Sharm el-Sheikh: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

Now in Sharm el-Sheikh--:--:--

--°

Sharm el-Sheikh stands at the southern tip of Sinai, where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Red Sea. Israel held it twice, in 1956–57 and from 1967 to 1982, when it was the Israeli town of Ofira; under the peace treaty it was returned to Egypt, which turned it into a great resort. Check the current travel warning for Sinai before going. Ninety minutes; evening is best.

A short history of Sharm el-Sheikh

Until the mid-20th century Sharm el-Sheikh had only a few fishermen's houses and an Egyptian military post that controlled the Straits of Tiran. Israel captured the place in 1956 and withdrew a few months later; in 1967 it captured it again and established the settlement of Ofira here. In 1982, under the peace treaty, the place was returned to Egypt, and since then it has grown into a holiday and diving resort. On 23 July 2005 about 88 people were killed in the city in a series of bombings. In 2022 the UN Climate Change Conference was held here.

The ten best sights in Sharm el-Sheikh

1
Al Sahaba Mosque
A grand mosque in old Ottoman style
2
Coptic Church
The church of St Mary and St Mina on the hill
3
Farsha Cafe
Cushions and lanterns on the cliff at sunset
4
Ras Um Sid
A reef below the lighthouse
5
Alf Leila wa Leila
An evening show in a fantasy palace
6
Naama Bay
The promenade of hotels, bars and dive shops
7
Naama Marina
Glass-bottom boats and snorkel trips
8
Hollywood Sharm
A small theme park for children
9
Shark’s Bay
A bay with a reef wall off the beach
10
SOHO Square
Restaurants, fountains and an ice rink

sleepntripMystery worldPlaces whose story is not over yet

The moai, the Nazca lines, Göbekli Tepe and more.

To the mystery world

What is an audio walk?

Tours in Sharm el-Sheikh →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Sharm el-Sheikh:

Free walking tours in Sharm el-Sheikh

Ofira and the old town

Sharm el-Sheikh Port · The bay of Sharm el-Maya, the natural harbour that made the place matter. Whoever holds this tip of Sinai controls the Strait of Tiran, Israel’s sea route from Eilat; when Egypt closed the strait in May 1967, it became one of the causes of the Six-Day War.
Old Market · The market of the old town above the harbour, with stalls of spices, perfume oils and papyrus, and cafés where men smoke shisha into the night. Bargaining is expected; start at well under half the first price.
Al Sahaba Mosque · A large new mosque opened in 2017 in the style of the old Ottoman and Mamluk mosques of Cairo, with domes, minarets and carved stone. Lit up at night, it is the landmark of the old town.
Coptic Church · The Copts are the ancient Christians of Egypt, about a tenth of its people. Their church of St Mary and St Mina stands on the hill of Hadaba, near the Christian and Muslim quarters of the new town.
Farsha Cafe · A café built down the cliff over the sea, of cushions, rugs, swings and hundreds of lanterns, where people come for the sunset over the mountains of Sinai and stay late.
Ras Um Sid · Below the lighthouse a reef drops steeply into the deep, with a forest of gorgonian sea fans — one of the best snorkelling spots reached straight from the shore of the town.

Ras Mohammed

At the very tip of Sinai, Egypt’s first national park protects reefs that divers rank among the best in the world, where the deep water of the Red Sea rises against the cliffs. A full day, by boat or by car; bring a passport.

Ras Mohammed · Declared in 1983 as Egypt’s first national park, soon after the area returned from Israel. Its reefs face the open sea, where currents bring sharks, barracuda and turtles; on land are mangroves and a cracked earthquake fault.
Shark Observatory · A cliff where you look straight down a reef wall that falls hundreds of metres into deep blue water. In early summer schools of fish gather off the point, and with them the sharks.
Yolanda Reef · In 1980 the Cypriot freighter Yolanda struck this reef; the ship slid into deep water years later, but its cargo stayed scattered on the reef — toilets, bathtubs and sinks among the corals, a strange underwater garden.
Sharm el-Sheikh Port · Dive boats leave here for the Thistlegorm, a British supply ship sunk by German bombers in 1941 at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, still loaded with motorcycles, trucks and rifles — one of the most famous wreck dives in the world.
Naama Marina · For those who do not dive, glass-bottom boats and semi-submarines leave the marina to show the reef from above, and snorkelling trips go out to the islands.
Naama Bay · The first resort bay of Sharm, built up in the Israeli years and greatly expanded after 1982, when the town grew into the City of Peace, host of international summits and in 2022 of the world climate conference.

