Not every trip starts and ends in the same place. If you are planning a tour of Portugal, you might want to arrive in Lisbon and fly home from Porto. And on the long way to Asia, you can break the journey with a few days in Istanbul or another hub. Two terms describe this, and they are often confused: open jaw and stopover.
The terms at a glance
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Open jaw | Outward flight to one place, return from another | Out to Lisbon, back from Porto |
| Connection | Short wait between two flights | Two hours in Istanbul on the way to Bangkok |
| Stopover | A deliberately longer stay on the way | Three days in Istanbul on the way to Bangkok |
| Multi-city | Several flights in one booking | Frankfurt, Rome, Athens and back |
The open-jaw flight
On an open-jaw trip, the place you arrive and the place you leave from are different. On a map the route looks like an open jaw, hence the name. In German it is called a Gabelflug, a fork flight. It is especially practical for touring holidays. You drive from Lisbon up the coast to Porto and fly home from there, without travelling the whole way back.
An open jaw is also possible at the home end. You might leave from Frankfurt and land in Munich on the way back, because that is closer to where you need to be after the holiday.
You usually book an open-jaw flight with the multi-city search. Each leg is entered separately, and the system finds suitable connections and shows a total price. It often costs hardly more than a normal return.
The stopover
Long flights to Asia, Australia or Africa often go via large hubs in the Gulf, in Turkey or in Asia. Instead of just changing planes there, you can stay a few days. That is a stopover. You see an extra city and split a tiring journey into two halves.
Many airlines make this easy. With some, a stopover costs nothing extra, others offer hotel packages for the stop. You book it with the multi-city search too, for example Frankfurt to Istanbul, then Istanbul to Bangkok three days later.
Popular cities for a stopover
- Istanbul: bazaars, mosques and boat trips on the Bosphorus, just three hours’ flight from Germany.
- Dubai and Abu Dhabi: beach, desert and skyscrapers, ideal in winter.
- Doha: quieter than Dubai, with a large museum of Islamic art.
- Singapore: clean and safe, and a treat for anyone who loves food.
- Reykjavík: on the way to North America, with hot springs and waterfalls.
What to watch out for
Check the entry requirements for your stopover. If you leave the airport, you officially enter the country and may need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation, depending on the country. For German citizens this is straightforward at most popular hubs. The rules depend on your nationality, though, so check them for your own passport, German citizens on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.
Think about your luggage too. On a stopover you usually collect your suitcase and check it in again for the next flight. Pack so that everything you need for your days in the city is easy to reach.
Booking tips
- Compare prices: sometimes an open-jaw flight is cheaper than two separate flights, sometimes not.
- Choose one booking: on a single booking you are better protected if there are delays.
- Allow enough time: two to four days are worthwhile for a stopover.
- Think about the season: a stopover in the Gulf is very hot in summer and pleasant in winter.
flug-123.de editorial team, updated 10 November 2026. We review our guides regularly. Rules can change. If in doubt, the details in your booking apply.
