Hurghada City Center

The focus of my time in Hurghada was very much spending time out on Desert Safaris and Submarine Tours, but of course I spent a bit of time in the town itself as well.

Most of what I’d head about the place before my arrival was along the lines of “a colony of the Russian Empire, with dudes who are ready to fight and blondes who will deplete the world’s bleach resources” and to be honest it didn’t always feel too far off.

The whole ‘tourist strip’ of hotels and shops, anyways, was home to more Russian language than I’d heard since leaving Bishkek a month and a half earlier. Down in the more city center areas, though, the feel was a bit different.

Not only were the people off the tourist strip a little more open to actively engaging instead of just trying to sell trinkets, but it also felt a lot more like an organically grown area mixing housing and shopping and food services and all the norms of life…. Rather than a segregated tourist area where all the hotels and resorts are located.

There are specific draws, of course: the Hurghada Aquarium isn’t the worst place in the world. Wandering around the neighborhoods are lots of scenes of daily life (that felt sort of exploitative to photograph… so I didn’t) and the occasional inexplicable sign.

Also the beautiful shops full of spices that I’ve come to expect from the Middle East, from Dubai to Cairo and all the way up to Istanbul. Honestly, though?

On my last day in town I had to choose between finally visiting my beach at the Hilton Hurghada resort or getting back to the city center to have another look. Guess which I chose:

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I was in Hurghada working as a photographer with GetYourGuide. Though many of my experiences were quite good, I felt that this particular Hurghada City Bus Tour was a waste of time. If you’re looking to learn a little and shop a lot, call these guys. Otherwise, consider doing it on your own.