Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh is Egypt's major premium beach resort, located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula where the Gulf of Suez meets the Gulf of Aqaba to form the Strait of Tiran. Developed from the 1980s after the Sinai's return to Egypt by Israel, the city stretches over some 30 kilometres of coast, punctuated by bays (Naama Bay, Sharks Bay, Sharm el-Maya, Ras Nasrani) that host around 200 hotels and resorts, from modest options to luxury all-inclusive 5-stars. It is today one of the leading beach destinations in the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, with an international airport serving most European capitals directly.

But the major draw of Sharm is not the resort itself: it is the Red Sea. The waters bathing the tip of the Sinai rank among the world's finest for diving and snorkeling, thanks to a rare combination of some of the planet's best-preserved coral reefs, exceptional visibility (often 30-40 metres), spectacular biodiversity (over 1,200 fish species including 17% endemics) and immediate accessibility from shore. The Ras Mohammed National Park, created in 1983 at the southern tip of Sinai, is probably Egypt's most famous dive site: its sheer drop-offs plunging into the blue, its gardens of purple and orange soft corals and its schools of barracudas, groupers, rays and reef sharks make it an international sanctuary. Further north, Tiran Island and its four reefs (Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas, Gordon) offer some of the planet's finest underwater landscapes. For non-divers, snorkeling from shore (Naama Bay reef, Sharks Bay) is enough to discover extraordinarily varied marine life. Beyond diving, Sharm offers classic resort life — pools, groomed beaches, animation, international restaurants, Naama Bay nightlife — and serves as an ideal base for excursions to Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine's Monastery (2.5 hours by road).