Egypt · Sinai
Sharm El Sheikh
Some of the Red Sea's richest coral, starting a few fin-kicks from the hotel beach.
Sharm El Sheikh is the resort city at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, strung along a line of bays where desert mountains drop straight into the Red Sea. It exists for the water: coral walls start metres from the beach, and Ras Mohammed National Park, where the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba meet, is one of the best-known reef dives in the world. Between the reefs come big all-inclusive resorts, a busy promenade at Naama Bay, and a long night drive to watch sunrise from Mount Sinai.
Suggested stay
4–7 days
Language
Arabic
Currency
EGP
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Sharm El Sheikh
The reefs Ras Mohammed and the Strait of Tiran bring sheer coral walls, big shoals and clear water within a short boat ride
Easy snorkelling house reefs along much of the coast mean you can see real coral straight off a jetty
Desert meets sea bare red mountains run right down to turquoise bays, and Bedouin camps sit an hour inland
Sinai beyond Mount Sinai, St Catherine's Monastery and Dahab are all within a day's reach
Best time to visit
Oct-May
22-34° days
27.864° N, 34.295° E
UTC+3 · Africa/Cairo
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Weather & when to go to Sharm El Sheikh
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Oct-May
Diving prime Apr-Nov
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Watch for Jun-Sep extreme heat risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Sharm El Sheikh
There is no bad season for the sea, but June to September is fiercely hot and best spent in the water or the shade. In midwinter the days stay bright but the evenings turn cool and the sea is at its coolest, so divers want a thicker wetsuit.
Top things to do in Sharm El Sheikh
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Ras Mohammed National Park - Shark and Yolanda reefs
diving nature wildlife 👍 PopularAt Sinai's southern tip the reef drops away into deep blue at Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, the second strewn with the cargo of a wrecked freighter. Divers and snorkellers go by boat from the marina; by road you also get the mangroves, cliff lookouts and quiet beaches.
-
Strait of Tiran - Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon reefs
diving nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedFour reefs in a line across the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, washed by strong currents that bring big shoals and the chance of sharks. Gordon Reef carries the rusting Loullia wreck, and Jackson Reef the skeleton of another.
-
SS Thistlegorm - the Second World War wreck dive
diving history ⭐ Highly recommendedA British supply ship sunk by German bombers in 1941, still loaded with motorbikes, trucks and rifles in her holds. It lies in the Gulf of Suez and is a long early-start day by boat, for divers with some experience.
-
Naama Bay - the promenade, beach and nightlife
nightlife music 👍 PopularThe original resort bay, with a sandy beach, a pedestrian promenade lined with restaurants and shisha cafes, and the town's liveliest bars and clubs after dark.
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Ras Um Sid - shore snorkelling below the lighthouse
diving nature wildlife 👍 PopularOn the Hadaba headland, steps and jetties lead straight onto a reef with fan corals and plenty of fish, one of the easiest places in town to snorkel or shore dive without a boat.
-
Old Market and Al Sahaba Mosque
culture arts shoppingOld Sharm is the town's original harbour quarter, with spice and souvenir stalls, local restaurants and the large Al Sahaba Mosque lit up at night. Come in the evening, when it is cooler and busiest.
-
Heavenly Cathedral - painted Coptic church
culture artsA Coptic Orthodox cathedral in the Hay El Nour district whose interior walls and domes are covered in bright painted scenes from the Bible, a surprising contrast with the resort strip.
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Nabq Protected Area - mangroves and a stranded wreck
nature wildlife scenicNorth of the airport, a stretch of protected coast with mangrove stands, dunes and Bedouin settlements, and the hull of a cargo ship sitting on the reef just offshore.
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Sinai desert - quad bikes, camels and a Bedouin dinner
adventureEvening trips run into the wadis behind the resorts by quad bike, jeep or camel, ending with tea, bread baked on the fire and a sky full of stars at a Bedouin camp.
Best areas to stay in Sharm El Sheikh
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Naama Bay
First-time visitors $$Original resort bay, promenade and nightlife
Explore hotels in Naama Bay →
Hadaba and Ras Um Sid
Budget snorkellers $Clifftop hotels above a shore reef
Explore hotels in Hadaba and Ras Um Sid →
Sharks Bay
Divers and couples $$$Quiet bay with strong house reefs
Explore hotels in Sharks Bay →
Nabq Bay
Families $$Big all-inclusive resorts, wide beaches
Explore hotels in Nabq Bay →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Sharm El Sheikh
Getting to & around Sharm El Sheikh
Getting there
Fly into Sharm El Sheikh International, a short drive north of the main bays; long-distance coaches also run from Cairo
Flight
Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH)
The airport sits just north of Sharks Bay; most visitors take a hotel transfer or taxi, about 15-20 minutes to Naama Bay and a little longer to Hadaba and the Old Market.
