Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, where better?
When they talk about holidays in Egypt, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, the two largest tourist centers of the country, are most often mentioned.
Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, where better?
Both of these resort cities are thoroughly mastered by millions of Russian tourists who come here on vacation every year, because of the abundance of reviews on the Internet you can safely make some generalizations and conclusions.
Although both cities are on different continents – Hurghada on the African coast of the Red Sea, Sharm el-Sheikh – on the Asian, the climatic conditions in them are about the same.
The flight time from Moscow to both cities is almost the same, to Hurghada to fly about 4 hours and 50 minutes, to Sharma – about 4 hours and 40 minutes.
With regard to natural conditions, there are significant differences that may predetermine your choice, first of all it concerns the beaches.
On the beaches of Hurghada, with rare exceptions – sandy entrances to the sea. Rest in Hurghada is great for tourists with children or for those who feel insecure in the water. Hotels in Hurghada are located mainly on the first coastline. Even three – or 4 four-star hotels have their own beaches, to which on foot from 50 to 200 meters, this is undoubtedly one of the advantages of Hurghada.
Hurghada beaches
The sea in Sharm el-Sheikh – with a coral entrance, amazingly beautiful and clean, as if specially created for diving enthusiasts. Corals are the shelter of various marine fauna, it is from here that you can bring excellent underwater pictures and videos.
Sharm El Sheikh Beaches
The only sandy (natural!) Beach in the entire resort area of Sharm el-Sheikh is located in the bay of Sharm el Maya (Seti Sharm and Iberotel Palace hotels), only there you will be able to swim barefoot without fear.
In the bay of Naama Bay, there is also a good beach with a partially sandy entrance to the water, it was specially cleaned of corals for the convenience of tourists.
Hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh, mainly of the level of three or four stars, mainly located on the second and third lines, the distance to the sea – from 400 to 700 meters. It is considered that there are more “decent hotels” here than in Hurghada, and also the fact that they are newer and a bit more expensive in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Another significant difference between the two resorts. Hurghada is an Arabic city with typically Arabic problems: local neighborhoods with old dilapidated houses, mud and rather high crime rates. There are boardwalks for tourists, but they are few, they are short and end in the same dirty local neighborhoods.
Sharm el-Sheikh, to put it in the language of the Soviet era, is a “closed city”, it is surrounded by armed block posts. And of the locals live here only those who are engaged in the tourist service. For tourists who are concerned about security issues, including during walks, this is very important, as is the large number of police officers in the city. A distinctive feature of Sharm el-Sheikh is a higher level of hotel service than in Hurghada.
As for excursion programs, they are almost identical in both cities. The difference is determined only by the geographical location of the cities: from Hurghada closer to Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel and other world-famous Egyptian attractions than from Asian Sharm el-Sheikh.
In general, comparing both cities, one can only draw a general conclusion. Hurghada is more suitable for those who prefer not very expensive and family “beach” holidays. Sharm el-Sheikh – for lovers of diving, vibrant nightlife and connoisseurs of good service.
