Port of Sharm El Sheikh cruise port guide

Port of Sharm El Sheikh — Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Sharm El Sheikh occupies the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Gulf of Suez, and it has built its entire identity around a single extraordinary natural asset: the Red Sea coral reef ecosystem. The reefs here — along the Sinai coastline, around Ras Mohammed National Park at the peninsula tip, and at the numerous offshore sites accessible by day-boat — are among the most biodiverse and spectacularly healthy coral environments on earth. This is one of the world's great diving destinations, consistently ranked alongside the Great Barrier Reef and the Maldives for the quality and variety of its underwater life. But Sharm is not only about diving. Ras Mohammed National Park protects the terrestrial tip of the peninsula as well as the underwater world, and its shoreline and mangrove lagoons are extraordinary even for non-divers. The SS Thistlegorm — a British WWII supply ship sunk by German bombers in 1941 in the northern Red Sea — is accessible as a day trip and is regarded by many professionals as one of the best wreck dives in the world. Na'ama Bay is the relaxed tourist centre, with beach clubs, restaurants, and shops. For passengers who want an inland adventure, St. Catherine's Monastery — the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world, constructed in the 4th century CE at the foot of Mount Sinai — is a 3-hour drive across the desert interior, though this is best suited to cruise calls of 12 hours or more. Sharm is a resort city designed entirely around international tourism and as a result it functions efficiently for visitors — English is universal in the tourist zone, facilities are modern, and the emphasis is unambiguously on comfort and activity rather than culture. Alcohol is available in hotels and licensed resort restaurants.

Getting ashore

Where do cruise ships dock in Sharm El Sheikh?

Cruise ships dock at the Sharm El Sheikh cruise terminal near the Sharm El Maya area — a dedicated facility with reasonable passenger amenities, though the port is separated from the main Na'ama Bay tourist strip by several kilometres. The terminal is walk-off; no tendering. Taxis and tour operators wait outside the port gate. Most dive operators and tour companies will collect passengers directly from the port. The waterfront area near the terminal (Old Market / Sharm El Maya) has some shops and restaurants within walking distance, but the main dive shops, beach clubs, and restaurants of Na'ama Bay require a 10–15 minute taxi ride.

Getting around

Taxis are the main transport in Sharm; the city is sprawling and entirely car-dependent between its zones (Old Market, Na'ama Bay, Nabq, Sharks Bay). Agree on the fare before getting in — standard Na'ama Bay to port runs around EGP 50–100 at current rates (check current EGP exchange rates as they fluctuate substantially). Organised dive and excursion operators collect from the port gate. Some resort areas operate shuttle buses within their zones. Uber and Careem are not reliably operational in Sharm in the same way as Cairo or Hurghada; taxis remain primary. The distances between Sharm's zones make walking impractical for most excursion combinations.

