Sights and excursions of Hurghada - what to see

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There are almost no significant attractions in Hurghada, and everything that travel agencies and excursion sellers give out as local attractions, in our opinion, is more likely to be entertainment. The most important and most famous places in Egypt that will open this country from the other side are in Cairo, Luxor or Alexandria. There you will visit museums, ancient palaces, temples and pyramids.

But back to Hugada. There are many mosques in the city, but we will single out two – the largest and the closest to the tourist area. Two Christian churches or Coptic churches. Undoubtedly, shopping in the Old Town area and a walk around it will be interesting and unforgettable. Informative, from the point of view of local customs and mores, will be a walk along the main city street Sheraton, and its complete opposite is a pleasure Marina. In addition, be sure to take a walk along the local Walking Street and the longest pedestrian street Affifi. We tell you more about all these places below on this page.

Excursions in Hurghada

Things are much better in Hurghada with the sights that can be visited during excursions. The most popular and obligatory for guests of the resort are, of course, a trip to Cairo and the Pyramids, as well as Luxor. There is also an interesting trip to Alexandria, but it will last at least two days.

All other options for excursions that are offered at the resort are, by and large, more tourist entertainment. For example, these are walks in the desert with riding ATVs or camels and visiting fake Bedouin villages; sea cruises to islands with swimming, snorkeling or diving; acquaintance with the underwater world on a boat with a transparent bottom or on a bathyscaphe, etc.

Where to buy excursions in Hurghada

If you are vacationing in Hurghada on a ticket, then the next day after arrival you will have an organizational meeting with a hotel guide, where you will be offered to buy excursions from a tour operator. We do not dissuade you from shopping with a hotel guide, but we inform you that the same excursions can be bought much cheaper at street travel agencies or online. In our practice, the difference in price for some tours reached up to two times. So you decide for yourself what is better for you: to buy more reliably and conveniently from a hotel guide, or with minor inconveniences on the street, but cheaper.

Well, if you want it to be both convenient and inexpensive, you can buy excursions online on trusted search engine sites with reviews. In this case, you can read reviews about the tour from other tourists, and book your favorite tour with a small prepayment by credit card or even without it. Payment of the main part of the cost is carried out directly to the guide already during the excursion, so everything is safe and reliable:

Найти экскурсии онлайн (с отзывами)

Be careful when choosing excursions in Egypt, so as not to incur additional expenses! To do this, we recommend reading the descriptions and reviews on the sites mentioned above. Even if you end up buying an excursion on the spot from a guide or a travel agency, this knowledge will still come in handy, since all programs are typical. The point is that many tours are built in such a way that with a relatively low cost and an allegedly rich program without additional charges, there will simply be nothing to do during the excursion. These are mainly recreational and walking tours to the desert with riding ATVs or camels, sea tours, during which you may have to pay extra for equipment rental or visiting certain places. Also, during more serious trips, for example to Cairo and the Pyramids, guides will actively offer camel rides, boat trips on the Nile, etc., for an additional fee, and these additional entertainments are not always worth how much they ask for.

Entertainment in Hurghada

Entertainment in Hurghada includes water parks that are aimed at any age group, have large territories and a large amount of entertainment. They offer excursions to the desert or to the islands, go snorkeling or diving, ride a banana or parachute, watch the underwater world from a glass-bottomed boat or dive to the depths on a bathyscaphe. In the evenings, nightclubs with popular music are open in the center. Evening walks in the walking areas, of which there are at least 4 in Hurghada, can be combined with shopping.

