Things to Do in Hurghada

Giftun Island is the classic Hurghada day trip: a 45-minute boat ride to protected reefs with coral gardens, parrotfish and the occasional turtle. Most cruises include two snorkel stops, lunch on board and time at Orange Bay's white-sand beach. Book a small-group boat rather than the mega-catamarans if you want quiet snorkeling and space to move around.

Half an hour inland from the coast you enter the Eastern Desert — dunes, mountain silhouettes and Bedouin villages. Sunset safaris usually combine a quad or 4x4 ride, a camel loop, tea with a local family and dinner under the stars. Go for the evening slot: temperatures drop, the light is spectacular and you get the stargazing after dessert.

The Marina is where locals go out. A pedestrian promenade lined with restaurants, gelato stands and rooftop bars overlooks the moored dive boats and yachts. It's the easiest evening in town: stroll from end to end, pick a table by the water for grilled seafood, then watch the boats come home. Free to visit, busiest after 8 pm.

The Red Sea is one of the top three places on earth to learn scuba diving — warm year-round, calm, and packed with reef life close to shore. A PADI Discover Scuba session takes an afternoon; a full Open Water certification runs three to four days. Choose a PADI 5★ centre with small student-to-instructor ratios and its own house reef so you skip long boat rides on training days.

Hurghada is a great base for wider Egypt. Luxor (4h drive) covers the Valley of the Kings and Karnak in a long day. Cairo and the Giza pyramids are a short flight. El Gouna, 25 minutes north, is a lagoon-city with kite-surfing, golf and its own restaurant scene — an easy half-day even without a car.

Skip the hotel buffet for one night. Try grilled fish at Star Fish or seafood mezze at the Marina; kushari (Egypt's national comfort dish) at any street stall in Sakkala; and fresh mango juice from the sidewalk vendors on Sheraton Road. Tipping ~10% in restaurants is standard.

Hurghada is long and thin — hotels stretch 40 km along the coast. Yellow taxis are cheap but negotiate the fare before you get in. Uber does not operate here. For airport transfers or day trips to other resorts (El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh) a private car is usually only a few euros more than a taxi and much simpler.