Naama Bay, Sharm El Sheikh
The verdict
- Best for: Travellers who want a lively, central, good value base with a calm sandy bay, easy food and nightlife on the doorstep and water sports off the beach.
- Best spot: The promenade end of the bay for cheap eats and an easy swim, with a resort daybed only if you want the pool and the service, and the headland reefs for the real snorkelling.
- Know this: Naama Bay is the convenient social heart of Sharm, not its finest reef. Use it as a base and a buzz, and snorkel the better walls at Ras Um Sid or by boat.
Published 4 March 2026. Last reviewed 23 March 2026
Naama Bay is the old tourist heart of Sharm El Sheikh, and for a value minded traveller it is the smartest base on the coast. The sheltered sandy bay gives you a calm easy swim, the promenade behind it is wall to wall with restaurants, bars and shops, and you can walk to dinner, a dive centre and a boat trip without ever touching a taxi. For a holiday where the beach is a base rather than the whole point, that convenience is worth real money.
The honest catch is the swimming itself. Naama Bay is pleasant rather than spectacular underwater, a sandy bottom with patches of seagrass instead of the dramatic coral the Red Sea is famous for. Beginners and families paddling at the edge will be perfectly happy, but anyone who came to Sharm for the reef should treat Naama as the social bay and snorkel elsewhere. The best walls are a short ride away at the Ras Um Sid lighthouse and Sharks Bay, or out at Ras Mohammed by boat, and the coral there is free to swim.
On the choice of where to spend, our view is clear. The promenade is where Naama earns its value, with cheap and cheerful eating and a genuine buzz after dark, so use it. Pay a resort day pass when you actually want the pool, the shade and the service for a lazy family day, not just a patch of sand, because the same calm sea fronts the public stretches too. One honest warning, the beach and street vendors can be persistent, so a polite firm no and a relaxed attitude go a long way.
Clubs on this beach
Naama Bay is lined with resort beaches rather than standalone clubs, with the town's one real beach club at Old Sharm nearby. We describe the options honestly and route enquiries through our directory, never inventing fees or amenities.
Naama Bay resort beaches and the promenade
The curve of Naama Bay is lined with hotel beaches offering sun loungers, water sports and reef access, with a day pass sometimes sold to non guests, set behind a busy promenade of bars and restaurants. Verdict: the easy, lively, best value base in Sharm, where the comfort is the resort daybed and the value is the open promenade and the public sand, with day pass and lounger charges to be confirmed.
Naama Bay sits in the middle of the Sharm El Sheikh coast, a short transfer from the airport and walkable end to end along its promenade, which makes it the easiest base in town. Taxis and resort shuttles link it to the headland beaches at Ras Um Sid and the bays to the north, and dive centres and tour desks here run the boat trips to Tiran and Ras Mohammed, so you can stay in Naama and reach the better reefs without a hire car.
Bring a mask, reef shoes and some cash for loungers, day passes, tips and the promenade cafes, and decide before you settle whether you want a free public swim or a resort daybed, because that choice sets the cost of your day. The water is calmest and clearest in the morning, the sun is strong year round even in the mild winter, and a little patience with the vendors keeps the mood easy.
Reserve a day at Naama Bay
Tell us your date and party and we will point you to the right beach and daybed options at Naama Bay and across Sharm El Sheikh, from an easy resort lounger to a reef day at the headlands. No charge to enquire.
Common questions
Is Naama Bay beach free in Sharm El Sheikh?
Partly. Much of the bay is fronted by hotels, so the sand in front of a resort usually means staying there or buying a day pass, while there are some more public stretches and the promenade is open to all. The value move is to use the lively promenade for cheap food and pay a daybed only when you want the resort service, with charges to be confirmed.
Is Naama Bay good for snorkelling?
It is fine for a first try but not the best in Sharm. The sheltered sandy bay has gentle water and some seagrass rather than a dramatic coral wall, so beginners enjoy it but keen snorkellers should head to the house reef at Ras Um Sid or Sharks Bay, or take a boat to Ras Mohammed. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Is Naama Bay good for families?
Yes. The bay is sheltered, the water is calm and shallow at the edge, and there are loungers, cafes and water sports along the sand, which makes an easy family day. Lifeguard cover is seasonal and not guaranteed, the sun is strong and the reef means rocky patches, so reef shoes and close supervision matter, and we make no swimming safety promise.
What is there to do at Naama Bay?
Naama Bay is the lively heart of Sharm, with a beachfront promenade of restaurants, bars and shops, water sports like parasailing and banana boats off the sand, and easy access to dive centres and boat trips. It is the social and nightlife hub more than the best swimming reef, so it suits a base for an easy, good value holiday.
When is the best time to visit Naama Bay?
Sharm is a winter sun star, so November to April gives warm comfortable days and a warm sea when Europe is cold, while the shoulder weeks of October, November, March and May add the best value. High summer is very hot, so an early swim and a shaded lounger are wise. See our Sharm El Sheikh when to go guide for the month by month detail.
