Compare Hurghada Holidays

Overview

Hurghada, known locally as Ghardaga, has grown from a smallfishing village to an internationally renowned resort town on theRed Sea coast of Egypt, famous for its underwater life and divingand snorkelling opportunities. Popular as a European packageholiday destination, the town boasts first class hotels andall-inclusive resorts, as well as a highly vaunted nightlife. Southof Hurghada is the resort strip with hotels packed along a 12-mile(20km) stretch of beach, while within the town there are many bars,restaurants, shops and a variety of accommodation to suit all typesof budget. The town's central location on Egypt's coast provides agateway to prime diving sites throughout the Red Sea.

Money

The unit of currency is the Egyptian Pound (EGP), which isdivided into 100 piastres. Most credit cards are accepted in majorhotels and restaurants. Visitors are advised to take travellerscheques in US Dollars or Pounds to avoid additional exchange ratecharges. Banks are usually closed on Friday and Saturday, butprivate exchange bureaux, called 'Forex', are open daily and banksin major hotels are open 24 hours. Cairo branches of the EgyptianBritish Bank and Banque Misr now have ATMs available that acceptVisa, MasterCard and Cirrus and are quite common in the maintourist areas.

Time

Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3 from last Friday in April to last Friday in August).

Language

Arabic is the official language although English and French are widely spoken, especially in the tourist areas.

Shopping

El Dahar, the old part of Hurghada town, has a traditionalEgyptian bazaar with a variety of shops selling tourist souvenirs.Bargaining is expected and prices will generally be better than inthe resort village shops. The best buys are papyrus or traditional'shisha pipes'.

Nightlife

With its growing reputation as a party town 'par excellence',Hurghada boasts a lively nightlife with numerous clubs, discos,pubs and trendy lounges, and a variety of entertainment thatincludes beach barbeques, karaoke evenings, foam parties anddivers' parties. Popular are Papas Beach Club and Calypso, whileAlf Leila Wa Leila is famous for belly dancing and Arabicfolklore.

Activities

Hurghada is renowned for its variety of watersports that includes sailing, fishing, kitesurfing and windsurfing. Offshore underwater gardens and coral reefs make this an internationally recognised location among divers and snorkellers, and for the less active many hotels offer glass-bottomed boat excursions to admire the corals and marine life. Hotels and resorts also offer water activities such as banana rides, pedal boats and canoeing, as well as trips to the Giftun Island Marine Park. On land there are beautiful beaches, golf courses, horse riding, and desert excursions, which include camel rides, hiking, 4x4 or quad safaris.

Restaurants

Hurghada has a variety of restaurants serving food from aroundthe world, from Indian or French to Thai, Mexican and Japanese. ElDahar (downtown) offers a wide choice of authentic Egyptianeateries, including street stalls and inexpensive restaurants, andfast food chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds are alsoavailable. Most local places don't serve alcohol. Hotels all havetheir own restaurants, which serve up a variety of local andinternational cuisine.

Current Weather Conditions for Sharm el Sheikh, , EG

Now 26°C Windchill: 26°C Fair

Location: Sharm el Sheikh, , EG Wind: 23 kph N Humidity: 47% Visibility: 0.1 km Pressure: 1,011 mb steady Sunrise: 5:48 am Sunset: 7:28 pm

Sat High: 33°C Low: 23°C Clear

Sun High: 33°C Low: 23°C Sunny

Compare Holidays in Egypt

Compare Egypt holidays and the latest prices from our selected travel agents for hotels in Egypt using the search box to the left or view other destination guides by Country, region or resort using one of these drop down menus.

Special Offers