Holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh – how to get there, what to see, where to stay

General information about Sharm el-Sheikh, holidays

Sharm el-Sheikh (Sharm el-Sheikh or Sharm ash Shaykh) is a resort town in the south of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, 500 kilometers from Cairo (Sharm el-Sheikh on the map). This is the most popular and developed resort in the country, sharing this status with Hurghada. Sharm el-Sheikh, also briefly called Sharm by tourists, is also one of the oldest resorts in the country.

The name 'Sharm el-Sheikh' translates to 'Bay of the Sheikh' or 'Royal Bay', but the correct name of the city is Sharm ash-Shaykh, and from 1967 to 1982 it was temporarily called Ophira. Interestingly, it began to actively develop as a resort precisely from 1967, when the Israelis occupied the city during the Six-Day War.

Sharm el-Sheikh is almost entirely a resort city, most of which is occupied by hotels and consists of separate resort zones or districts. It's a concentration of entertainment and ways to have a pleasant and interesting time. You can always find something to do here at any time of year and any time of day; you never get bored. This place is good for both simple beach holidays and active entertainment, including diving and snorkeling. Sharm el-Sheikh is generally considered one of the best places in the world for diving, and it's the underwater beauty that primarily attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and vacationers from all over the world every year. It's also important that you can enter Sharm el-Sheikh without a visa using the so-called Sinai stamp, which is issued for free upon arrival, though not to everyone (More about the Sinai stamp and who gets it).

Unfortunately, there are some inconveniences when vacationing in Sharm: most beaches are strewn with coral reefs, making it difficult to enter the water. Usually, entry into the water is from special pontoons, and there are only two familiar sandy beaches with a gentle entry into the water and a clean bottom – these are Sharm el-Maya Bay and the beach in the bay of the most developed tourist area, Naama Bay.

Of course, you have to pay for pleasures, so prices here are about 15% higher than, for example, in Hurghada, located on the opposite shore of the Red Sea.

✔ Pros of a holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh can be visited with a free Sinai stamp, saving you $30 on the visa fee.
The resort has its own international airport, which receives direct charter flights from Russia and other countries. The airport is conveniently located in the geographical center of the city, just 10-20 minutes' drive from the resort areas.
A large selection of all-inclusive hotels in different price categories, many of which specialize in Russian-speaking tourists.
Sharm el-Sheikh has free beaches (Hurghada, for example, does not).
A large selection of tourist entertainment and excursions.
Rich underwater life and excellent conditions for snorkeling and diving.
It is considered the warmest and least windy resort in Egypt, meaning it's comfortable to relax on beaches in separate wind-protected bays even in winter.

❌ Cons of a holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh

The city consists of separate resort areas separated by wastelands and poorly connected by transport.
The city is new, so there are almost no historical attractions here.
Not all tourist areas have evening promenade zones, and if you choose a hotel or district poorly, you might find yourself on a wasteland upon leaving the hotel, far from 'civilization'.
Few sandy beaches suitable for children's swimming and comfortable water entry.
Sharm is not very suitable for independent holidays not on an all-inclusive basis. With such a vacation, it would be too boring and expensive: there's nowhere special to walk in the evenings, all beaches are paid, there are practically no interesting places or attractions, and you won't be able to go anywhere on your own without an excursion due to poor transport development and expensive rentals.

What are the beaches like in Sharm el-Sheikh?

Sharm el-Sheikh lies on the shores of the Red Sea, famous for its crystal-clear water, magnificent corals, and rich underwater flora and fauna. Because of this, Sharm is considered one of the best places in the world for diving and snorkeling, and the most popular resort in Egypt for beach holidays.

In Sharm, there are only two beach areas that are ideal for carefree relaxation and swimming with children and for those who don't know how to swim or swim poorly – these are the beaches in Sharm el-Maya Bay and in the bay of the most developed tourist area, Naama Bay. Moreover, the only natural sandy beach is in Sharm el-Maya Bay; all the others are artificial with imported sand, which erodes over time, exposing rocky and reef bottoms, and needs to be replenished again.

