Hurghada Transportation: How to Reach & Get Around

The enchanting 36km (22.4miles) long coastline of the Red Sea (See also Things to Do in the Red Sea) is the setting of a perfectly relaxing Egyptian holiday. Hurghada is a beautiful destination, famous for its sunbathed languid beaches and water adventure sports. There is also an old fishing port that adds to the attractions of the place. Hurghada is all about the sea, the sand and the surf. Whether you are travelling to places of tourist attractions like the Giftin Island, Hurghada Marina, Straits of Gubal to see the famous Thistlegorm, or just lazing on the Sigala beach or going for an adventure trip on the Sindbad submarine, here is a guide on how to reach and get around Hurghada and which is the best Hurghada transportation options for you.

How to reach Hurghada?

1. By plane

Connected to all major European cities and the Middle East, Hurghada is accessible from other Egypt’s tourist cities by direct flights. Hurghada International Airport (HRG) schedules nonstop flights to 53 destinations and 16 countries, and 5 domestic flights depart from this airport. The longest flight is to Manchester MAN (6hrs) by Easyjet airlines. The top 10 starting destinations that tourists or travelers travel from are Cairo, Istanbul, Zurich, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, Munich, Belgrade, Prague, and Manchester.

The only intercontinental flights from Hurghada are to Europe and the Middle East. Corendon from Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart, and Lufthansa offers seasonal flights from Frankfurt, and Swiss Air seasonal flights from Geneva, and FlexFlight from Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Basel Mulhouse Freiburg and Zürich are most popular.

Non-stop flights from Hurghada to the Middle East are Neos from Amman, Pegasus from Istanbul (Sabiha), Turkish Airline all through the year from Istanbul.

The average flight cost from Europe is $160-$558 (approximately); the average flight cost from the UAE is $595.

From the United States, there are no direct flights to Hurghada. Other countries that need to take connecting flights to Hurghada are Canada, South America, Central America, China, Japan, East Asia, South-Eastern Asia, Central Asia and Oceania.

From Cairo, you can fly to Hurghada by the Egypt Air Express and Nile Air. The price will be approximately EGP 400-900. From Sharm el-Sheikh takING an Egypt Air flight would costs about 450-550 EGP (1 hour).

Once you enter the airport, pay the visa fee of US$25 at the bank of Egypt counter.

2. By Bus

From Cairo: The trip takes 7 hours
Bus operators are Super Jet, Go Bus.
Price: 60-150 EGP
Frequency: Every hour
Long-distance Go Bus from Cairo Charges 190EGP

From Alexandra: Two buses depart daily.
Operator: Upper Egypt
Time: Starting at 06:30 PM and arrives at Hurghada at 04:00 AM
Operator: Super Jet
Price approximately: 90-100 EGP / one-way trip.

From Luxor:
Operator: Super Jet Bus (twice daily)
This service, however, is not directly till Hurghada and you need to take a minibus for 5km (3.1 miles).
Price: 30LE
Time: 4-5 hours

Operator: Upper Egypt (Frequent buses) does not reach Hurghada directly
Price: 40 EGP
Long-distance bus, Go Bus from Luxor charges 110 EGP

Three companies from Luxor offer service from El Nasr
Time: 08:15 AM and 03:30 PM (two departures daily)
Price EGP 135

Blue Bus (one daily departure)
Time: 003:00PM
Price EGP 150

From Aswan:
Operator: Upper Egypt (2 buses daily)
Time: 1st bus time03:00PM; 2nd bus time05:30PM
Trip time 8hours
Price: 50-55 EGP

Most buses run on schedule. Arrive at least an hour before your departure. If you could get your tickets booked by a local, it will save you from a lot of fuss.

Travelling in Hurghada - Avail the Public Transport

1. Micro Bus

Most common means of Hurghada transportation are minivans (Toyota Hiace). They follow their assigned routes. It is used mostly by locals, and tourists can avail this too. Regular routes charge 2 EGP (destinations like Mubarak2, Sherry St, Shakkalla and Dahar) from Sherry St. to Senzo Mall and Cora (5 EGP). The buses can stop wherever you want by just asking the driver.

Tips: Women tourists should sit in the front seats and never between two men.

2. Taxi

Drivers will quote prices in Euros and will start from 10 Euros-200 EGP along with 50 EGP airport fees. This is much higher than the metered price, which is approximately 40 EGP to the main city. You have to do quite a bit of bargaining but be prepared to pay more.

Back in the street, drivers have an uncanny sensor for spotting tourists. Make sure your driver understands and speaks English. Carry a map and point your destination. Most streets have proper street name signs. Set your price before the journey. You will always be paying around 10-25 EGP more than the going fare. Do not trust the meter as drivers who agree to do so can doctor their meters. Try to pay the exact sum and only pay once you have reached your destination.

However, if you do not have change, mention this to the driver before taking the journey. If your fare is 30 EGP and you hand over 100 EGP make sure that when you give it to the driver tell him that you have given 100 EGP and that he would have to return 70 EGP. Some drivers have a habit of pocketing the change and driving away quickly so you will not be able to catch them. For night taxis, it is better to choose private car rentals like Uber or Careem. Though expensive, they are safe and convenient.

3. Long-distance Taxis

These are cheap and used by locals. Inform the people who render this service about your destination at El Hegaz Street.

The Orange and Blue taxi are the most popular ones in Hurghada. They are frequent and easily available. Women should avoid sitting next to the taxi driver. The divers are fond of their radio and mobile phones while driving. Also, horns are sounded frequently. Though provided by meters, they are not used for tourists.

For 5 EGP you could travel to (Marina-Burger King Sekalla)
10 EGP for transfer between neighborhoods
15 EGP for travelling between districts
For further distances, fares will increase to 25-30 EGP.

4. Minibus

This is the most popular option and used by the locals as it is quite reasonable. When the bus is full, it departs. From Dahar-Mamsha return and Dahar to Sekalla, the fare is approximately 0.75 EGP within districts. Going beyond would increase the fare by 1.50 EGP. If you compare it to the taxi fare on Sheraton Road till the Giftun hotel, the fare of minibus is 1.50 EGP while the taxi fare would be 10 EGP. You can avail these buses flagging them down anywhere and they will stop to pick you. The window seats are comfortable, and you save on a lot of money if you ignore the over crowdedness. Since there are no fixed stops, the buses take more time to reach the destinations.

Tips

Trains do not travel to Hurghada and the above mentioned are the best and only means of Hurghada transportation. If you are traveling by public conveyance, dress conservatively to avoid any kind of discomfort from over-curious local passengers. Light cotton linen along with scarves and sunglasses are recommended. Dab sunblock liberally. The Egyptian sun can be quite penetrating.