How to Plan a Holiday in Hurghada

Where do you want to go with the thought of Egypt? The capital of the country, Cairo? Or the historical city of Luxor? As a matter of fact, Egypt has many other wonderful places to visit besides Cairo and Luxor. One of them is the city of Hurghada. Hurghada lies along the alluring eastern coast of the Red Sea for 40 kilometers. Since 1913, the discovery of oil has transformed the less-known place from a serene village into a top resort city worldwide. Hurghada has so much to offer, ranging from enchanting sandy beaches, all-year-round sunshine, wild temperatures, jewel-like blue water, and a variety of fairy-tale resorts with all manner of exciting things to do, such as swimming, surfing, snorkeling, fishing, and so on. Hurghada may be one of absolute destinations for vacation besides Cairo and Luxor. Here is some useful information for your Hurghada holiday planning, from where to visit and where to stay to how to get there. We believe you'll be fond of the resort city if you follow our travel guide.

Hurghada's Highlights

What to See in Hurghada

1. Hurghada Sand Museum

The Sand City Museum receives great attention among attractions in Hurghada. The open-air museum is considered one of Hurghada's most popular museums. The museum has a large collection of fabulous art. All art pieces are carved from sand by world-class sculptors from different countries. You can see mythological art and wonderland art that consist of gods and historical great characters. Each animated sand statue has its own expression and gesture. The excellent works feature distinct styles from Russia, Germany, America, Turkey, and so on. It offers you a precious chance to learn about the different cultures and civilizations of Hurghada when you wander around the galleries within the museum and watch a vast collection of spectacular carved figures.

2. Hurghada Marine Museum and Aquarium

Also known as Hurghada Grand Aquarium, the Marine Museum and Aquarium was constructed to raise environmental awareness among people of different ages and promote environmental protection. The aquarium consists of 24 exhibits, including a rainforest, a mini zoo, a fossil museum, and a whale valley. It gives a wonderful view of the underwater world of the Red Sea. You can walk through an underwater tunnel linked to the huge tank, where many species of fish like sharks, mobula, and flatfish are swimming around. The attraction is a good place to learn about an incredible level of biodiversity.

3. Giftun Island

Giftun Island must be listed as one of your top destination islands in Hurghada. Close to the resort town of Hurghada by a short boat ride, Giftun Island is composed of two small islands that are decorated by beautiful pristine beaches and shimmering turquoise-like water. You can enjoy the island's natural landscapes while sunbathing or going on a hike. What's more, you can enjoy a range of amazing underwater sports to explore the underwater world around the island. The island is surrounded by about 14 dive sites, which enable you to go swimming or snorkeling with absorbing marine species and magnificent coral reefs.

4. Straits of Gubal

The Straits of Gubal is a narrow channel of water that links the Gulf of Suez and is bordered to the west by the Egyptian coast. The Straits of Gubal is a widely popular diving destination in the world. With numerous ships passing through in history, the area is home to a collection of wrecks from different countries. This makes the Straits of Gubal one of the world's major wreck dive sites. Some famous wreck dive sites include the Thistlegorm (a WWII cargo ship), the Carnatic (a UK cargo ship still well preserved), the Chrisoula K (a Greek ship), and the Kimon M (a German ship). You can go diving in the area and explore the attractive wrecks, with plenty of opportunities to discover flourishing coral and marine life like pipefish, triggerfish, and lionfish.

Recommended Tour Itinerary

Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor & Hurghada - Classic Egypt 12 DAYS Explore This Tour

What to Do in Hurghada

1. View the Beaches

Hurghada is located along the coast of the Red Sea, which blesses the resort city with long stretches of beautiful beaches characterized by amazing white sands. This season, lots of travelers come to witness the charm of Hurghada's beaches. The city offers many well-equipped beach resorts just by the seaside for holidaymakers. One of the renowned resorts is the Sunrise Garden Beach Resort. The resort has sparkling crystal water and a dramatically winding beach to offer. You can go sunbathing for relaxation under one of the beach umbrellas. Here, you may feast your eyes on the breathtaking beauty of the sunset, the fascinating desert and mountains, and the turquoise waters of the beaches, combined with the vibrant colors of splash park's waterslides. Enjoying the beaches has somehow been one of the best ways to spend a vacation in Hurghada.