Children's beach in Sharm el-Sheikh — Kids will love the sandy Naama or Sharm el-Maya beaches the most

On most other beaches, the bottom is covered with corals and stones; these are so-called reef beaches, ideal for snorkeling and for those who are good swimmers. Underwater, there are sharp drop-offs into depth, and near these drop-offs, called the 'wall', the richest and most colorful underwater life is concentrated. Entry into the water here is mainly organized via floating pontoons or fixed piers to prevent damaging the corals with feet. The best coral beaches are Nabq Bay, Ras Um el-Sid, Coral Bay, and Sharks Bay.

Reef beach in Sharm el-Sheikh — But on reef beaches, there are beautiful fish and corals

Therefore, when choosing a hotel, be sure to look at the description, reviews, and photos of the hotel beach to avoid ruining your dreams of an ideal vacation with reality. In any case, we advise you to take special swimming shoes, called 'aqua shoes' or 'reef shoes', to protect your feet from unpleasant stones and dangerous sea urchins. We've written all about the beaches of Sharm el-Sheikh in detail here.

Infrastructure in Sharm el-Sheikh

The urban and tourist infrastructure in Sharm el-Sheikh is quite well developed but very fragmented due to the large length of the resort and its division into areas separated by long distances. This means that access to street travel agencies, promenade zones, entertainment, cafes and restaurants, shops, and street trading will greatly depend on where you are staying. For example, if your hotel is located in one of the developed tourist areas like Sharm el-Maya or Naama Bay, then everything you might need will be within walking distance. But if, for example, you are staying at a hotel with its own grounds in the Nabq Bay area, upon leaving the gates, you will most likely find yourself on a wasteland or in front of another similar hotel, and you will have to take a taxi to the nearest shop or tourist market.

On the other hand, of course, large hotels with their own grounds try to create conditions so that vacationers don't need anything within the hotel walls. But the question is whether such a vacation suits you, or whether you still want to go for a walk, go shopping, and get acquainted with the life and traditions of the local population. To avoid making a mistake in choosing a place and for easy access to infrastructure, we advise you to read our overview of the districts of Sharm el-Sheikh and the beach description above.

Considering that holidays in Egypt are mainly organized on an all-inclusive basis, you are unlikely to need to look for a cafe or grocery store. But you will probably want to buy gifts in the form of souvenirs, something interesting to eat, or inexpensive local medicines. For this in Sharm el-Sheikh, it's best to go to the main tourist area of Naama Bay, or to the Old Market in Sharm el-Maya, where street trading is very well developed and there are shops with souvenirs and everything you might need. There are also large shopping centers and modern supermarkets in Sharm. All about Shopping in Sharm el-Sheikh and where it's best to buy souvenirs, we've gathered in a separate article.

You can pay for purchases in Sharm with foreign or local currency; rubles are not accepted here. If you need to exchange money, you can do so at exchange points on the streets, in banks, and at ATMs. All this is again concentrated in developed tourist areas. There are many ATMs here; you can withdraw money from a bank card in local currency or exchange cash dollars and euros. Many shops and even souvenir shops accept bank cards, but Russian Visa, Mastercard, and Mir cards currently (in 2026) do not work.

