Where to Stay in Sharm el-Sheikh: Naama Bay, Nabq or Sharks Bay?

Which area of Sharm el-Sheikh is best?

Naama Bay is the best all-round base, Sharks Bay and Ras Um Sid are best for reef access, and Nabq Bay is best for families who want a large resort. Sharm el-Sheikh is spread along roughly 35 km of coast, from Nabq in the north, past the airport and Sharks Bay, to Naama Bay in the middle and Hadaba, Ras Um Sid and the Old Market in the south. There is no single centre, and each bay has a different shoreline.

That shoreline is the key decision. Naama has one of Sharm's few naturally sandy beaches; most other hotels sit on a fringing reef, with a pontoon or jetty to reach deep water and coral right below. Our Sharm el-Sheikh and South Sinai guide covers the sights; the Red Sea overview, where to stay on the Red Sea, compares Sharm with the mainland.

How do Sharm's bays compare?

The table runs from north to south; transfer times are typical by car.

Why stay in Naama Bay?

Naama is the only part of Sharm where you can step out of your hotel and walk to dozens of restaurants, which is why it suits travellers who don't want to eat in a resort every night.

The bay grew from dive camps in the 1970s and 1980s into Sharm's first resort strip, so its hotels are generally lower-rise and older than those in Nabq, set behind a pedestrian promenade of cafés, dive centres and shops. The sandy, sheltered beach is good for children and for swimming, though the centre of the bay is sand rather than coral; snorkellers head for the reefs at either headland. Light sleepers should choose a room away from the promenade, because some bars play music late. Our Naama Bay guide goes into the beach, the evenings and families in detail.

If you like the idea of a town but want lower prices, look at the Old Market area of Sharm el-Maya, about 7 km south. It has simpler hotels, a souq of spice and souvenir stalls, cheap local restaurants and the large Al-Sahaba Mosque, and it is close to the marinas used by dive boats. It has no real beach of its own, so most guests use hotel pools or take day passes elsewhere.

What about Sharks Bay, Ras Um Sid and the clifftop hotels?

If snorkelling from your hotel is the priority, choose a resort on the reef-fringed coast north of Naama or around Ras Um Sid, where the coral starts just below the pontoon.

North of Naama, resorts terrace down low cliffs to the water, and some of the best-known luxury properties sit here, such as the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh, set on a hillside with its own beach and reef. Sharks Bay itself has a mix of large resorts and dive-focused hotels. In the south, Ras Um Sid and the Hadaba plateau have clifftop hotels such as the Hilton Sharm Waterfalls Resort, with lifts or steps down to the shore and some of the coast's most colourful shallow reefs.

Reef hotels have trade-offs. Beaches are often small terraces of imported sand or decks, entry to the water is by ladder from a pontoon, and children need supervision in deep water. Wear reef shoes and stay in marked channels so you don't stand on coral. In return you get world-class snorkelling before breakfast.

Is Nabq Bay a good choice?

Nabq is a good choice for families and all-inclusive holidays, with Sharm's newest and largest resorts, but it has the weakest swimming and the fewest restaurants outside the hotels.

The bay lies north of the airport, near the Nabq Protected Area with its mangroves. Resorts such as the Rixos properties have huge pools, water parks and kids' clubs. The shoreline is a wide, shallow reef flat with seagrass, so swimming from the beach is limited, especially at low tide; long jetties carry you out to the reef edge. The prevailing wind can make the water choppy. It is about 25–30 minutes to Naama Bay by taxi.

Where should divers and Mount Sinai climbers stay?

Divers save time in the south, near the marinas; for Mount Sinai, any Sharm base works, but a night near St Catherine's is better than a straight overnight trip.

• Divers: day boats to Ras Mohammed and the Thistlegorm usually leave from marinas south of Naama, so Hadaba, Ras Um Sid and the Old Market give the shortest pick-ups. Many dive centres sell room-and-dive packages with partner hotels.
• Tiran reefs: boats to the Strait of Tiran reach the reefs quickly from Sharm's marinas; northern hotels also suit them.
• Mount Sinai: St Catherine is about three hours by road. Overnight trips leave Sharm around 11pm; a night in the St Catherine area makes the climb far more comfortable. See our Mount Sinai guide.
• Dahab: about 1–1.5 hours north. If shore diving and a laid-back town appeal, compare where to stay in Dahab.

What else should you check before booking?

Check travel advice, your visa plans and the hotel's sea access before anything else.

• Travel advice: advice for Sinai differs from the rest of Egypt and varies within the peninsula. Check Smartraveller or SafeTravel, and confirm your insurance covers Sharm.
• Visa: visitors staying only in South Sinai resorts may be eligible for a Sinai-only entry stamp at the time of writing, but a full visa is needed for the rest of Egypt. Our Sharm el-Sheikh airport guide explains it.
• Sea access: ask whether the hotel has a sandy beach, a pontoon or both, and how far the jetty extends.
• Season: July and August are very hot, often 38–40°C; European holidays fill resorts in summer and over Christmas.

Which Sharm el-Sheikh area should you choose?

Choose by beach, reef and how you want to spend your evenings.

• First-timers and couples who like eating out: Naama Bay.
• Snorkellers: a reef hotel north of Naama or at Ras Um Sid.
• Families: Nabq Bay for big resorts, or Naama Bay for a sandy beach and walkable dinners.
• Luxury travellers: a clifftop resort with its own reef north of Naama.
• Divers and budget travellers: Hadaba, Ras Um Sid or the Old Market, near the boats.
• Combining beach and Sinai culture: split your stay with Dahab and St Catherine, as on our Sinai and Red Sea journey.