3 Days in Sharm El Sheikh
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Travel advisory: Sharm el-Sheikh sits within the Red Sea resort carve-out that most Western governments treat as normal, low-risk tourism, separate from North Sinai’s do-not-travel zone. Fly in, and check your own government’s current advisory before booking.
Three days is enough to add one further-out excursion on top of the Sharm basics. This version keeps everything boat-based or coastal, so the free Sinai entry permit covers the whole trip. For a version that adds St Catherine or a second dive day, see the 4-day itinerary .
Day 1: Arrival and Naama Bay
Land at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (SSH) and taxi to your resort, agreeing the fare first, expect roughly EGP 150-300 for a Naama Bay run (verify, fares shift). Spend the afternoon settling in at the beach or pool, then walk Naama Bay’s promenade for dinner, budget EGP 300-500 per person at a mid-range restaurant (verify). If you’re not too jet-lagged, a stroll past Soho Square’s evening entertainment is an easy first-night option.
Concrete tip: exchange some cash to Egyptian pounds on arrival rather than later, taxis and small vendors want EGP even where hotel restaurants take cards.
Day 2: Ras Mohammed National Park
Book a day-boat trip to Ras Mohammed, about 12km southwest of town: a two-dive trip for certified divers runs roughly $60-90 per person (about EGP 2,400-3,600 at over 40 to the dollar, verify both figures), while a snorkel-only trip is typically cheaper, around $35-50. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are the sites to request, and the Yolanda wreck’s scattered bathroom-fixture cargo is visible even to snorkelers in good visibility. Back in Sharm by mid-afternoon, rest up before dinner at the Old Market, grilled Red Sea fish runs roughly EGP 150-300 per person (verify).
Concrete tip: book this trip before you land if you can. Peak-season boats to Ras Mohammed fill up a day or more ahead.
Day 3: Straits of Tiran or Dahab
For certified divers, a Straits of Tiran boat trip hits the Jackson, Gordon, Thomas and Woodhouse reef chain, strong-current drift dives with big pelagic fish, typically $70-100 per person for two dives (verify). If diving isn’t the priority, take a day trip to Dahab instead, about 80-90km and 1-1.5 hours northeast, for the Blue Hole’s safe recreational-diving reef (not the technical Arch tunnel) and a laid-back lunch in a genuinely different town from Sharm’s resort strip, day trips run roughly $40-60 per person including transport (verify). Return to Sharm for a farewell dinner back in Naama Bay.
Concrete tip: if you choose Dahab, ask your operator for an early morning departure. The road trip eats into the day, and an early start protects your afternoon at the Blue Hole.
For a longer trip that adds St Catherine’s Monastery and a full desert-safari day, see the 5-day itinerary , and our best places to stay guide covers picking a base for a trip like this one.