A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Essaouira vs. Honfleur for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Essaouira or Honfleur?

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

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Essaouira and Honfleur can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Essaouira or Honfleur?

Essaouira

Essaouira is a beautiful beach town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The city has a pleasant medina that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site and is interesting to explore. It's an 18th century fortified town with a lot of character and charm. The city is rich and culture and you'll find a handful of art galleries throughout the town. The city is also a gathering place for artists and musicians, particularly during the Gnaoua Festival of World Music, which takes place the last week of June. This event attracts about 450,000 visitors yearly.

Honfleur

Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados Department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the Seine estuary across from le Havre and very close to the Pont de Normandie exit. Honfleur is the most picturesque of the Cote Fleurie's seaside towns. The cobbled streets that are lined with a stunning selection of stylish boutiques in the old timber houses. It is especially known for its old, beautiful port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet, Eugene Boudin, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind, forming the ecole de Honfleur (Honfleur school) which contributed to the appearance of the Impressionist movement. Much of its Renaissance architecture remains intact-especially around the 17th-century Vieux Bassin harbor, where the water is fronted on one side by two-story stone houses with low, sloping roofs and on the other by tall slate-topped houses with wooden facades.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco, The Best Vineyard & Wine Tours in France, and The Best Food and Culinary Tours in France.


Which place is cheaper, Honfleur or Essaouira?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Essaouira is $46, while the average daily cost in Honfleur is $158. 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 Essaouira and Honfleur in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Essaouira $26
    Honfleur $75
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Essaouira $52
    Honfleur $150
Compare Hotels in Essaouira and Honfleur

Looking for a hotel in Essaouira or Honfleur? 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 Essaouira


Hotels in Honfleur


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: Essaouira Hotel Prices and Honfleur Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Essaouira $1.99
    Honfleur $32

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira

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

  • Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $93
  • Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $93
  • Private transfer Marrakech to Essaouira or Essaouira toMarrakech : $102
  • Private transfer Marrakech airpot - Essaouira : $87
  • Private Transfer Essaouira - Rabat: $262
  • Marrakech : Private Transfer from or to Marrakech Airoport: $22
  • From Scenic Diabat Horseback Ride with Transfer: $48
  • From Private Transfer to Taghazout or Agadir: $150
  • From Private Transfer to Marrakech: $123
  • From Private Transfer to Casablanca: $321
  • From Beachside Quad Bike Tour with Transfer: $70
  • Scenic Hinterland Quad Ride with Transfer: $80

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Honfleur

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

  • Paris On Your Own: Round Trip Transfer from Le Havre Cruise Port: $134

Is it cheaper to fly into Essaouira or Honfleur?

Prices for flights to both Honfleur and Essaouira 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
    Essaouira $14
    Honfleur $62
Typical Food Prices in Essaouira

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:


  • Baklava
    $1.40
  • Breakfast Crepes
    $0.50
  • Fish for Lunch
    $15

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Essaouira

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

  • Traditional Moroccan Cooking Class: $39
  • L'Atelier Madada Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira: $55
  • Traditional Family Style Moroccan Cooking Class: $67
  • 3 hours Camel Ride in Essaouira with Dinner and Overnight in Berber Camp: $170

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Essaouira $12
    Honfleur $20

Tours and Activities in Essaouira

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.

  • Big Cap Sim dunes and forest 3 hours tour.: $70
  • 2 Hour Quad & ATV Experience: $58
  • Big dunes and atlantic coast tour 2 HOURS: $57
  • Essaouira : 1H quad bike tour and 1H camel ride: $57
  • Essaouira : Half-day E-Experience from Mountains to Sea: $129
  • Essaouira Guided Tour: 3 on 1 - Nightlife tour, Live like a local & Street food: $65
  • Essaouira Sand Dunes: Half Day Quad Bike Tour: $65
  • 3-Hour Camel Tour: $40
  • 3-Hour Quad Bike Tour: $87
  • Area Highlights 3 hours E-Bike Tour: $61
  • Atlantic Dune Buggy Adventure: $206
  • Cultural & Historical Sightseeing Tour - half day: $41

Tours and Activities in Honfleur

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

  • Paris Deluxe Shore Excursion from Le Havre Cruise Port: $75
  • A Full-Day Paris Tour from Le Havre for Cruise Passengers : $99
  • Cruise into Paris?! A Paris Full-Day Discovery from Le Havre: $82
  • Deauville and Honfleur Flower Coast Private Half-Day Sidecar Tour: $199
  • Etretat Gardens entrance ticket: $14
  • Flower Coast: Honfleur & Deauville Private Half-Day Sidecar Tour: $199
  • From Le Havre to Heroism: Private D-Day Normandy Experience: $96
  • From Le Havre: Paris Seine River Cruise and Highlights Shore Trip: $196
  • Guided walking tour of Honfleur: $24
  • Half Day tour in Vintage Sidecar Motorcycle from le Havre or Honfleur: $267
  • Honfleur & Deauville Private Half-Day Sidecar Tour (3H30): $202
  • Honfleur Private Guided Walking Tour: $307

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Essaouira $9.16
    Honfleur $24


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Essaouira and Honfleur, we can see that Honfleur is more expensive. And not only is Essaouira much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Essaouira is in Africa and Honfleur is in Europe, 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 Essaouira would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Essaouira 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 Honfleur would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Honfleur than you might in Essaouira.

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


Which is Bigger, Essaouira or Honfleur?

Essaouira has a larger population, and is about 9 times larger than the population of Honfleur. When comparing the sizes of Essaouira and Honfleur, 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.