Travel information for Hurghada

Hurghada visa

Located on the Egyptian Red Sea coast between Cairo and Luxor, Hurghada is a charming seaside resort popular with international tourists as well as Egyptian holidaymakers from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt. Along with Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada is one of the most popular coastal resorts on the Red Sea in Egypt and is known for its extensive sandy beaches and exciting diving opportunities.

Hurghada boasts a huge selection of luxurious resort hotels, a vibrant nightlife and exceptionally good weather all year round, making it an ideal beach destination. Average temperatures in Hurghada range from 26°C to 29°C in summer and can reach up to 33°C in the hottest months. The water temperature is moderate all year round, which makes participating in water activities in the resort even more attractive.

Read on for a comprehensive Hurghada Egypt travel guide, including tips on safety in Hurghada and whether it is necessary to apply for an Egypt tourist visa to visit the resort.

What is Hurghada famous for?

Hurghada was founded in the early 20. The island was founded in the early 20th century and named after an indigenous plant that has grown naturally in Egypt since ancient times. It started as a small fishing village. In the 1980s, both Egyptian and foreign investors began to develop the city into a coastal resort and tourist destination. Today, Hurghada stretches about 36 kilometers along the Red Sea coast and has more than 170 hotels, with more being developed.

The city of Hurghada is divided into 5 districts:

  • El Ahia and El Helal in the north
  • El Dahar, the old town
  • El Kawsar, the modern neighborhood
  • El Mamsha, the longest street in Hurghada
  • Sekalla, the city center

The most popular neighborhoods for tourists are El Dahar, where visitors can explore the city’s traditional bazaar, and Sekella and El Mamsha, home to some of the newest and largest resort hotels.

The biggest tourist attraction in Hurghada is undoubtedly the long stretches of beaches along the coast, as well as the diverse underwater world and natural coral reefs that are found in the Red Sea waters. For this reason, diving is a popular activity in the resort. Near the coast of Hurghada, there are several offshore islands to explore, including:

  • Abu Minqar Island
  • Abu Ramada Island
  • Dishet El-Dhaba
  • Gifton Island
  • Umm Gammae
  • Sheduan Island

There are also several shipwrecks off the coast of Hurghada, which are popular with tourists who love diving. Many of the hotels and resorts in Hurghada offer water sports for diving and snorkeling, as well as activities such as windsurfing, kitesurfing and sailing.

Is Hurghada a safe place to vacation?

Several foreign travel advisories, including advisories from the United Kingdom, do not discourage travel to Hurghada. In general, Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, which include Hurghada and Sharm El Sheik, are considered safe destinations for tourists to visit. Because Egypt relies on tourism for a large portion of its economic income, the government takes security very seriously in the most popular vacation spots.

Although tourists are discouraged from non-essential travel to certain parts of Egypt, such as.B. to the northeastern regions of North and South Sinai, Hurghada is considered safe for visitors. The terrorist activity that has affected other parts of Egypt has hardly been felt in Hurghada, and in recent years security has been significantly increased at the resort to ensure it maintains its status as a relaxing vacation destination.

Do I need a Hurghada visa??

Since there are only a few nationalities that are exempt from the visa requirement for Egypt, most foreign travelers who want to visit Hurghada for a vacation must apply for a visa to travel to the resort. Citizens of a number of countries can now apply for an Egypt eVisa for Hurghada. Instead of applying for the visa at Hurghada airport, you can make a simple online application. This eliminates the need to apply at an embassy or consulate or queue at the border.
The Egyptian online visa for Hurghada is available either as a single or multiple entry visa. The multiple-entry visa allows the holder to visit Egypt as many times as desired within a 180-day period.
Both options allow a total stay of up to 30 days each time the holder enters the country. However, the single-entry visa allows the holder to visit only once within 3 months.
Online Hurghada visa applicants can fill out the online form in a few minutes by providing basic personal and passport information. After paying the eVisa fee and submitting the application, the approved online visa is emailed to the applicant.

Visa requirements for Hurghada (Egypt)

International travelers must meet the requirements for an Egypt visa for Hurghada in order to obtain one.

The nationality of the applicant must be approved for Egypt eVisa. For example, German, Austrian or Swiss citizens, among many others can apply for the Hurghada visa.

The following things are required to successfully complete the online application:

  • A passport issued by an authorized country with a minimum validity of 6 months
  • A current email address
  • A payment method (credit or debit card) to cover the visa fee for Egypt

The same passport must be used for both the eVisa application and the trip to Egypt. If the passport registered in the online application is lost, stolen, damaged or otherwise becomes invalid, the traveler must submit a new application with the new passport.

Visa on arrival Egypt Hurghada

Although it is possible to obtain a visa at Hurghada airport, the application process may involve waiting in long lines at immigration checkpoints.

Those who apply for the visa online can print a copy of the approved eVisa and present it with their passport upon arrival in Egypt to receive expedited entry to the resort of Hurghada and avoid long waits at the border checkpoint.

How to get from Hurghada to Cairo

Foreign travelers who want to visit Hurghada have several options on how to get there. Many travelers choose to fly to Cairo International Airport first and then take a direct flight to Hurghada, which only takes about an hour. There are also cheaper indirect flights that take about 3 hours to travel to Hurghada. There is also the possibility to take a flight to Luxor and then take a cab to Hurghada, which takes about 4 hours.

However, Hurghada also has its own international airport, which is the second busiest airport in Egypt after Cairo International. Hurghada International Airport offers frequent direct flights to major airports in Europe and the Middle East, and it takes between 4-5 hours to reach Hurghada from most major European cities.

The international airport of Hurghada is located inland, 5 kilometers southwest of El Dahar, the old town of Hurghada. Getting to Hurghada from the airport is easy, with regular buses running between the airport and Hurghada city center and resort area, as well as to several other cities in the area, such as Al Quseir, El Gouna and Sharm El Naga.