Don't miss

• Ras Mohammed National Park — Shark and Yolanda Reefs: Ras Mohammed is the crown jewel of Sinai diving and one of the most spectacular marine environments in the world — a national park established in 1983 that protects both the terrestrial tip of the Sinai Peninsula and an extraordinary underwater landscape of vertical coral walls, submarine canyons, and open-water passages. The park's two signature dive sites are Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, separated by a narrow saddle and offering entirely different experiences. Shark Reef is a free-standing pinnacle dropping sheer walls on all sides to 60+ metres, with prolific soft coral gardens and reliable sightings of grey reef sharks, white-tips, hammerheads (in season), and enormous schools of barracuda and jack. Yolanda Reef takes its name from a Cypriot cargo ship that sank on the reef in 1980 — its toilets and bathroom fixtures, scattered across the reef at dive depth, are one of the more surreal sights in Red Sea diving. The park is 20–30 minutes by boat from Sharm and reached on organised day trips only; entry requires a park permit included in dive trip fees.
• SS Thistlegorm Wreck Dive — The SS Thistlegorm is not just one of the best wrecks in the Red Sea — it is regularly listed among the top ten dive sites in the entire world. The ship was a 127-metre British armed merchant vessel loaded with war supplies for the Allied forces in North Africa when it was struck by two Heinkel He 111 bombs on the night of 26 October 1941, detonating the ammunition in its rear cargo holds and sinking in minutes. Today it lies at 15 to 32 metres in the Straits of Gubal, north of Sharm, its holds still packed with the war materials that went down with it: Bren gun carriers and trucks in the main holds, BSA motorcycles standing in pairs in the forward hold (the most photographed image in Red Sea diving), Lee-Enfield rifles in their cases, Wellington boots, anti-aircraft guns still mounted on the deck, and a locomotive on the port side. Penetrating the holds requires some navigation but is within the reach of any Open Water certified diver with a light. The journey from Sharm is 2.5–3 hours each way by dive boat; the site is best experienced with a knowledgeable local dive master who knows the holds.
• Snorkelling Directly off the Reef — Na'ama Bay and Shark's Bay: Not every passenger who comes to Sharm is a certified diver, and the reef ecosystem is accessible enough at many sites for excellent snorkelling without any certification. The house reefs at several Na'ama Bay beach clubs and hotels begin at the waterline in very shallow water — coral gardens in 2–5 metres with moray eels, pufferfish, butterflyfish, clownfish in their anemones, and occasionally sea turtles within easy view of the shore. Just north of Na'ama Bay, the Gardens reefs (Near, Middle and Far Garden) have coral walls rising almost to the surface and are excellent for snorkelling. The famous Blue Hole is at Dahab, roughly 1.5 hours' drive north — too far for most port calls. Equipment rental from any dive shop or beach club is cheap and widely available. This is an equally valid way to spend a Sharm port day for non-divers — several hours floating over a world-class reef with a mask and snorkel is an experience that will outlast any shopping excursion.
• St. Catherine's Monastery — Built between 548 and 565 CE by the Emperor Justinian at the foot of Mount Sinai — the mountain where, per Abrahamic tradition, Moses received the Ten Commandments — St. Catherine's Monastery is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam simultaneously. The walled granite complex contains a remarkable Byzantine church, a mosque built within the walls (added by Muslim rulers to protect the monastery), and an extraordinary library holding the world's second-largest collection of early Christian manuscripts after the Vatican. The monastery also claims to contain the original Burning Bush — the living shrub growing in the monastery garden is regarded by the monks as the direct descendant of the one from which God spoke to Moses. The drive from Sharm takes approximately three hours each way across spectacular Sinai mountain desert; the monastery is open to visitors in the morning only (roughly 9am to noon, with a much shorter window on Fridays; closed Sundays and on some religious holidays — check before you go). This excursion is only viable for cruise calls of 12+ hours with a very early start.
• Na'ama Bay Beach Clubs and Water Sports — For passengers seeking a relaxed beach day rather than underwater adventures, Na'ama Bay's beach clubs offer the full Red Sea resort experience: sun loungers on clean sand, direct access to warm turquoise water, beach cafes and restaurants, and operators offering parasailing, jet ski rental, glass-bottom boat trips, and banana boat rides from the beach. The water in Na'ama Bay is warm year-round (26–28°C / 79–82°F in summer, 20–22°C / 68–72°F in winter) and the bay is sheltered from wind. Day passes at beach clubs include a sunlounger and umbrella; major hotels sell day passes that include their pools as well. It is a thoroughly enjoyable, low-effort way to spend a port day in comfort, particularly in the cooler winter months when the Red Sea is at its clearest and most inviting.

Planning your day

For certified divers, the day plan is simple: contact your dive operator the evening before (your ship's excursion desk, or a pre-booked independent operator such as Camel Dive Club or Emperor Divers in Na'ama Bay), arrange your morning pickup from the port gate, and decide between Ras Mohammed (the best reef diving, 20–30 min by boat) and the Thistlegorm wreck (magnificent, but 2.5–3 hours each way — only feasible for 10+ hour port calls and if you tolerate the long boat ride). For non-divers, the optimal day starts at the port gate with a taxi to Na'ama Bay; reach a beach club by 9am, secure a sunlounger, and rent snorkelling gear for a morning session on the house reef — the coral and fish life visible in just 2–4 metres of water is genuinely remarkable. Have lunch at a Na'ama Bay seafood restaurant around noon. Spend the early afternoon browsing the dive shops and tourist strip, or take a glass-bottom boat trip from the beach. Head to Farsha Café in Hadaba for the late-afternoon view over the sea — it's a short taxi from the port, so you can head back with time to spare. For passengers who want to squeeze in St. Catherine's Monastery: this requires the ship to be in port for at least 10–12 hours with a very early departure, a private car (not a shared bus), and acceptance that you will arrive back at the ship exhausted but having seen one of the world's most extraordinary places. Budget EGP 100–200 for taxis around town, $60–100 for a half-day dive trip with gear, and $30–60 per person for a beach club day pass and lunch.

Food & drink

Sharm El Sheikh is an international resort city and its food scene reflects this — it caters heavily to European package tourists and cruise visitors, meaning there is a wide range of international options (Italian, Mexican, Asian) alongside Egyptian and Middle Eastern restaurants. The quality of genuinely Egyptian food in Sharm is good but requires seeking out; the heavily tourist-facing restaurants of Na'ama Bay serve adequate approximations. Fresh Red Sea seafood is the best thing on any menu in Sharm — the local fish caught that morning (grouper, sea bream, red mullet, prawns) are superb when grilled simply. Alcohol is freely available at licensed hotel restaurants and most tourist-facing establishments. Prices are calibrated to international tourist budgets — significantly higher than Luxor or Cairo.

