West coast wonder on the Red Sea
Snuggled between the Red Sea Mountains to its west and the waters of the Red Sea to the east, the beautiful Hurghada Area sits just across the bay from Sharm El Sheik. A holiday to the Hurghada Area combines unmatched hospitality with year-round warmth and sees visitors flock from far and wide to its spectacular beaches and underwater treasures.
Hurghada's unparalleled diving opportunities
Stretching down the Red Sea's western coast, Hurghada takes in sensational strands, each with their own individual delights yet easily reached from one another. Special mention must be made of Sahl Hasheesh heavenly 12.5 kilometres of uninterrupted beach. Yet the real fun is to be found under the waves where an abundance of fascinating reefs, ruins and marine life sit waiting to be explored.
Cruise down the Nile Valley
And as if that wasn't enough to keep you going for a week or two, you'll find that you're perfectly placed for day trips to see an ancient Roman quarry, the Eastern Desert and even the Nile Valley.
All resorts in Hurghada
Three tips for a top trip
Take the ferry
If you're travelling to or from Sharm El Sheikh, you can catch the fast ferry service which travels between both destinations in only 90 minutes.
Find your scene
While there's no shortage of relaxed, hotel-based entertainment, you'll find a lively night time offering at Sahl Hasheesh's Old Town Boardwalk.
Settle on superb sands
There are a few public beaches close by but you'll find the best spots on the sand at the private resorts. Most offer day passes.
Best attractions to see in Hurghada
Underwater kingdoms
From the Sunken City to Careless Reef and Giftun Island, the Hurghada Area is a true blue snorkelling and diving paradise.
The Eastern Desert
Between the Nile and Hurghada lie the Eastern Desert's majestic dunes. Travel to a Bedouin village by quad bike for an utterly unique experience.
An ancient Roman quarry
Easily reached on a day trip, the ancient Roman Mons Porphyrites quarry was mined for its precious purple and white crystalline stone.
Your Hurghada questions, answered
Hurghada is a year-round destination with hot dry summers and pleasantly warm winters. If you're travelling during Ramadan, you might find it a little quieter.
Not all places will accept card payments so it's best (and cheaper) to bring Egyptian Pounds and keep back smaller denomination notes for tips.
Hurghada is all about its coastline and the endless stretches of white-sand beach. It’s almost impossible to pick the best – they’re all pristine, lapped by warm waters, and lead out to fantastic snorkelling and dive sites. But 45 minutes south of Hurghada by car lies Makadi Bay, its beach lined with luxury hotels and palm trees, and that is a great starting point. Go a little further south, though, to find Soma Bay with beaches that are known as the best in Egypt.
Hurghada's Grand Fest and the Coptic New Year take place in January while February plays host to the fitness-focused International Festival.
The first thing anyone remembers about Hurghada is its palm-lined, white-sand beaches. There’s so much more to this former fishing village than that, though. It has some of the world’s best diving and kitesurfing, and it’s also a great base for exploring a little more of Egypt. There are traditional souks and coffee houses in the heart of the Old Town, and it’s easy to get to the Eastern Desert – part of the vast Sahara – for camel and quad bike safaris. Party hard at night in the clubs, and laze hard during the day on the sun loungers.
Most people head to Hurghada for its almost guaranteed sunshine and warmth, so the usual stay there will be between one and two weeks and that’s the perfect length of time. Top up your tan, relax a little, float in the sea with a mask and snorkel and get hypnotised by the colours of the reefs. When the rest of the world feels a distant memory you can book a tour and head out into the desert. It’s an easy, relaxed place to be, with enough cultural excursions and amusement parks to keep anyone entertained for a fortnight.
In a word, yes. While some of the hotels are adult-only, many of them are designed with families in mind. Look out for all-inclusive hotels with kids’ clubs for a stress-free holiday, but don’t forget that getting off-site is absolutely worth it too. There are water parks, a fantastic aquarium with a glass underwater tunnel and, for those with children over 10, there are even scuba diving experiences. Glass-bottomed boat trips are great for younger kids, and you can also explore the Sahara desert in jeep and camel-riding adventures.
Hurghada has some of the best nightlife in Egypt, with indoor and outdoor clubs offering live music and international DJs. Most of the hotels have their own club onsite for those who don’t want to stray too far. If you want to be part of the party, you can just head down to the marina as the sun starts to set. There are restaurants from around the world, cocktails as colourful as the coral reefs, and dramatic sunsets to start the night off in style.
This is where you go when you want to relax. Many of the hotels have luxurious spas attached to them, and it can be a question of merely staggering between sunbed, massages and sea for days on end. There are plenty of all-inclusive hotels that just make life easy, too. It’s probably simplest not to think about hiring a car here and instead just head off with the tour operators or a taxi when you want to do something. The desert makes an excellent playground, and the traditional souks offer a little bit of magic.