10 Best Things to Do in Sharm El Sheikh
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
Sharm el-Sheikh’s top activities split cleanly into water and land: world-class diving and snorkeling on one side, and Naama Bay’s nightlife, the Old Market souk, and desert excursions on the other. Here are the ten worth building a trip around.
Ras Mohammed National Park
Egypt’s first national park, established in 1983, sits about 12km southwest of town at the Sinai’s tip. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are the signature dives, sheer coral walls dropping into deep water, and the nearby Yolanda wreck, a Cypriot freighter that sank in 1980, scattered a cargo of bathroom fixtures across the reef slope that’s become one of the Red Sea’s most photographed dive sites. Access is by boat from the Sharm marinas.
The Straits of Tiran
A chain of drift-dive reefs, Jackson, Gordon, Thomas and Woodhouse, sits in the straits between the Sinai and the island of Tiran, prized for strong currents and big pelagic fish. Worth knowing before you go: Tiran and neighboring Sanafir island are Saudi Arabian territory today, transferred under a 2016 agreement that Egypt’s parliament ratified in 2017, though Sharm-based boats still run this reef circuit daily.
The SS Thistlegorm
A British armed cargo ship sunk by Luftwaffe bombers on 6 October 1941 in the Straits of Gubal, at around 30m depth and accessible to recreational divers. Its holds still hold Bedford trucks, BSA and Norton motorcycles, and two steam locomotives blown clear onto the seabed by the blast. Jacques Cousteau rediscovered it in the early 1950s, and it’s routinely ranked among the world’s best wreck dives, though it’s a multi-hour boat trip each way.
Naama Bay
Sharm’s central hub, walkable end to end, with most of the hotels, restaurants and nightlife concentrated along its promenade. It’s the obvious base if you want everything on foot, and it’s roughly equidistant from both the airport and the Old Market.
The Old Market (Sharm el-Maya)
The older, more local side of town: a souk where bargaining is expected, the Al-Sahaba Mosque, and a cluster of budget fish cafés serving the day’s catch. It’s a genuinely different atmosphere from Naama Bay’s resort polish.
House reef snorkeling and PADI courses
Ras Um Sid, Shark’s Bay and the Gardens are the standard shore-accessible reefs for easy snorkeling and beginner-through-advanced PADI courses, a shallower, current-light alternative to the boat-based dives above. Several established dive schools operate out of Sharm for anyone working toward a certification.
Desert safaris
Quad-bike and jeep tours into the Sinai interior are one of Sharm’s most popular non-diving activities, typically paired with a Bedouin tea stop and, on longer trips, a camp dinner under the stars with genuinely dark-sky stargazing. Camel rides are the gentler version of the same experience.
Nabq Protected Area
A 600 km² reserve north of Sharm holding the northernmost mangrove stands in the Red Sea, home to more than 400 fish species and to turtles, sharks and dugongs. It’s a good half-day add-on for anyone wanting a break from beach and dive time.
Soho Square and Il Mercato
Sharm’s main entertainment and shopping complexes, with restaurants, international chains, and evening entertainment. A reasonable pick for a lower-key evening than Naama Bay’s bar strip.
Glass-bottom boats and parasailing
For anyone who wants the underwater view without getting in the water, glass-bottom boats and semi-submarines run from the marinas alongside more active options like parasailing.
Read more in our Sharm el-Sheikh day trips guide for excursions further afield, and see where to stay for picking a base close to whichever of the above matters most to you. Our main Sharm el-Sheikh guide ties all of it together with logistics and the current travel advisory.
One concrete tip: if diving is the priority, book Ras Mohammed and the Thistlegorm as two separate trips rather than trying to combine them. They depart from different points on the reef system, and cramming both into one day usually means rushing the one you actually came for.