Route notes
Why this routing works
This itinerary is structured as an eastbound Atlantic crossing from New York City into Portugal, then a gradual overland-style progression through Southern and Northern Europe before the final transatlantic leg to Los Angeles. The longest stays are front-loaded in Ponta Delgada and Lisbon, which reduces the number of flight days early in the trip and creates a simple sequence before moving on to Florence, Copenhagen, and London.
At 8 weeks total, the timing is balanced between longer base stays and shorter city-to-city hops later in the route. Spending 12 nights in Ponta Delgada and 28 nights in Lisbon keeps the Portugal section compact from a ticketing standpoint while allowing the later European stops to be used as shorter connectors: 11 nights in Florence, 5 in Copenhagen, and 3 in London.
Because this is built in economy and priced from USD 1,514 to USD 2,309, it fits travelers who want a multi-stop transatlantic ticket with defined open-jaw-style progression rather than repeated returns to the same region. The May departure timing places the whole routing in the April-to-June season window, which is useful for keeping the entire itinerary inside one coherent fare period.
The route also finishes efficiently: London works as the final European departure point before the nonstop long-haul return direction to the U.S., ending on the West Coast in Los Angeles instead of backtracking to the East Coast. That sequencing makes this a clean coast-to-coast Atlantic itinerary rather than a round-trip to the original starting city.