Hurghada with children: trips that actually work for families
Short outings that start at a civilised hour, shallow water, a desert afternoon set at a child's pace — and the long days worth leaving for when they are older.
With children, the best Hurghada trips share three things: they do not start before dawn, they are short enough that nobody is overtired by the end, and there is shade. Here is what fits.
Outings that leave at ten
These go to venues about twenty minutes from most hotels, with the ticket and an air-conditioned transfer in the price, and take two to three hours:
- The Grand Aquarium — a walk-through tunnel and about forty tanks, all indoors and out of the sun.
- Mini Egypt Park — every monument in Egypt at model scale in one shaded park, close enough together to walk between.
- The Dolphin Show — about an hour of dolphins and sea lions, indoors.
For a whole day, the Aqua Park is slides and pools from pick-up to drop-off.
A day on the water
Pick an island where the water stays shallow: at Orange Bay and Utopia it is shallow enough to stand up in, and there are sunbeds and shade. If anyone worries about the boat, Magawish is the shortest crossing. And Sea Scope shows the reef through glass without anybody getting wet. Children are welcome on the boats and must be watched near the water.
The desert, at their pace
Family Safari is set at the pace of the youngest in the group rather than the fastest: a two-seat buggy so nobody rides alone, a camel ride and tea at the village, in the afternoon.
Worth saving for later
Luxor and Cairo are sixteen to eighteen hours by road from a very early start — a lot to ask of a small child. If you do go, flying to Cairo cuts the day to about thirteen hours.
A week of it
Family Fun Week puts the aquarium, the dolphin show, Mini Egypt, the aqua park and the city tour into five days, and not one of them starts early. Each trip's page shows its own child price and ages.