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Voykit pocket guide · Egypt
Sharm el-Sheikh
شرم الشيخ
Come for 4–5 nights if you dive or snorkel; 2–3 nights if you only want a beach base. Skip it entirely if you want history — that is Cairo and Luxor.
Sharm el-Sheikh is Egypt's most developed Red Sea resort, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. The reason to come is the water: reefs at Ras Mohammed and Tiran, plus wreck diving on the SS Thistlegorm. The town itself is a strip of hotel zones — Nabq in the north, Na'ama Bay in the middle, Hadaba and the Old Market in the south — with almost nothing historic to see. Give it 4–5 nights if you dive, 2–3 if you just want sun, and treat Cairo or Luxor as a separate block.
- Country
- Egypt
- Local name
- شرم الشيخ
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (38 °C days), and the cold-wind weeks of Jan–Feb if you plan to swimJun–Aug (100 °F days), and the cold-wind weeks of Jan–Feb if you plan to swim
- Stay
- 4–5 (divers), 2–3 (beach only) 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 6,000+ 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 |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea at a Na'ama Bay café | EGP 60–150 |
| Local meal (koshari, grilled chicken, fuul) | EGP 100–250 |
| Restaurant meal in a hotel zone | EGP 300–700 |
| Beer (local, 500 ml) | EGP 80–200 |
| Taxi, Na'ama Bay to Old Market | EGP 100–200 |
| Microbus or tuk-tuk ride | EGP 5–20 |
| Two-tank boat dive with equipment | EGP 2,000–3,500 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | EGP 300–600 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SSH · Sharm El Sheikh International Airport
- Two adjacent terminals; about 10 min by taxi to Na'ama Bay, 15–20 min to Nabq or Hadaba. EgyptAir is the main domestic carrier; low-cost European charters dominate winter.
Typical fares
- Airport → Na'ama Bay, taxi
- EGP 300–500 agreed in advance
- Na'ama Bay → Old Market, taxi
- EGP 100–200
- Microbus or tuk-tuk, one leg
- EGP 5–20
- Na'ama Bay → Dahab, taxi
- about EGP 800–1,200 each way
Get around
Taxis have no working meters — agree the fare in Egyptian pounds before you get in, pay at the end, and note the driver's ID number. Microbuses and blue-and-white tuk-tuks run a fixed north–south route along Peace Road for a few pounds; pay the driver as you leave. Distances are short but the strip is long: Na'ama Bay to the Old Market is about 10 min by car, Na'ama Bay to Nabq 20–30 min.
See and do
Known for
- Red Sea diving and snorkelling
- Ras Mohammed National Park
- SS Thistlegorm wreck
- Na'ama Bay nightlife
- Desert and Bedouin trips
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ras Mohammed National Park | Organised boat or bus from Na'ama Bay hotels | Half to full day |
| Tiran Island reefs | Day boat from Sharm marina | Full day |
| SS Thistlegorm wreck | Liveaboard or long day boat | Full day or overnight |
| Dahab | Taxi or bus north along the coast, about 1 h | 1–1.5 h |
| Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery | Night bus or organised tour, 2–3 h each way | 3 h |
| Cairo and Giza | Fly SSH–CAI, about 1 h | 4 h |
Sleep
- Na'ama Bay
- The tourist centre: most restaurants, cafés, clubs and shops, midway between the airport and the Old Market. Noisy at night; hotel beaches share one bay.
- Nabq
- Northern resort strip, 20–30 min from Na'ama Bay. Big all-inclusive compounds, quieter, better for families; you will need a taxi for everything.
- Hadaba / Ras Um Sid
- South of Na'ama Bay, on the cliff above good house reefs. Cheaper hotels, fewer restaurants, taxi to the nightlife.
- Old Market (Sharm Old Town)
- The only part that feels like an Egyptian town: Al Sahaba Mosque, cheap eats, local prices. Basic hotels; 10 min by taxi to Na'ama Bay.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Peace be upon you | السلام عليكمas-salāmu ʿalaykum |
| Thank you | شكراًshukran |
| How much is it? | بكام؟bikām |
| Too expensive | غالي أويghāli awi |
| Stop here, please | استنى هناistanna hena |
| Where is the toilet? | فين الحمام؟fēn el-ḥammām |
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
- Airport taxis are the worst-priced in Egypt: pre-book a hotel pickup or walk to the main road and hail a cab.
- Agree the taxi fare first and confirm it is Egyptian pounds, not British pounds.
- Do not swim or walk on coral — it cuts and it is protected; use the marked entry points.
- Quad-bike and desert tours: wear long sleeves, closed shoes and a helmet, and check your insurance covers it.
- Some desert areas near the borders are restricted; go with a licensed operator and carry your passport.
- Reef trips and St Catherine's/Mount Sinai leave the visa-free Sinai zone — check your entry stamp before booking.
Resort areas are heavily policed and generally safe for tourists; the real risks are taxi overcharging, sun and coral cuts, and diving beyond your certification. Check your government's current Sinai travel advice before booking desert or border trips.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sharm el-Sheikh yet. Suggested stay: 4–5 (divers), 2–3 (beach only) nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Red Sea diving and snorkelling
- Ras Mohammed National Park
- SS Thistlegorm wreck
- Na'ama Bay nightlife
- Desert and Bedouin 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.
- Sharm el-Sheikh city portal: www.sharm-city.com/
- Wikivoyage: Sharm el-Sheikh, revision 5307222 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5307222
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sharm el-Sheikhشرم الشيخ
على العنوان ده، 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 consulates or honorary consuls in Sharm el-Sheikh — check your embassy's list before you travel.
Baksheesh is expected for small services: EGP 20–50, and 10–15% in restaurants.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sharm-el-sheikh). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.