Choosing in two minutes
- First visit, trips and restaurants on foot: Sakkala or El Mamsha.
- Small budget and local atmosphere: El Dahar.
- Long stay, quiet, shopping: Hadaba or El Kawther.
- Families and all-inclusive: Makadi Bay.
- Quiet and upmarket, facing the reef: Sahl Hasheesh.
- Evenings, restaurants and lagoon: El Gouna.
Sakkala and Sheraton Road: the lively centre
Sakkala is the classic choice for a first visit: restaurants, bars, trip agencies and the marina close by. The hotels on Sheraton Road range from two to four stars, some with a beach. The downside is the noise and the pushy sellers. Ideal for travellers who want to do everything on foot; the district guide covers the street and the marina.
El Mamsha: the seafront promenade
Next to Sakkala, El Mamsha is a pedestrian strip along the beach, with mid-range hotels, restaurants and bars. One guide gives rooms at around 50 to 180 dollars a night. It is a good compromise between comfort and local life, with easy access to restaurants.
El Dahar: the old town
El Dahar is the Hurghada of the locals: souk, port, fish market. Rooms here are the cheapest in the city (guides quote roughly 20 to 50 dollars a night for a small budget), but the beaches are less pleasant than in the resorts. Choose it for authenticity and budget; see the El Dahar guide.
Hadaba and El Kawther: residential calm
Hadaba, close to the marina and the centre, is described as quieter and residential, popular with foreign residents. El Kawther, between the El Mamsha promenade and the airport, suits long stays: supermarkets, cafés, gyms. It is mostly apartments, to check before paying (hot water, air conditioning, noise).
Makadi Bay: all-inclusive for families
To the south, Makadi Bay has large beach hotels with all-inclusive packages, well suited to families: you stay largely within the hotel, and the town needs a transfer. Guides quote rooms at roughly 120 to 300 dollars a night depending on the level.
Sahl Hasheesh: upmarket calm
About 18 kilometres to the south, Sahl Hasheesh is a quiet resort with private beaches and a reef, for couples and travellers looking for standing. Ranges of roughly 120 to over 400 dollars are quoted; life outside the hotels is more limited than in the city.
El Gouna: the lagoon town
About thirty minutes north of the centre, El Gouna offers canals, restaurants, nightlife and water sports, with a more urban and more expensive feel.
Beach, sea and safety
Many beaches belong to hotels; there are public ones, see public beaches of Hurghada. If the beach matters, ask before booking whether there is direct access to the sea, whether the reef is suitable for swimming and whether the beach is private.
Booking tips
Compare rates with and without breakfast, read recent reviews on noise and cleanliness, and check the transfer from the airport (see Hurghada airport to the centre). To estimate the total cost of your stay, see travel budget for Hurghada, and for getting around, getting around Hurghada. Before paying for a trip, read scams and safety in Hurghada.
