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Voykit pocket guide · Egypt
Hurghada
الغردقة
Give Hurghada 3–5 nights as a Red Sea dive-and-beach block: reefs sit offshore, so every good day starts with a boat, not a walk.
Hurghada is Egypt's main Red Sea resort: a long strip of hotels and dive shops rather than a sightseeing city. The coral is several kilometres offshore, so snorkelling and diving mean a boat trip. Come for warm winter sun, cheap diving and easy flights; skip it if you want monuments. Most people pair it with a Nile Valley block or use it as a base for El Gouna, Soma Bay and Safaga.
- Country
- Egypt
- Local name
- الغردقة
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (37 °C days), late Mar windJun–Aug (99 °F days), late Mar wind
- Stay
- 3–5 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EGP
- Money
- Currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP, also written LE or £E). Hotels, cruise boats and larger restaurants take cards; taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget EGP 1,200–2,200 excl. bed · Mid EGP 2,500–4,500 excl. bed · High EGP 5,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat (e&) and WE sell tourist SIMs at Cairo airport with passport; about EGP 500–1,000 for 20–40 GB — check.
- Emergency
- Police 122 · Ambulance 123 · Tourist police 126 · Fire 180
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin sockets.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% even when service is added (it rarely reaches staff).; Guide, full day: US$10–20 per person.; Driver, full day: US$5–10.; Cruise crew: About US$5–10 per person per day in the envelope.; Toilet, porter, small help: EGP 10–30.
- Water
- Tap water is chlorinated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; do not drink Nile water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; attendants at sites expect EGP 10–20. Carry tissue.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Micro-bus ride along the strip | EGP 2–3 |
| Beach day entry (El Sakia, El Sawaky) | EGP 50 |
| Beach day entry (Orange Beach) | EGP 100 |
| Short taxi ride in town | EGP 100–300 |
| Bus Hurghada–Cairo | EGP 380–750 |
| Bus Hurghada–Luxor | from EGP 90 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | EGP 300–600 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HRG · Hurghada International
- About 8 km west of the resort strip and 10 km from Sigala; no bus from the terminal, so pre-book a transfer or take a taxi/Uber.About 5 mi west of the resort strip and 6.2 mi from Sigala; no bus from the terminal, so pre-book a transfer or take a taxi/Uber.
Typical fares
- HRG airport → Sigala, taxi
- negotiate the total for the car before the ride; short-hop fares run to a few hundred EGP
- Micro-bus along the coast strip
- EGP 2–3 flat
- Hurghada → El Gouna, transfer
- fixed price per car; confirm at booking
Get around
White micro-buses run the coastal strip for a few pounds; Uber and Careem work in town but are patchy at the airport and resort gates. Taxis have no meter — agree the total for the car, not per person, before you get in. For El Gouna, Soma Bay, Makadi or Safaga, book a fixed-price transfer.
See and do
Known for
- Red Sea diving and snorkelling
- Offshore reefs and Giftun island
- Winter sun and beach resorts
- Desert quad and buggy trips
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| El Gouna | Taxi or transfer north along the coast road | About 30–40 min |
| Soma Bay | Pre-booked transfer south on the Safaga highway | About 45–60 min |
| Port Safaga | Transfer or micro-bus south | About 1 h |
| Luxor | Go Bus or a private long-distance taxi | 4–5 h |
| Cairo and Giza | Fly from HRG, or bus about 7 h | 1 h by air, 7 h by road |
Sleep
- Sigala (downtown)
- Main strip with restaurants, marina and dive operators; most buzz, walkable evenings.
- Ad-Dahar
- Older, more Egyptian north end; cheaper beds, fewer resort facilities.
- Village Road / resort strip
- Hotel compounds south along Sheraton Road; own beaches, but you need a taxi for everything.
- El Gouna
- Purpose-built resort town 20 km north; quiet, pricier, still uses HRG airport.Purpose-built resort town 12 mi north; quiet, pricier, still uses HRG airport.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | أهلاًahlan |
| Thank you | شكراًshukran |
| How much is it? | بكام؟bekam |
| Too expensive | غالي أويghali awi |
| The price for the car, not per person | السعر للعربية، مش للفردel-se'r lel-arabeya, mesh lel-fard |
| Where is the boat? | فين المركب؟fein el-markab |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum', handshake; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging strangers
- Eating: Right hand; accept tea; avoid: Refusing hospitality flatly
- Bargaining: Humour and patience; avoid: Anger
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in cities; avoid: Beachwear outside resorts
- Baksheesh: Keep small notes ready; avoid: Showing a thick wallet
- Photos: Ask; pay if agreed; avoid: Photographing police or military
Scams and watch-outs
- Agree taxi fares in total, per car, before entering; have small notes ready.
- Reefs are offshore: a beach swim shows sand, not coral — book a boat.
- No free beaches in town; day access is paid.
- Shamal wind in late March can cool the beach and cancel boats.
- Check your visa and entry rules before flying; visa-on-arrival queues vary by flight.
Resort areas are calm and heavily policed; the real friction is taxi pricing, pushy excursion sellers and heat. Women report unwanted attention on crowded micro-buses — use Uber or a pre-booked car after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hurghada yet. Suggested stay: 3–5 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Red Sea diving and snorkelling
- Offshore reefs and Giftun island
- Winter sun and beach resorts
- Desert quad and buggy trips
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Hurghada official site: hurghada.com/
- Hurghada International Airport: www.hurghada-airport.com/
- Go Bus: go-bus.com/en
- Wikivoyage: Hurghada, revision 5340297 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5340297
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hurghadaالغردقة
لهذا العنوان، لو سمحت
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies are in Cairo; several countries keep honorary consulates in Hurghada — check before you travel.
Tipping (baksheesh) is expected for small services: EGP 20–50, and 10–15% in restaurants.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hurghada). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.