SEO Title: iCal Airbnb link: where to find it and how to use it
Meta description: Learn where to find the iCal Airbnb link, how to export your calendar, and sync your bookings and availability with Booking.com, Google Calendar, or your website.
Recommended slug: link-ical-airbnb-dove-trovarlo
Main keyword: link iCal Airbnb
Secondary keywords: Airbnb iCal, esportare calendario Airbnb, sincronizzare calendario Airbnb, Airbnb calendar export, link calendario Airbnb
If you list a holiday home or apartment on several portals, you will probably need the iCal Airbnb link.
This address allows you to export your Airbnb listing calendar and connect it to external services such as Booking.com, Google Calendar, a Booking Engine, or other iCal-compatible calendars.
The feature is particularly useful for keeping availability up to date and reducing the risk of receiving two bookings for the same dates.
In this guide we see where to find the Airbnb iCal link, how to export it and how to use it correctly.
What is the Airbnb iCal link?
The iCal link is an address associated with the calendar of a specific Airbnb listing.
Airbnb may generate this URL to be included in another compatible platform. Changes to the Airbnb calendar are then reflected by the third-party service in the manner and timing provided by the third-party service.
The operation can be represented as follows:
Airbnb → iCal link → external calendar
For example:
Airbnb → iCal → Booking.com
or:
Airbnb → iCal → Booking Engine of your site
or:
Airbnb → iCal → Google Calendar
The link generally uses the calendar format ICS, recognized by many booking services and calendar applications.
Where to find the iCal Airbnb link
Airbnb allows you to export your calendar directly from the availability section of the listing.
On a computer, the path currently indicated by Airbnb is:
Calendar → select your listing → Free/busy → Connect calendars → Link to another website.
Let’s see the steps in detail.
1. Log in to your Airbnb account
Sign in to Airbnb with the profile you use to manage your listing.
Switch to host mode if necessary and open the section:
Calendar
If you manage multiple listings, select the calendar of the place you want to sync.
2. Open the Availability section
Within the announcement calendar click on:
Availability
Here you will find the settings for bookable dates and connections with other calendars.
3. Search for “Link Calendars”
In the calendars section, look for:
Connect calendars
and select:
Link to another website
Airbnb uses this section both to Export your calendar and for Import calendars from other platforms.
4. Copy the Airbnb calendar link
To export your calendar, Airbnb displays a link to the calendar.
Copy the address provided by the platform.
You just got your iCal Airbnb link.
This URL can now be entered within the service that must receive the availability of your ad.
What is the iCal Airbnb link for?
The iCal link mainly allows you to tell another platform which dates are busy or unavailable on the Airbnb calendar.
For example, if you receive an Airbnb reservation from the 10 to 15 August, the linked calendar can read that reservation and block the same dates.
The flow is:
Airbnb booking
↓
Updated Airbnb calendar
↓
iCal Feed
↓
Updated external calendar
This helps to prevent the same dates from remaining bookable on multiple platforms at the same time.
Airbnb recommends syncing calendars when the same listing is listed on multiple sites, to reduce the risk of overlapping bookings.
How to connect Airbnb to Booking.com via iCal
One of the most common uses of the iCal link is synchronization between Airbnb and Booking.com.
Once you have the Airbnb calendar link, you will need to copy it into Booking.com’s calendar import feature.
The connection will therefore be:
Airbnb → Booking.com
If you receive a reservation on Airbnb, Booking.com will be able to read the new unavailability through the imported calendar.
But be careful: this link works in One direction only.
If you want Airbnb to receive bookings made on Booking.com you’ll need to set up the opposite link.
How to sync Airbnb and Booking.com both ways
To achieve true iCal synchronization between the two platforms, you need Two connections.
The first:
Airbnb → Booking.com
The second:
Booking.com → Airbnb
The result will be:
Airbnb ⇄ Booking.com
In practice, you will have to:
- export the iCal Airbnb link;
- import it to Booking.com;
- export the iCal link Booking.com;
- import it to Airbnb.
In this way, each platform can read the unavailability coming from the other.
It is important to understand this mechanism because Simply exporting your Airbnb calendar doesn’t automatically mean syncing everything in both directions.
How to import Booking.com calendar to Airbnb
Airbnb also allows you to do the reverse.
You must first retrieve the iCal link from the external platform.
In the case of Booking.com:
Booking.com → Calendar export → copy iCal link
Then return to Airbnb and open:
Calendar → Free/busy → Link calendars → Link to another website
Then enter the link to the external calendar in the field provided.
