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The Red Sea · A guideGuide

Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Marsa Alam or Dahab? Choosing a Red Sea base

The short answer: Hurghada is the easiest to reach and the most varied. Sharm el-Sheikh sits beside Ras Mohammed and allows a visa-free Sinai stay of under 15 days. Marsa Alam is further south and quieter, with reefs such as Elphinstone. Dahab is a small, independent town known for the Blue Hole and freediving.

A shallow coral reef in Ras Mohammed National Park, with fish over the corals and the surface above.

Four bases, compared

  1. Hurghada

    What the official sources say
    Hurghada International Airport is Egypt's second busiest, after Cairo (Wikipedia). The Giftun Islands lie offshore (Wikipedia). Average highs range between 22.2 °C in January and 37.5 °C in August (NOAA normals).
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    The easiest first Red Sea stay: many flights, day boats to the islands and a range of places to stay. Close to El Gouna and Soma Bay for kitesurfing.
    Check at the exact beach
    Which part of the long coast you stay on, and how far the boats leave from it.

  2. Sharm el-Sheikh

    What the official sources say
    Ras Mohammed National Park is at the southern tip of Sinai (Wikipedia). Travellers who fly into Sharm and stay under 15 days in the resorts of Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba get a free entry stamp instead of a visa (UK FCDO).
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    For divers who want Ras Mohammed within reach, and for a short Sinai stay without a visa.
    Check at the exact beach
    Leaving the resorts, or staying longer than 15 days, requires a visa.

  3. Marsa Alam

    What the official sources say
    Its airport opened in October 2003, about 210 km south of Hurghada (Wikipedia). Elphinstone Reef is about 30 km north of the town and known for oceanic whitetip sharks (Wikipedia).
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    Quieter and further from everything: for divers and for rest, less for evenings out.
    Check at the exact beach
    Transfer time from the airport to your hotel, which can be long on this coast.

  4. Dahab

    What the official sources say
    About 80 km north-east of Sharm el-Sheikh, with no airport of its own; once a Bedouin fishing settlement, now known for diving (Wikipedia).
    Who it may suit (our judgement)
    Small, walkable and independent: for freediving, shore dives and the mountains of St Catherine behind.
    Check at the exact beach
    The road transfer from Sharm, and whether you want a town rather than a resort.

Who each suits (our judgement)

  • First time on the Red Sea, or with children: Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh.
  • Diving the classic wrecks and reefs: Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada; the Thistlegorm is reached by boat.
  • Rest, far from the crowds: Marsa Alam.
  • Freediving and a town with character: Dahab. See one breath in Dahab.
  • Learning to kitesurf: start with our kitesurfing guide.
Read the Red Sea guide

Sources and review

Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Official statements are attributed to their source; where we give a judgement, we say so. This guide names no school, boat or hotel.

Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0