing you to a webpage that says it is for contact information but does not have any actual email addresses or phone numbers listed on it. My seat in economy did not recline at all, even though I was not sitting in an exit row nor the very back row. I had to sit in the fully upright position for over ten hours of international travel. Awful experience overall.

The head flight attendant made the trip excellent. He was very accommodating.

The economy seats on the 777 was not as cramped as I had feared, but the food was terrible.

had to wait 1 hour once boarded. so we were 1 hour late arriving.

They are absolutely impossible to get hold of. A death in the family caused us to delay our departure. They are impossible to get through to and after waiting 41/2 hours I was told they would not consider helping us. They cancelled our return flight and have not reimbursed anything. I strongly urge readers to consider a different airline.

A lot of snacks and provided on request by traveller. Preferred meals which were on their menu were not always sufficient for those who wanted them. We were told 2 different items and offer which we asked for were not offered initially. We rejected the 3rd item given as a substitute for our initial choices which we didn't want and so we didn't accept it. Eventually our initial choice was offered. During service of coffee and tea, the crew member didn't offer us and moved back. Luckily neither of us wanted tea at that time. Crew members must avoid behavior that may be suggestive of discrimination

The crew was awesome. My husband fell while traveling to the WC and got a head abrasion. The crew helped him greatly and a physician that was also on the flight checked him out as well. They all get an A+!

Online check in and seat assignments are terrible. All 4 flights

Cabin was kept very hot and it was uncomfortable. Entertainment system did not work at my seat. Crew and service is fantastic

Extremely bad BAD BAD BAD. NEVER TURKISH AIRLINES EVER AGAIN..PIRATES COMPANY.

Typically great service from Turkish with comfortable seat and amenitie, good food and great attention from staff.

Delicious food, comfortable and clean plane. It's a little cramped in the hall in front of the gate.

Very hot cabin made long flight uncomfortable, even in business class! Food was great. Istanbul business lounge had great food but too few bathrooms and seating . They also need more electric outlets for charging devices. Appreciate the ability to go through fast track lines w business class

Excellent crew members, but my seat and food wasn’t the best

All went smoothly. That's what I want on a long flight.

I expected more, but they will nickel and dime you for everything. I did not enjoy flying with this airline.

Curious and efficient service ! First time flying with SAS and very pleased!

I wish they have given us explanations for the delays. And the rebooking process in Copenhagen was too long. I had to wait about 4 hours before they assign me a hotel. From there the handling process (accommodation, transportation and meal) was excellent.

Our trip plan from Kayak stated we were flying SAS. That was not true. The first leg was a Delta flight. We wasted 25 minutes before finding out to check in with the correct airline. Then our SAS flight for the second leg arrived 25 minutes late, and our third leg flight with SAS closed the gate knowing the flight delay was SAS’s fault, and that this flight would only be backed up 5 minutes. The final kicker was that between Delta and SAS, they lost all our checked luggage.

Since our earlier flight was delayed, we missed this flight and were rerouted on Lufthansa 2 days later.

Scandinavian Airlines is terrible. Flight was late. Lost luggage. Rude flight attendants. Terrible experience.

The flight was very cold, and the seats were rather uncomfortable. The food has been better on our other SAS experiences. Most significantly, the luggage with most of my wife's personal items and clothes didn't make the flight. Hoping for a quick resolution, but no real opportunity to speak with a Human has us concerned.

Ancient aircraft (busted armrests, poor cabin temperature with no option for passenger control). Garbage everywhere. Risible checking of safely conditions on landing. Also, late.

Generally good. Not their fault but the design of the Boeing 747 had seating supports directly in line with my legs. So my legs always had to straddle this support which caused body misallignment. Such poor design from Boeing. There was no USB port for me to charge my phone. The screen touch control was very poor.

I like crew. They are friendly. The flight was delayed to take off for 1hr and that caused panic at Houston Airport to catch connecting flight due to security check delay. If it has reached on time I would have sufficient time in collecting bags and security check

How about changing the personal out to more friendly human beings? This team was pretty arrogant. No fun!!

Everything could have been better. What needed to be wrong with United went wrong

Excellent service. The crew goes above their way to make the customer comfortable.

It was good. The seats in economy weren’t bad

I hated the FRA Airport. Confusing signage, including the path to Immigration and Security It seems that the airport grew haphazardly over the years. I have been through multiple WW Hubs with much better experiences.

Excellent service; they helped me reschedule so I can fly in an earlier flight

Wonderful staff. The boarding process can be improved a little better by adequate prior communication but all in all they did fine. However the boarding gate was quite unfreindly to elderly and who needs help with sevral stairs.

Flight map did not work. Crew was great, food was good, plane took off on time and landed early. That's all I can ask.

Everything was spectacular except the boarding. It was just a mob of people while all groups were called over the public address system.

The Britts are wonderful to fly with and the crew were very hospitable. Again, I really wish they had been able to retrieve my carryon bag from baggage claim before the flight so I could be in a less worrisome state of mind, but that's not on them. I completely understand. The window seats with the dimmable windows were very cool!

There was a delay for the San Francisco-London flight, but we were all informed via text and email. The staff was very friendly and nice and the food was good. I do recommend that the airline offer something without eggs or something vegan for the vegetarian meal option. A lot of Indians are lacto-vegetarian, while some could be allergic to eggs/dairy.

food options were terrible. for a 10-hour flight, there should be 2 decent meals. Also, flight attendants should come around with drinks more than just at the meals.

Smooth flight. The seats were comfortable but the reclining mechanism didn't work very well. My wife's seat required the flight attendant to push the seat forward while she pushed the button. The leg support didn't want to return to its home under the seat. I ordered the diabetic meal which was full of carbs. It was low in sugar but carbs turn into sugar so was it really diabetic? Overall the flight was pleasant, long but pleasant.

Crew were nice, food was good. Boarding was horrendous. We were driven around the airport in a bus forced to climb a long flight of very steep stairs with no adequate handrails to board the plane . In many many years of flying to the US I have never been required to do this . There was no assistance for those needing help getting up the stairs to the plane. A fellow passenger helped me. No idea how other elderly, physically limited passengers or those with young children managed . It was a full flight with crowds trying to get up the stairs. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Horrible, the plane is just old and junky...Filthy restroom, seat was as hard as rock. The food, mystery side dish, inedible..geez..just Horrible. Never flying BA again

We paid for Business Class seats, but system did not have us and they were not available.

the service on Business class should be improved to be at par with industry leaders like Cathay Pacific and Singapore AIrlines. A lot of room for improvement.

I paid for a very expensive Business Class seat to and from Cairo Egypt from Charleston SC. There was partnership from states to London using American Airlines. That leg was amazing. The British Airlines leg was a joke. They used the standard no leg room 3 by 3 seats. A tray was put on the middle seat. The trip was 5 hours, from London to Cairo, thus my BC purchase. There was no screen proving tv/movie options, only a small device plug. The fold down tray and the bag of peanuts were typical of normal short run flying. The one toilet was located in the galley. We all got to know each other well. This was my first and last trip with British Airlines. I now understand why they would NEVER give me a seat chart so that I could make a selection.prior to departure. It honestly would not have made a difference, there were less than 50% of occupied seats. Apparently everyone got the memo but me. I have never felt so cheated as with that trip, got to so another going back to London, yeah. I will be sending a letter to customer service and asking for a refund. I will be photos comparing the two BC legs. OH, one more thing. The FC ticket holders got bulkhead and exit row seats. I know they had to be thrilled

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to Europe

Cabin classes available on flights to Europe. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.