Region

Red Sea Coast

Pick one resort base for 4–7 nights; diving and reefs, not sightseeing, are the reason to come.

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Key facts · Egypt

Best months: Mar–May, Sep–Nov
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Egyptian pound
Language: Arabic
Plugs: C · F · 220 V
Time zone: UTC+2

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

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The Red Sea Coast is about 800 km of desert shore from Port Suez down to the Sudanese border, with a string of resort towns strung along Highway 65 and coral reefs offshore. It is a separate block from the Nile Valley: warm and dry year-round, direct flights from Europe into Hurghada and Marsa Alam, and almost nothing to see on land between the towns. Sleep in one place and dive, snorkel or kite from there; moving between resorts costs half a day each time.

Sleep

Which bed, for how many nights, and what to do from it

Where to sleep

9 places in this region

Sleep base

HurghadaCity guide
Biggest airport, most hotels and dive shops, cheapest package deals.
Best Apr–May, Sep–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
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El GounaCity guide
Purpose-built, quieter, 20–30 min north of Hurghada airport.
Best Mar–May, Oct–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
Open El Gouna →
Soma BayPlanned
Resort-only peninsula, good house reef, kitesurfing.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
El QuseirPlanned
Small old port town, quieter south of Safaga.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
Port GhalibPlanned
Marina base near Marsa Alam airport.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
Marsa AlamPlanned
Southern reefs, dugongs, fewer crowds, longer transfers.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Day trip

Port SafagaPlanned
Ferry port and dive access; little to do in town.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
Ain SokhnaPlanned
Closest beach to Cairo, ~1.5 h; weekend crowds.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
Port SuezPlanned
Canal city at the north end; not a beach base.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Night sequences

4 nights: Hurghada or El Gouna 4 nights, day-boat diving
7 nights: Hurghada 3 + Marsa Alam 4, or one base with a liveaboard
10 nights: Liveaboard 5–7 nights plus 2–3 nights in Hurghada before flying

Hurghada to Marsa Alam is 3.5–4 h by road — do not book both as a 'quick move'.
Reef shoes and a rash guard matter: coral cuts and sunburn are the two common injuries.
Summer sea and air temperatures are extreme; midday boat trips in July–August are punishing.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Wadi El Gemal National Park	Marsa Alam	60 min	unknown	Guided 4x4 or boat trips only; arrange through your hotel or dive shop.
Cairo and Giza	Hurghada	300 min	unknown	Road is ~5 h each way; fly instead if you only have a day.
Luxor	Hurghada	240 min	unknown	Long day by road; Dendera near Qena is on the way. Better as an overnight.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding on this coast; take bags with you in the taxi or bus.

When and how

Months, arrival and passes

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Hurghada	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	×	go	go	go	ok
El Gouna	×	×	go	go	go	ok	×	×	ok	go	go	×
Egypt (country-wide)	go	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	ok	go	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Red Sea CoastPort Suez to the Sudanese border	ok	ok	best	best	best	hot	hot	hot	best	best	best	ok

best: dry, mildok: workablehot: short walking windows

Red Sea Coast: Warm and dry year-round; sea is swimmable all year. Best diving and air temperatures March–May and September–November. July–August air 35 °C+ with high humidity on the coast; winter nights can be cool and windy.Warm and dry year-round; sea is swimmable all year. Best diving and air temperatures March–May and September–November. July–August air 95 °F+ with high humidity on the coast; winter nights can be cool and windy.

Wind picks up in spring (khamsin) and can cancel boat trips; check the forecast before booking a liveaboard.

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
HRG (Hurghada International)	Hurghada / El Gouna	Taxi or hotel transfer	~15 min to Hurghada, ~30 min to El Gouna	Most European visitors arrive on package flights; flight-only deals are common.
RMF (Marsa Alam International)	Marsa Alam / Port Ghalib	Taxi or hotel transfer	~60–70 min	Airport is about 60 km north of Marsa Alam town.Airport is about 37 mi north of Marsa Alam town.
Cairo	Hurghada	Bus, private car or domestic flight	~5 h by road, ~1 h by air	Egyptair and others fly daily; buses run the desert road.
Cairo	Port Suez	Train	~2 h 15	About 6 trains a day; onward transport along the coast is thin, so most people backtrack to Cairo.
Sharm el-Sheikh (Sinai)	Hurghada	Ferry	check	Ferries have run between the two coasts; confirm current sailings before planning around it.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Dive package (5–10 dives)

buy

Booking dives as a package with your hotel or dive centre is cheaper than single dives; check what is included (gear, boat, lunch).

Liveaboard

check

Worth it for reefs beyond day-boat range (Brothers, Daedalus, St John's); requires advanced certification on some routes.

Resort day pass

check

Non-guests can sometimes buy a day pass for pool and beach; ask at the hotel.

Eat and move on

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Fresh fish, grilled or fried	Hurghada, El Quseir, Marsa Alam	Sold by weight in local fish restaurants; agree the price before cooking.
Egyptian mezze and grills	Hurghada, El Gouna	Hotel buffets dominate; walk into town for cheaper local food.
Koshari and fuul	Hurghada town	Cheap, filling, vegetarian-friendly; lunchtime staple.
Bedouin tea and bread	Desert trips inland	Offered on 4x4 and camel trips; tip the guide.

Go next

Cairo and Giza

1 h flight or ~5 h road from Hurghada

Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum; deserves 3 nights, not a day trip.

Cairo

1 h flight from Hurghada

All road and rail routes radiate from Cairo.

Western Desert

planned

Via Cairo, then road

Oases and White Desert; a separate block, not a coastal add-on.

Open Egypt Up to Egypt

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Sources

officialEgyptian Tourism Authority
officialEgyptAir
officialHurghada International Airport
secondaryWikivoyage: Red Sea Coast, revision 5214327 (CC BY-SA 4.0)