Coach
Overnight and daytime coaches run from Cairo through the Suez tunnel and down the Gulf of Suez coast, a long ride of most of a day
Getting around
Taxi
The main way between bays; agree the fare before you get in
TBC
Minibus
Local minibuses run along the main road linking Nabq, Sharks Bay, Naama Bay, Hadaba and the Old Market
TBC
Hotel shuttle
Many resorts run shuttles to Naama Bay and the Old Market
TBC
Walk
Naama Bay's promenade and the Old Market are pleasant on foot; the bays themselves are too far apart to walk between
Free
Day trips from Sharm El Sheikh
Ras Mohammed National Park
Full dayReef and desert park
The headland where Sinai ends, with famous reef walls for divers and snorkellers, mangroves, cliff lookouts and empty beaches for those who stay dry. Boat trips focus on the reefs; road trips see more of the land.
Getting there
car | tour | ferry
About 40 min by road, or a morning by boat from the marina
Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery
Full daySacred mountain
Tours leave around midnight for the climb up the mountain where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments, reaching the top for sunrise, then visit the ancient Greek Orthodox monastery at its foot.
Getting there
tour | car
About 3 hr by road, usually an overnight tour
Dahab
Full dayLaid-back dive town
A slower, backpacker-leaning bay town up the Gulf of Aqaba coast, known for the Blue Hole and the Canyon dive sites and a seafront lined with low-key cafes.
Getting there
car | tour | bus
About 1.5 hr by road
Coloured Canyon
Full dayDesert slot canyon
A narrow sandstone canyon whose walls are banded in reds, yellows and purples, walked in an hour or two on a jeep trip into the Sinai interior.
Getting there
tour
About 3 hr by jeep tour via Nuweiba
A little history of Sharm El Sheikh
For most of its history Sharm was a small natural harbour used by fishermen and the Bedouin of southern Sinai. Its importance was strategic: it overlooks the Strait of Tiran, the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba, and control of that strait twice helped trigger wars between Egypt and Israel.
Israel held Sinai after 1967 and built the first hotels at Naama Bay, alongside a settlement called Ofira. Sinai was returned to Egypt under the 1979 peace treaty, with Sharm handed back in 1982. Egypt then turned the coast into its flagship Red Sea resort, while protecting the reefs that made it famous. Its habit of hosting international summits earned it the nickname City of Peace.
German bombers sink the British supply ship Thistlegorm in the Gulf of Suez
Israel occupies Sinai during the Suez Crisis and withdraws the following year; UN troops are stationed at Sharm
Egypt closes the Strait of Tiran; in the war that follows Israel takes Sinai, including Sharm
The first hotels and dive centres open at Naama Bay, beside the Israeli settlement of Ofira
The Egypt-Israel peace treaty agrees the return of Sinai
Sharm El Sheikh returns to Egyptian control
Ras Mohammed becomes Egypt's first protected area
Sharm hosts the annual United Nations climate change conference
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+20
Extreme heat risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
Mobile network & SIM card
Get an eSIM before you fly
A Egypt eSIM installs in minutes and works the moment you switch off flight mode. No SIM swap, no roaming bill.
FAQs about Sharm El Sheikh
▸ When is the best time to visit Sharm El Sheikh?
October to May is the most comfortable stretch, warm and sunny with a pleasant sea. From June to September it is very hot by day, though the water is at its warmest and diving stays excellent. Midwinter evenings can be cool and breezy.
▸ Is Sharm El Sheikh good if I don't dive?
Yes. Many hotels sit on house reefs you can snorkel straight off a jetty, and snorkelling boat trips run to Ras Mohammed and Tiran. Beyond the water there are desert trips, Naama Bay's evenings and an overnight trip to Mount Sinai.
▸ Should I stay in Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab?
Sharm suits a resort holiday: big hotels, families, house reefs and the boat dives of Ras Mohammed and Tiran. Dahab is smaller, cheaper and more relaxed, built around shore diving, freediving and windsurfing. Many people visit Dahab as a day trip from Sharm.
▸ How many days do I need in Sharm El Sheikh?
Four days covers a Ras Mohammed trip, a day at Tiran, some snorkelling and a desert evening. A week lets divers fit in the Thistlegorm and leaves time for Mount Sinai and Dahab.
▸ Can I visit Mount Sinai from Sharm El Sheikh?
Yes, as an overnight tour. Buses leave late at night for the three-hour drive, you climb in the dark to watch sunrise from the summit, then visit St Catherine's Monastery before driving back. Bring warm layers: the summit is cold before dawn.
▸ Is Sharm El Sheikh safe?
The resort area is heavily secured, with hotel entrance screening and police checkpoints on the roads in and out. Carry your passport on any trip inland, as tours to St Catherine and the canyons pass several checkpoints. Travel advice treats southern Sinai differently from the north, so check your own government's current advice.
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