Beach in Hurghada

2. Diving in the Red Sea

Diving in the Red Sea is a must-do thing in Hurghada. The offshore area of the Red Sea has a large number of dive sites. Locations such as Giftun Island and the Straits of Gubal hold mass appeal for scuba diving lovers. Besides, many resorts in Hurghada offer beginner dive schools and swimming pools, which makes Hurghada a hot diving destination for divers of all abilities. Diving activities in the Red Sea range from shallow dives and deeper wall dives to night dives and wreck dives. You can, for example, explore some major wreck dive sites to see the shocking shipwrecks inhabited by abundant coral reefs. Each of the varied dives will give you a wonderful opportunity to swim around with a spectacular group of vibrant fish below the surface of the Red Sea.

3. Shop the Hurghada Markets and Souks

There is a wide range of markets and souks in Hurghada. You can see many shops and vendors lined by narrow streets when you wander around the old town of the city. Shopping here may be quite a tricky thing because of the large variety of local specialties, from souvenirs like pendant necklaces and handicrafts to spices and carpets. You don't have to worry about haggling with the local shopkeepers for lower prices. You can spend your shopping time at El Dahar Bazaar, where a number of vendors sell traditional Egyptian-featured items. You can get Egyptian headscarves or shisha pipes as a gift or something your family needs.

4. Explore the Desert by Jeep or Bike

Have you experienced a desert safari in Egypt? If not, you can travel in the desert by jeep or bike in Hurghada. Taking a driving expedition in the desert can be a popular and memorable thing to try, besides so many other things to do in the water, during your trip to Hurghada. There are fairly flat desert terrains suitable for jeep exploration and quad biking. Travel routes are not far from major roads and resort towns. It's wonderful to join a several-hour easy quad bike or jeep safari, hurtling into sand dunes, and have a spectacular view of acacia-tree-overgrown valleys, red-fantastic hills, and other unforgotten landscapes.

Explore the Desert by Jeep

When is the Best Time to Visit Hurghada

Hurghada has a dry and hot summer with temperatures averaging around 34°C and a warm winter with daily highs of around 20°C. Located along the coast of the Red Sea, the city has a much cooler climate compared to Egypt's inland. Hurghada is a year-round destination, and when to visit it depends on your personal love and expectations.

Spring and fall are Hurghada's slow seasons. If you're looking for small crowds and expecting to enjoy the beaches alone, the seasons are an ideal time to go. Spring and fall have relatively cooler weather than summer, and thus you can enjoy the mild beach weather. What's more, a few tourists during this period bring you great deals on much more affordably priced lodging and other accommodations.

Summer has the hottest weather all year around in Hurghada, with daily temperatures averaging around 39 °C. If you're a fanatical sun seeker, you can enjoy a wonderful wealth of sunshine in the summer. During this time, the coastal water of the Red Sea is pleasantly warm, making it a good temperature to go snorkeling and scuba diving. If you can stand the heat, visiting Hurghada in the summer is an ideal option to have great fun. Hurghada's tourism is at its busiest in the summer, which includes quite expensive months in hotels and flights.

Hurghada has a warm winter with average temperatures of 20 °C. For European holidaymakers who would like to escape the cold in winter or those who expect to avoid the heat of summer, winter is a great time to choose. You can experience a perfect blend of fascinating warmth and a relative wealth of sunshine. Moreover, Hurghada has the lowest chance of rainfall during this time, if you're after a dry and cozy visit.