And now we present to your attention a list and description of attractions and entertainment in Hurghada, indicating opening hours, costs and how to get to them yourself:

Sheraton Street (Sheraton Road)

Evening walk along Sheraton street

Sheraton is the main thoroughfare in Hurghada and the most popular place for evening tourist walks. Every visitor probably walked along it for more than one kilometer in search of entertainment, souvenirs, gifts, things and products, exchange offices, restaurants and cafes, travel agencies. On this street you can really find everything from souvenirs to shoes, from mobile phone salons to pharmacies. But Sheraton is not exactly a pedestrian street. In fact, this is a wide highway, along which there are walking sidewalks with a string of shops, souvenir shops, pharmacies, hotels, markets, cafes and restaurants. The length of Sheraton Street is about 4 km, but the walking, tourist part is no more than 2 km. Learn more about Sheraton Street here...

🕐 Working hours: around the clock, walking on it is most interesting in the evening.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: Sheraton Road is also known as Al Fondok. It is located in the center of Hurghada and runs parallel to the shore (Sheraton Street on the map). To get to it from other areas, you can take any minibus and tell the driver "Sheraton". A taxi ride here will cost from 2 to 15 dollars.

Al Mina Mosque (Al Mina Mosque)

El Mina Mosque

This is the main cultural and religious attraction in Hurghada, the largest and largest mosque in the city. In its place was previously another mosque, built in 1968, and today it is a brand new building built in 2012. The mosque is built of marble, the facade is decorated with exquisite carvings. The height of both minarets is 40 meters, and the height of the central dome is 25 meters. The outside of the building will look much more, but once inside it does not feel like it. In front of the mosque there is a spacious area where religious events are held. Read more about the El-Mina Mosque here...

🕐 Working hours: Tourists can visit the El-Mina Mosque at any time when there are no prayers (namaz). The time of prayer varies from day to day, and, to put it simply, it depends on the time of sunrise and sunset. If you decide to visit the mosque and get to the prayer period, you can just walk around the mosque for 15-20 minutes, and after the prayer is over, go inside.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: The El Mina Mosque is located in the tourist area of Hurghada at the end of the Marina embankment (El Mina Mosque on the map).

Marina Promenade (Hurghada Marina Boulevard)

Marina Embankment

The Marina embankment is a small harbor for parking marine vehicles with many moored boats, boats and yachts. And this is one of the few places in Hurghada where you can walk in a calm atmosphere and without intrusive merchants and molesters. The length of the embankment is 500 meters. The territory is landscaped, there is a place to eat, play billiards, smoke hookah (shisha). Cafes and restaurants for every taste: European, Asian and Arabic cuisine. True, prices bite. There are few souvenir shops and shops with clothes and shoes. Read more about the Marina embankment here...

🕐 Working hours: from 10:00 to 00:00, it's best to go for a walk here in the evening.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: The Marina Embankment is located in the tourist area of the city near the main Sheraton street (Marina Embankment on the map). The embankment is fenced, the entrance is through two checkpoints along the edges of the embankment. Local buses and minibuses do not go here, but they pass just a five-minute walk from here.

Old Town and El Dahar Market

Old Town and El Dahar Market

El Dahar is the old town of Hurghada, from where the current modern resort and big city began to grow. Unlike the tourist areas of Hurghada, built-up areas of large hotels and filled with tourists, the houses of local residents are located here, and only rare tourists appear on the streets. This is a very colorful place, a typical Egypt in everyday life, where you can see the life and way of life of ordinary Egyptians. Low-rise houses, street markets, local eateries, along with shops selling consumer goods, household appliances and more. Here is one of their Christian temples - the Coptic Church. For tourists, the area and the market in El Dahar are not the best place to walk. Dirt is everywhere and there is a sense of poverty. At the same time, there is no intrusive harassment, unlike the merchants on Sheraton Street. Not everyone will like it here, but it's worth going here at least once to see the traditional Arab way of life. Read more about the old town and El Dahar market here...

🕐Working hours: daytime and evening.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: El Dahar is a whole area in the north of Hurghada, and it is located far from most hotels and tourist areas. The most interesting places in this area, where tourists usually walk, are two markets: the clothing market El Dahar Bazar (El Dahar clothing market on the map), and grocery market (El Dahar grocery market on the map). To get to the El Dahar area, take any city minibus and tell the driver "El Dahar". The fare should cost no more than 10 pounds (approximately 0.2 rubles).

