Hurghada

Giftun reefs, El Dahar's souk and El Gouna's canals in three days

Hurghada's three essentials are a reef, a souk and a lagoon town. Take an early boat to the Giftun islands for a day of snorkelling, wander El Dahar's souk and port the next morning before heading north to El Gouna's canals, and use a third day for wreck dives, kitesurfing or a long trip to Luxor.

Day one is for the water. Board an early boat from the marina to the Giftun islands, part of a protected area off the coast, and spend the day snorkelling over the coral before a late lunch on the sand. Back in Sakkala, walk the marina promenade at dusk and eat at one of the seafood places nearby.

Day two sees a different Hurghada. Spend the morning in El Dahar, the old district, wandering the souk for spices, cotton and hibiscus flowers, and walk down to the port to watch the boats come in. In the afternoon, head north by taxi to El Gouna. Ride a tuk-tuk down to Downtown and Kafr el-Gouna, take a water taxi along the canals, then finish with dinner at Abu Tig Marina.

Day three depends on taste. Divers can join a trip to the northern wrecks; everyone else might choose a kitesurf lesson at Mangroovy Beach, or a long day to Luxor, about four hours each way by road, for Karnak and the Valley of the Kings. If that is too much driving, flights put Cairo and Giza's pyramids within easy reach on a separate trip.

Red Sea fish, Sheraton Road grills and karkadeh

Step out of the resort buffet for fish in Hurghada: in El Dahar and near the port, plain restaurants weigh the day's catch and grill or fry it with rice, salads and tahini. Sheraton Road in Sakkala adds Syrian shawarma and Lebanese grills, and El Gouna has the most international restaurants and bars.

Seafood is the obvious local choice: in El Dahar and near the port, plain fish restaurants let you pick from the day's catch, weighed and then grilled or fried, with rice, salads and tahini on the side.

Sheraton Road in Sakkala is the busiest eating street, with Syrian shawarma and bakeries, Lebanese grills, a Greek taverna and Indian and Thai kitchens among the cafes. For a cheap Egyptian breakfast look for a foul shop serving stewed fava beans with bread, and try koshari, the rice, lentil and pasta staple topped with tomato sauce and crisp onions. The Egyptian chain GAD covers both.

Drinks follow Egyptian habits. Karkadeh, the deep-red hibiscus infusion, is served hot or chilled almost everywhere, and tea comes in a glass, often with mint. A sheesha usually comes along with it in the cafes of El Dahar. Up the coast, El Gouna's Downtown and Abu Tig Marina have the area's most international restaurants and bars.

Dry heat, winter wind and the El Gouna Film Festival

Spring and autumn are Hurghada's best seasons. Highs rise from 22C in January to 38C in August, the sea stays warmest into autumn, and almost no rain falls. Winter's north wind can make nights cold and the water choppy, which kitesurfers enjoy, and the El Gouna Film Festival usually runs in October.

The airport records barely a few millimetres of rain a year. Highs climb from 22C in January to 34C in May and peak at 38C in August, then fall back to 32C in October and 28C in November. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable months, and the sea stays warmest into the autumn.

Winter is popular with Europeans escaping cold weather, but the north wind can make Hurghada surprisingly cold after dark and choppy on the water. Kitesurfers welcome it, and El Gouna's lagoons fill with sails from spring to autumn.

The big date in the calendar is the El Gouna Film Festival, held at the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center, usually in October. It brings Arab and international films, premieres and red-carpet evenings to the resort for a little over a week; the 2026 edition ran from 15 to 23 October. Outside the festival, many visitors take a desert trip into the mountains behind the city, by quad bike or jeep, timed for sunset when the heat drops. Further afield, Sharm El Sheikh is across the Gulf of Suez and quickest by air.