Is Hurghada Safe? An Honest Answer

We live and work here, so take this with the appropriate pinch of salt — and then go and check it. The short version is that Hurghada is a safe place to have a holiday, and the things that actually go wrong for visitors are almost never the things they were worried about on the plane.

The honest risk picture

Hurghada sits in the "low crime" band on the usual international indices — broadly comparable with Antalya, and lower than a number of resort towns people book without a second thought. Violent crime against tourists is rare.

What is not rare is being overcharged. The realistic risks here are scams, taxi meters that do not work, and prices that appear after you have already committed — not danger. We wrote about all of that in detail in how not to get ripped off in Hurghada, and if you read one thing before you arrive, make it that one rather than this one.

"But what about the region?"

This is the question we are asked most, and it is a fair one to ask from a long way away.

Hurghada is on the Red Sea coast, hundreds of kilometres from anywhere in the news. Geography is not an argument that reassures people on its own, so put it this way instead: the town's entire economy is European tourists, the resorts are full, and the flights are running. If that changed, you would not need us to tell you.

Check your own government's travel advice — the UK, German and other foreign offices publish current guidance, and it is more authoritative than anything we can say. We would rather you did that than took our word for it.

Solo women

Women travel here alone all the time and the great majority have a completely uneventful trip. Hurghada is consistently ranked among the safer places in Egypt for solo female travellers.

That said, we are not going to pretend the experience is identical to the one a man has. Unwanted attention happens — usually verbal, usually in the form of persistent shop and restaurant touts rather than anything worse, and much more common away from the tourist areas than in them.

What women who come here regularly actually do:

• Dress a bit more covered off the beach. Not a headscarf — nobody expects that of a visitor. But shoulders and knees covered in town and in the souk attracts markedly less attention than beachwear does. On the beach, at the resort and on the boats, normal swimwear is completely normal.
• Take hotel or booked transport at night rather than a street taxi.
• The Marina and El Mamsha are fine after dark. They are busy, lit, and full of families and restaurants. Walking there in the evening is a normal thing to do.
• A firm, unembarrassed "no" works. Politeness is often read as interest. It is not rudeness to stop engaging.

On our excursions you are with a guide the whole time, in a small group, and you are dropped back at your hotel. Several of our regular guests are women travelling alone, and we would say so if we thought it was a bad idea.

Is it safe for children?

Yes, and it is a genuinely good family destination — warm shallow water, short flights from Europe, resorts built around children. Our honest advice about which trips suit small children is in Hurghada with kids.

The things that actually catch people out

• The sun. This is the real hazard and it is not taken seriously enough. In summer it is 35–40°C and people go out on a boat all day with no hat. Sunstroke ruins far more holidays here than crime does.
• Stomach upsets. Drink bottled water, including for brushing your teeth. Be sensible about ice and salads outside the resorts for the first couple of days.
• The reef. Do not stand on coral — it is alive, it cuts, and the cuts get infected. Wear reef shoes if you are entering from a beach.
• Quad bikes. They are safe if you listen to the briefing and do not show off. The injuries happen to the person who decided to overtake.
• Taxis. Agree the fare before you get in. Every time.

What we do about safety on our trips

• Full briefing before anything with an engine or a reef.
• Life jackets on the boats in every size, and a guide in the water with the group.
• If the sea is too rough, we cancel and move you at no cost. We would rather lose the day than put a boat out in water it should not be in — and an operator who sails anyway is telling you what they think of your safety.

If you have a specific worry — a medical condition, a nervous child, travelling alone — message us on WhatsApp before you book and ask. We will tell you honestly whether a trip suits you, including when the honest answer is no.