Fish Market (Hurghada Fish Market)

Fish market

This is one of the specific places in Hurghada, which you will immediately feel by the unpleasant smell spreading around the area, and just an indecent number of cats. However, we strongly advise you not to pass by, it's worth looking here at least for a couple of minutes. It is all the more convenient that the market is located next to the El Mina Mosque and at the end of the Marina promenade. The fish here is always fresh, the choice is huge. If desired, the selected fish or shrimp will be cooked for you in any way (cook, fry in oil or on the grill) completely free of charge, the process takes 20-30 minutes in time. You will have to take the finished dish with you, since there is nowhere to sit down here. Read more about the fish market in Hurghada here...

🕐 Working hours: during the daytime and in the evening.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: The fish market is located in the tourist area at the end of the Marina promenade and next to the El Mina Mosque (fish market on the map). It represents a narrow passage between buildings with soda, leaving the street towards the shore, and it is easy to miss it with your eyes, but you will definitely find it by smell.

Coptic Cathedral of Saint Shenouda

Coptic Church

This is the largest Orthodox church in Hurghada, located in the old district of El Dahar. Tourists are brought here as part of a sightseeing tour, however, you can visit it yourself while walking through the old district and markets in El Dahara. Egyptian Christians are also called Copts, hence the name of the church – Coptic. According to some reports, the temple was built in the mid-20s of the XIX century by the British, later transferred to the Copts. Unusual architecture and modesty in exterior decoration, along with the interior environment, contribute to peace and tranquility. Inside, as in Catholic cathedrals, there are rows of benches for parishioners, but in fact it is an Orthodox church. There are painted icons on the walls, the windows are decorated with bright stained-glass windows with scenes from religious writings. Learn more about the Coptic Church here...

🕐Working hours: from 09:00 to 17:00.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: The Coptic Church is located on El-Lewaa Salman Mazhar st. in the El-Dahar area (church on the map). It is not far from the popular tourist spots – the markets of El Dahare, from which the temple is easily accessible on foot. The El-Dahar district itself can be reached inexpensively by city minibuses, the fare will cost no more than 10 Egyptian pounds.

Hurghada Museum

Hurghada Museum, photo hurghadamuseum.com

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (Hurghada Museum) is the only historical museum in Hurghada. The first floor is occupied by a large gift shop with reasonable fixed prices, and on the second floor there are 12 halls of museum exhibits. The exhibitions are thematic and divided into time periods. Include halls dedicated to Ancient Egypt, the Greco-Roman period, the Christian and Islamic periods, modern Egypt. At least 3,000 items are on display at the museum. Sculptures, mummies, pharaohs, frescoes, dishes, household items, works of art, paintings, books are presented. The exhibits are signed, the plates are duplicated in Arabic and English. Read more about Hurghada Museum here...

Website: hurghadamuseum.com

🕐Working hours: from 10:00 to 13:00, from 17:00 to 22:00.

Entrance fee / ticket price: adult – 350 pounds (approximately 6.92 rubles, read more about Egypt's money and exchange rate), children from 6 to 12 years old, students – 125 pounds, children under 6 years old – free of charge. Professional shooting is paid. Payment is only in cash and in pounds, there is an ATM nearby for exchanging cash for Egyptian pounds.

🚶 How to get there: The museum is located a little away from the center on El-Nas road (Hurghada Museum on the map). A taxi ride from the center (from the Marina and the El Mina Mosque) will cost around $ 3. To travel by minibus, tell the driver the landmark point Mubarak 6, pronounced "Mubarak six".

