When travelling to Egypt and looking for the right region, questions often arise about which region or district to choose. We've put together a comparison of the regions of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. And if you would like us to select suitable hotels and/or excursions, please send us a private message and we will suggest them.

Sharm El Sheikh:

1) Sharm El Sheikh is located in Sinai, no Egyptian visa is required for stays of 15 days or less and no departure from Sinai (including excursions in Sharm El Sheikh and to Petra (Jordan) and Jeruazle (Israel)), a Sinai stamp is sufficient and is free of charge (for the 15 day period). If you are planning to go to Cairo, Luxor or leaving from Aqaba, I would recommend obtaining an Egyptian visa on the day of arrival at Sharm El-Sheikh airport (if you do not have one, you can get one later, but you will be charged a gratuity for this service);

2) The Sharm region is famous for its excellent coral reefs, Ras Mohamed and the islands of Tyana, as well as Dahab, about 90 km away, are great places for divers. There are specialised dive centres offering PADI diving courses. Many hotels have coral reefs attached to their hotels and surface diving can be done without leaving the hotel;

3) There is an additional park fee (+$5) for those going to Ras Mohamed National Park, which is usually included in the price of the excursion). Ras Mohamed National Park and the White Lagoon (island), known by many as the "Maldives of Egypt", is one of the most popular yacht excursions in Sharm;

4) For those going diving in the Blue Hole (Dahab) there is an additional park fee of +$10 per person, so nowadays the location is often changed to the Three Pools when organising excursions;

5) The Colored Canyon has been closed for several years for safety reasons, and there are organisers who mislead by offering tours that include the name of the Colored Canyon, but in fact instead of the Colored Canyon they visit: the Salama Canyon (affectionately called by locals the Little Colored Canyon), or worse the Gunay Canyon, which has very little to see. If you book a tour with a canyon labelled "Colored Canyon", you should find out where you will be taken;

6) For those who like active recreation, Sharm has many natural excursions to canyons (over 10 of them, some of which can be organised by joining a group, such as Dahab, Wish washi, Salama, and others which can be organised individually for groups of at least 4-6 people. This year there are new routes in the canyons, if you are interested please contact us), surface or deep diving, all-terrain vehicles, ATV safaris. Nabq National Park, mangrove forests, sunken boat.

Hurghada:

1) For Hurghada you need to buy an Egyptian visa, today it costs 25 USD (can be paid in Euros or Egyptian Pounds, at the airport only cash, if there is a bank branch you can also pay by bank card) per person;

2) More hotels with sandy shores, which is more suitable for families with children, or people who can't swim, or who want a sandy shore rather than a coral shore, as is the case more in Sharm El Sheikh;

3) More hotels on the seafront, not on line I or II as there are in Sharm;

4) Closer historical excursions such as Luxor, Aswan, Aswan - Abu Simbel, Cairo, Cairo - Alexandria or a Nile cruise starting in Luxor and ending in Aswan, or starting in Aswan and ending in Luxor, which can then be combined with a visit to Cairo either by train with sleeping accommodation or by adding a visit to Alexandria;

5) a stay in the Hurghada region can be followed by a visit to Giftun Island and its surrounding areas: Mahmya, Orange Bay, Giftun;

6) The Hurghada region has fewer beautiful and lively coral reefs, most of them are offshore, so yacht trips are organised;

7) In the Hurghada region, for marine excursions: diving, submarine, glass bottom boat, trips to Giftun Island, etc., there is an additional park fee of 5$ per person (recently introduced);

8) In Hurghada, plastic bags are being abolished in supermarkets in favour of paper bags (not adopted and withdrawn);

9) Hurghada is a larger region, starting in El Gouna and ending in the Safaga areas. From Hurghada to Safaga about 60 km, from Hurghada to El Gouna another 25 km;

10) El Gouna - one of the most luxurious resorts in Egypt, with artificial canals, many hotels on artificial lagoons. Interesting hotel interiors: with handmade metal, wrought-iron chandeliers, interior details. Most of the hotel lobbies do not have high ceilings and the hotel rooms are comfortably furnished. El Gouna has places where the wind is perfect, which is why this area is chosen not only by luxury travellers, but also by kitesurfers and professionals;

11) More choice of hotels and hotel prices than in Sharm El Sheikh;

12) In Hurghada, the old part is called Dahar and the new part Sakkala. The pedestrian promenade is El Mamsha, where it's fun to stroll in the evenings.

When going to Egypt, don't forget about mosquitoes, they are small and only attack if the temperature drops, take some spray and sockets to plug into an electrical socket, if you get bitten in Egypt there is a good lubricant called "Insect bite".