A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Thessaloniki vs. Zagora for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Thessaloniki or Zagora?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Thessaloniki or Zagora? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Thessaloniki or Zagora?

Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and serves as the capital city of the Central Macedonia region. It also has a rich history dating back more than 3,000 years. As a visitor, you'll find that the city has been touched by the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires, all of which left their mark. In particular, the many Byzantine churches are quite impressive, with some of them listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Zagora

A small town in southern Morocco, Zagora is a popular base camp for excursions on foot, by camel, or four wheel drive vehicles into the surrounding desert. One of the most famous and historic treks is the ancient caravan route to Timbuktu, marked by a famous sign at the end of town - indicating a journey of "52 days" by camel.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours for Seniors to Greece, The Best Contiki Tours to Greece, The Best Adventure Tours to Morocco, and The Best Cultural Tours in Morocco.


Which place is cheaper, Zagora or Thessaloniki?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Thessaloniki Prices
    Greece Prices
    Zagora Prices
    Morocco Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Thessaloniki 165
    Zagora 56

The average daily cost (per person) in Thessaloniki is €165, while the average daily cost in Zagora is €56. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Thessaloniki and Zagora in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Thessaloniki 79
    Zagora 34
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Thessaloniki 158
    Zagora 68
Compare Hotels in Thessaloniki and Zagora

Looking for a hotel in Thessaloniki or Zagora? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Thessaloniki


Hotels in Zagora


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Thessaloniki Hotel Prices and Zagora Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Thessaloniki 13
    Zagora 1.35

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Thessaloniki

Also for Thessaloniki, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Bus Transfer to/from Kavala: $25
  • Thessaloniki Airport Private Transfer Service: $35
  • From Private Day Trip to Meteora with Transfer: $493
  • Athens to/from Thessaloniki : Private Transfer: $1,006

Is it cheaper to fly into Thessaloniki or Zagora?

Prices for flights to both Zagora and Thessaloniki change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Thessaloniki 72
    Zagora 21

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Thessaloniki

For Thessaloniki, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Open Market Food Tour with Tasting: $53
  • Cooking & Dining Experience with Greek Family: $69
  • Guided Food Tour: $76
  • Greek Ouzo and Meze Food Tour With A Local: $93
  • Traditional Greek Food Tour With A Local: $94
  • Kavala Food Tour and Cooking Workshop: $95
  • Get a Taste of Thessaloniki - Food Tour & Lunch: $103
  • Greek Cooking Class, Market Visit and Lunch: $104
  • Guided Walking and Food Tour with Drinks: $117
  • Thessaloniki Food Tour with a Local Chef: $129
  • Cooking & Wine Tasting with Dockside Views: $141
  • Cooking classes for Foodies, Discover Greek cuisine.: $158

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Zagora

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Zagora.

  • Morocco Cooking Class Tour with local market visit : $39

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Thessaloniki 26
    Zagora 2.69

Tours and Activities in Thessaloniki

For Thessaloniki, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • White Tower Self-Guided Audio Tour: $9.37
  • Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour & Narrative: $9.37
  • Thessaloniki:Selfie Museum, a 60-minute immersive experience: $13
  • Museum of Illusions Admission Ticket: $13
  • Ticket for Frida Kahlo Beyond the Icon Immersive Experience: $18
  • Cretan Olive Oil Tasting Experience: $18
  • Thessaloniki Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Bus Tour: $19
  • City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $19
  • OTE Tower Rotating Experience with Light Meal: $21
  • Byzantine Museum E-Ticket with Audio Tour: $21
  • Byzantine Museum E-Ticket & Audio City Tour: $25
  • Polycentric Museum & Aigai Royal Graves E-ticket with Audio Guide: $36

Tours and Activities in Zagora

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Zagora are as follows:

  • 2 days tour from Zagora to Erg Chegaga: $149
  • Private Day Camel Trekking Tour in Draa Valley from Zagora: $235
  • Zagora to Erg chigaga desert tour & 4x4 (All-inclusive) 2-Days: $179
  • Zagora to Erg chigaga desert tour & 4x4 and camel ride : $191

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Thessaloniki 15
    Zagora -

Sample the Local Flavors in Thessaloniki

Also in Thessaloniki, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • From Pella-Edessa-Naousa wine tasting: $76
  • Small-Group Wine Tasting Tour with Appetizers: $89
  • Wine Tasting & Farm tour in Thessaloniki: $95
  • Winery Visit with Wine Tasting Experience: $111
  • Northern Greece Wine Tasting Tour in Kavala: $155
  • Small Group Kavala Tour: Pangaion Mountain & Wine Tasting: $274


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Thessaloniki and Zagora, we can see that Thessaloniki is more expensive. And not only is Zagora much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Thessaloniki is in Europe and Zagora is in Africa, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Zagora would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Zagora and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Thessaloniki would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Thessaloniki than you might in Zagora.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Thessaloniki Expensive? and Is Zagora Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Thessaloniki or Zagora?

Thessaloniki has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Zagora. When comparing the sizes of Thessaloniki and Zagora, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.