What is it?

Sharm El Sheikh is a sun-baked resort city on the southern tip of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, wedged between the jagged, biscuit-coloured mountains of the desert and the impossibly blue waters of the Red Sea. Once a sleepy fishing village, it grew into one of the world's great diving destinations thanks to the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park and the legendary Straits of Tiran, where sheer coral walls plunge into the deep and shoals of anthias shimmer like confetti. Days here are spent slipping off boats into 28°C water among clownfish, turtles, eagle rays and the occasional reef shark, then surfacing to the smell of grilled fish and sweet mint tea. Onshore, the city is a curious blend of glossy all-inclusive resorts, the promenade buzz of Naama Bay, and the lantern-lit alleys of the Old Market, where spice sellers and shisha cafés keep the Egyptian soul alive. Head inland and the landscape empties into pure Sinai wilderness — canyons, camel trails and Bedouin camps under skies thick with stars.

Where is it?

Sharm El Sheikh sits at the meeting point of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, about an hour's flight from Cairo and served by its own international airport with direct routes from across Europe and the Middle East. The best diving and snorkelling is at Ras Mohammed National Park, the Tiran reefs, and the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm; Dahab and Mount Sinai are easy day trips north. Visit between October and May for warm, comfortable days — high summer can exceed 40°C, while winter still delivers reliable sunshine and excellent visibility underwater.

What makes it worth it?

Few places on earth deliver such an instant, dazzling reward: you can wade in from the beach and within a metre find yourself hovering over a coral garden alive with a thousand fish. Divers routinely call the Red Sea the best warm-water diving on the planet, and first-timers often surface from a discovery dive grinning and speechless — 'I had no idea the world looked like that.' Above water, the contrast is what stays with you: the stark, silent Sinai desert at sunset, a Bedouin fire crackling under a sky spilling stars, then the hum of Naama Bay at midnight. Many travellers come for a week of cheap winter sun and leave with a scuba certification, a new obsession, and a plan to return. Years later, it's the colour you'll remember — that particular electric blue that seems to belong to nowhere else.

How accessible is it?

Sharm El Sheikh is one of the easiest and most affordable warm-water escapes in the world, welcoming millions of visitors a year on package deals and budget flights. Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival (around US$25) or a free Sinai-only permit if staying within the region for up to 15 days; check current rules before flying. All-inclusive resorts start around £40–70 per night, with luxury options far higher; a two-tank boat dive runs roughly US$60–90 and a four-day PADI Open Water course around US$350–450. Snorkelling requires no experience at all — just a mask and a boat trip from about US$25–40 — making it ideal for families, while divers should bring certification cards and a logbook. Getting around is simple by taxi or hotel shuttle, English is widely spoken in tourist areas, and booking ahead is only really necessary in peak Christmas and Easter weeks.