Egypt is a country whose name is known all over the world, although not just for its history, defining landmarks, and raucous nature. Imagine what is hidden below the pyramids and beyond the noisy bazaars; an equally beautiful coastline of the Red Sea. The Red Sea coast in Egypt boasts some of the best beaches in the world, where one can find crystal clear water, colorful coral reefs, and also premium-class resorts. Some of the world's most beautiful beaches lie along the Red Sea in Egypt, inviting relaxation, adventure, and luxury. This article will guide you through the best beaches in the Red Sea, perfect for those planning Egypt luxury tours, Egypt day tours, or considering various Egypt travel packages.
Egypt's Red Sea Riviera is immensely popular with both tourists and locals alike for several reasons:
- Its year-round warm weather.
- Its white sand beaches.
- Its awesome diving.
- The fact that it’s away from all the hustle and bustle of city life.
Egypt has some 1,800 kilometers of coastline along the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. And while Egypt is most famous for ancient temples and pyramids, it’s also an incredible destination for year-round sunshine and crystal-clear (and warm!) waters. Some of Egypt’s best beaches rival those of the Maldives - at a fraction of the price.
What is Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera?
Egypt’s riviera is divided between mainland Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, and includes the Red Sea’s two gulfs, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. All of the towns/cities/resorts/parks you can stay at on the Riviera have one major thing in common: their awesome beaches and weather. Everything else (type of accommodation, activities, amenities, etc.) differ from place to place.
The main places to stay on the Sinai Red Sea Riviera are: Ras Sudr, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, Ras Shetan and Taba.
Read also: Beaches in Alexandria
The main places to stay on Egypt’s mainland Red Sea Riviera are: Ain El Sokhna, El Gouna, Hurghada, Sahl Hasheesh, Makadi Bay, Soma Bay, Safaga, Marsa Alam and the Deep South.
Sinai Red Sea Riviera
Ras Sudr
Ras Sudr is the first Red Sea Riviera destination you’ll hit when you cross over from mainland Egypt to the Sinai Peninsula. It’s a small stretch of coast on the Gulf of Suez inlet of the Red Sea, and only recently began to rise in popularity due to its ideal kitesurfing conditions. It’s still pretty underdeveloped, but you’ll find a handful of beach hotels to stay at. Most people spend their days at the various kite centers which also double up as restaurants/beach bars.
Go if you want: to kitesurf or to enjoy a Sinai beach without having to drive too far from Cairo
Best way to get there: it’s about a 3 hour drive from Cairo
Ras Mohammed National Park
Ras Mohammed is an Egyptian national park at the southernmost tip of Sinai, where the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba meets the Gulf of Suez and the mixing of water leads to brightly-colored, healthy coral reefs. Because of that, Ras Mohammed is known for its awesome diving, so lots of people go for day trips to dive or snorkel in the national park before it closes at sunset.
Read also: Your Egyptian Getaway
Go if you want: to dive/snorkel or camp on a beach.
Best way to get there: fly to Sharm el Sheikh and drive (about 45 minutes), or drive from Cairo (about 6 hours).
Sharm El Sheikh
A visit to Sharm El Sheikh, the "City of Peace," should top the list of places that attract visitors. Sharm el Sheikh has been an international beach destination darling for decades, with dozens of direct flights between Europe and the Sharm Airport daily. The city is celebrated for its posh resorts and best diving locations, including hosting an extended golden sandy coastline with calm and clear waters, and most of the beachside eateries, bars, and cafes.
Besides its all-inclusive resorts, it's also world-famous for scuba diving. According to Dive Magazine, “Sharm El Sheikh has been, for many years, the favourite Egyptian destination for scuba divers, and has probably contributed more to the European dive business than any other resort in the world.”
Naama Bay makes up the backbone of Sharm El Sheikh, boasting an extended golden sandy beach alongside clean, transparently clear water. It is a perfect place for sunbathing, swimming, and water sports. For the traveler enjoying luxury in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh offers a great balance of relaxation and activity, luxurious amenities, and a complete range of top-quality services.
Read also: Coral Beach Hotel: Is it Worth It?
Places that scuba divers should not miss include Ras Mohammed National Park, located a few kilometers from Sharm El Sheikh; it provides a unique diving experience with very rich and colorful corals, along with a wide variety of marine life.
Go if you want: a resort beach holiday, or a diving trip
Best way to get there: fly to Sharm el Sheikh Airport
Dahab
This little bohemian town is smaller, quieter and less commercial than its Red Sea Riviera neighbor Sharm el Sheikh, but the diving is just as good. Home to world-renowned dive sites like the Blue Hole, Dahab pulls in its own fair share of tourists, but those who want to experience a more laid-back vacation. The main area of town is its seaside promenade, full of local and quirkily-named restaurants and shops. There are also hostels and budget hotels galore. You can also hike to and camp in nearby Ras Abu Galoum and Blue Lagoon.
Dahab, located on the Sinai Peninsula, offers some real beaches along the Red Sea Coast, and some great opportunities for snorkeling, diving, and windsurfing. Lighthouse Reef is one of Dahab's most popular spots for snorkeling and diving, known for its vibrant coral reefs and abundant marine life. Blue Hole, a renowned site for divers across the world, descends to experience diving in its deep, blue waters. Dahab, for those in Egypt day tours, combines relaxation and exploratory adventurism, beach, and overt marine life activity.
Similar to Sharm, Dahab is also a popular base for treks into the Sinai Mountains and St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Go if you want: great diving in a casual beach town
Best way to get there: fly to Sharm el Sheikh and drive there, about an hour away
Nuweiba/Ras Shetan
Nestled between mountains and the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba is a strip of coastline called Ras Shetan, between the towns of Nuweiba and Taba on the Sinai peninsula.
