Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada or Marsa Alam: where to stay on the Red Sea?

In brief

The three main Red Sea resorts offer the same warm water and the same spectacular reefs, but not the same trip. It all comes down to one simple question: do you want only the sea, or the sea and the temples? Here are the benchmarks we give our travellers.

• Hurghada: the most practical, about four hours by road from Luxor
• Sharm el-Sheikh: the Ras Mohammed reefs and Sinai, but far from the Nile valley
• Marsa Alam: the wildest, for diving and quiet, with longer transfers
• To combine with a Nile cruise: Hurghada or Marsa Alam
• Swimmable water all year round, rarely below 21 °C in winter
• Stay limited to South Sinai: free 15 day entry stamp, otherwise the full visa

Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada: which one should you choose?

Choose Hurghada if you also want to see the Egypt of the pharaohs. The resort is on the mainland coast, about four hours by road from Luxor, so a few days on the beach combine easily with a Nile cruise or a trip to the Valley of the Kings. Hurghada is also the country's largest resort, with the widest choice of hotels, direct flights and boat trips to the Giftun islands.

Choose Sharm el-Sheikh if the sea is the heart of the trip. At the tip of Sinai, the resort gives access to Ras Mohammed national park and the reefs of the Strait of Tiran, among the most renowned in the Red Sea, as well as to Saint Catherine's monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. On the other hand, Luxor and Cairo are reached by plane, so a day trip to the temples is long and expensive.

• Hurghada: wide choice of hotels, direct flights, Giftun islands, Luxor within driving distance
• Sharm el-Sheikh: Ras Mohammed, Strait of Tiran, Saint Catherine, temples by plane
• El Gouna, north of Hurghada: lagoons, marina and kitesurfing

Is Marsa Alam worth the extra distance?

Yes, for divers and those looking for peace and quiet. Further south, Marsa Alam has kept better preserved reefs, bays where you meet turtles and sometimes dugongs, and hotels set far apart from one another. The trade-off: less going on in the evening, and longer transfers to the Nile valley. It is our advice for a quiet end to a trip, on a honeymoon in particular.

• Better preserved reefs and fewer boats at the sites
• Turtles and sometimes dugongs in some bays
• Less nightlife, longer transfers

Are Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada safe?

Yes, in the terms the official advisories use. The FCDO describes Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam as generally low risk, and Australia keeps the southern coastal area of Sharm el Sheikh at its ordinary caution level. North Sinai is advised against by all the main advisories, but it has nothing to do with the southern resorts.

The real risks of a beach holiday lie elsewhere: the sun, coral cuts and night driving on excursions. Choose boat trips with reputable operators, never touch the reef and avoid car journeys after dark outside towns. The breakdown by area and by country is in our Egypt safety guide.

Which resort to combine the Red Sea and the Nile?

Hurghada, without hesitation, then Marsa Alam. The road to Luxor makes Hurghada the natural end to a trip after a cruise between Luxor and Aswan: you leave the boat in the morning and swim in the afternoon. Always do the temples first and the sea afterwards, so you fly home rested. Our 9 day Nile cruise and Red Sea tour follows exactly this pattern.

Sharm el-Sheikh is better suited to a stand-alone beach stay, extended with a day trip to Cairo by plane for the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. That is the formula of our 5 day Sharm el-Sheikh stay, with Ras Mohammed and an evening in the desert.

Do you need a visa for Sharm el-Sheikh?

Not necessarily. A stay limited to the south of the Sinai peninsula, around Sharm el-Sheikh, entitles you to a free 15 day entry stamp. As soon as your programme leaves that area, for Cairo, Luxor or a cruise, the full visa is required again, and it always is in Hurghada and Marsa Alam. Details by nationality are in our entry requirements guide.

What do our Egyptologists recommend?

If this is your first trip to Egypt, do not choose the Red Sea on its own: a few days of temples completely change how you experience the beach afterwards. If you already know the Nile valley, Sharm el-Sheikh or Marsa Alam offer a real underwater interlude. Either way, keep at least three or four nights on the coast: any less and the transfers eat into the stay.

• First trip: Hurghada or Marsa Alam, combined with the Nile
• Diving and reefs above all: Sharm el-Sheikh or Marsa Alam
• Families and convenience: Hurghada or El Gouna
• At least three or four nights on the coast