South Sinai

Sharm El Sheikh is Egypt's best-known Red Sea resort city, set on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula where the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba meet. It is built around a chain of bays and hotels, with clear water, coral reefs and desert mountains shaping a destination that has become one of the country's main leisure and conference hubs.

The city grew from a small fishing settlement and later served as a strategic naval point before becoming the Israeli settlement of Ofira in the 1970s. After Sinai returned to Egypt in 1982, Sharm El Sheikh was redeveloped as a modern resort town, and today its low-rise hotels, Al Sahaba Mosque, Old Market and landscaped promenades reflect that planned tourism identity.

Naama Bay is the traditional centre for hotels, restaurants and nightlife, while the Old Market area around Sharm el-Maya offers a more local atmosphere of shops and cafés. Hadaba and Umm Sid sit above cliffs and reefs popular with divers, and Nabq to the north is known for quieter resorts and protected coastal mangroves. Nearby Ras Mohammed National Park and Tiran Island hold some of the Red Sea's best-known dive sites.

Beyond the beach, visitors take day trips to St Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai in the desert interior or to the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba. The food scene ranges from Egyptian seafood and grilled meats to international restaurants in resorts, while Naama Bay and SOHO Square concentrate much of the evening activity.

Sharm El Sheikh also functions as a working destination for conferences, exhibitions and diplomatic events, having hosted gatherings such as COP27. Its combination of year-round sunshine, dive tourism and large meeting venues gives the city broad appeal for both leisure and business travellers.