TAP Adds Portugal Stopovers with Freebies to Transatlantic Flights

Planning a trip to Europe or beyond? If you’re looking to tack on an extra destination to your itinerary, it’s easier than you might think. Portuguese carrier TAP is adding flight stopovers in Lisbon and Porto to all of its transatlantic routes, with added freebies like hotel discounts and free wine from their partners if you do choose to stop in either locale.

Longer than a layover, flight stopovers allow one or more days to explore an interim destination. TAP’s flight stopovers allow up to three days in Lisbon, Porto or both. And the best part is, the itinerary change could cost you nothing, depending on your destination. Right now some November and December trips to London and Paris include a complimentary stopover for around $500.

Too good to be true? Nope! The airline just wants its customers to “Discover Portugal” on the way to their final destination.

If this gateway to Europe isn’t already on your bucket list, it should be. Hilly Lisbon’s street cars, coffee, castles, and ornate public squares are perfect for exploring year-round. Almost 200 miles north, Porto boasts world-class wine, picturesque bridges, and plenty of medieval and art nouveau architecture—including the very book store that inspired J.K. Rowling while she was writing the Harry Potter series and living in Porto.

To add a stopover in Lisbon or Portugal for up to three days, TAP flyers can select the stopover option on FlyTAP.com. Deals include travel to many cities in Spain with stops in Porto and Lisbon included, from $693 round-trip if you travel between December 15 and April 16. That’s airfare to three destinations for the cost of one—and similar deals are available to London, Paris, and beyond.

Visitors can take advantage of perks like free wine and museum tickets at institutions partnering with TAP, including free admission to Lisbon’s Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology, a free wine-cellar experience, and discounted hotel rates or walking tours. TAP flies daily from New York (JFK airport), Newark, Boston, and Miami.

It always pays to fit in a stopover when you can, but TAP is making the idea even more worthwhile for trips to Europe this fall, winter, and spring.

More from SmarterTravel:

• JetBlue Partners with TAP Portugal to Offer Directs Flights
• 10 Best Cities to Visit in Europe
• 6 Things You’ve Got to Bring Back From Portugal

Associate Editor Shannon McMahon writes about all things travel. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.