Things to Do in Hurghada: Districts, Sights and Excursions

What to see in Hurghada depends on where your hotel is and what you want from your holiday. The city stretches for dozens of kilometres along the sea, many beaches have no reefs, and the best experiences are on the islands and on trips around Egypt. Below: the districts on the map, what to see on your own in an evening or a day, which boat trips to choose and where to go further afield.

Where is Hurghada and what are its districts

Hurghada stretches almost 40 km along the western shore of the Red Sea. It is not a compact city but a chain of districts, and your hotel’s location determines what is easy to see on your own.

District	What’s there
El Dahar	The old centre: market, mosque, local life, budget hotels
Sekalla	Shops and cafés, closer to the sea
Marina and Sheraton Road	Yachts, restaurants, evening strolls, shopping streets
Mamsha and south Hurghada	The seafront promenade, large hotels along the sea
Sahl Hasheesh, Makadi, Soma Bay	Resort towns 20–50 km to the south, quiet and spacious
El Gouna	The “Venice of Egypt” built on canals, about 25 km to the north

The easiest way to move between districts is by taxi or ride-hailing app — how not to overpay is in “Taxis in Egypt”.

What to see in Hurghada on your own

Hurghada Marina

The prettiest place in town: a promenade with white yachts, restaurants overlooking the sea and coffee shops. Especially nice in the evening. Many boat trips also leave from here.

The Mamsha promenade

A pedestrian seafront several kilometres long, with cafés, shops and fountains. Good for an evening walk and shopping.

El Dahar old town

An Egyptian town without the resort gloss: narrow streets, spice shops, fish and fruit markets and coffee houses where locals smoke shisha. How to haggle and what to buy is in “Hurghada’s markets”.

El Mina Mosque and the Coptic church

The large El Mina Mosque with two tall minarets stands by the port and is easily seen from the sea. The city also has the Coptic Church of St Shenouda. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and women need a headscarf in the mosque.

The Grand Aquarium and the Antiquities Museum

A good plan with children or on a windy day. The Grand Aquarium has Red Sea marine life and a shark tunnel; the Hurghada Museum has genuine artefacts from different eras of Egyptian history. Whether they are worth it — in “Hurghada Museum and the Grand Aquarium”.

The sea and the islands — the heart of Hurghada

Many of Hurghada’s beaches have sandy bottoms and no reefs, so for the underwater world you take a boat to the islands. These are the best day trips, worth doing even if you do not usually like tours:

• Giftun Islands and Orange Bay — white sand, turquoise water and snorkelling.
• Mahmya — a nature reserve with a limited number of visitors.
• Dolphin House — a chance to swim near wild dolphins.
• Semi-submarine and submarine — reefs without getting wet, great with children.

About the sea, reefs and water temperatures by month — in “Which sea is in Egypt”.

Tours from Hurghada to Luxor, Cairo and the desert

Hurghada is well placed for trips to Egypt’s main historic sites:

• Luxor — about 4 hours, temples and the Valley of the Kings.
• Cairo and the pyramids — 5.5–6.5 hours by coach or an hour by plane.
• Desert safari by quad bike and jeep — with dinner at a Bedouin camp.

Useful for Hurghada

• Which currency to bring and where to change it — “Currency in Egypt”.
• What to pack — our checklist.
• How to get to Sharm El Sheikh — ferry and road.