Airbnb specifies that the link must be a compatible calendar URL for import, and it must end in .ics.
Finally, give the calendar a name, for example:
Booking.com
and confirm the addition.
How to use the Airbnb iCal link on your website
The Airbnb calendar can also be linked to the Booking Engine of your site, as long as the system supports importing iCal feeds.
The operation is the same:
Airbnb → iCal → website
When an Airbnb reservation is received, the Booking Engine can read the busy dates and make them unavailable on the site’s calendar as well.
If the Booking Engine also allows you to export your calendar, you can create the opposite link:
iCal → website → Airbnb
obtaining:
Airbnb ⇄ website
This configuration is particularly useful for those who want to combine bookings from OTAs with Direct bookings through its website.
How to import an external calendar to Airbnb
The process can be used not only with Booking.com.
You can connect any service that provides a compatible calendar to Airbnb.
Airbnb instructs the following process:
Calendar → Free/busy → Link calendars → Link to another website
From here, you can enter the URL .ics generated by the external service, give the calendar a name and add it.
You can then use this feature with:
- Booking.com;
- other compatible booking portals;
- Booking Engine;
- PMS or management systems that support iCal;
- other external calendars.
Every Airbnb listing has its own iCal link
This point is particularly important for those who manage more apartments or rooms.
Each ad has its own calendar.
As a result, you need to export and link the correct calendar for each facility.
For example:
Apartment Rome → calendar Airbnb Rome
Apartment Milan → calendar Airbnb Milan
Florence apartment → calendar Airbnb Florence
If you accidentally import one property’s calendar into another, you may be blocking dates that should actually be available.
For this reason, it is always advisable to give a clear name to the imported calendars.
How often do you update your Airbnb calendar?
iCal sync should not be confused with a real-time API connection.
Airbnb currently claims to automatically update imported external calendars every 3 hours. You can also manually request an update from the connected calendar section.
The path from the computer is:
Calendar → Free/busy → Link calendars → imported calendar → Update calendar.
Airbnb also specifies that there is a limit to the number of manual updates that can be requested from external sites. Once this limit is exceeded, it will be necessary to wait for the next automatic update.
This is an important aspect when using iCal to avoid the Overbooking.
Airbnb imports up to 2 calendar years
According to current Airbnb documentation, an imported external calendar can contain up to 2 years of information.
Airbnb also specifies that an imported calendar cannot simply be paused.
If you want to temporarily stop syncing, you need to disconnect it and then plug it back in.
How to manually update an iCal calendar on Airbnb
If you’ve just received a booking on another platform and don’t want to wait for the next automatic update, you can attempt a manual update.
From a computer:
Calendar
→ select your ad
→ Availability
→ Connect calendars
→ Link to another website
→ select the imported calendar
→ Update calendar
Airbnb will also show when the last sync was made.
Are blocked dates synced?
Bookings received through Airbnb and nights made unavailable are transferred to the external calendar through syncing.
Airbnb points out, however, that the behavior of the blocked dates from other platforms may depend on the information provided by the relevant calendar.
For example, some unavailability generated by settings such as:
- preparation time;
- minimum notice;
- calendar restrictions;
they may be handled differently from the external platform.
For this reason, after you set up a sync, it’s always a good idea to manually check that the dates are blocked correctly on both calendars.
Can I connect Airbnb to Google Calendar?
Yes.
The Airbnb calendar can also be exported to compatible personal calendars, including Google Calendar and Apple Calendar. Airbnb expressly lists these services as a possible calendar export destination.
In this case, the link can be used mainly to get an overview of the bookings within your personal calendar.
The flow becomes:
Airbnb → iCal → Google Calendar
This can be useful for viewing check-in, check-out, and occupancy within the calendar you use daily.
Does the iCal link Airbnb also sync prices and rates?
No.
This is one of the most important limits to know.
The iCal feed is essentially used for the Calendar and time off synchronization.
It should not be confused with a complete connection between Airbnb and a PMS or Channel Manager.
More advanced software integrations can synchronize information such as:
- prices;
- availability;
- ad settings;
- rates;
- contents;
- Other operational information.
Airbnb distinguishes the normal synchronization of calendars from PMS/Channel Manager software connections, for which there are specific ways of synchronizing prices, availability and other data.
iCal Airbnb or Channel Manager?
The best solution depends on how many facilities you manage and how complex your deployment is.
iCal can be sufficient when:
- manage one or a few facilities;
- you mainly want to synchronize busy dates;
- you use Airbnb and Booking.com;
- you want to link OTAs to your site’s Booking Engine;
- You don’t need to automatically sync prices and rates.
