Hurghada Travel Guide: Red Sea Beaches, Boat Trips and Our Honest Tips
After pyramids, temples, royal tombs and enough ancient history to fill several notebooks, Hurghada felt like Egypt had finally told us to put our feet up. There were beaches, boat trips, restaurants everywhere and somewhere to sit with a drink without needing to learn which pharaoh built it. For us, it had a little of that Goa-style holiday energy, with a touch of the busy tourist playground you might associate with Macao: hotels, shopping, food and people firmly in holiday mode. The comparison is about the atmosphere, though. Hurghada’s real attraction is the Red Sea, and that deserves an identity of its own.
The water was beautiful. The snorkelling was extraordinary. And our speedboat trip became one of the happiest memories of the entire Egypt holiday.It wasn’t perfect. We had transport hassles, a hammam experience we’d rate 7/10, and an airport departure that tested our remaining patience. But as the relaxed final stop after Cairo, Aswan, the Nile cruise and Luxor? Hurghada worked wonderfully.
Quick guide:
Getting from Luxor to Hurghada
We travelled from Luxor to Hurghada by bus, swapping temples and desert landscapes for the coast. After a busy sightseeing day in Luxor, it was another substantial journey, so we’d keep your arrival evening simple. Check in, find dinner and save the activities for the following day. Hurghada is somewhere you can fill every day with excursions, but try not to turn the beach part of your holiday into another tightly scheduled expedition. We’d recommend keeping at least one afternoon free for absolutely nothing ambitious.
Where to Stay in Hurghada
Staying Around Sheraton Road
Our base was around the Sheraton Road and El Hadaba area, which suited the way we wanted to travel.We wanted to go out for food, explore different places and book activities separately, rather than spend the whole stay inside one resort.This part of town gave us that flexibility. You have restaurants, cafés, shops and beach options within reach, with Uber useful for the longer journeys. We used Trip.com to book our stay across Egypt.
Town Accommodation or a Beach Resort?
If you want to explore and eat somewhere different each evening, a central apartment or hotel can work well.If your ideal holiday involves waking up, walking straight onto a private beach and making very few decisions, a resort may suit you better.The important detail is beach access. Don’t assume that staying near the sea means you can wander onto every stretch of sand. Check whether your accommodation has its own beach, includes access elsewhere or leaves you paying separately.For our trip, a central base and a few organised activities gave us the variety we wanted.
Best Things to Do in Hurghada
Take a Speedboat Trip on the Red Sea
This would be right at the top of our list. Our boat had just the two of us and one other passenger, so it felt much more personal than a large group excursion. There was music playing, turquoise water around us and that wonderful feeling of having left all the planning behind on shore.Then we saw dolphins.Watching them alongside the boat was one of those moments that makes you stop trying to capture everything and simply enjoy what’s happening.Our trip combined the speedboat experience, snorkelling and island stops. It gave us a brilliant mix of excitement and time in the water. Dolphin sightings are a possibility rather than a promise, so book because you want the overall boat trip,not because a listing guarantees wildlife will perform on cue. We booked this tour ourselves: 3 Islands, Dolphins and Snorkelling tour. You can get 5% off when you download the app and use the code ROAMMANTICS5.
Go Snorkelling Even If You Skip Scuba Diving
The snorkelling was incredible. Hurghada looks beautiful from a boat, but putting your face in the water reveals another world. The reef, fish and movement beneath the surface made this one of the standout experiences of our trip.If scuba feels like too much, don’t assume you’re missing the best part. We loved the snorkelling in its own right.Choose an excursion that gives you proper time at the reef, rather than one where snorkelling feels like a quick extra between island photographs. Ask about flotation aids and support if you’re less confident in the water.And give the coral space. Look, enjoy and float above it without touching or standing on it.
Try Beginner Scuba Diving
We also tried beginner scuba diving, with two introductory dives. It’s a different experience from snorkelling: you’re beneath the surface, breathing through the equipment and getting accustomed to an entirely new way of moving. Our second dive was around 10–15 minutes, so set realistic expectations. A full-day boat outing doesn’t necessarily mean long dives, particularly on beginner programmes. Before booking, check the actual underwater time, instructor arrangements, equipment and what happens if you decide you’re uncomfortable.
Activities at Hurghada . You can get 5% off when you download the app and use the code ROAMMANTICS5.
Plan Diving Around Your Flight Home
Put scuba earlier in your stay, rather than immediately before departure.