Al-Rahman Al-Rahim Mosque (Alrahman Alraheem Mosque)

Al-Rahman Al-Rahim

The mosque is located in the center of Hurghada on Sheraton Street. It is small, but one of the most beautiful – its facade is decorated with decorative bricks, and at night it is beautifully illuminated. Tourists rarely come here, but if you pass by, we advise you to go inside. Just follow the rules: take off your shoes before entering, clothes should not expose your shoulders and legs, women's heads should be covered.

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: Al-Rahman Al-Rahim is located on the main tourist street Sheraton (church on the map). From any part of the city you can get here by minibus with a fare of no more than 10 Egyptian pounds.

Monastery of Saint Mina (Monastery of Saint Mina)

Monastery of St. Mina

This is one of the largest Orthodox monasteries in Hurghada, which is little known and visited by tourists. It is not easy to notice it from the outside: there are no recognizable attributes, no crosses on the roof, domes, towers, murals on the walls. The building is simple and more like an administrative building or even a prison, since it is surrounded by a high fence. Only after entering its territory it becomes clear that there is a temple here. The monastery complex occupies a large territory, on which, in addition to the main church building, there is another church below the level, accommodation buildings, a dining room, places with benches and tables for religious events, a church shop. Read more about the Monastery of St. Mina here...

🕐Working hours: during daytime.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: the monastery of St. Mina is located in a non-tourist place of the city on the outskirts of the old town of El Dahar (Monastery of St. Mina on the map). Transport does not go here, and therefore you will either have to take a taxi (but not all taxi drivers know this place, you will have to guide them using the navigator), or walk two kilometers in one direction from the center of the El-Dahar district. There are no signs and street names here, so you'll have to follow the navigator in your smartphone.

Sherry Street Walking Area (Sherry Steet)

Sheri Street Walking Area

Sherry Steet is a full-fledged pedestrian street in Hurghada, you can say a local Walking Street, with shops, cafes, a pastry shop, a bakery, street fast food. Unlike the Sheraton shopping street, popular with tourists, Sheri Street is completely closed to traffic, only pedestrians walk along it. It is more popular among locals, but there are plenty of tourists here. You can also go shopping on Sheri, eat in one of the local colorful cafes, drink coffee in a street coffee shop or buy fast food. Read more about Shari Street here...

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: Sheri Street is located in the tourist center of Hurghada approximately in the middle of Sheraton Street perpendicular to it (Cherie Street on the map). The entrance to it is marked by a recognizable entrance arch (see photo).

Walking area on Youssef Afifi Street (Youssef Affifi Rd)

Walking area on Youssef Afifi Street

Youssef Afifi Street is located in the southern part of Hurghada in the tourist area of El Mamsha. She is not as well-known and well-known as Sheraton, but she can easily compete with her in convenience and comfort for walking, and clearly wins in this. Basically, 4 and 5-star hotel complexes are located here, in the area of which this spacious pedestrian zone was formed. Unlike Sheraton, the roadway of Yussuf Affifi Street is narrow and there are few vehicles on it. But the pedestrian zone running parallel to the highway, on the contrary, is very wide and long, almost 5 km. There are benches and cafes on it, modern sculptures and palm trees come across, shops, pharmacies, cafes and sports bars, souvenirs, a nightclub, offer tours and much more. Learn more about Youssef Afifi Street here...

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: Youssef Affifi Rd is located in the center of Hurghada in the main tourist area of El Mamsha (Youssef Afifi on the map).

Pedestrian Boulevard El Nasr (El Nasr Avenue)

Pedestrian Boulevard El Nasr

This boulevard is a place where Egyptians rest more often, and there are not many tourists here, since it is located in a non-tourist area. But if you suddenly walk to your hotel from the district and markets in El Dahar, then feel free to route through El Nasr.

The boulevard is completely pedestrian, beautifully decorated, with benches and green spaces and lawns, everything is very neat. There is an outdoor cinema, Playground, outdoor cafe, fast food stalls, toilet. The length is not more than 1 km. The place can not be called calm, since the roadway passes on both sides of the pedestrian part. But for safety, the entire pedestrian part is separated from the road by a fence.

🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: El Nasr pedestrian Boulevard is located in the old part of Hurghada, in the El Dahar district (El Nasr Boulevard on the map).

Beach and water activities

Water activities in Hurghada

During your vacation in Hurghada, you can entertain yourself and your children with traditional beach and water activities such as banana riding, parachuting (parasailing), boating with a transparent bottom or a bathyscaphe, learning kitesurfing, etc. But given the peculiarities of dividing the resort into private beaches and the almost complete absence of public beaches, access to such entertainment will greatly depend on your hotel beach. Ie, it may well happen that there will simply be no entertainment on your hotel beach, and you will not be able to get to other nearby hotel beaches where there is entertainment even for a fee. In such cases, you will have to buy ready-made excursions with beach entertainment and transfer from the hotel, or you can walk / drive yourself to the Marina embankment. Learn more about beach and water activities in Hurghada here...

🕐Working hours: during daytime.

Entrance fee / ticket price: prices for entertainment in Hurghada start from $ 5 for banana skating, tablet skating - 15, glass–bottomed boat - $ 12, bathyscaphe – from $ 15, submarine – 50 dollars, parasailing – 17 dollars.

🚶 How to get there: water activities are not represented on all beaches, but mostly depart from the Marina embankment. The easiest way is to buy excursions with water activities and transfer from the hotel from hotel guides (expensive) or from travel agencies on the street or book on the excursion search sites Tripster.ru, Sputnik8.ru, Tezeks.com.

Snorkeling in Hurghada

Snorkeling in Hurghada

Hurghada is slightly inferior to another popular Egyptian Sharm el-Sheikh resort in the diversity and beauty of the underwater world, but there is something to see here, especially if you are not a sophisticated diver or have not been snorkeling in the Red Sea before. You can observe the underwater world in Hurghada with the help of diving, excursions on boats with a glass bottom or on a tourist bathyscaphe-a submarine. But the most accessible way was and remains simple snorkeling and tube snorkeling. If you have your own mask and tube, then be sure to take it with you on vacation, and if not, you can rent in Hurghada from $ 2, or buy a set from $ 10 here.

The coast in Hurghada is less reef than in Charm, and the beaches are more sandy, and therefore there are still places with live corals and fish along the coast. Therefore, the best option is to go snorkeling with a boat trip to the islands. Learn more about snorkeling in Hurghada here...

🕐Working hours: during daytime.

💵  Entrance fee / ticket price: Self-free, snorkeling sea excursions cost from $ 13.

🚶 How to get there: You can do simple snorkeling in Hurghada at any hotel beach. There is a more intense underwater life on the islands and in the open sea near coral reefs, where excursions go. You can buy exclusive snorkeling in Hurghada at Tripster.ru, Sputnik8.ru or Tezeks.com.

Hurghada Grand Aquarium

Hurghada Grand Aquarium in Hurghada, photo hurghadaaquarium.com

This is an aquarium and a mini-zoo where you can enjoy spending time with your family. Although it is small, but quite diverse, it contains more than 1200 marine animals. The aquariums here are large, with different fish, sharks, rays, crocodiles, turtles. Shark feeding, which is carried out at a certain time according to the schedule, will make a special impression. The mini-zoo contains rescued animals from all over Egypt. Among them are pelicans, flamingos, ostriches, monkeys, bats, snakes. It is also possible for everyone to feed turtles for an additional fee. There is a collection of prehistoric fossils in a separate room. Read more about the Hurghada Grand Aquarium here...

Website: hurghadaaquarium.com

🕐 Working hours: from 9:00 to 19:00, the ticket office closes in 1 hour. Shark feeding is from 11:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 16:00, but may vary.

Entrance fee / ticket price: adult – $ 32, children from 4 to 10 years - $ 16, up to 4 years – free. In winter, there is a 10% discount.

