On the West bank of the Red sea, Hurghada become (mainly since the early 1990) more popular with East European and Russian tourists. Being a modern town, Hurghada lacks any historical or noteworthy sites, but is useful for its ferry and air connections to the rest of the region. Coral reefs can be found offshore, but compared to the Sinai, they are damaged and of poor quality. The town itself comprises almost completely of large all inclusive resorts overlooking the beaches. Hurghada also has a reputation for being quite sleazy, and Eastern European prostitutes abound.
There are however some good options to tour the surrounding beautiful Eastern Desert, and water sports are available.
Hurghada is one of the main tourism attractions on the Red Sea in Egypt. Because of that, it can be reached from major airports in Europe and the Middle East. Prices depend on the time of the booking and the airline. Most major airlines in Europe and the Middle East can fly you straight to Hurghada without having to stop in Cairo. If you are in Cairo, you can also fly to Hurghada on Egypt Air Express, which is the national airline of the country and a subsidiary of Egypt Air, which is now servicing domestic locations in Egypt. Prices vary from around 400 Egyptian Pounds to as high as 900 Egyptian Pounds depending on the seaon and depending on how early you book your tickets. The earlier you book your ticket ahead of your intended date of travel, the cheaper the price. The Egyptian Pound is rated at a $1=5.43EGP
Taxi drivers in Hurghada have astounishing talent on spotting tourists far far away, you only need to look at the apporoaching car and they'll stop for you. So it's easy to get a taxi from anywhere at any time, but getting to the right place with the right price might not be so easy at first.
Before stepping in, find out if driver speaks any english, and show the wanted destination from the map. There are only few streets with names, so destination is specified with nearby places, a hotel for example. It's always safe to get out in front of the hotel. Discuss and agree the total price (not per person) with the driver - do remember to haggle it down to something like 5-10LE when travelling inside the same part of the town and 20LE when travelling from downtown to Sekalla for example. It's not recommended travelling with the meter on, becouse there might be some tourist-extra. After the driver agrees on a price, jump in.
The method to avoiding the confrontation with the drivers is to have correct amount of money you agreed at first, pass the money on at destination, get out and walk away.. don't waste your time arguing with drivers as it only causes distress; usually you paid more for the same ride than a local person would have.
Another thing to note, if you pay with a 5LE (5 Egyptian pound note) they can and do try to switch it for a 50 peasters (the lessor denominator) and then they request the original 5le you have already paid. Piaster notes are smaller than pounds.
There is no ''normal'' public transport in Hurghada, instead there are lot's of mini vans (Toyota Hiace) called ''jalla jalla's'' with no static routes. For tourists they are extreme way to travel, mostly locals are using them. It costs only 1LE to get around and they stop wherever needed.
Those new to Egypt will find Karkaday (a drink made from an infusion of hibiscus, served hot or cold and reputed to have many health benefits) and Chi (local version of tea, usually served in a glass) offered everywhere. Both are delicious, and will usually come replete with a smoke on a "sheesha" pipe, known in the West as a "Hookah". Sheeshas are used for smoking molasses tobacco in various flavours, with the smoke passing through water before inhalation through a long tube attached to the bowl. Although they may resemble a device used to smoke illicit substances in the west, (i.e, a bong), sheesha contains nothing illegal.
Visits to Cairo and Luxor, and indeed multi-stop breaks, are popular from Hurghada. Sharm-El-Sheikh and the Sinai peninsula (containing two of the oldest Christian temples in the world, St Catherine's and St Anthony's) is but a short hop away.
You can buy many souvenirs from the shops that are spread inside the main town (Sekalla high street) and along the beach areas, also downtown (el Dahar) has a wide selection of bazaars with cheaper prices than Sekalla.
First, remember to haggle, haggle and haggle, everywhere else than in restaurants and in drugstores. You should be able to get 75% off from the price that seller asks at first. This might vary with different products, so remember to check few shops for correct prices. There are souvenir shops that have fixed prices, mostly in New Hurghada area.
For brand-names and higher quality products head down to 'New Marina' where you can find Nike, Adidas, Timberland, Dockers and Levi's as well as a traditional bazaar (Souk in arabic).
Over the years Hurghada has developed a bubbling reputation for its cosmopolitan nightlife scene, alongside the many bars within the new Hurghada Marina [http://www.hurghadamarina.com], Papas Bar [http://www.papasbar.com] has two venues (one inside the marina, the other next-door to the Shedwan Hotel in downtown Dahr). The world-renown Hed Kandi Beach Bar [http://www.hedkandibeachbar.com]; still the world's first and only Kandi beach bar, is located on Sheraton Road at present, with a scheduled move to the marina around the middle of August 2008.
Global leader's in dance music Ministry of Sound Beach Club [http://www.ministryofsoundegypt.com] operate a varied 7-nights-a-week schedule, ranging from disco grooves, through to R&B/hip-hop and house/techno. There are also many other discos and late-night bars dotted around the city, generally speaking ask your guest relations or tour guide to recommend you a venue suited best to you.
[http://www.hurghada-egypt-holidays.com] is a directory of cheap holiday deals from the UK to Hurghada.