Excursions to attractions can be bought from hotel guides; they will offer them to you during the first organizational meeting after arrival. Buying from them is reliable but expensive. If you want to save money, you can buy them at street travel agencies or online. Again, if you are staying at a hotel in an underdeveloped area, there may be no travel agencies near the hotel, and you will have to go to another area and buy there. But as an alternative, you can buy excursions at organizer prices without markups online, for example, on these search engine sites:

Regarding food, you most likely won't have to worry about it, since almost all hotels here operate on an all-inclusive basis or at least 'half board', i.e., breakfast and dinner. If you still want to eat outside the hotel, you can do so at tourist restaurants and cafes, at one of the international chain restaurants like McDonald's, KFC, or Burger King. There aren't many international chain restaurants here, just a few in the whole city, so check their location on the map in advance. Also, there isn't much street food here, and in some areas, you'll have to walk a fair bit before finding a suitable establishment. If you rent an apartment, you can cook at home. The cheapest groceries are at markets or at the largest supermarket, Carrefour. There are also smaller supermarkets, which can be found in almost every district. But not all stores with the 'Supermarket' sign actually are supermarkets; there are fakes too.

Shop in Sharm el-Sheikh — Fake supermarket, actually a regular store without fixed prices

Hotels and accommodation in Sharm el-Sheikh

Accommodation in Sharm el-Sheikh is mainly represented by all-inclusive hotels, and it's most profitable to book them as part of a tour package, which already includes an inexpensive charter flight, insurance, transfer, and accommodation. But if you categorically prefer independent travel, you can book a hotel or accommodation separately.

Unfortunately, due to sanctions, online payment for bookings on popular global hotel booking systems has become impossible for tourists from Russia, but you can search and book accommodation in Sharm el-Sheikh on trusted Russian search engines, or book options on international search engines without online payment:

If you want to go to Sharm for wintering for a month or more, renting accommodation or apartments might be more profitable, but it's not that straightforward. Sometimes on vacation, you can hear from tourists that someone they know rents accommodation in Sharm for some $100 a month. In reality, these are most likely 'tales', as real prices for monthly (not long-term) rental start from $400/month plus utilities. Perhaps you can find something cheaper in the low season, but it might turn out to be a run-down apartment in a dirty residential area very far from the sea. At least, we haven't come across anything cheaper than $400.

It's best to look for inexpensive accommodation already on the spot, contacting street vendors, souvenir shop owners, or hotel staff. But for this, you still need to arrive in Sharm el-Sheikh first and stay in a hotel for a few days while you search for a suitable option. But since there's no guarantee that you'll be able to find something suitable for you in a couple of days, it might make sense to overpay a bit and rent accommodation for your holiday through search and booking systems like AirBnB and other similar ones.

And here's another option for accommodation in Sharm el-Sheikh – booking tours without a flight, i.e., only hotel and insurance. Currently, such options are offered by most tour operators, and you can 'catch' hot prices on accommodation cheaper than through hotel search engines, even on an all-inclusive basis. This can be done on trusted tour search engine sites:

Weather and tourist seasons in Sharm el-Sheikh, when it's best to go

Sharm el-Sheikh is a year-round resort; you can go here any time. Very little rain falls throughout the year, rain and clouds are extremely rare, and even in winter, daytime temperatures stay above 20 degrees, only dropping to 15 degrees at night. The water temperature here never drops below 20 degrees, so you can also swim all year round, although swimming in winter is, of course, less comfortable. Nevertheless, the tourist seasons in Sharm el-Sheikh have their own characteristics, which are worth discussing in more detail:

🌞 The best time to go is April-May and October-November. This is the most comfortable time for a holiday: not too hot compared to summer, and at the same time very warm compared to winter. There are many sunny days, clouds appear in the sky very rarely. But even if rare clouds appear in the sky, they are not a hindrance to relaxation: you can also sunbathe and swim under the clouds.
⛅ You can go in June-September. Summer is a very hot period in Sharm el-Sheikh, which not everyone can handle easily. If you have no problems withstanding such intense heat, you can safely go, but still be careful with your health during this time.
⛅ You can go in December-March. This is winter time in Egypt. Well, what is winter like? Winter here is roughly the same as the first month of summer in Russia. It's warm, sometimes even hot, and only in the evenings you might need to put on a sweatshirt or jacket. You can also swim, although getting out of the water will not be as comfortable as in other seasons. But the biggest discomfort in the winter months is caused by the winds, especially northern ones. Therefore, the winter season can quite rightly be called the season of winds. They can blow strongly and continuously for weeks, and the worst part is that on some beaches, swimming bans may be imposed during this time.
🌨 When you shouldn't go. There is no such time in Sharm el-Sheikh, so if you have the opportunity to go here on vacation, don't deny yourself.

