Photo: The Oberoi Beach Resort, Sahl Hasheesh via Google
The verdict
- Best forTravellers who want the Red Sea cheaply and would rather walk to a public beach than pay for a full island excursion
- Top pickDahar in the Old Town, for the free public El Sawaky beach and the corniche sunset
- One thing to knowThe town and promenade beaches are cheap or free, while the famous island sandbanks cost a boat trip and a national park fee
Published 2 March 2026. Last reviewed 8 May 2026
Hurghada is built for the packaged resort day, but you do not need one to reach the Red Sea. The Old Town has a free public beach, the newer bays have public promenades, and a hotel day pass buys a lounger and a house reef for far less than a boat excursion. The postcard white sandbanks out on the islands are genuinely stunning, but they sit inside a national park and cost a full trip to reach, so the budget map of Hurghada is really about the shore.
We have ranked these for the traveller who wants clear water and a cheap day over a marked up island package, weighing free or low cost access, a swim or a snorkel without a boat, and how easy each spot is to reach on foot or by a short taxi. We have been honest about which beaches give the Red Sea for very little and which are a treat you pay a premium for.
If you want one easy pick, head to Dahar in the Old Town, where the public El Sawaky beach and the corniche give you a free swim and a sunset stroll with cheap seafood behind. It is the most authentic low cost day in Hurghada, even if the best reef is still out at the islands.
The best free and budget beaches
Free or cheap access and an easy swim first.
Dahar
The free public El Sawaky beach in Hurghada Old Town, with a lively corniche for a sunset stroll and cheap seafood behind it. The most authentic low cost day in town, easy to reach and free to swim from, though the reef is far better out at the islands. The budget pick for atmosphere over coral.
Sahl Hasheesh
A calm horseshoe bay with a free public promenade and a reef off the jetties you can snorkel from shore, walkable and pleasant without a boat. Smart hotels ring it, but the promenade and the shore reef make it good value for a quiet swim and a snorkel that costs nothing.
Sakkala
The marina district for a free sunset walk and a cheap dinner, with the excursion boats leaving from here. The swimming is better elsewhere, but as a central, low cost base with easy access to everything it earns its place, especially if you are catching a boat in the morning.
Magawish
A public stretch of Caribbean style sandbanks and a shallow lagoon that draws the kite and windsurf crowd, cheaper and more open than the resort bays. Fine for waders and watersports, less so for calm swimmers, and best on a morning before the afternoon wind builds across the flats.
Makadi Bay
A calm, shallow resort bay with soft sand and house reefs off the hotels, best enjoyed on a low cost day pass rather than a full stay. The value read is to book the pass, take the lounger and the reef, and skip the boat, since the snorkeling here is right off the beach.
El Gouna
The planned lagoon town north of Hurghada, with the kite friendly Mangroovy beach and the island sand at Zeytuna, a smarter base with some cheaper access than the big resort beaches. Good for a stylish low cost day if you pick the public leaning spots over the priciest club sand.
The honest read on doing it cheaply
The beaches famous for the wrong reasons on a budget are the island day trips to Orange Bay, Paradise Island and Mahmya. The sand and the water inside the Giftun national park are genuinely stunning, among the best in the Red Sea, but a trip stacks the boat fare, the national park fee and a managed beach charge on top of one another, so it is a treat rather than a budget day. Beautiful, yes, but not cheap.
The cheap move is to keep your feet on the shore. A free town beach like the El Sawaky sand at Dahar, or the free promenade and jetty reef at Sahl Hasheesh, gives you the Red Sea for almost nothing, and a hotel day pass buys a lounger, a clean beach and a house reef for far less than an excursion. Save the island trip for one splurge day and swim from the shore the rest of the week.
Bring reef safe sun cover and water shoes, because much of the Hurghada coast fronts coral rather than open sand, and the best snorkeling is often straight off a jetty or a house reef. The wind builds through the afternoon at the exposed spots like Magawish and El Gouna, which the kite crowd love and calm swimmers do not, so mornings swim best. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed, so check locally before you go in.
The paid option, if you want it
A cheap Hurghada day needs no club, but the resort bays and the marina have beach clubs and hotel day passes if you want one polished afternoon with a lounger, a pool and a house reef. We never invent a venue, a day pass price or an opening status, so anything unconfirmed is marked to be confirmed. Browse the directory, pick your spot, and send one enquiry to check the cost before you go.
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Before you go
Are Hurghada beaches free?
The town and public beaches are free, such as the El Sawaky beach at Dahar and the promenades in the newer bays. The resort beaches charge for access or a day pass, and the famous island sandbanks cost a boat trip and a national park fee, so the free option is really the shore in town.
Which is the cheapest good beach in Hurghada?
Dahar in the Old Town, where the public El Sawaky beach is free to swim from and the corniche gives you a sunset stroll with cheap seafood behind. It is the most authentic low cost day, though for the best coral you would still head out to the islands on a paid trip.
Is the Orange Bay trip worth it on a budget?
The sand and water are stunning, but it is not a budget day. A trip to Orange Bay or the other Giftun sandbanks stacks the boat fare, the national park fee and a managed beach charge, so treat it as one splurge rather than an everyday option, and swim from the shore the rest of the week.
Can you snorkel from shore cheaply in Hurghada?
Yes. Sahl Hasheesh has a reef off its jetties you can snorkel from the free promenade, and a Makadi Bay day pass puts a house reef right off the beach. The island reefs are the finest, but they cost a boat trip, so shore snorkeling is the budget way to see the coral.
Where should I base for a cheap Hurghada trip?
Dahar in the Old Town is the cheapest and most local base, with the free public beach, budget seafood and easy taxis. For a little more comfort at still reasonable cost, a value hotel with a day pass gives you a clean beach and a house reef without paying resort prices for the room.
Are the budget beaches calm for swimming?
Makadi Bay and Sahl Hasheesh are calm, shallow and gentle, while Magawish and El Gouna are breezier and better for kite and windsurf than a still swim. The wind builds in the afternoon at the exposed spots, so swim in the morning, and remember conditions are typical and never guaranteed.