The cheapest vacation packages to popular vacation spots

How much does the holiday cost? In view of the galloping inflation, many are considering whether they can still afford to travel for the coming summer. We put it to the test and compared prices for a two-week all-inclusive beach holiday at a well-rated four-star sea-view hotel with airport bus transfers during the high season for the first two weeks of August. The result: prices have risen everywhere. But if you look closely, you can definitely find bargains.

Holidays with the sheikhs in the United Arab Emirates do not have to cost a fortune. This is especially true in the summer, which is the off-season there. In the current travel offers, you can find bargains such as a 14-day trip to the "Hotel InterContinental Abu Dhabi" (14 days with flight and all-inclusive meals from 1890 euros per person, with BigXtra). With five stars, the hotel is actually overqualified for this price comparison and, in addition to the house beach, also has its own marina.

However, you should be able to tolerate the heat in the Emirates: the daytime temperatures regularly reach over 40 degrees in August and the pools are cooled down to 28 degrees.

The currently cheapest tropical long-distance travel destination is Sri Lanka. An example for August: 14 days of flight and all-inclusive meals in the traditional hotel "Tangerine Beach" are available per person for 1850 euros (via Alltours). For comparison: For a two-week all-inclusive vacation in the Caribbean, for example the Dominican Republic, you pay at least 1200 euros more for two.

However, there is a reason for the cheap price on the island of tea and spices with its fabulous palm beaches: After surviving a political crisis, the country is in a severe economic slump with 50 percent inflation and regular power cuts.

Among the travel destinations on the Mediterranean, Cyprus is the most expensive. We only found the cheapest four-star beach hotel for two weeks in August from just under 1800 euros, it was the Theo Sunset Bay Hotel, beautifully situated above a pebbly bay on the west coast north of Paphos (via TUI).

There are significantly cheaper offers for Northern Cyprus, but the country is not recognized internationally and you can only get there after a complicated journey via Turkey.

In terms of tourism, Greece was one of the winners of the past year. Accordingly, the hoteliers have raised their prices for the new season. One of the cheapest recommended deals we found for a two-week all-inclusive August vacation was the €1700 per person Rhodes Horizon Blu hotel in Valaoritou near Rhodes Town (via L'tur).

It is on the second line behind the beautiful Akti Kanari Beach, just 10 minutes walk from the old town. The hotel "Astir Beach" in Gouves on Crete is similar in price (via FTI or Öger). Tip: In Greece you often travel cheaper on a half-board or breakfast basis and then eat in a cheap beach tavern.

It takes almost twice as long to fly to the Canary Islands as to Greece; however, the prices are a little cheaper. For just over 1650 euros, TUI is offering a flight and a two-week all-inclusive holiday in August in the large hotel “Servatur Waikiki” in Playa del Inglés on Gran Canaria. It has a beautiful pool area; you can take the bus to the beach, 1.5 kilometers away.

Less than 50 meters from the beach, the Hotel Allsun Lucana (via Alltours) is even a few euros cheaper. Comparable and equally well-rated hotels on the Canary Islands can also be found in Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, such as the hotel "Atlantic El Tope" (ten minutes' walk from the beach).

Germany's favorite holiday island is not a bargain, but worth the money. The price point for a two-week all-inclusive August holiday in Mallorca is marked by the tour operator Alltours with its own Allsun hotels, such as the "Hotel Cristóbal Colón" on the Platja de Palma for just under 1590 euros per person. The house is on the third street behind the beach.

An alternative to this is the “Mar Hotel Paguera”. If you need a direct beach location, you pay at least 300 euros more per person, for example for the "Universal Hotel Castell Royal" in Canyamel (both offers: Schauinsland).

Anyone who wants or can invest less than 1,500 euros for a flight and a two-week all-inclusive holiday in August should consider Bulgaria's holiday towns on the Black Sea. Plenty of sun, low additional costs and the all-round carefree advantages of an EU country (e.g. with roaming, health insurance, holiday hassles) are further trumps.

From 1,350 euros, for example, you can travel with Dertour to the Hotel Sineva Park, which is located directly on the wide sandy beach. 50 to 100 euros more per person are offers on the somewhat nobler golden beach, such as the "Hotel Kristal" (via Vtours, Bucher or FTI).

Inexpensive and good: If you keep an eye on your money on vacation and maybe also like to dive, you can't avoid Egypt. The younger bathing destinations al-Quseir and Marsa Alam are a few euros cheaper than the largest holiday resort Hurghada.

Half an hour's drive south lies the well-rated four-star hotel "Fantazia Resort". Including a flight, a 90-minute bus transfer and all-inclusive meals, we found two-week August offers there for less than 1250 euros (can be booked via the FTI subsidiary BigXtra). As everywhere in Egypt, however, you should take bathing shoes with you - the sand consists of coral.

Who makes the cheapest good travel deal this midsummer? Tunisia had to admit defeat by a very narrow margin. Neckermann, now a subsidiary of Anextour, offers a flight and a two-week all-inclusive holiday in the hotel “Primasol El Mehdi” in Mahdia for almost 1,200 euros.

Like most holiday resorts in the North African country, the three-storey building is right on the beach and separated from the actual town by the wide coastal road. If you like, you can quickly take a taxi to the old town. But most regulars just come to chill for two weeks.

The comparison portals agree: Turkey makes the cheapest prices this high summer, and on the Turkish Riviera the city of Alanya is the price breaker. The terrible events in the earthquake zone around Gaziantep, 500 kilometers to the east, do not change that. Starting at 1150 euros in August, there is a two-week flight and all-inclusive holiday at the “Tac Premiere Resort” in Alanya (offer from the Hotelplan subsidiary VTours).

The traditional seaside resort of Alanya is a bit further away from the airport and may not be as chic as Kemer or Belek, but Antalya's little sister has a southern atmosphere and the gently sloping Cleopatra beach. You don't have to feel too foreign in Alanya either: 6000 German emigrants have had a lasting impact on the cityscape - from black bread bakers to bicycle rentals.

All prices for this comparison were requested for package tours with a flight from Germany, transfer to the hotel and an all-inclusive holiday with a sea view in a four-star holiday hotel in the first two weeks of August per person in a double room. The hotels had to have at least 85 percent recommendation in the rating portals. At the beginning of February 2023, the portals Holidaycheck, Check24 and Bistro (the common price comparison tool in travel agencies) were checked. Attention: package tour prices are daily prices, hotels can now be more expensive or fully booked. Surcharges may apply depending on the airport of departure.