Seasons in Sharm el-Sheikh by month, when it's best to go
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

* best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit

Средняя температура in Sharm el-Sheikh по месяцам

Осадки in Sharm el-Sheikh по месяцам

Current weather in Sharm el-Sheikh and forecast

График приливов и отливов в Шарм-эль-Шейхе

График приливов и отливов в Шарм-эль-Шейхе подробно ⧉

Time in Sharm el-Sheikh

Time in Sharm el-Sheikh differs from Moscow time by -1 hour.

Current time in Sharm el-Sheikh*

Разница по времени с городами:

Москва: -1	Самара: -2
Казань: -1	Нижний Новгород: -1
Екатеринбург: -3	Новосибирск: -5
Иркутск: -6	Владивосток: -8

* - если время неверно, обновите страницу Ctrl+F5:

How to get to Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh resort is located on the southwestern shore of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on the Red Sea coast (Sharm el-Sheikh on the map of Egypt). It's about 500 kilometers by road from the Egyptian capital, and the resort is just over 3000 kilometers from Moscow, or about a 5-6 hour flight. You can get here by the following methods:

✈ From cities in Russia and other countries by plane to the local Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, and from there to the hotel by taxi from $22 USD, or if you are on a package tour, you will be taken to the place by tourist bus.
🚆 From Cairo by plane (1 hour flight) or intercity buses (from 7 hours).
🚌 From Hurghada by buses or planes with a transfer through Cairo, or by direct ferry, but ferry service is currently suspended.
🛌 Buy a ready-made package tour with a flight and transfer directly to the hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh without any worries.

More details about each method, how and by what to get to Sharm el-Sheikh with schedules and transport costs in 2026, read here.

And here's where it's best to search for and buy tours online at tour operator prices without travel agency markups:

Transport in Sharm el-Sheikh, how to get around the resort

Sharm el-Sheikh is a large city, stretching along the coast for almost 30 kilometers. Therefore, if you plan to relax not only on the hotel grounds and the beach, you will most likely need transport. For this, you can use taxis, vehicle rentals, local minibuses, walk, or use hotel buses.

Sharm el-Sheikh is a fairly comfortable resort for walking. There are wide roads and sidewalks, and traffic is not very heavy. However, the resort is very large, stretching for many kilometers along the coast, so you won't be able to walk everywhere and at all times.

Most all-inclusive hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh have their own beach. This beach may not always be within walking distance, so hotels provide free transfer to the beach and back by buses or minivans. Such hotel buses may run only twice a day there and back, or they may run constantly back and forth at a specific time according to a schedule; it all depends on the hotel and even the season. Schedules are published at the reception, or you can check with the reception staff. But do not forget that everything in Egypt works very slowly, and promises are not necessarily kept, so even in expensive five-star hotels, you may have to wait for the bus much longer than promised.

Egypt is considered a country with the cheapest taxis, but only not for tourists. In fact, to get around the Sharm el-Sheikh resort by taxi at a reasonable price, you need to try very hard. Taxi drivers here always try to 'rip off' tourists with inflated fares and never use the meter. Ride-hailing apps like Uber and others do not work in Sharm el-Sheikh as of 2026, but the app for drivers and passengers InDrive does work.

