Top Ten Reasons to Visit Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

Sharm el Sheikh is a renowned tourist destination on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. I visited it multiple times and always marveled at the number and diversity of people who come to this city.

What makes Sharm el Sheikh so popular?

Well, there are many reasons to visit Sharm el Sheikh. Below are the top ten reasons for you to consider it when planning your next vacation.

1. Great beaches with crystal clear water.

Sharm el Sheikh is a perfect place for people who are looking for a beach vacation. Here you will find beaches with soft white sand and crystal clear water. For me, it’s definitely one of the main reasons to visit Sharm el Sheikh. Especially during the low tide, I love walking in the blue shallow water and admiring the numerous sea creatures coming from all different directions.

Keep in mind that there are lots of corals in the water and also sea urchins, so make sure to buy some snorkeling shoes before heading into the water. Walking on the beach without shoes is totally okay, but it’s always good to be cautious when going swimming.

2. The city is very international.

At Sharm el Sheikh, you will find tourists from all different countries and cultures. There are a lot of Europeans (Italians, British, Germans, CIS countries – Russians, Ukrainians etc.), Americans, people from Middle East and local Egyptian travelers visiting its resorts. No matter where you come from, you will feel welcome.

3. Sharm el Sheikh has a universal appeal for all different people, including families with kids.

In this city, you will find plenty of couples on a romantic vacation. Possibly even honeymoon. You will also see groups of friends. Families with kids. And plenty of retirees.

Everyone equally loves and enjoys the city. It has something for everyone.

For families with kids (like mine), there are plenty of fun activities to do. Kids will adore the beautiful beaches and lovely pools where they can play all day long.

Many hotels have special kids’ clubs and dedicated animation teams who organize activities for kids, from crafts activities to mini discos. These activities are generally available both during the day and in the evening – you’ll need to check your hotel’s schedule. Kids’ club is a great place for your little ones to quickly make new friends at the resort.

In addition to having tons of fun, you will also have a unique opportunity to teach your kids about the sea and different types of sea creatures who live there and how to take a good care of them.

Conservation is a big topic these days and being there on the Red Sea gave me a good opportunity to raise this issue with my daughter. She was extremely interested in seeing different types of coral in the water, fish, crabs and other animals and learning about them.

Did you know that it takes 10 years for coral to grow 1 cm? Turns out, it does. That’s why it’s so incredibly important to protect them.

Our hotel made a big effort to teach people sustainable practices, which I found very refreshing. Generally speaking, Sharm el Sheikh focus on conservation is not surprising at all. Back in 2022, the city hosted COP27, the United Nations Climate Change conference, which brought together leaders of many countries to discuss issues of global warming.

4. The city has many different hotels and resorts.

There are lots of hotels and resorts to choose from in Sharm el Sheikh, from large resorts of major hotel chains (Four Seasons, Hyatt) to small boutique hotels. Many hotels offer all inclusive or even ultra all inclusive meal plans. If you like to eat yummy food, you’re in luck. Prices of these all inclusive resorts are quite affordable (compared to American and European hotels) and you will get a lot of value for the price you pay.

If you want to get a good discount, a good idea is to come off-season, like during summer or winter. Prices go down significantly, while you can still do a lot of activities.

5. The weather in Sharm el Sheikh is great and resorts can operate all year round.

You can visit Sharm el Sheikh all year round.

The best times to visit are fall and spring. October and November are particularly ideal. Importantly, even in winter people can go swimming. Many hotels have heated swimming pools. December and January might be still okay to swim in the sea (for some of us), but in February water is too chilly for most of the people.

It’s important to keep in mind that in summer, it gets quite hot in this area. But still, many tourists visit in the summer as this is a great opportunity to get heavy discounts. Despite the heat, you can still do a lot of snorkeling and diving, and this is one of the key reasons to visit Sharm el Sheikh for many people.

