Old Vic Beach, Hurghada
The verdict
- Best for: Independent travellers and couples who want an easy, affordable, clean swim in the city without booking a resort, and are happy with a calm town beach rather than a reef or a remote cove.
- Best spot: A shaded sunbed near the water on a weekday morning, when the beach is calm and quiet, kept for a relaxed swim and a stroll to the cafes rather than a snorkelling day.
- Know this: Old Vic is one of the oldest public beaches in Hurghada, open for a small entry fee, so it is a rare value swim in a city where most sand is resort owned, with the reef life saved for the islands.
Published 21 February 2026. Last reviewed 10 April 2026
Old Vic does a quietly valuable thing that most of Hurghada does not. On a coast where nearly every grain of sand sits behind a resort gate, here is a long established public beach in the heart of the city that anyone can walk into for a small fee, find it clean and calm and well kept, take a sunbed under an umbrella and swim in gentle shallow water. For an independent traveller staying in a city flat, or a couple who do not want to spend a fortune on a resort day pass just to reach the sea, that openness is the whole appeal, and Old Vic delivers it with more care than its modest price suggests.
Be clear eyed about what it is, though. This is a town beach, framed by the city rather than by cliffs or palms, with the buzz of Hurghada close behind the sand. The swimming is easy and the water is pretty, but the reef life that draws people to this coast is not really here, so you snorkel lightly if at all and save the coral for the islands. At weekends it fills with local families, which is part of its honest, lived in charm and also the reason a couple after peace should pick a weekday morning, when the beach is calm and the water is quiet.
So our verdict is simple and warm. Come to Old Vic for what it genuinely is, the best value clean swim in the city and a rare slice of open public coast, not for a romantic desert island fantasy. Pair a lazy morning here with an evening on the corniche, keep a boat day to Paradise Island or Orange Bay in your plans for the real reef, and you will appreciate Old Vic for the easy, affordable, honest beach it is. For two people watching the budget who still want their toes in the Red Sea most days, it is one of the smartest beach choices in Hurghada.
Clubs on this beach
Old Vic is a managed public beach with sunbeds and a cafe rather than a standalone club, with the resort day passes of the city a short hop away. We describe the options honestly and route enquiries through our directory, never inventing fees or amenities.
Old Vic public beach
Old Vic runs as a managed public beach with a small entry fee that usually covers a sunbed and umbrella, plus a cafe and showers, in the heart of the city. Verdict: the rare value swim of Hurghada, open to all without a resort booking, best for an easy affordable city beach day rather than a reef or a remote cove, with entry and lounger charges to be confirmed and the snorkelling left to the islands.
Old Vic sits in central Hurghada near the Village Road and the heart of the city, so it is one of the easiest beaches to reach without a hotel transfer, a short taxi or a walk from most central accommodation and only minutes from the marina at Sakkala. There is no resort gate to negotiate, just the beach entrance and its small fee, which is what makes it such a convenient swim for anyone staying in town. From here the cafes, the markets and the corniche are all within easy reach, so a beach morning slips naturally into an afternoon in the city.
Bring small cash for the entry and any drinks, a hat and water for the strong year round sun, and your own mask if you want to potter in the shallows, though keep the snorkelling expectations gentle. Swim in the calm of the morning before the weekend crowds and the afternoon breeze, and if you want reef and remote sand on the same trip, line up a boat day to the Giftun islands at Paradise Island or Orange Bay alongside your easy days at Old Vic. It is the value half of a good Hurghada week rather than the whole of it.
Reserve a day at Old Vic Beach
Tell us your date and party and we will point you to the right beach and daybed options at Old Vic and across Hurghada, from an easy city swim to a boat day at the Giftun island beaches. No obligation, and we reply within a day.
Common questions
Is Old Vic Beach in Hurghada any good?
For a city beach it is one of the better choices, a long standing public beach in central Hurghada that is kept clean and calm, with soft sand, gentle shallow water and sunbeds for a small entry fee. It suits an easy affordable swim close to town rather than a resort idyll or a reef day. The setting is the city, not a remote cove, so judge it as good value and convenient, and conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Is Old Vic Beach a public beach?
Yes. Old Vic is one of the oldest public beaches in Hurghada, open to anyone for a modest entry charge that usually covers a sunbed and umbrella, which makes it a rare and welcome thing on a coast where most sand sits behind resorts. It gives independent travellers and locals a clean calm swim without booking a hotel. The exact entry and lounger charges vary and are to be confirmed.
How much does Old Vic Beach cost?
Entry is a small daily fee rather than a resort day pass, typically including a sunbed and umbrella, which is why Old Vic is a value favourite for a city swim. Charges change with the season and the operator, so we do not quote a figure, and the cost is to be confirmed. Either way it is far cheaper than a resort day pass and one of the most affordable ways to spend a beach day in Hurghada.
Is Old Vic Beach good for couples?
It is pleasant and low key rather than romantic in the postcard sense, a calm clean swim a short hop from the cafes and the corniche, which suits a relaxed affordable afternoon together. It is liveliest at weekends with local families, so for quiet come on a weekday or early. For a more secluded romantic beach the island sandbanks and the resort bays do more, while Old Vic is the easy honest city option.
Can you snorkel at Old Vic Beach?
Lightly. The water is calm and shallow and there are some fish around the shore and any pier, but this is a city beach rather than a reef, so the snorkelling is gentle and modest rather than a highlight. For real coral and reef fish you want the Giftun island day trips at Paradise Island and Orange Bay or the house reefs of the resort bays. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
When is the best time to visit Old Vic Beach?
Hurghada is a winter sun escape, so November to April gives warm comfortable days and a warm sea, with October, November, March and May the best value shoulder weeks. The beach is calmest and quietest on weekday mornings, and busiest at weekends with local families. High summer is very hot but cheapest, best handled with an early swim and a shaded sunbed.