Divers Alert Network recommends at least 18 hours before flying after multiple no-decompression dives, wit longer intervals providing additional margin. Leaving a full day between your final dive and flight is an easy way to build that buffer into your itinerary; follow your dive operator’s instructions too.A beach or sightseeing day makes a much better final-day plan.
Beaches and Beach Lounges in Hurghada
Orange Beach: An Affordable Beach Day in Hurghada
We spent time at Orange Beach in central Hurghada and found it a lovely, affordable spot to unwind. Food and drinks were surprisingly cheap, we felt safe throughout our visit, and there’s even a massage place on the beach if lounging around isn’t quite relaxing enough.
Bring water shoes: the water entry has plenty of stones, rocks and patches of reef, so walking in barefoot can be uncomfortable. Watch your step and avoid standing on coral. During our visit, the beach opened from 6 am to 5 pm, though it’s worth checking the latest hours before heading over.
The waiters helped us find a good spot and get settled with loungers and a beach bed. A little tip for helpful service was appreciated, so just confirm any charges for beds or extras beforehand. Entry prices have been reported around EGP 100–150, but check the current fee and what it includes.
One small naming detail when planning: Orange Beach is on Hurghada’s mainland; Orange Bay is a separate island destination reached by boat. Make sure you’re heading to the one you intended!
Hurghada Marina: Yachts, Sea Views and Evening Buzz
Hurghada Marina brings a little glamour to the Red Sea, with gleaming yachts, waterfront restaurants and cafés that make you want to linger. We loved the atmosphere: lively yet relaxed, with a touch of luxury that feels different from the bustle of Sheraton Road. Come for an evening stroll, admire the boats and settle somewhere for a drink as the waterfront lights come on.
Caribbean Bar: Beautiful Views, Disappointing Food and Service
Caribbean Bar at Bella Vista on Sheraton Road looked the part: a beautiful waterfront setting, a fancy atmosphere and prices slightly higher than the casual places around town. Unfortunately, the food, drinks and service were all seriously disappointing. The view was easily the best thing about our visit. We wouldn’t recommend it for dinner or drinks. If you’re planning a proposal and the backdrop is your main priority, perhaps, but even then, we’d temper expectations for everything else. Hurghada has plenty of casual eateries to explore in the evening, and we’d spend our money elsewhere.
Food and Drinks in Hurghada
Plenty of Choice After a Busy Egypt Itinerary
One of the pleasures of Hurghada was the abundance of places to eat. Around our base, finding food felt easy. You can keep things simple with cafés and casual meals or make an evening of it somewhere overlooking the sea. For us, that freedom was welcome after days organised around pickup times and sightseeing. Try some Egyptian favourites alongside the international menus: falafel, ful medames, tahini, salads and fresh bread are useful options, particularly if you’re travelling as a vegetarian. For seafood or grilled dishes, compare menus and prices before choosing. There’s enough choice that you don’t need to accept the first enthusiastic invitation from someone outside a restaurant.
Check Alcohol Availability Before Booking Dinner
A restaurant looking smart or having a sea view doesn’t automatically mean it serves alcohol.
When we were checking Granada, beer wasn’t available, which mattered because we were specifically looking for dinner and drinks. Menus and policies can change, so ask when booking rather than arriving with assumptions.Caribbean Bar was on our list for that reason. Sea Shell was another name we considered around our base, although we wouldn’t promise alcohol availability without checking.
For prices, use the menu as your guide and confirm whether tax or service is extra. Beachfront drinks can feel expensive once you’ve adjusted to ordinary Egyptian prices, even when they still look fairly familiar compared with Dublin.
Al Mina Mosque and Hurghada’s Coptic Church
A beach holiday doesn’t have to mean spending every hour beside a sunbed. The mosque and church make a good shorter sightseeing outing between your sea activities.
Visit Al Mina Mosque
Al Mina Mosque, also written as El Mina, is one of Hurghada’s most recognisable landmarks.
The current building dates to 2012, with white marble, tall minarets and an elaborate interior. It’s a modern religious landmark, rather than an ancient monument like the temples elsewhere on your Egypt route.Dress modestly, follow the visitor instructions and be considerate around prayer times. Confirm access on the day rather than treating it like an attraction with unrestricted visiting hours.
Visit Saint Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church
In El Dahar, Saint Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church offers another perspective on the city.
It belongs to Egypt’s Coptic Christian tradition and is dedicated to Saint Shenouda. Visiting a church alongside the mosque helps you appreciate a side of Hurghada beyond its resorts and excursions.Again, this is an active place of worship. Dress respectfully, follow photography instructions and give services priority over sightseeing.
