Things to do in Hurghada
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hurghada
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall: air 25 to 30C, sea 25 to 27C, ideal for beach, snorkelling, diving and sightseeing.
Winter: 20 to 23C sunny days and cooler evenings, best for Luxor and desert, worst for wind and boat cancellations.
Spring warms fast; April is the best spring month, with thinner crowds than autumn and occasional khamsin dust winds.
Summer: 36 to 38C, warmest sea and best visibility, but land excursions are early morning only and Luxor is punishing.
What's on
- El Gouna Film Festival Mid to late October each year
More than 80 films in El Gouna; book accommodation early as the festival fills the town.
- Coptic Christmas 7 January
Domestic holiday peak in Egypt.
Best things to do in Hurghada
Giftun Islands National Park
Protected reefs with coral gardens and dense fish, reached in about 45 minutes by boat from Hurghada marina.
Mahmya Beach
Quieter managed island beach with better food, more space and its own reef for a calmer snorkel day.
Orange Bay
Shallow turquoise sandbank with swings and beanbags for a relaxed swim and lounge day, not the best coral.
Dolphin House (Shaab El Erg)
Horseshoe reef where a resident spinner dolphin pod rests, watched from the water at a respectful distance.
Abu Ramada Reef
Reef nicknamed The Aquarium for dense butterflyfish, parrotfish, rays and moray eels close to Hurghada.
Hurghada Marina
The city's best evening stroll, with yachts, open air restaurants and bars around Saqala Square.
El Dahar Souk
Working local souk and fish market with produce and spices at lower prices than the resort strip.
Hurghada Grand Aquarium
Aquarium with 22 tanks and a 24 metre shark tunnel, useful with small children or on a windy day.
Where to stay in Hurghada
El Mamsha / Village Road
first trip, all-round base
Pedestrian promenade with good resorts, independent restaurants across the road and easy Uber to the marina.
Sahl Hasheesh
luxury, snorkelling from the beach
Gated master planned bay with calm clear water, a house reef and the coast's most opulent resorts.
El Gouna
kitesurfers, golfers, anyone who wants a town
Canals, marinas and walkable restaurants 25km north, with kite lagoons and two golf options.
Makadi Bay
families, golf plus reef
Self contained bay of family resorts around a good house reef, with Madinat Makadi golf attached.
Sekala / Marina
budget, independent travellers
Sheraton Road dive centres, seafood, hostels and the marina, noisier and scruffier than Mamsha.
Think twice about
- El Dahar
Working residential district that is crowded, noisy and dusty with limited beach access. Visit for the souk and El Halaka, sleep elsewhere.
- Al Ahyaa
Isolated budget sprawl between highway and sea with little to walk to, so cheap prices become a false economy once transfers are added.
Best restaurants in Hurghada
El Halaka Fish Restaurant
Pick fish from the market across the street and have it grilled in a loud, no frills local room.
Star Fish Restaurant
Sheraton Road seafood institution for local Red Sea fish like Nagel and Sheoor, simply grilled.
The Grill Restaurant
Mamsha's default group pleaser, with international grills and Egyptian dishes at cheap eats prices.
Sokar Seafood Grill
More polished Mamsha seafood grill, a step up from the Sheraton Road fish houses.
Moby Dick
Long running steak and seafood dinner spot on the Al Dau Promenade, an escape from the buffet.
Gaucho Steak House
The resort strip's special occasion steakhouse; order steak and leave fish to the fish houses.
Almustafa Fish Restaurant
Cheap market fresh fish with minimal ceremony, handy when El Halaka is packed.
Syake Sushi
Sushi at local prices and a near perfect score, a good mid trip change of pace.
Best bars in Hurghada
The Rooftop Terrace
Marina rooftop bar for a drink with a view and a reliable international setting.
Naz Cabaret Speakeasy
Marina speakeasy style bar for an evening drink with a view.
Outdoor things to do in Hurghada
Luxor
Day trip to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut temple, about four hours each way by road.
Eastern Desert Quad Safari
Quad or jeep run to a desert camp for sunset, barbecue dinner and genuinely dark stargazing skies.
Mangroovy Beach
El Gouna's shallow flat water kite lagoon, with schools that take beginners from zero to riding.
Madinat Makadi Golf Resort
Egypt's longest 18 hole championship course through desert and lakes, with Red Sea views on 12 holes.
El Gouna Golf Club
Scenic 18 holes around lagoons by Bates and Couples, with an aqua driving range and boat shuttle.
Sharm El Naga
Protected bay with a house reef off the beach, ideal if you get seasick or dislike boat schedules.
Private Speedboat to Giftun Islands
Your own boat and timing to the islands in 15 to 20 minutes, without a 40 person snorkel group.
Soma Bay
Quieter peninsula 45km south with an excellent jetty house reef and a huge shallow kite lagoon.
Best hotels in Hurghada
The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh
Suites only, low density and quiet luxury at the edge of a marine park in Sahl Hasheesh.
Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh
Grand palace style luxury in Sahl Hasheesh with a vast, formal, adults focused feel.
Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel
Top luxury pick that still has a town outside, with huge pool, private beach and a 9 hole course.
La Maison Bleue El Gouna
Tiny adults only boutique luxury with a French chef, prized for quiet, privacy and food.
Sunrise Tucana Resort
Smaller, newer feeling all inclusive in the Makadi area with strong recent guest reviews.
Gravity Hotel & Aquapark Sahl Hasheesh
Family mid range play inside the luxury bay, with aquapark energy at below Oberoi prices.
Kaisol Romance Resort Sahl Hasheesh
Adults oriented Sahl Hasheesh resort listed for honeymoons, with romantic dinners and praised service.
Giftun Azur Resort
Big garden set all inclusive on Village Road with seven restaurants and a long, dependable beach.
Is Hurghada expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | EGP 2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | EGP 5,500 a person |
| Splurge | EGP 12,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Giftun Islands National Park: a few days ahead
- Mahmya Beach: a few days ahead
- Orange Bay: a few days ahead
- Careless Reef: a few days ahead
- Luxor: a few days ahead
- Eastern Desert Quad Safari: a few days ahead
- Madinat Makadi Golf Resort: a few days ahead
- El Gouna Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Book Mahmya, private boats, private or two day Luxor trips, peak season dive courses and winter golf tee times ahead.
- Group Giftun and Orange Bay boats and desert safaris are a buyer's market: compare operators and book a day or two ahead.
- Keep one flexible day at the end for a boat trip rebooked after wind cancellations.
Is Hurghada safe?
- Do not drink tap water, sanitise hands after cash and buffet utensils, and be wary of salads and ice in your first 48 hours.
- Use insured, reviewed operators for boats, diving and desert trips, wear the life jacket and do not touch coral or feed fish.
- Carry small EGP notes for baksheesh, roughly 10 percent in restaurants and small daily amounts for guides and drivers.
Hurghada travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Tour photo and DVD packages are pushed hard; agree a price only after seeing the files and never pay a deposit sight unseen.
- Free tea, gifts or camel photos in shops and bazaars usually oblige a purchase; haggle in bazaars but not in fixed price shops.
- Resort all inclusive lock-in is the big soft trap: the best food is outside the gates and Uber is cheap.
Getting around Hurghada: public transport and more
- Use Uber or Careem for fixed in-app prices and air conditioning, and agree any street taxi price before getting in.
- The coast is 40km long, so check the actual map pin: Sahl Hasheesh is about 25 minutes from the marina and Soma Bay about 50.
- At the airport buy the $25 visa at bank kiosks in arrivals, bring a pen for the landing card and pre-book a transfer or Uber out.
Who Hurghada suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Hurghada your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store