If Alexandria is the pearl of the Mediterranean Sea, Hurghada is surely the pearl of the Red Sea coast. With shores stretching for over than 40 kilometers over the Red Sea, Hurghada with its many beaches, resorts, entertainment places, diving centers, hotels, and cafes, has become the most favorite destination for many travelers who visit Egypt these days.
Many divers and snorkelers from Europe, and different other regions in the world, prefer to enjoy their vacation in Egypt and in Hurghada beaches in particular. With the many resorts from all classes that opened recently in the city of Hurghada, travelers from all social classes spend their vacation in the pearl of the Red Sea.
Hurghada Egypt is located in a wonderful spot over the Red Sea in Southern Egypt. The city of Ras Ghareb is located about 120 kilometers to the North of Hurghada, the city of Safaga is located about 100 kilometers to the South, and the city of El Gouna is about 26.7 kilometers away from Hurghada Egypt. The Red Sea with its wonderful undersea life, different types of the fishing village, and amazing coral reefs to the East, and the Eastern Desert of Egypt to the West.
You can move easily between Hurghada’s cities like Safaga, El Gouna, Ras Ghareb …etc, by using Uber in Hurghada, the famous application for private cars rather than the public transportation
Hurghada city is located 530 kilometers to the South East of Cairo, the Egyptian capital, 226 kilometers to the North of Marsa Allam, 300 kilometers to the East-North of Luxor, and 513 kilometers to the North East of Aswan. This is why many travelers spending their tours in Egypt would visit Luxor, Aswan, and Hurghada all in the same trip. you can travel to Hurghada directly as it has an international airport.
The name Hurghada is actually derived from the Arabic name of the city; El Ghradaqa, which is in turn derived from the Ghardaq tree that is spread all over this section of shores of the Red Sea.
Fishermen coming from the Arabian peninsula used to fish around the location of Hurghada today in a fishing village of Hurghada and they used to meet near the trees of Ghardaq and this was where the name of the city came from.
Hurghada Egypt is considered to be the 4th largest city in Egypt with a surface area of more than 50 square kilometers with 23 kilometers situated on the shores of the Red Sea and only 4 kilometers away from the beaches.
The old city of Hurghada stretches between two plateaus, from the East to the West. This is why the city is located in a plain that varies in its wideness between 8 to 35 kilometers.
The best season to visit Hurghada is in the winter or springtime as the weather is pleasant. While in the summer, the temperature increases sometimes to reach more than 40 degrees. Therefore, summer is not really a good time to spend a vacation in Hurghada, although the hotels and each beach resort have wonderful offers and prices at the time of the year.
This is for your guide in Hurghada tours. Today there are numerous resorts all over the city of Hurghada and even outside the city to the North in the direction of Safaga and to the South in the direction of Ras Ghareb.
Among the most interesting Hurghada activities to do in Hurghada is to go diving or snorkeling in one of the many scuba diving centers spread all over the city to enjoy the diving adventure and see the marine world and the beauty of the coral reefs or just chill out on the beach enjoy swimming and playing in the crystal waters of the Red Sea.
Away from the sea activities, tourists spending their vacations in Egypt can go for a dolphin show in Hurghada. The show is very interesting, especially for the children to watch wonderful sea creatures in a magnificent performance.
Another excursion would be to go for a submarine ride to watch the rich underwater environment full of colorful fishes and marvelous coral reefs.
If you are searching for tourism in Hurghada, you will find many different sections like the Hurghada old town and the Hurghada city center with its many shops, restaurants, cafes, and Hurghada night clubs. There is also the new touristic city of El Gouna which is one of the best Hurghada attractions ever. it was established only about 15 years ago with many new resorts and hotels.
If you are searching for the best area to stay in Hurghada, here are some of the best Hotels in Hurghada city:
Hurghada knew with the fascinating marine life and the Hurghada water sports which are because of its wonderful beaches on the red sea:
Before you know the prices of everything in Hurghada you have to know the exchange rate from the Egyptian pound to the other currencies:
The cost of eating out in Hurghada Egypt in Average is:
The cost of living in Hurghada for about a week (7 days):
In comparison to other cities like Luxor, Cairo, and Alexandria, Hurghada city has a short history. The city has no temples or historical sites. However, the place where the city is located was mentioned in the ancient Egyptian history as fishermen used to meet near its current location, the same they used to do in its contemporary history at the beginning of the 20th century.
The history of the city really began in 1913 when Petrol was discovered near the city in 1913 and the production and the exportation of petrol started in the city of Hurghada in 1921.
However, with the decrease in the size of the production of Petrol after more than 41 million barrel was produced, many of the workers in the production of petrol were relocated to other locations like Ras Ghareb and Sinai.
Tourism was individually carried out in Hurghada at this period. Afterward, King Farouk, the last king of Egypt established himself a resthouse on the shores of Hurghada. In 1963, Hilton Hurghada was officially opened as the largest hotel and resort in the city at the time.
Afterward, the Egyptian government issued a decree to consider the region of the Red Sea as a separate governorate with Hurghada being the capital of it. The government has also decided to benefit from the marvelous location of Hurghada in the tourism field.
However, the real flourishing period of the city of Hurghada started in the 1980s with the establishment of many hotels and resorts all over the city. With each year passing by new hotels, scuba diving centers, beaches, restaurants, shops, night clubs, and cafes were opened all over the city
Many travelers visiting Egypt would love to spend three or five days enjoying their time in Hurghada which is delightful for kids and grownups all the same. and especially it is easy to travel to Hurghada directly through its own international airport.
Read More: El Minya Travel Guide