Hurghada lies halfway down Egypt’s Red Sea coast and is a popular sunshine holiday destination for those looking for something different from the Mediterranean norm. It is most suited to water sports enthusiasts, especially scuba divers, with its huge range of spectacular dive sites and the best visibility and facilities on the Red Sea.

The diving really is good in Hurghada, where the ‘Garden of Allah’—the Red Sea— provides numerous fine dive sites that are awash with colourful marine life and stunning coral. There are also several wrecks to seek out as well as sheer sea walls.

Hurghada is not only popular with scuba divers, the package tourist industry has taken off here in a big way and there are many all-encompassing resorts complete with their own beaches and entertainment. Restaurants, shops and bars have also blossomed of late and you can have fun at the beach or in the town.

There are several beaches here, including private hotel ones as well as lively public beaches suited to families and also suited to surfing and diving types who enjoy mixing with the locals. The sun shines here for most of the year and even in the winter you will no doubt go home with a suntan.

Apart from the beaches and the diving, Hurghada also offers a lot of charm in its old town district where daily bazaars set up and offer everything from ancient furniture to jewellery and authentic Egyptian food. There is also a national museum in town as well as two massive monasteries nearby and the much revered Mons Claudianus Roman quarry.

For fun, kids have the water park at the Titanic Beach Spa & Aqua Park as well as an aquarium and submarine tours, while quad biking and camel riding in the Sahara Desert are also big draws. Later on, entertainment comes in the form of live music, karaoke and late-night bars and clubs in the Al Ahiaa and Sekala districts of town, while the old town has more authentic dining.

Hurghada has a large selection of hotels and it is best to stick to the larger international chains that offer some sort of guarantee on facilities. The Hilton, Sheraton, Marriot, and Sofitel hotels are all here and have their own stretch of sands, while smaller, family-run places provide cheaper, self-catering options. Booking Hurghada hotels ahead any time of year is a must.

Hurghada has its own airport although you will invariably need to transfer through Cairo International Airport. The domestic transfer to Hurghada Airport is a very short flight, or you could train or bus it down. The bus journey is typically about five or six hours. If you plan on hiring a car, do so at Hurghada Airport, as opposed to in Cairo, as the driving conditions aren’t the best.

Hurghada’s positioning on the Red Sea coast gives it hot summers and pleasant winters and much in the way of rainfall. Summers in Hurghada are very hot, reaching around an average of 33°C during July and August. With this in mind, visiting either side in the shoulder months of March to May and late September to November is preferable. Hurghada is always very windy in late March.

The Red Sea locale makes Hurghada also nice during the winter (December to February), and it remains fairly busy with Europeans and North American visitors escaping their harsh climes. Temperatures still hover in the mid-20s (°C) at this time while rainfall is minimal. Those coming for the diving have good visibility year-round, but with the friendliest sea temperatures in the summer.