Introduction
Hurghada City is located on the coast of Egypt’s Red Sea, about halfway down the mainland’s length. This city has developed rapidly over the past several decades, transforming from a small fishing village into Egypt’s largest beach resort complex. The city’s main attractions are the coastal landscape, warm waters, reefs of coral, and a resort infrastructure that meets all tastes and budgets from simple guest houses to five-star hotels.
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What Hurghada City Is and Why Travelers Visit
Hurghada City stretches along Egypt's Red Sea coast, roughly midway down the mainland shore, built up over the past few decades from a small fishing town into the country's largest beach resort destination. Its appeal centers on the coastline itself, warm, calm water, coral reefs close to shore, and a resort infrastructure that's grown large enough to suit everything from budget stays to five-star complexes. For many travelers, Hurghada works well either as a standalone beach trip or as the coastal half of a longer Egypt itinerary, often combined with Egypt Travel Packages that pair a few beach days with Cairo or a Nile cruise.
This guide focuses on trip planning rather than a list of activities. For specific things to see and do once you've arrived, our guide on Things to Do in Hurghada Egypt covers that separately. Here, the focus is on how Hurghada is laid out, its main areas, how to get there and get around, and how it fits into a broader Egypt trip.
Getting Oriented: Hurghada's Main Areas
Unlike many Egyptian resorts, Hurghada is not a strip of one or two resort areas along a coast but has several distinct districts located some 25 km along the coast. El Dahar is the historic center of Hurghada with a local market, some restaurants, and a harbor for fishing boats – it can be a good place to experience local color, if you are staying in one of the resort areas.
El Mamsha and Sekalla are the more up-market resort areas with a long promenade along the water with bars, restaurants, and moderate priced hotels. Further along the coast, but still within Hurghada are El Kawther and the Village Road with bigger hotels, usually a short distance from the promenade. More to the south of Hurghada (and a little to the east), Sahl Hasheesh and Makadi Bay are separate resort areas featuring mainly large all-inclusive hotels.
Especially if you are considering traveling in Egypt outside Hurghada, you might want to look at Egypt Vacation Package – 12 Day Egypt Tour, that includes Hurghada as well as other destinations and allows you to see not only the resort areas but also Egypt’s ancient history and culture without having to worry about getting there – the tour packages usually include all transportation.
The Coastline and Nearby Islands
Hurghada's reefs are close enough to enjoy from the shore, so several hotels offer house-reef excursions, and the coastal waters are otherwise a popular attraction. Just offshore are the islands of Giftun and its marine park, a day-trip destination from Hurghada, accessible by boat from the main harbor or from more southerly resorts, offering an alternative to swimming around the city's coastal area.
The quieter Orange Bay and more distant Mahmya are popular day-trip destinations among island-hopping excursions, also reachable by boat from Hurghada's harbor, but offering calmer waters and a less developed beachfront than the main resort area. Trips to either are common on days when a hotel guest wishes to see something different, but boat excursions also often include a stop at more than one of the islands or reefs.
Desert Excursions from Hurghada
Hurghada also sits close to Egypt's Eastern Desert, and quad biking or jeep safari excursions into the surrounding landscape are widely available as a break from the coast. These typically run for a few hours and often include a stop at a Bedouin camp for tea or a meal. Our guide to Desert Safari Egypt covers this kind of excursion in more detail for travelers wanting to add a day away from the beach.
Getting There and Getting Around
Hurghada international airport offers direct flights from a large variety of European and regional cities, making it possible to avoid the connection via Cairo. Flights, as well as long-distance buses, link Hurghada to Cairo and Luxor for the convenience of those arriving from other parts of Egypt.
On the territory of Hurghada itself, the easiest way to get around is taxis or organizing transportation through hotels since distances are significant and walking from one resort area to another may be quite uncomfortable. In addition, many large hotels in Sahl Hasheesh and Makadi Bay organize their own transfer to the center of Hurghada, which is convenient for exploring El Dahar or El Mamsha.
FAQs
1- How many days do you recommend to stay in Hurghada?
You need about four or five days to be able to have time for a resort, a boat trip to Giftun or to a near bay and a half-day desert safari.
2- What district do you suggest to stay in Hurghada City?
It depends on what are you looking for: if you want to be able to walk to bars and restaurants and shop you can choose El Mamsha or Sekalla, instead if you prefer a more private and complete resort Sahl Hasheesh and Makadi bay are nice options.
3- Do I need to fly via Cairo in order to get to Hurghada?
No there are a lot of direct flights from different countries around the world, so you don't need to fly through Cairo.
4- Is it possible to combine Hurghada with Cairo and/or Luxor?
Definitely yes! Hurghada is the perfect place to be your base for a holiday discovering Egypt. A lot of people choose to have few days in Hurghada and then go to Luxor by plane or take a Nile river cruise from Luxor or Aswan.
5- Are the reefs situated in Hurghada easy to reach from the hotel?
Depending on the hotel, some of them have a house reef just outside the door, but you also have plenty of options of excursions to the Giftin islands or nearby bays.
