Hurghada has more to do than a week allows, and a fair amount that is not worth the money. This is the shortlist, roughly in the order most visitors enjoy them.

On the water

  1. Orange Bay — white sand, shallow turquoise water and reef within swimming distance. The classic Red Sea day.
  2. Mahmya Island — inside the national park, quieter than Orange Bay, with a proper restaurant and shade.
  3. Dolphin House — a horseshoe reef where wild spinner dolphins rest. Sightings are never guaranteed, and the reef alone justifies the day.
  4. Try scuba diving — two supervised dives with an instructor beside you, no course and no licence needed.
  5. A semi-submarine trip — the reef through panoramic windows, in air conditioning, without getting wet.
  6. The Sindbad submarine — an actual submarine that descends to 22 meters.
  7. Parasailing — sixty meters up over the reef line, and far calmer than it looks.

In the desert

  1. The super safari — quad bikes, a buggy run, a Bedouin village and a barbecue under the stars.
  2. Desert stargazing — a telescope, an astronomy guide and a sky most visitors have never actually seen. Check the moon phase before you book.
  3. Riding at sunset — two hours on an Arabian horse or a camel on the desert edge.

In the city

  1. The Grand Aquarium — 24 galleries, indoors and cool. The right answer to a hot afternoon or a rough sea.
  2. Sand City — 42 sand sculptures in the only open-air museum of its kind in Africa or the Middle East.
  3. El Dahar and the fish market — the oldest part of the city, and the only part not built for tourism. Our city tour covers it properly.

Worth the long day

  1. The Grand Egyptian Museum — the largest archaeological museum in the world, with Tutankhamun's complete collection together for the first time since 1922.
  2. A balloon over Luxor at sunrise — the Valley of the Kings and the Nile from a few hundred meters up, in the best light Egypt offers.

Two things to bear in mind

Do not overschedule. A boat day and a desert safari in the same week are plenty alongside doing nothing at all, which is also a legitimate use of a beach.

Leave the diving early in your trip. No flying within 24 hours of a dive, and the last day is the worst possible time to discover you love it.

Everything above is on our tours page with hotel pickup included from Hurghada.