Hurghada with kids: which trip for which age – and when to skip it

Hurghada makes a lot of things easy for families – warm water, short distances, hotels set up for children, and a range of trips that starts below eight euros. And it has three traps that catch the same families every year: the boat day that runs too long, the midday heat, and the long drive to Cairo with a five-year-old.

This article sorts the offer by what actually matters with children: how long it takes, when it happens, and how far you are from the hotel. Not by category.

The number that almost everything hinges on: duration

The island trips with the most reviews mostly last eight to eight and a half hours. That’s a good day out for a primary-school child, and a very long one for a toddler.

The alternatives are shorter, and they’re the real reason Hurghada works with small children:

• About two hours – the Seascope semi-submarine trip. You sit on an underwater observation deck and watch the reef through windows. The programme also includes a snorkelling stop; if your child doesn’t want to go into the water, check beforehand how the time on board works during the stop. From just under €19, with over 5,400 reviews. For children who can’t snorkel yet, it’s a short way in.
• About four hours – speedboat to two islands with snorkelling stops and a dolphin search, from about €33. Half as long as the big boat day, but not a two-hour taster; ask about seating and shade.
• Eight to eight and a half hours – the classic boat day with lunch. Worth it from the age at which a child snorkels independently and can occupy themselves on board.

The comparison of all island trips is under Orange Bay & Giftun Island, the snorkelling trips under Snorkelling in Hurghada.

Wind and seasickness on the boat

This is a point the short tour descriptions don’t answer, and it can decide the day.

On this coast, the wind comes from the north almost all year round, and how calm a trip is depends on the conditions on the day. We can’t back up the idea that the morning outward trip is generally calmer. If you have a child who easily feels sick on the water, book a shorter trip rather than a whole day at sea, and ask the operator how long the individual crossings take. What works on windy days: Hurghada with kids when the boat doesn’t sail.

If you want to bring something for nausea: that’s a question for the pharmacy or the paediatrician, not for a comparison site. We don’t recommend any remedies or dosages here.

Minimum age: what we know and what we don’t

Honestly: not much. In the short descriptions of the 224 offers for Hurghada that we compare, not a single one states a minimum age. The full terms of participation are on the booking pages, and operators set their own limits – for quads, an age limit can mean driving yourself or riding along.

So the only reliable answer is this: the minimum age is on the individual booking page, and that’s where you check. If it isn’t stated there, ask the question before booking, not at the jetty.

What we can tell you instead is the practical detail no operator writes down:

• A child-sized life jacket isn’t a given. Ask whether one is on board – for a trip with snorkelling stops, that’s not a formality.
• A toilet on board isn’t a given on a small speedboat either. Before a four-hour trip with a child who’s only recently out of nappies, that’s worth asking about.
• Shade on board, too. How much there is depends on the boat; ask before you book a four-hour trip in the midday sun.

The desert: late afternoon, not in the midday heat

The Eastern Desert begins right behind the hotels, and the tours out there are the cheapest in town – they start at €7.57. Quad or buggy, a short camel ride, and with some offers dinner and a starlit sky; many tours last two to three hours. Check with the operator beforehand whether and how children can ride on the quad.

Two things about this. First: it gets very dusty. Bring a cloth for the face and your own sunglasses or goggles, because sand in the eye can quickly end the trip for a child. Second: from June to August, average daily highs here are around 36–37°C. Hurghada climate table A desert tour at two in the afternoon isn’t a good idea in high summer – the afternoon and sunset time slots exist for a reason. The overview: Desert safari from Hurghada.

Dolphins: lovely when it works out

Around Hurghada, Dolphin House is one of the names used for the Sha’ab El Erg reef, where wild dolphins can be found. Wild means: sometimes they’re there, sometimes they aren’t. CDWS For adults, that’s a disappointment; for a child who’s been promised dolphins the whole holiday, it’s the afternoon that ends in tears.

Tell them beforehand. No one can guarantee a sighting, and anyone who does is lying; better odds in the morning can’t be derived from our catalogue. And the distinction that matters most here: Dolphin House means wild dolphins out in the open sea, Dolphin World in Makadi Bay is a dolphinarium with a show of trained, captive animals. Dolphin World Which one you book is a decision, and it should be made consciously. The offers: Dolphins in Hurghada.

When it’s a bad idea

This belongs in every honest family article, and here it’s easy to answer.

Cairo as a day trip with small children. The coach example is listed in our catalogue at 15 to 20 hours depending on the language version, the flight option still at 16 to 17. By road it’s roughly 450 kilometres each way. HurghadaToGo For a twelve-year-old who wants to see the pyramids, this can be the day of their life. For a child under about eight, it’s a very long day with little sleep, and a hot one in summer. It’s more honest to plan Cairo as a trip of its own: Cairo & the pyramids from Hurghada.

Luxor in a single day with small children. Roughly 300 kilometres by road, for which the local operator HurghadaToGo reckons on four to six hours each way; have the pick-up and return times confirmed for your hotel. HurghadaToGo In June and July, Luxor averages around 40°C by day, and in the Valley of the Kings there’s hardly any shade between the tombs. Weather2Travel An overnight stay spreads the drive over two days. However, the two-day overnight offers from Hurghada in our catalogue all include a hot-air balloon flight; check before booking whether that’s possible with your child. Luxor day trip from Hurghada

A boat day on your departure day. Sounds obvious, and yet people book it anyway. If the wind picks up, the return is delayed, and no one wants to rush to the airport with two tired children and salt in their hair.

A week plan that works

A short trip in the first two days, so everyone knows what a boat feels like – that’s exactly what the Seascope is for. Then the big boat day, once the weather looks good. The desert on one evening. Hotel beach and house reef in between. And the rest stays free, because a boat trip can be cancelled for wind, and you then need a spare day.

What works on land on a day like that – aquarium, Mini Egypt Park, Sand City – is listed under Things to do in Hurghada and in more detail in What to see in Hurghada. What the coast outside town looks like and what’s reachable with children is covered in The Red Sea in Egypt.

Giftun island trips may charge protected-area and island fees separately. Check the amount, currency, child policy and any cash payment on site for the specific offer. Official fees vary by area and visitor group, so there is no single amount for everyone. EEAA