Egypt · trip length
How Many Days in Sharm el-Sheikh? — Trip Planner
Planning this trip in Sharm el-Sheikh? Here’s how to decide what’s worth your time. How long you actually need in Sharm el-Sheikh — and the experiences to fill each day, whether you have a weekend or a week.
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Top experiences in Sharm el-Sheikh
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What first-timers get wrong in Sharm el-Sheikh
Landing at Sharm airport you can take a free Sinai-only entry permit valid fifteen days, but it does not cover Ras Mohammed or anywhere beyond South Sinai, so buy the full visa if you intend to dive there or reach Cairo. Tipping is expected at every stage and small notes are essential. Agree taxi fares before getting in, because meters are essentially unused.
What's actually worth your time in Sharm el-Sheikh
The reef is the attraction and the rest is filler. Ras Mohammed, twelve kilometres south, puts Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef inside one drift, with the wreck's cargo of scattered bathroom fittings still lying on the sand. Tiran's Jackson and Gordon reefs are the day-boat standard. Naama Bay and SOHO Square are built environments; the Old Market at Sharm el-Maya is where local prices survive.
Sharm el-Sheikh's museums, and which one to pick
There is little here. The Sharm el-Sheikh Museum on the airport road opened in 2020 with several thousand pieces moved out of Cairo storerooms, spanning pharaonic and Greco-Roman material, and it is quiet enough to walk through almost alone. Otherwise the serious history means a long drive to Saint Catherine's Monastery below Mount Sinai, with its sixth-century church and icon collection.
Sharm el-Sheikh with kids, realistically
The honest problem is the beaches. Most of Sharm's shoreline is fringing reef ending in a sharp drop, so hotels build jetties out over it and small children cannot simply wade in. Naama Bay and parts of Sharks Bay have sandy entry, which is worth confirming before booking. Reef shoes are necessary. Glass-bottom boats and the Nabq lagoons work for under-sixes.
When the weather turns in Sharm el-Sheikh
Rain is close to irrelevant here and barely falls, though flash floods do hit the inland wadis a few days a year and can close the Dahab road. The real weather problem is wind, which cancels boat trips and shuts Tiran and Ras Mohammed to day boats without warning. Fall back on the Sharm museum, SOHO Square's indoor rink, or a dive-centre theory session.
When to go to Sharm el-Sheikh
| Best months for how many days | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| December | 25°C / 77°F | 0 days |
| January | 22°C / 72°F | 1 days |
| February | 23°C / 73°F | 1 days |
The month to avoid is July — around 40°C (104°F) with roughly 0 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: December is the sweet spot, July the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Sharm el-Sheikh
- Naama Bay — Main tourist strip — restaurants, dive shops, souks, mid-range hotels.
- Sharks Bay — Higher-end resorts on the reef edge — home reef diving straight from your hotel beach.
- Nabq — Newer resort area 15 min north of the airport — quieter, larger all-inclusives.
- Old Market (Sharm el-Maya) — Original town — cheaper local restaurants, souvenir stalls, more authentic.