Where to eat

• Farsha Café — Farsha is Sharm's most beloved and photogenic café — a rambling collection of terraced outdoor seating built into the cliff on the Um El Sid hill in Hadaba, with cushions, lanterns, rugs, and low tables scattered across multiple levels, all looking out over the Red Sea. It is primarily a shisha and drinks venue that also serves Egyptian and Lebanese food (mezze, grilled meats, sandwiches) and is at its best in the late afternoon and evening; it stays open until around 1am. The food is secondary to the atmosphere, but the mezze is reliable and the fresh juices are good. It's a short taxi from the port and the Old Market, then a walk down through the décor-filled terraces. It is an excellent final stop of the day before returning to the ship.
• Fares Seafood — For passengers who want a proper sit-down seafood meal rather than a point-and-grill experience at the fishing harbour, Fares is one of Sharm's best-known seafood restaurants, in the Old Market. Fresh Red Sea catch is sold by weight — agree the price before it's cooked — alongside seafood soup, grilled prawns, and pasta for non-seafood eaters. It's open from lunchtime until late; some diners report being pushed to order more, so keep an eye on the bill. This is the middle ground between the basic fishing harbour restaurants and the resort hotel dining rooms.
• El Masrien Restaurant — El Masrien is the best-known spot in the Old Market for genuine Egyptian food — a busy grill restaurant serving charcoal-grilled kofta, stuffed pigeon, garlicky molokhiya, mahshi (stuffed vegetables) and Om Ali for dessert. Prices are well below the Na'ama Bay restaurants, portions are generous, and it's open from around midday until late. Reaching the Old Market requires a 10–15 minute taxi from Na'ama Bay or from the cruise terminal; it is worth the short journey for passengers who want to see a Sharm beyond the resort strip.

Must try

• Grilled Red Sea Fish — The single most rewarding food experience in Sharm El Sheikh is fresh Red Sea fish, grilled whole over charcoal at one of the waterfront seafood restaurants in the Old Market area or the fishing harbour. The fish are often displayed on ice outside the restaurant for you to select by hand — choose your grouper (hammour), sea bream (denise), or red mullet (sultan Ibrahim) by eye, weigh it with the restaurateur to agree the price, specify your preparation (charcoal-grilled with olive oil and lemon, or oven-baked in tomato and herbs), and wait while it is cooked to order. It arrives with Egyptian aish baladi bread, fresh salad, tahini, and lemon. This is not a sophisticated dining experience but it is a deeply satisfying one — fish at peak freshness, simply cooked, eaten beside the water. The Old Market (Sharm El Maya) area has the best concentrations of genuine fish restaurants, where the actual fishermen eat.
• Egyptian Mezze and Grilled Meats — In the tourist strip restaurants of Na'ama Bay, the most reliable order is the standard Egyptian mezze-and-grill combination: a shared plate of hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, fattoush, and warm flatbread to start, followed by a mixed grill of kofta (spiced ground lamb on skewers), chicken kebab (marinated chunks grilled on charcoal), and lamb chops. These dishes appear at virtually every restaurant in the tourist zone and are generally executed well — charcoal-grilling requires minimal skill interference and fresh ingredients are readily available. The mezze should be served at room temperature; if the hummus arrives cold from a refrigerator, it has been made in advance and the restaurant is cutting corners. Warm, freshly made hummus with olive oil and paprika is a meaningfully different dish.
• Koshary — Egypt's great democratic street dish — the layered carb confection of pasta, rice, lentils, crispy fried onions, and spiced tomato-vinegar sauce — is available in Sharm at a handful of local-facing koshary shops in the Old Market area and around the working-class residential zones behind the tourist strip. It is cheap, filling, and completely authentic, representing a refreshing contrast to the tourist-adjusted restaurant food of Na'ama Bay. A full plate costs roughly EGP 25–50 (well under a dollar at current rates). Finding a functioning koshary shop in Sharm requires a short taxi ride away from the resort zone, but the contrast between this and a €20 tourist buffet is instructive about the economic realities of Egyptian resort cities.
• Fresh Juice and Smoothies — Egypt's abundant subtropical agriculture — mango, guava, strawberry, pomegranate, sugarcane, watermelon — makes fresh-pressed juice from street carts and dedicated juice bars one of the great eating pleasures of any Egyptian city, Sharm included. Na'ama Bay has several dedicated juice bars and smoothie shops that go well beyond the basics: mango-passionfruit blends, avocado-banana smoothies, fresh sugarcane pressed to order, pomegranate with a squeeze of orange. The quality of the produce, imported fresh from the Nile Delta, is exceptional — Egyptian mangoes in particular (available June–September) are extraordinarily sweet and fragrant varieties that bear no resemblance to the imported mangoes available in European supermarkets. Order a large fresh mango juice at any point during your Sharm visit and you will likely conclude that Egyptian fruit juice is the best thing you have consumed all voyage.
• Seafood Pasta and International Resort Food — Given Sharm's overwhelming Italian-tourist clientele, you will find competent Italian-influenced seafood pasta (spaghetti alle vongole with fresh Red Sea clams, linguine with prawns in a simple tomato and basil sauce) at numerous restaurants throughout Na'ama Bay. These are not destinations worth travelling to Egypt for, but for passengers who want a safe, reliable, comfortable meal before an afternoon dive or after a morning beach session, a decent pasta with fresh local seafood in an air-conditioned Na'ama Bay restaurant will not disappoint. Look for restaurants with visible fish tanks or displayed fresh catch — these establishments have daily deliveries and the difference in quality between fresh and frozen seafood is immediately apparent in a Red Sea prawn.

