Hurghada is a beach resort town stretching some 40km along Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

It’s renowned for scuba diving, and has numerous dive shops and schools in its modern Sekalla district. There are many restaurants, bars and nightclubs, while the old town, El Dahar, is home to traditional Egyptian coffee shops and souks.

Hurghada’s long stretch of sandy beach is lined with resort hotels.

Hurghada has a population of 248,000 and is divided into:

• El Ahia and El Helal – the northern part
• El Dahar (Downtown) – the old town
• Sakala – the city center
• El Kawsar – the modern part
• El Mamsha (Village Road) – a pedestrianised street with a length of over 4 km (2.5 mi)