Hurghada – aside from Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh – is one of the few places in Egypt with an extensive nightlife
Almost 40 years ago, Hurghada (El-Ghardaka) had no divers or holiday-makers; at that time, it was no more than an oil-industry settlement about 500km/300mi south of Cairo, an outpost between the desert and the ocean. Those who knew it at that time Largest holiday centre on the Red Seawill not recognize it today. Hurghada, the seat of the Red Sea governorate, rapidly developed into the largest diving centre and beach resort on the Red Sea, a tourist city where the season is nearly all year round and nearly all of the 60,000 residents live from tourism. Hurghada now snakes along a stretch of about 45km/30mi of coast – one hotel resort after another – and wherever there are gaps, the foundations are already being dug on the next building site. There is a gold-rush atmosphere. There is plenty of space, and more vacation settlements are rising north and south of Hurghada as well. The catch with this breathtaking boom: Hurghada has not developed naturally and is certainly not picturesque; the Egyptians who live here have as few local roots as the tourists.The conditions for sunbathing, swimming, surfing, diving and snorkelling are almost ideal, but beyond that, Hurghada has little to offer. For a day away from the beach now and then, organized camel trips and excursions into the interior are a good alternative – for instance, to St Paul’s or St Anthony’s Monastery, to Luxor or Cairo (not in a single day if possible!). There is also the option of going to the wadis in the surrounding area. It is not always easy to finding your way in Hurghada – the city seems endless, and is not really suitable for exploring on foot. The Dahar quarterat the very north end of the chain is something like the “downtown” area of Hurghada and goes by that name. This is where public buildings (police station, postal office, mosques, etc) are found, as well as shops, some hotels and restaurants. The privately operated hospital of Hurghada is located at the Hotel Arabia. The mosque is more recent and not necessarily worth a visit. Those who neither snorkel nor dive can gain a (very) limited impression of the underwater world in the aquarium of the Oceanic Institute. Shuttle buses regularly leave for Dahar from most hotels.To the south, the harbour bay with the old quarter of Sekala(or Segala, Sigalla) adjoins the city. Here, there is still an old market which is not greatly oriented to tourism, as well as the port where ships and high-speed boats depart for Sharm el-Sheikh Sinai. Directly at the harbour, traditional fishing boats are still built....
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