A Channel Manager may be more suitable when:
- you manage many facilities;
- you use several portals at the same time;
- you change prices and availability frequently;
- you need more complete synchronizations;
- You want to centrally manage rates and inventory.
It is therefore not necessary to consider iCal and Channel Manager as synonyms.
iCal is primarily a standard for exchanging calendar information.
A Channel Manager is a more complex tool for distributing and updating availability and other data across channels.
Does the iCal Airbnb link eliminate the risk of overbooking?
Syncing calendars can significantly reduce the risk of overbooking, but it should not be considered infallible or instantaneous.
In fact, with iCal there is always this process:
Booking
↓
Calendar update
↓
iCal feed reading
↓
Upgrading the other platform
Airbnb, for example, automatically updates imported external calendars every 3 hours.
During this time, there may be a window in which an availability has not yet been updated on the other platform.
For properties with many bookings or with a large number of channels, it may be appropriate to evaluate more advanced synchronization systems.
I can’t find the iCal link on Airbnb: what to check
If you can’t find the export feature, first check that you’re logged in as a host and selected the correct listing calendar.
The current path from the computer is:
Calendar → Free/busy → Link calendars → Link to another website.
If you’re managing multiple ads, make sure you’ve selected the one you actually want to sync.
Menu names may also vary slightly depending on the language used in your account and updates to the Airbnb interface.
Is the iCal Airbnb link safe?
Your calendar’s iCal link should not be published freely online.
It is an address designed to be used by systems that need to read the calendar.
So avoid putting it in:
- public pages of the site;
- forum;
- public screenshots;
- articles;
- social networks.
Copy it directly from Airbnb and only put it in the services that need to sync.
How to unlink a calendar from Airbnb
If you no longer want to sync an external calendar, you can remove the connection.
Open:
Calendar → Availability → Link calendars
Select the relevant calendar and use the edit function to unplug it.
Airbnb specifies that, once removed, you will need to add it again in case you want to reactivate the sync in the future.
Conclusion
Find the iCal Airbnb link It’s quite simple.
From the computer, the main path is:
Airbnb → Calendar → Availability → Connect calendars → Link to another website → copy Airbnb calendar links
You can then use this link to sync Airbnb with:
Booking.com
Google Calendar
A Booking Engine
A compatible management system
Other portals that support iCal
However, remember the most important rule:
Exporting the calendar Airbnb creates an outbound link.
To sync two platforms in both directions, you need to import and export both calendars.
For example:
Airbnb → Booking.com
e
Booking.com → Airbnb
obtaining:
Airbnb ⇄ Booking.com
Properly configuring calendars automates much of your availability management and reduces the risk of overlapping bookings.
If you also want to receive Direct bookings from your website, you can connect your Airbnb calendar to an iCal-compatible Booking Engine and use the same principle to keep your availability in sync.
FAQ about the iCal Airbnb link
Where can I find the Airbnb iCal link?
From a computer open Calendar, select the ad, go to Availability, then in Connect calendars and choose Link to another website. From this section, you can copy the Airbnb calendar link.
Does the Airbnb calendar link end in .ics?
Airbnb uses calendars that are compatible with the iCal/ICS standard. For the calendars you want Import to Airbnb, the platform specifies that the URL must end in .ics.
Can I sync Airbnb and Booking.com?
Yes. You can export your Airbnb calendar and import it to Booking.com. To sync bookings Booking.com to Airbnb as well, you’ll need to set up a second link in the opposite direction.
How often does Airbnb update iCal calendars?
Airbnb currently indicates an automatic update of connected external calendars every 3 hours. It is also possible to manually request an update, within the limits provided by the platform.
Can I manually update my calendar?
Yes. From the connected calendars section, you can select an imported calendar and choose Update calendar.
How many calendar years does Airbnb matter?
Airbnb says it imports up to 2 years of information from connected external calendars.
Does iCal also sync Airbnb prices?
No. The iCal calendar should not be used to synchronize prices and rates. Software connections with PMS and Channel Manager can instead handle more complete data, including pricing and availability.
Can I connect Airbnb to my website’s calendar?
Yes, if the Booking Engine used by the site supports importing iCal calendars.
Does iCal sync completely avoid overbookings?
It helps to significantly reduce the risk of synchronization, but it is not an instant synchronization. It is therefore important to configure all the links correctly and periodically check that the calendars are updated.