Know before you go

• 🗣️Language — Arabic is the official language but English is extremely widely spoken throughout Sharm's tourist infrastructure — dive operators, hotel staff, taxi drivers, and restaurant workers in Na'ama Bay are virtually all competent in English. Italian is the second tourist language and many menus and staff accommodate it. Outside the tourist zones (the Old Market, the residential areas), English becomes less reliable. Russian was historically very common but less so after 2015 when Russia suspended flights to Egypt; this is slowly recovering.
• 📋Documents — Egypt requires a visa, available as an e-visa in advance or on arrival at the port. Cruise ship passengers typically have simplified entry arrangements through their cruise line's group visa — confirm specifics before arrival. The Sinai-only visa (stamped in blue) covers Sharm and the St. Catherine's area but not mainland Egypt or the Valley of the Kings — ensure you have the correct visa type for your intended excursions. Carry your passport ashore. Entry to Ras Mohammed National Park requires a park entry permit, which dive operators include in their trip price.
• 🛍️Shopping & hours — Na'ama Bay has a tourist-oriented shopping strip and the Old Market (Sharm El Maya) has a more traditional bazaar feel with jewellery, clothing, leather goods, and Egyptian souvenir items. Bargaining is expected and prices in tourist-facing shops are heavily inflated as starting points — 30–50% off the first price is reasonable. The Egyptian Pound (EGP) has depreciated significantly; verify current exchange rates as the dollar and euro go substantially further than they did historically. ATMs are plentiful in Na'ama Bay. Credit cards are accepted at hotels, dive shops, and larger restaurants. Shops generally open 9am–late, sometimes with a midday break.
• 🌤️Weather — Sharm has a hyper-arid desert climate — virtually zero annual rainfall and year-round sunshine. Summers (June–September) are very hot, 37–42°C (99–108°F) on land, with water temperatures around 27–29°C. Winter (December–February) is the most popular dive season: water temperatures around 20–22°C (68–72°F), air temperatures 20–25°C (68–77°F), and excellent underwater visibility of 30+ metres. Spring and autumn are warm and beautiful. Wind from the northwest (shamal) can occasionally affect the Gulf of Suez-facing sites (Thistlegorm) but Ras Mohammed and the Aqaba-facing sites are usually sheltered.
• 📶Connectivity — Sharm El Sheikh has solid 4G/LTE coverage throughout Na'ama Bay, the Old Market, and along the main Naama road. Dive boats at Ras Mohammed and even on the Thistlegorm run have periodic signal; underwater you obviously have none. Local Egyptian SIMs (Orange, Vodafone, Etisalat) are inexpensive and available near the port. Most dive shops and hotels have WiFi. The road to St. Catherine's passes through remote mountain desert where signal is intermittent.
• ♿Accessibility — The beach areas and Na'ama Bay promenade are largely flat and accessible. Diving is largely inaccessible to passengers with significant mobility limitations without specialist dive training and equipment; however, snorkelling from a beach requires only the ability to enter and exit shallow water, which beach club staff can assist with. Glass-bottom boat tours provide a view of the reefs without any in-water requirement and operate from Na'ama Bay. St. Catherine's Monastery interior is accessible on foot across flat ground, though the site exterior and surroundings involve uneven terrain. The cruise terminal itself has ramp access.
• ⏱️Getting back — The port is in the Sharm El Maya area, about 10–15 minutes by taxi from Na'ama Bay — always leave more buffer than you think you need as traffic along the main Naama highway can be unpredictable when multiple cruise ships are in port. Dive trips to Ras Mohammed typically return to the port area by mid-afternoon; Thistlegorm day trips are longer (departure ~6:30am, return ~5–6pm) and need to be verified against your ship's all-aboard time before booking. St. Catherine's excursions are 10–12 hours minimum round-trip and are only viable for long port calls. Tell your driver your ship's name and all-aboard time at the start of any taxi excursion.

Sources: experiencesinai.com; rasmohammednationalpark.com; diveguide.com/sharm; lonelyplanet.com/egypt/sharm-el-sheikh; egypt.travel/sinai