Recommended Tour Itinerary

Egypt Vacation with Hurghada 10 DAYS Explore This Tour

How Many Days to Spend in Hurghada

If you tend to take a quiet and relaxing trip in Hurghada, 3-4 days will allow you to have enough time to appreciate the city's historical sights and imposing nature, such as St. Maria Church, old mosques, and glamorous beaches on nearby islands. Besides, you can spend part of the time in the marine aquarium to explore the marine fish and coral reefs. If you want to explore the city's resorts and experience a variety of water sports like swimming, snorkeling, and diving, a week or more gives you plenty of time to have as much fun as possible. In addition, in one or two weeks, Hurghada can serve as a jumping-off point so that you can visit more famous attractions in other Egyptian cities like Luxor.

Where to stay in Hurghada

Staying can be one of the must-consider things when you come to Hurghada. As an increasingly popular resort city, Hurghada has a distinguishing feature in its accommodations. Thanks to its offshore location, the city offers tourists so many wonderful holiday resort lodgings situated along the Red Sea coast. There are a wide array of accommodations to choose from. Here, we recommend some areas where you can stay according to your expectations.

Coastal Resort in Hurghada

1. El-Gouna

El-Gouna is a traditional village 25 kilometers north of Hurghada. If you're looking to enjoy a beautiful beach and amazing shores during your rest, El-Gouna is a good place to enjoy a luxury stay. The district has many 5-star hotels that offer a range of water activities, including kite surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and yachting. Outside of well-appointed hotels, El-Gouna features hopping nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and other vibrant facilities.

2. Al Mamsha El Seyahi

Al Mamsha El Seyahi has the shortest distance from Hurghada, and it's only 5.5 km away from the city's airport. Al Mamsha El Seyahi is so close to downtown that you have great chances to stay with flocks of locals and tourists from different countries. Al Mamsha El Seyahi offers hotels on the beachfront or in the city center. You have the option to stay involved with people in their daily lives by doing the shopping and visiting local markets. You can also choose superb hotels like Sunrise Aqua Joy, the Steigenberger Pure Lifestyle, and Albatros White Beach, with colorful recreational facilities such as clubs, private beaches, and outdoor pools for both kids and adults.

3. Makadi Bay

Located about 30 kilometers south of Hurghada, Makadi Bay has the Red Sea on its side and lies in a desert of sand dunes and the Red Sea mountain range. If you want to explore the desert and mountains near your accommodation, Makadi Bay is a wonderful place to stay. Here you can not only have a wonderful view of crystal blue water and long stretches of white sand but also join in a camel riding or quad biking safari. There are many resort hotels that provide all sorts of international cuisine from Italy, France, China, and so on. Some of them are equipped with large aquaparks or dolphin worlds for kids.

How to Get to Hurghada

There are direct flights from Hurghada's international airport, just a 20-minute drive from the city center, to the major airports in some European countries like England and Germany. It usually takes 4 or 5 hours. Once you leave the plane, you can get an airport taxi to take you to your destination. If you travel with Odynovo, you can get a private car.

It is easy to get to Hurghada from major Egyptian cities like Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor. You can reach your destination by taking a 1- or 2-hour flight from one of the major domestic cities. If you're coming from Cairo, you can choose to drive by yourself along the new Galala Road for a much smoother trip or take a daily 7-hour bus. There are long-distance bus services offered every day in some major Egyptian cities, so you can also reach Hurghada by bus for about 5 hours from Luxor or over 8 hours from Aswan.

It will absolutely give you a totally different experience to travel around Hurghada. The young city is full of fun and vigor. It is not only a destination to behold pleasant nature but also a paradise for water sports enthusiasts to indulge in many lively forms of water activities. In addition, Hurghada has lots of other amazing things to offer that are well worth exploring. Following the travel guide, you will have a smooth trip in the city if you do the planning yourself. Well, you will have a wonderful time to the greatest extent while enjoying fascinating experiences based on your preferences if you travel with Odynovo. We specialize in planning a complete and individual itinerary for you, ensuring a Hurghada trip is stamped indelibly on your memory.