The only type of local public transport that runs on the main streets of the city in Sharm el-Sheikh is minibuses; there are no large or state city buses here. The fare on minibuses is very cheap, 2.5 to 5.75 Egyptian pounds (approximately 0.05 - 0.11 USD) depending on the distance and route, but using them is very inconvenient and not easy for tourists. But if you get the hang of minibuses, you can get almost anywhere for mere pennies. But let's be clear right away: it's almost impossible for tourists to travel at the prices locals pay; you will still have to pay several times more for the fare. Be prepared for them to start 'begging' for one dollar for the ride, which is, of course, very expensive even by Russian transport standards, so bargain or catch another minibus.

In Sharm el-Sheikh, you can rent a bicycle, motorcycle, or car, but rental prices are very high. Bicycle rental costs from $5 per hour or $20 per day, and there are very few rentals; you'll have to search. A scooter or motorcycle can be rented from $40 per day, and a car will cost almost twice as much. For renting and operating the vehicle, you will need a passport and an international driver's license.

Detailed information about all types of transport and how to get around in Sharm el-Sheikh, we've told here.

Attractions and entertainment in Sharm el-Sheikh, what to see and do

There are almost no historical attractions in Sharm el-Sheikh itself, and most of what travel agencies and excursion sellers pass off as local attractions can, in our opinion, be classified as tourist entertainment. In Sharm itself, there are two interesting mosques and two Christian churches. Although they were all built in the last 30 years and are not historical sites, they are worth visiting for the beauty of their architecture and scale, and simply because there's nothing else to see here. Also interesting is the colorful 'Old Market', although it's actually not old at all, but rather stylized to look old. There are also two museums in the city, and that's where the real attractions in Sharm end. For more details about all the attractions and entertainment in Sharm el-Sheikh, we advise you to read our separate article – Guide to the attractions of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Coptic Church of As-Samaiyun in Sharm el-Sheikh — Coptic Church of As-Samaiyun

Old Market in Sharm el-Sheikh — Old Market

Excursions in Sharm el-Sheikh

Things are much better with attractions that can be visited on excursions in Sharm. The most popular and mandatory for all guests of the resort is, of course, a trip to Cairo and the Pyramids. We also recommend visiting Ras Mohammed National Park, Mount Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery, and the Colored Canyon. Unfortunately, inexpensive group excursions to Luxor from Sharm el-Sheikh are not sold, as the ancient city is too far for a bus trip. Separately, excursions to Jordan or Israel can be mentioned: these are worthy trips, but they are very expensive and not everyone can afford them.

All other excursion options offered at the resort are, by and large, more about tourist entertainment. For example, desert trips with quad biking or camel riding, visiting fake Bedouin villages; sea cruises to islands with swimming, snorkeling, or diving.

Where to buy excursions in Sharm el-Sheikh

You can buy excursions from hotel guides, at street travel agencies, or online. If you are on a package tour, there will be an organizational meeting with the hotel guide the day after arrival, where they will offer to buy excursions from the tour operator. We're not discouraging you from buying from the hotel guide, but we inform you that the same excursions can be bought much cheaper on the street or online. In our experience, the price difference for some tours was up to two times. So you decide for yourself what is better for you: buying more reliably and conveniently from the hotel guide, or on the street with minor inconveniences but cheaper.

And if you want it to be both convenient and inexpensive, you can buy excursions online on trusted search engine sites with reviews. On these sites, you can read reviews about the excursion from other tourists and book the tour you like with a small prepayment by bank card or even without it, paying the main cost of the excursion directly to the guide during the excursion, so it's all safe and reliable:

Entertainment in Sharm el-Sheikh

Things are much better with entertainment in Sharm than with attractions. Here you can have fun with children at a water park, go on the aforementioned entertainment excursions to the desert or islands, go snorkeling or diving, ride a banana boat or parasail, observe the underwater world from a glass-bottom boat, or descend into the depths on a bathyscaphe. In the evening, adults can try their luck at a casino, visit one of the nightclubs with modern music, take a walk and go shopping in one of the promenade zones at the Old Market, in the Naama Bay waterfront and pedestrian street area, or at Soho Square.

🕒 20 April, 2026

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