Hurghada in a weekend
48 h route4 stopsBest: Year-round: in winter the water is still 22°CUpdated July 2026
Hurghada is a sea destination, so the weekend organises itself around water: one day of reef or island and one for what people don’t expect from here, which is the desert. Because half an hour from the beach the Sahara begins, and the contrast is brutal.
The other option is to do nothing: dive in the morning, eat, nap and repeat. With this sea, that’s a legitimate plan and plenty of people come for exactly that.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
Saturday: sea, island and reef
The water day: a boat trip to Giftun Island or the offshore reefs, with snorkel stops. They leave in the morning from the port and marina and return mid-afternoon.
If you dive, this is one of the best value places in the world: the centres are cheap, well equipped and the sea is among the finest.
If not, a snorkel shows you 80% of the good stuff.
- 02
Saturday afternoon: El Dahar
After the sea, drop down to the old town: the market, real streets and dinner for a fraction of what the hotel strip charges. It’s the antidote to spending your trip behind a wristband. And note: eating outside your hotel in Hurghada is as safe as inside if you pick places with people in them, and the food is far better.
- 03
Sunday: the desert
The contrast nobody expects: half an hour inland everything stops and the Eastern Desert begins, red mountains and nothing else.
The 4x4 or quad trips leave in the afternoon and end with sunset and dinner at a Bedouin camp.
It’s touristy and packaged, yes, but the desert is real, and seeing the Sahara and the Red Sea on the same day is one of those things that only happens here.
- 04
The option of doing nothing
Hurghada also works, quite legitimately, for doing nothing. The sea sits at 22-28°C year-round, the sun shows up practically every day, and the resorts are cheap compared with any European coast. If you come in January from northern Europe to swim in warm water under the sun, you don’t need to justify yourself with excursions. That’s the product and it works very well.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need in Hurghada?
It depends what you came for: half a day covers "the city", because there are no monuments. For the sea, the more the better. A weekend covers a boat trip, the old town and half a day in the desert.
Can you go to the desert from Hurghada?
Yes, and it’s closer than you’d think: half an hour inland the Eastern Desert begins. The 4x4 or quad trips leave in the afternoon and usually end with sunset and dinner at a Bedouin camp.
When is the best time for Hurghada?
Year-round: the water is between 22 and 28°C and it’s almost always sunny. In summer the air tops 40°C but the sea compensates. In winter it’s one of the few places in the wider Mediterranean where swimming is genuinely pleasant.