Egypt

Discover Egypt

Why Book Your Egypt Holiday with GotoBeach?

Our Egypt specialist Paul visits Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam four to five times a year. Not as a tourist. As someone who has spent years diving the Red Sea's reefs, inspecting hotels from the inside out, and building the kind of first-hand knowledge of Egypt's Red Sea coast that no brochure can replicate. Paul is a passionate diver — and that matters, because Egypt's underwater world is one of the primary reasons guests keep coming back. When Paul recommends a resort for its house reef, he has dived it himself. When he advises against a hotel's beach access, it is because he has stood on it at low tide. That level of direct, repeated, personal experience is what sits behind every Egypt recommendation GotoBeach makes.

 

GotoBeach is not a general package holiday company that happens to list Egypt. We are Red Sea specialists. Paul and his team have inspected every hotel in our Egypt collection in person. We know which properties in Hurghada genuinely deliver on their all inclusive promise at every price point, which Sharm El Sheikh resorts have house reefs worth diving and which have reefs that are better reached by boat, and which Marsa Alam properties offer the kind of seclusion and marine access that serious divers and snorkellers travel specifically to find. That knowledge is built into every recommendation we make — and it is not knowledge you will find on a comparison site.

 

Every Egypt holiday we sell is booked as a complete, ATOL-protected package — flights from airports across the UK, hotel and return transfers in one booking, with no hidden charges and low deposits from £30 per person. You are not booking a commodity. You are booking with a team that has been there, recently, and knows exactly what you are getting into.

Photos of Egypt

Discover Egypt

Red Sea — GotoBeach

Egypt's Red Sea coast is one of the world's great diving and snorkelling destinations — and one of the most reliable winter sun escapes available from the UK within a four-hour flight. The combination of year-round warmth, an extraordinarily rich marine ecosystem, and a hotel infrastructure that ranges from solid budget all inclusive to genuine five-star luxury makes the Red Sea coast one of the most versatile and consistently rewarding destinations in the GotoBeach portfolio. Paul has been diving these waters for years and his assessment is simple: nowhere else within reach of a short-haul flight from the UK offers what the Red Sea offers underwater.

Where to go on the Red Sea

Three resort coasts, three different personalities — and the right answer depends on whether snorkelling, nightlife or pure escape tops your list.

Hurghada & the west coast

The biggest and best-connected of the three: a long-established resort strip with a real town behind it, a marina lined with restaurants, and the widest choice of family all-inclusives we sell in Egypt. Hurghada's resort beaches suit first-timers; the purpose-built bay at Makadi just south trades town access for bigger lagoon-style resorts and quieter sand. Sandy entries make this coast the easier choice for small children.

Sharm El Sheikh & Sinai

Dramatic desert mountains behind, world-class reef in front: Sharm is the diving and snorkelling capital, with the Ras Mohammed marine park and Tiran Strait wall reefs minutes from the resorts of Sharm El Sheikh. Naama Bay supplies the promenade evenings, Nabq and Hadaba the quieter resort clusters. Bonus for short stays: arrive on the Sinai-only entry stamp and skip the visa entirely for trips up to 15 days.

Marsa Alam & the deep south

The connoisseur's coast: four hours' less developed than Hurghada, with house reefs that marine biologists rave about, resident dugongs and turtles at Abu Dabbab, and night skies the northern resorts lost years ago. Hotels here are fewer and further apart — you stay put and let the reef entertain you. Pick Marsa Alam for snorkelling-first holidays and proper switching-off, not for nightlife.

When to go to Egypt

There is no off-season — only different versions of warm. The choice is between mid-20s comfort and high-30s heat.

When Air Sea Our take
November – February 22–25°C 21–23°C The winter-sun window — our busiest Egypt months, and deservedly so.
March – April 26–30°C 22–24°C Warming fast, pre-summer prices; occasional khamsin winds stir the desert.
May – June 32–35°C 25–27°C Hot, dry, quiet — excellent value if you are built for heat.
July – August 35–38°C 28–29°C Serious heat, softened by sea breezes and bath-warm water. Hydrate relentlessly.
September – October 31–34°C 27–28°C Paul’s diving pick: peak water clarity and the crowds not yet arrived.

If you are escaping a UK winter, December to February is the honest headline buy — just book early, because half of northern Europe has the same idea. Divers and snorkellers should look at September and October, when visibility peaks and the sea sits at 27–28°C. Midsummer is for confirmed heat-lovers; the all-inclusive prices reflect it.

The practical guide

Getting there

Direct flights reach Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh in five and a quarter to five and three-quarter hours from London, Manchester and other UK airports; Marsa Alam is served seasonally. Egypt runs two hours ahead of the UK, so there is no jet lag worth the name. Transfers are included with every package — most Hurghada and Sharm resorts are within 30 minutes of their airport.

Visas & passports

Plan this one before the airport. The official e-visa costs US$25 single-entry at visa2egypt.gov.eg — use that exact portal, as copycat sites overcharge — and you should apply at least a week ahead. Or pay US$30 in cash for a visa sticker on arrival. Staying only in South Sinai (Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba, Taba) for 15 days or less? A free entry stamp covers you instead. Passports need 6 months’ validity from arrival.

Money & tipping

The Egyptian pound is the local currency, but resort Egypt happily quotes in euros and sterling, and cards work in hotels and bigger restaurants. Carry small US dollar or sterling notes for the arrival visa and tips. Tipping — baksheesh — is woven into service culture here: a few pounds for porters, housekeeping and reef guides, given cheerfully, smooths the whole week.

Health & the reef

No compulsory vaccinations for resort stays — TravelHealthPro’s Egypt page (linked below) has the current detail. Drink bottled water, treat the buffet’s salad bar with midsummer caution, and pack high-factor sun cream — ideally reef-safe, because the coral you came for is protected: no standing on it, no souvenir shells. Resort medical care is private and pay-up-front, so insurance is essential.

Is it safe? The honest answer

The FCDO draws its lines precisely: its long-standing warnings cover specific areas — principally North Sinai and the desert border zones — well away from the Red Sea resorts, which sit outside them and carry substantial security at airports and hotel perimeters. Read the current advice yourself before booking (first link below); it is updated continuously and is the standard we plan every package against.

Map of Egypt

Frequently Asked Questions About Egypt

Common questions and answers for planning your Egypt holiday.

Handpicked packages featuring the best destinations across the Egypt

Official guidance & sources

We checked the following official sources when updating this guide on 10 June 2026. Entry rules can change at short notice — always recheck close to departure.