6. Sharm el Sheikh is a premier diving and snorkeling destination.

The rich coral, the crystal clear warm waters and the diversity of sea creatures make the Red Sea one of the best diving places in the world. There are over 1,000 species of fish living in the Red Sea.

A big advantage is that many hotels have coral reefs at their private beaches and there is no need to pay for separate snorkeling trips. You just walk out of your hotel room – and you can go snorkeling right there. Or even just stand on a floating bridge and watch the colorful fish from there. For families with kids, it’s a very good option. Make sure you choose a hotel which has good snorkeling opportunities.

If you want to be more adventurous, you can book a tour and head to a renowned diving destination like the Ras Mohammed National Park. This area in the south of Sinai peninsula is one of the best diving places in the whole world and the source of national pride for Egypt. The park is located 25 km away from Sharm el Sheikh. There are plenty of boat tours going to Ras Mohammed. You also have an option of renting a car and staying there for the night in the camping area.

7. Sharm el Sheikh is a perfect place for seafood lovers.

The city is packed with different kinds of seafood restaurants where you can find the most delicious and freshest seafood you could ever imagine- lobster, shrimp, tuna, sea bass and many other kinds. Many hotels also have specialized seafood restaurants where you will be able to try different types of seafood.

8. Many people here speak English and the city is quite easy to get around.

We did not find much of a language barrier, whether it was at the hotel or at the airport or walking around the city. Most of the people spoke good English and it was easy to communicate with them. Some people even spoke good Russian (which is not surprising, given large numbers of Russian-speaking tourists from various countries of former Soviet Union).

When paying for various items at a gift shop, supermarket, or restaurant, we did not have any issues either. As we noticed, many shops accepted credit cards and cash (dollars or euros), so we don’t even need to worry about exchanging money into local Egyptian pounds.

Prices are VERY reasonable for those who, like me, come from the US. After struggling to pay $25 or more per toy at Disney World last summer, I was relieved to hear that a lovely toy camel my daughter picked out only cost $5. I told her to go ahead and pick much more stuff – we could easily afford most of the things we liked in the gift shop!

Important point: try to bring some small change (ones, fives, twenties), as not all sellers will have change.

In terms of taxis, there is no Uber operating in Sharm el Sheikh. However, we found it quite easy to get a taxi at our hotel and go to the destination of our choice. We also asked the driver to come pick us up after several hours. It was very easy.

9. There is no particular dress code to follow when you visit Sharm el Sheikh.

Bikinis on the beach are totally okay and you can walk around in shorts, dresses etc. No particular limitations I noticed.

10. Visa on arrival for many nationalities.

After the tourism industry took a plunge following the Russian invasion of Ukraine (two important markets for Egypt), the country decided to grant visa on arrival to many nationalities who previously needed to get visas ahead of time, which was more complicated. It seems that even for those countries which are on the list of “visa on arrival”, you are not always required to get one.

For Americans, we were told at the border that we only needed to get a visa if we were going to Cairo to see pyramids. Since we were not going, we were allowed to enter without visas.

The Final Word

I hope these reasons to visit Sharm el Sheikh got you convinced to go there soon. There are many more great things you can do, which I did not mention here. For instance, you can spend your evening watching some amazing local dancing, like the Tanoura (a traditional male Egyptian dance, which involves spinning while wearing a colorful weighted skirt). You can also visit a Bedouin village and have a traditional dinner there.

I definitely can’t wait to fly back and enjoy the beautiful weather, the gorgeous beaches and the delightful sea creatures living in the crystal clear Red Sea waters. My daughter is also excited to visit this hospitable city again and explore all the fish, crabs and anything else she can find in the sea. It’s really a wonderful place to go with kids. I hope these beautiful coral reefs will be around for many more years.

Other than Sharm el Sheikh, my other favorite beach destination for families is Jekyll Island in Georgia. It’s quite different in terms of vibe, but also a great place for those who like to connect with nature as much as our family does. You can check it out at my blog: Perfect Family Vacation in Jekyll Island, GA.