Day trips from Hurghada
12 h route3 stopsBest: Luxor in winter: in summer it passes 45°C thereUpdated July 2026
Hurghada has a hidden card many people never play: Luxor is four hours away by road, and Luxor is probably the most astonishing archaeological site on the planet. It’s doable in a day from here, though it’s punishing.
The rest is easier: the Eastern Desert half an hour away, the reef islands under an hour by boat, and El Gouna, the designer town twenty minutes off that looks like it isn’t in Egypt.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
Luxor and the Valley of the Kings
Luxor went by Thebes, capital of pharaonic Egypt, and it holds a third of the world’s ancient monuments. A long trip from Hurghada covers Karnak, a two-square-kilometre temple complex with a hall of 134 giant columns, and the Valley of the Kings, with its rock-cut tombs.
Tutankhamun’s tomb is still there, with his mummy. It’s a brutal day: leave before dawn, back after dark, four hours each way.
If you can, sleep there a night. If not, do it anyway: it’s worth the punishment.
- 02
The Eastern Desert
Half an hour from the beach the world ends and the desert begins: bare red mountains and silence. The 4x4 or quad trips leave in the afternoon and end with sunset, dinner at a Bedouin camp and tea.
The best part isn’t the quad, which is pure tourism: it’s that there’s no artificial light for kilometres, and the desert’s starry sky is something you don’t forget.
Go on a moonless night.
- 03
El Gouna
An entire town built from scratch in the 1990s over a network of artificial lagoons, with canals, bridges and coloured houses: it looks like a cross between Venice and Greece, and nothing like the rest of the country. It’s artificial and it knows it, but it’s pleasant, clean, explored by boat and has the best restaurants around. Twenty minutes from Hurghada and a good half-day plan if you want a change of air.
Frequently asked
Can you visit Luxor from Hurghada in a day?
Yes: it’s about four hours by road each way, so you leave before dawn and return after dark. It’s a brutal day, but you see Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, probably the most astonishing archaeological site in the world.
What is El Gouna?
A resort town built from scratch in the 1990s over artificial lagoons, twenty minutes from Hurghada, with canals, bridges and coloured houses. It’s artificial but pleasant, clean and with the best restaurants around.
Is the desert trip worth it?
Yes, especially at night: half an hour from the beach the Eastern Desert begins and there’s no artificial light for kilometres, so the starry sky is spectacular. Go on a moonless night. The quad is the least of it.