Skipping the US transit hassle and flying straight to Latin America is easier than most travellers realise, and demand is booming. South America welcomed 7% more visitors in 2025 than the year before, Central America 5%, with Brazil up a striking 37% (9.3 million international arrivals) and Guyana up 24%, according to UN Tourism data. Here's how to get there without changing planes in Miami.
Madrid is the undisputed hub for this corner of the world. Iberia, Air Europa, LATAM, Plus Ultra and Iberojet all link the Spanish capital to destinations across both regions, and Iberia's stopover programme even lets you spend up to 10 days in Madrid en route at no extra airfare.
Brazil has the most connections by far. São Paulo is served direct from London Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Istanbul, Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and Madrid by carriers including LATAM, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, TAP, Iberia and Air Europa. Rio de Janeiro is nearly as well covered, with TAP, Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, ITA Airways, British Airways and Gol all flying in from Europe.
Colombia (6.2 million visitors in 2025) follows. Avianca connects Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Heathrow to Bogotá, with Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, Edelweiss and Turkish also serving the capital. Cartagena's walled old town is reachable from Madrid, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam and Zurich. Chile's Santiago is served by Iberia, LATAM, Air France and British Airways, while Buenos Aires (5.7 million visitors to Argentina last year) is reachable from Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam. Lima, gateway to Machu Picchu, has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam.
Central America is thinner but workable. San José in Costa Rica, one of the region's biggest draws with 2.9 million arrivals, is served from Madrid, Zurich, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and London. Iberia is the only airline flying direct to Guatemala City, while San Salvador is reachable from Madrid and Barcelona. For Panama City, choose from Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam or Istanbul departures.
The region's least-visited corners are served by just one or two routes. Air Europa is the only direct option to Asunción in Paraguay; KLM alone reaches Georgetown in Guyana and Paramaribo in Suriname; and French Guiana's Cayenne is served from Paris by Air France and Air Caraïbes. Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni awaits via Air Europa or Boliviana de Aviación from Madrid, and Ecuador's Quito is reachable from Madrid and Amsterdam.
A few practical tips: use a site like flightconnections.com to check which days of the week each route operates, since not all are daily, and to spot seasonal services. And check current travel advisories before booking — several governments currently warn against travel to Venezuela, with alerts also in place for parts of Ecuador and Colombia.