Tiran and the north

North of Naama the coast runs past bays and resorts to the Strait of Tiran and the mangroves of Nabq. Half a day by car, or a day on a boat to the reefs of the strait.

Hollywood Sharm · A small theme park built like a film set, with a dinosaur garden, a cinema and rides for children, a break from the beach in the heat of the day.
Shark’s Bay · A bay with a reef wall right off the beach, named for the sharks once seen here; today it is a quiet place to snorkel along the drop-off.
SOHO Square · An entertainment square of restaurants, dancing fountains, bowling and an ice rink — skating on ice in the middle of the Sinai desert.
Strait of Tiran · Four reefs — Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson — rise in the middle of the strait, named after British mapmakers, with a shipwreck still stuck on one of them. The island of Tiran beyond, held by Egypt for decades, was handed to Saudi Arabia in 2017.
Nabq · A protected area of dunes and mangroves, among the northernmost mangroves in the world, where herons and ospreys nest. Offshore the wreck of a freighter sits on the reef, and Bedouin camps welcome visitors.
Alf Leila wa Leila · Back south, an entertainment palace built in the fantasy style of the Thousand and One Nights, with evening shows of oriental dance and whirling Tanoura dancers in spinning coloured skirts.

sleepntripFree with every roomThree audio walks in every city

A guide in your headphones, stop after stop.

To the walks

Getting to Sharm el-Sheikh and getting around

Sharm el-Sheikh Airport · Twenty minutes from Naama Bay
Sharm el-Sheikh Port · Dive boats to Ras Mohammed and Tiran

Cheap eats in Sharm el-Sheikh

Away from the hotel buffets, Sharm eats in the Old Market: fresh fish chosen from ice and grilled by weight, sayadieh rice, ful and ta’ameya for breakfast, shawarma, and feteer, a flaky Egyptian pastry folded around cheese or honey. The Old Market is much cheaper than Naama Bay.

Old Market · Fish and feteer
Naama Bay · Cafés on the promenade
SOHO Square · Restaurants around the square
Nabq · A Bedouin dinner in the desert

Museums in Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm is a resort, not a city of museums; its history is the strait, the wars and the peace.

Sharm el-Sheikh Port · The harbour of the strait
Al Sahaba Mosque · Cairene architecture by the sea

Nature and day trips near Sharm el-Sheikh

The reefs of southern Sinai are among the richest in the world, with more than a thousand kinds of fish, and the desert mountains rise right behind them.

Ras Mohammed · The national park
Yolanda Reef · The bathtub reef
Strait of Tiran · Four reefs in the strait
Nabq · The mangroves
Ras Um Sid · Sea fans off the shore

Things to do in Sharm el-Sheikh with kids

With children: glass-bottom boats, a theme park, ice skating in the desert and easy snorkelling.

Naama Marina · Glass-bottom boats
Hollywood Sharm · Dinosaurs and rides
SOHO Square · The ice rink
Shark’s Bay · Snorkel from the beach

Holy places in Sharm el-Sheikh

A great new mosque and the church of Egypt’s ancient Christians stand a few minutes apart.

Al Sahaba Mosque · The mosque of the old town
Coptic Church · The Coptic church

Nightlife in Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm is the nightlife capital of Sinai: bars and clubs on Naama Bay, the lanterns of Farsha, and shows in a fantasy palace.

Naama Bay · Bars and clubs
Farsha Cafe · Lanterns on the cliff
Alf Leila wa Leila · The evening show

sleepntripRoad and rail routesEvery night on the road, our hotel

Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

To the routes

Frequently asked questions about Sharm el-Sheikh

What is there to see in Sharm el-Sheikh?

The top sights in Sharm el-Sheikh are Al Sahaba Mosque, Coptic Church and Farsha Cafe. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Sharm el-Sheikh?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Sharm el-Sheikh without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Sharm el-Sheikh?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Sharm el-Sheikh, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Ofira and the old town.

How do you get to Sharm el-Sheikh and get around?

The main ways are Sharm el-Sheikh Airport and Sharm el-Sheikh Port. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Sharm el-Sheikh that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

Looking for a hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh for your dates?

Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.

All hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh

Plan a trip across EgyptIn the footsteps of the pharaohs→