Sharm El-Sheikh is a resort town, which is a simple fact that every visitor should keep in mind. Resort towns, in most cases, are not particularly historical. More often than not, they are not the most culturally relevant towns as well. In other words, most resort towns are built for rest and relaxation rather than doing some serious sightseeing. Nevertheless, visiting one such town is perfectly fine in my book, as long as you set the right expectations. For example, in the case of Sharm El-Sheikh, the main attraction for all visitors should be the Red Sea itself. If you would rather see the Pyramids or taste authentic koshary, you are in the wrong part of Egypt. Still, it is completely natural to want a break from the beach to see what else the city has to offer. If you want to explore Sharm El-Sheikh’s sites of interest, read on!
Once again, unsurprisingly, the best thing to see in Sharm El-Sheikh is its world-famous coastline. After all, swimming with colorful fish and exploring the local coral reefs beneath the azure waters of the Red Sea is why most people visit this part of the world to begin with. This view never gets old and is reason enough to make the trip yourself. However, assuming that you are not here just to look at photographs of the Red Sea, let us move on.
On your way to El Fanar Beach, the most famous snorkeling spot in town, you will come across this lonely lighthouse, which is what gave its name to the beach in the first place. As far as I could tell, this is the only lighthouse in town, though I did not walk the entire coastline to verify. Since I did not visit this spot at night, I cannot say whether the lighthouse is still functional or not. Regardless, it is one of those local landmarks that you will likely pass by during your stay in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Further down the road that leads to the aforementioned beach stands a unique monument, a sculpture that depicts birds flying skyward. This serves as a memorial for the victims of the 2004 Flash Airlines crash, which claimed the lives of all 148 people on board. Today, it became an tourist hotspot of sorts. In fact, it took me well over fifteen minutes to find an opening to take this photograph, which is highly unusual.
Moving on, I took a different route back to our Airbnb and stumbled upon these communal chessboards. At first, this seemed peculiar to me. Who in their right mind would play chess out in the open under the scorching desert sun?
Similarly, in an area that is hot all year round, the abundance of unshaded benches initially made little sense as I wandered around town.
Thankfully, the sun eventually sets every single night, finally giving desert towns such as this and their residents a breather. That is when the chessboards, unshaded benches, and pedestrian walkways become useful.
To my surprise, I even came across a long, illuminated, and well-maintained pedestrian promenade that connects Naama Bay to the Old Market area, well, almost. It was still partially under construction during our visit, but in due time, it should help you enjoy a long and lovely night walk between the Sharm El-Sheikh’s two most popular tourist neighborhoods.
Speaking of Naama Bay, it offers all the shops and restaurants one could ever need in a resort town. Moreover, unlike the other central hubs of town, it boasts a long and accessible sandy beach that is reportedly excellent for families.
However, for solo travelers or couples, staying near the Naama Bay might not be ideal. It isolates you from the hustle and bustle of the more interesting Old Market area and the town’s best beaches, which are found around Hadaba.
It is, nevertheless, a great spot for a night out and some shopping for everyone. Perhaps we just got lucky, but the inventories that the stores here carried seemed more interesting than what we found in the Old Market, while the prices were roughly the same.
Having brought it up multiple times, let us finally discuss the Old Market. First of all, please do not be fooled by its name. Like most things in Sharm El-Sheikh, nothing here is genuinely old. Instead, the area is designed to mimic a traditional Arab souk, albeit with plenty of creative liberties.
Like the Naama Bay, it is packed with shops and restaurants. Personally, I prefer the dining options in this part of town. It features legendary establishments like El Masrien and Fish Mart Seafood Restaurant, and it is also home to the incredible Tseppas dessert shop.
This area also boasts a more interesting aesthetic overall, thanks to the efforts to create some striking artificial landscapes. It is not for everyone, but for me, it is better than having an entire area with no elevated futures.
I recommend grabbing a drink or smoking a shisha, as many others do, at the nearby Old Egypt cafe. To be perfectly honest, while the prices are reasonable, the drinks here leave something to be desired. I cannot comment on the shisha myself, though others seemed to really enjoy those, so perhaps give that a go instead.
However, no one goes to that cafe just for the drinks or shisha in my humble opinion. You relax in this cafe to enjoy the views of the Old Market and get some much-needed rest. This is also a good time to admit a slight omission in this guide. This has only been a tour of the older parts of Sharm El-Sheikh thus far, and not a tour of the entire town. I did not bother visiting newer developments like SOHO Square and its surrounding mega-resorts. I and my mother were in Sharm El-Sheikh for a relaxing holiday. Traveling an hour by microbus or half an hour by taxi just to see some pretty lights and a fountain show in a notoriously overpriced area simply did not fit with our needs at the time.
Furthermore, while Sharm El-Sheikh lacks truly historical landmarks, it does boast some particularly interesting mosques and churches. In fact, the town’s poster child, the Al-Sahaba Mosque, is just the tip of the iceberg.
That is why, next week, we will cover three mosques and three churches that are worth visiting in Sharm El-Sheikh. While the humbler touristic spots mentioned today are all worth checking out, I am quite certain that many of you will prefer the architecture you will see in the next week’s article instead.