Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Janub Sina', Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai. It is a popular destination for European tourists owing to its dramatic landscape, year-round dry and temperate climate and long stretches of natural beaches.

Sharm has all the amenities one could expect of a tourist center, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses and health facilities. For those who like to shop, the Sharm El-Sheikh mall provides shops with both foreign and local products, including jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery and books.

Diving is the main activity in Sharm. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year and have become popular for various watersports, particularly recreational scuba diving and snorkelling. The reefs of Tiran and Ras Mohammed are known as two of the best diving spots in the world.

Things to see and do

• Desert tours - camel trekking, visits to the Bedouins and the beautiful Coloured Canyon
• Sharm Old TOwn
• Scuba diving
• Water sports
• Excursions to St Catherines Monastery, Mount Sinai, Petra, Cairo, Luxor and Jerusalem are available from Sharm

General Information

Cruise Season

Oct - April

Currency

Egyptian pound (LE) (EGP)

Language

Arabic

Population

32,000 approx

Electricity

2 round pins European style

Time

GMT plus two hours

International Country Telephone Code

+20

Port Location - The port is situated in the southern section of the town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Transport Links - Sharm's marina has been redeveloped for private yachts and sailboats, with a passenger terminal for cruise ships and scheduled ferry service to Hurghada and Aqaba.

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in addition to scheduled flights to Cairo, Hurghada, Luxor, Alexandria and 5 weekly flights to London (Gatwick), Sharm's airport is served by frequent charter flights to Italy, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, among other destinations.

Sharm has frequent good quality coach services to Cairo leaving from the Delta Sharm bus station. There are three companies on the route which takes 6 hours.