🚶 How to get there: the aquarium is located in the south of the city, 12 kilometers from the center (Hurghada Grand Aquarium in Hurghada on the map). Theoretically, you can get here by taxi or minibuses, but it doesn't make much sense, because it's easier to buy a ready-made excursion with a transfer from the hotel's door at the price of an entrance ticket + a surcharge for the transfer. Buy excusria in the aquarium on Tripster.ru, Sputnik8.ru (the cheapest options are here) or Tezeks.com.

Water parks in Hurghada

Water parks in Hurghada, photo makadiwaterworld.com

You can have a good time with your family in Hurghada at one of the water parks. Here you will not only have a good time, but also get a lot of adrenaline and positive emotions. In winter, the water in the pools is heated. Offers for trips to water parks are found at guides and travel agencies, and, as a rule, include a transfer to and from the place with entrance tickets. All water parks belong to some kind of hotel, and if you are staying in one, then you are lucky. For the rest, we will cite only the largest and most noteworthy ones: Aqua Park Makadi Water World (at the Jaz Aquaviva Hotel); Aqua Park Sindbad (at the Sindbad Club Hotel); Jungle Aqua Park (at the hotel of the same name); Aqua Park Titanic (at the Titanic Resort & Aquapark Hotel). Read more about Hurghada water parks here...

🕐Working hours: during daytime.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: entrance tickets with transfer from $ 32.

🚶 How to get there: tickets to water parks with a transfer are easiest to buy from hotel guides, travel agencies on the street or online.

Hurghada Marine Museum and Aquarium

Hurghada Marine Museum and Aquarium

The Hurghada Marine Museum & Aquarium or NIOF Aquarium was founded by Egyptian oceanologist and scientist Hamed Abdel Fattah Goher, who has been exploring the Red Sea all his life. The museum has a rich collection of marine animals and plants of the Red Sea. The museum is small, but it will be interesting for those who are afraid of water and do not dare to dive into the sea. A wide variety of fish and sea creatures can be seen here both live and in the form of models. The exhibition is divided into 3 parts, each of which occupies a separate building: in one - aquariums with live fish, turtles, in the second – stuffed fish, sharks, mollusks, in the third – personal belongings, photographs of Professor H. Goher and preserved fish in glass jars. Read more about the Hurghada Marine Museum and Aquarium here...

🕐Working hours: from 10:00 to 16:00.

Entrance fee / ticket price: 30 pounds (approximately 0.59 rubles, read more about Egypt's money and exchange rate).

🚶 How to get there: Hurghada Marine Museum and Aquarium is located in the north of the city in the area of Al Aheya/Al Aheya (marine Museum and Aquarium on the map). Excursions with transfer from hotels are not organized here, so you will have to get there yourself. A taxi ride to the center will cost from $ 2. You can get there by minibus, but you will first have to get to the terminal in El-Dahra, and there transfer to the minibus to the El-Aheya area.

Papyrus Museum (Selkhet Papyrus or Selkhet Papyrus Hurghada)

Papyrus Museum, photo selkhetpapyrus.com

In fact, this is not a museum, but an exhibition and sale. According to the assurances of the exhibition staff, all the samples that are presented in the hall and placed on the walls are the result of the work of local craftsmen and artists. There are many paintings of ancient Egyptian themes, as well as paintings of Christian and Islamic orientation. If you are interested, they will tell you about the history of the papyrus, demonstrate the process of its manufacture and painting, but of course, all this will be done in anticipation that you will acquire something from the exhibits.

Website: selkhetpapyrus.com

🕐 Working hours: from 10:00 to 19:00.

💵Entrance fee / ticket price: free.

🚶 How to get there: The papyrus Museum is located in the Al Kawsar area near the airport (museum on the map). Special excursions are not organized here, but some sightseeing tours bring tourists to the museum. It is better to take a taxi on your own, a trip from the center will cost a couple of dollars.

💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Hurghada with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites:

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