Where to stay in Hurghada

Hurghada is a coastal city that serves as the largest city and capital of the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt.

Hurghada was once a fairly small and unimposing fishing village, next to the Red Sea. It has a number of superb beaches. Today, the resort of Hurghada is almost unrecognizable from its past life and has become a major destination in Egypt for budget tourists especially from Europe and Russia. It has more than 100 hotels, many of which line the shoreline, and numerous flights particularly from airports across Europe.

Large tour operators such as Tui have their own resorts or block bookings with newer local groups like Jaz. These are often the "all inclusive" variety. These may not appeal to the independent traveller, but they can still be a good base for exploring the area. There are plenty of internet sites to find reviews and book these. A little internet searching will throw up some private self-catering accommodation that is usually owned by Europeans as a holiday home, which gives much more independence than staying in a resort hotel and is potentially much cheaper. Budget hotels catering to Egyptians with rooms at LE50 can be found near the Upper Egypt bus station.

Getting in

Hurghada has frequent direct international flights from Europe including Russia, Turkey, the Gulf states, and the Far East, e.g. Bangkok. Most of these travellers are on package tours of Egypt — but not all, as the operators also sell flight-only tickets, a cheap and convenient way to get in. Coming from Rome or Budapest there are ultra low-cost flights operated by Wizz Air. Domestic flights link Hurghada frequently to Cairo, and daily to Alexandria and Sharm el-Sheikh.

Getting around

A swarm of white minibuses (Toyota Hiace) called micro bus serve the area, with a flat fare of LE2–3 (Dec 2022). They run fixed routes, mostly along the coastal strip, picking up and dropping off anywhere along the way. Ask around for your destination before getting in - if it's not this bus, it's probably the next one already pulling up. They're cramped and crowded, and young women may have to ward off pests. Slightly larger minibuses or small regular buses run frequently along the coastal highway to El Gouna and Safaga.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.