When to visit Sharm el-Sheikh?

For a pure beach and diving break: 7 nights, the classic one-week holiday format. To combine with a day excursion to Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine's Monastery, plan 8-10 nights. For a diving live-aboard cruise to the deep south wrecks (Brothers Islands, Daedalus Reef), add 7 more nights. Most package holidays (TUI, EasyJet Holidays, Jet2) are 7-night all-inclusive from European cities (4h30 flight).

The offer is huge (200+ hotels). Main zones: __Naama Bay__ (lively, nightlife, restaurants, walkable), __Sharks Bay__ (quieter, 10 km north, magnificent beaches), __Nabq__ (15 km north, ideal for families), __Hadaba__ (southern hills, many 4-5 star resorts with views), __Sharm el-Maya__ (old town, fewer beaches). For shore diving, favour Sharks Bay or Hadaba. For nightlife, Naama Bay. For family quiet, Nabq.

Useful note: UK, EU, US, Canadian and Swiss nationals can obtain a __free Sinai visa__ valid 15 days on arrival at Sharm airport, provided you stay strictly in the south Sinai (Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba, Saint Catherine Monastery). To go to Ras Mohammed, Cairo or elsewhere in Egypt, you need the classic tourist visa (USD 25 for 30 days, on arrival or online e-visa).

The offer is huge: dozens of PADI, SSI or CMAS certified dive centres, hotels with their own integrated centre, introductory dives for beginners (€60-80), day trips to Ras Mohammed or Tiran (€50-90, 2 dives + lunch included), 3-7 night live-aboard cruises to the best southern sites (from €800). The most famous sites: Yolanda Reef (wreck of a porcelain toilet cargo), Shark and Yolanda, Ras Mohammed Drop-off, Jackson Reef at Tiran. For snorkelers, Naama Bay reef and Sharks Bay are accessible from the beach.

Yes, the southern Sinai Peninsula (which includes Sharm and Dahab) is extremely secured by police and military presence. Several checkpoints control entries and exits. The situation is radically different from north Sinai (formally avoid this area, presence of armed groups). Stay in the southern zone (from Sharm to Saint Catherine, via Dahab and Nuweiba) — completely safe. Only annoyances remain classic tourist issues (touts, inflated prices in Naama Bay).

Several main options: (1) __Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine Monastery__ — 11 pm departure for the night climb up Mount Sinai and sunrise at the summit (2,285 m), then visit the Orthodox monastery founded in the 6th century, return around 2 pm — €50-90 per person; (2) __Cairo in 1 day__ — morning domestic flight, visit Giza + Egyptian Museum, return in the evening, €250-400 per person; (3) __Dahab and the Blue Hole__ — 1h30 drive, day of diving or snorkeling, €40-80; (4) __Quad and desert__ — 2-3h quad bike in the Sinai desert with Bedouin dinner, €40-70.

__Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (SSH)__ welcomes direct flights from most European capitals: London Gatwick (5h, EasyJet, TUI, Jet2), Manchester, Paris (4h30, EasyJet, Transavia, Egyptair), Brussels, Geneva, Amsterdam, several German, Italian and Russian cities. Count €200-450 return depending on season on low-cost airlines. Airport-hotel transfers are usually included in all-inclusive packages; otherwise, taxi at €15-25 for Naama Bay, €30-40 for outlying hotels.