Both Nuweiba (a little beach town) and Ras Shetan are known for their get-away-from-it-all beach camps, usually run by local Bedouins. The camps are a mix of beach huts or bare-bone bungalows, and you’re more than welcome to set up your own tents right on the beach. At night, there’s usually a large campfire where the Bedouins and guests from all over the world talk, play instruments and sing.
Nuweiba and Ras Shetan are also a good place to stay if you want to explore the Colored Canyon and Wadi Wishwashi in the nearby Nuweiba mountains.
Go if you want: to camp on a beach and disconnect
Best way to get there: fly to Sharm El Sheikh and drive (2 hours), or drive from Cairo (6-8 hour drive).
Taba
The northernmost resort town on the Red Sea Riviera, Taba is known for its serene resorts and its border crossing with Eilat, Israel, where tourists can pass from one country to the other without having to fly. Taba’s Red Sea coast is very similar to Nuweiba and Ras Shetan’s, but where the latter is known for its sparse beach camps, Taba is known for its 5 star amenities like golf courses and spas (so basically if you enjoy camping and roughing it, stick to Nuweiba and Ras Shetan, and if luxury is more up your alley, then Taba is for you). Taba also offers diving, especially near Pharaoh’s Island, home to the Salah El Din citadel.
Go if you want: luxury on the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba coast
Best way to get there: fly to Sharm El Sheikh and drive (2.5 hours), or drive from Cairo (6-8 hour drive).
Mainland Red Sea Riviera
These Riviera destinations form a neat line down the almost straight coast of Eastern Egypt.
Ain El Sokhna
The closest Red Sea Riviera destination to Cairo, out of all mainland and Sinai destinations (it can take as little as an hour to arrive at Ain El Sokhna). Ain El Sokhna is full of residential beach compounds, but also a fair share of hotels. It’s known for its crystal clear calm water and year-round sun.
Go if you want: a convenient and close beach destination to Cairo
Best way to get there: drive from Cairo (1-2 hours)
El Gouna
El Gouna’s a modern resort town spanning over 10 km of pristine Red Sea coast, with lagoons throughout, and their architecture is inspired by traditional Egyptian homes in the countryside and Upper Egypt. It’s a town equally as popular with Egyptians as it is with tourists.
It was the first destination in the Middle East and Africa to receive the Global Green Award, which is given by the UN to cities making substantial efforts, progress and improvements in the field of environmental sustainability.
Basking in their unique individuality, there are various beaches in El Gouna. Located on a private island is the Zeytuna Beach, with its even sand and crystal waters, providing solitude for all. The other beach that is much loved and greatly visited in El-Gouna is Mangroovy Beach, with very quiet waters and clear sand. It is most preferred by kite surfers and people who love water sports. In that sense, El Gouna comes up with the perfect mix of stay and play for the visitor on the Egyptian day tour by helping the visitor be "on the toes.".
While smaller than Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, El Gouna has a plethora of hotels, restaurants, bars and activities for both adults and families.
Go if you want: to stay in a clean and green resort town without giving up restaurants and nightlife.
Best way to get there: fly to Hurghada airport (30 mins from El Gouna), or drive from Cairo (about 4 hours).
Scuba Diving El Gouna Egypt - Reef Highlights (Part I)
Hurghada
Hurghada is another Red Sea jewel, acclaimed for its beautiful beaches and good nightlife. The city developed tremendously in just a few years from a small fishing village to a prominent tourist center. Sandy beaches and calm waters in Hurghada set the perfect spot for sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling activities.
Hurghada, having spent the first hundred years of its life as a sleepy little fishing village, is now one of the most popular destinations in the world (don’t believe us? Ask TripAdvisor -- Hurghada is frequently one of their Top 10 Most Popular Destinations in the World and usually has a whopping amount of entries in Scuba Travel’s World’s Top 100 Dive Sites.).
Hurghada is an eclectic mix of 5 star resorts and super budget hotels, Red Sea islands and desert excursions, touristy promenades and dingier local areas… there’s something to see and do no matter your age or interests.
Sahl Hasheesh
20 km south of Hurghada lies the luxurious resort town of Sahl Hasheesh, hosting some of the finest beaches in the area. With its calm waters of a turquoise color and a great number of luxury resorts, Sahl Hasheesh provides tourists with an absolutely exclusive and tranquil atmosphere. Most Hurghada tours are balanced between important destinations, offering good relaxation opportunities with plenty of active adventures thrown in.
And while they are indeed considered in the Hurghada ‘area’, they’re their own separate towns and very different from Hurghada proper. Sahl Hasheesh is a quiet resort town built on a bay in the Red Sea south of Hurghada back in the 1990s, and is known for its beautiful stretch of coastline and long boardwalk. It’s home to some of the most highly ranked beach resorts in the country, such as Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh and Baron Palace. Sahl Hasheesh doesn’t offer much in terms of restaurants or nightlife outside of the resorts - just an ‘Old Town’ with one or two spots. Another claim to fame that Sahl Hasheesh has is its man-made sunken city -- a partially submerged city that acts like a reef and attracts both marine life and snorkelers galore.
Go if you want: to stay at a 5 star resort on a world-class beach
Best way to get there: fly into Hurghada airport then drive to Sahl Hasheesh (30 minutes).
Makadi Bay
Makadi Bay, a Red Sea gem, is famed for beautiful beaches and luxury resorts. Similar to Sahl Hasheesh, Makadi Bay is a compact touristic town with not much outside the various resorts. There are quite a few resorts though, most with pristine beachfront, multiple pools and all-inclusive packages.
Makadi Bay is also known for being one of the most family-friendly towns on the Red Sea Riviera due to its water parks, where kids (and adults) can spend days on end without getting bored.
Go if you want: a family-friendly resort vacation
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