Our Hurghada Hammam and Massage Experience
What to Expect from a Hammam
Hurghada has plenty of Turkish bath, hammam and massage packages.
Depending on your booking, these can combine steam, a body scrub, foam washing and massage, with other facilities or treatments added to the programme. Read the sequence carefully: several packages use similar names while offering different things.
We chose a hammam and massage experience towards the end of our trip. After the heat, travelling and sea activities, it seemed like a sensible time to let someone else do the work.
Our Honest Verdict: 7/10. There were parts we really enjoyed, and the staff did their best to accommodate us. We appreciated their effort and came away with a generally positive impression.But we weren’t completely comfortable with how sanitary the setup felt.That’s our impression of the particular place we visited, rather than a claim about every hammam in Hurghada. It simply stopped us from giving it an enthusiastic ten out of ten. Overall, we’d call it a 7/10 experience: enjoyable, broadly what we expected and worth considering, but something we’d research more carefully next time.
How Much Do Hurghada Activities Cost?
Experience | Average price per person |
Speedboat, dolphins, snorkelling and two islands | From US$37 |
Beginner two-dive boat trip with lunch | From US$31 |
Other introductory diving programmes | Around US$52–65 |
Turkish bath or hammam packages | From US$18 |
Turkish bath and massage packages | Around US$20–34 |
Activities at Hurghada . You can get 5% off when you download the app and use the code ROAMMANTICS5.
Why We Recommend GetYourGuide for Hurghada Activities
For our trip, we’d stick with GetYourGuide for organised activities.
Across Egypt, we found a noticeable difference between our platform bookings and some direct arrangements. Having the itinerary, inclusions, reviews and booking record in one place made things easier, and the activities we booked that way gave us much more confidence. Our recommendation would be to skip the spontaneous sales pitch and book a well-reviewed operator through the app. For diving and boat trips especially, read recent reviews about the crew, instruction and equipment. The platform makes comparison easier; the operator still delivers the experience.
Activities at Hurghada . You can get 5% off when you download the app and use the code ROAMMANTICS5. These are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. This post isn’t sponsored.
Getting Around Hurghada: Use Uber
Uber would be our first choice for getting around Hurghada. It operates in the city, and having the journey recorded in the app is useful when you’re unfamiliar with the area.
That said, we still had drivers asking us to cancel the booking and switch to a separate arrangement.Our advice is to keep the ride in the app. Don’t agree to a different fare halfway through the pickup process. Check the vehicle and registration, and if the driver refuses the booked journey, resolve it through the app and arrange another ride.
We also had an unpleasant taxi fare incident, which reinforced our preference for using Uber rather than negotiating on the spot. For airport journeys or early excursions, arrange transport ahead of time and give yourself a buffer.
How Many Days Do You Need in Hurghada?
We’d recommend three full days if you want a mix of activities and relaxation.
A simple plan would be:
First full day: Beginner diving, if you want to try it.
Second full day: Speedboat, snorkelling and island stops.
Final day: Mosque and church, a beach lounge, food and perhaps a hammam.
Adjust that around your flight, leaving the required interval after scuba diving.
And keep some space in the plan. Hurghada’s beauty is partly in having an afternoon where your biggest decision is whether to swim again or order lunch.
Our Hurghada Airport Experience: The Frustrating Finish
We loved plenty about Hurghada. The airport was not one of those things.
Our departure involved repeated security checks and searches, and our sunscreen spray was taken away. By then, we were tired and ready to go home, which made the whole process feel even more exhausting.
The shops added to the frustration. We saw familiar designer-style bags being offered at prices that didn’t inspire confidence, and the everyday snack prices were eye-watering. A packet of Halls cost us around €3, and some chocolate was displayed at roughly US$17.
We also experienced a request for a tip during the security process. That left a particularly sour impression.
For us, the airport felt like the most tourist-priced and, at times, scammy part of the stay. That’s our experience, but it’s one we’d want readers to be prepared for.
Eat before you arrive, check prices before buying, carry an empty bottle where permitted and leave enough time for multiple checks. Airport staff shouldn’t need a personal tip for carrying out routine procedures. It was an irritating ending to a much better holiday.
Is Hurghada Worth Visiting?
Absolutely.It gave our Egypt trip the finish we wanted: beautiful water, excellent snorkelling, a memorable speedboat outing, plenty of food and a chance to relax after all the history.
We’d return for the Red Sea, book the activities through GetYourGuide, use Uber around town and choose our next hammam more carefully.And we’d make sure the final good meal happened before the airport.
Happy travels!
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