# El Gouna near Hurghada > El Gouna is a private lagoon town 25 km north of Hurghada, nicknamed the Venice of the Red Sea. There's no ticket, but it's gated: security checks your passport and an entry permit that a hotel, tour or beach club registers in advance. The town never closes; allow half a day for Downtown, Abu Tig Marina and the lagoons. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/el-gouna - City: [Hurghada](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada), Egypt - YesGo score: 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 4 h - Opening hours: Town open 24/7; beach clubs from morning until sunset or evening, each with its own hours - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: No ticket, but by permit: your passport is registered with security in advance - Location: 25 km north of Hurghada, under 40 minutes from HRG airport - From central Hurghada: Taxi or Uber, 35–45 minutes - Bus: Go Bus from its Hurghada station to the Downtown El Gouna stop - Getting around: Tuk-tuks (by operator, from 7–8am until 1–4am), taxis, bikes - Boats: Shuttle boat from Downtown to Zaytouna Island; guided lagoon tours - Open-to-all beach: Zouni Beach (formerly Mangroovy), 10:00–22:00 - Payment: Cards usually taken in resort venues; carry Egyptian pounds for tuk-tuks and tips - Time needed: Half a day; a full day with the beach - Coordinates: 27.38500, 33.67917 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **25 km** — north of Hurghada on the Red Sea, under 40 minutes from the airport (source: Official El Gouna website; English Wikipedia (≈ 20 km)) - **1990** — the year the resort town was founded (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Wikidata) - **No ticket** — but a security gate: every visitor's passport and permit are checked (source: Unofficial: El Gouna kite schools, rental hosts and Hurghada tour operators) - **≈ 37 km²** — town area (36.8 km²) (source: Russian Wikipedia; Wikidata; Orascom Development) - **10 km** — of Red Sea shoreline (source: English Wikipedia; Orascom Development) - **Samih Sawiris** — founder; his Orascom Development builds and runs the town (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **3 hubs** — Downtown, Tamr Henna Square and Abu Tig Marina (source: English Wikipedia; official El Gouna website) - **Zaytouna Island** — a beach on its own island, reached by boat from Downtown (source: English Wikipedia; official El Gouna website) - **Michael Graves** — the US architect designed the Sheraton Miramar hotel and the golf club here (source: English Wikipedia: Michael Graves; El Gouna) - **Red Sea Governorate** — the town belongs to it, not to the city of Hurghada (source: Wikidata; Russian Wikipedia) > **You can't just turn up at the gate** El Gouna is a private, gated town. Whoever you're visiting — a hotel, rental, beach club, kite school or tour operator — needs a photo of your passport **in advance, usually the day before**, so security can register you. Arrive by taxi with no booking and you may be turned away. Carry your passport. This is unofficial: the rules changed recently, so confirm with your host. ## Is El Gouna worth a day trip from Hurghada? Yes, if you want a calm, polished half day by the water. El Gouna is a separate resort town **25 km north of Hurghada**, built from 1990 by Samih Sawiris's Orascom Development on a string of lagoons and islands linked by bridges and canals. Houses open straight onto the water, which is why people call it the Venice of the Red Sea. Compared with Hurghada, the streets are clean and quiet, there's no hard sell, and you can walk past yachts, take a boat through the lagoons and finish with dinner at the marina. Prices are closer to a European resort than to an Egyptian one. Skip it if you're after history: there are no ancient sites or major museums. It's a modern resort, and the appeal is the setting, the beaches and the evening by the marina. ## Things to do in El Gouna - **Abu Tig Marina** — yachts, waterfront restaurants and shops; the town's best evening walk. - **Downtown** — the original centre, with low local-style buildings, cafés and shops, and the boat stop for Zaytouna Island. - **Tamr Henna Square** — a small square of restaurants, the third of the town's hubs. - **A lagoon boat tour** — the guided tour from Downtown passes Sunset Tower, Abu Tig Marina and the New Marina; guides speak English and German. - **Zaytouna Beach** — a beach on its own island in the middle of the lagoons. - **Kitesurfing** — steady wind and several schools on the shore; watching dozens of kites over the water is a show in itself. - **Michael Graves architecture** — the US architect designed the Sheraton Miramar and the golf club; the hotel is easy to spot from a lagoon boat. ## How to get to El Gouna from Hurghada 1. Sort out entry first: the beach club, restaurant, kite school or tour you're visiting registers your passport with security the day before. 2. From El Mina Mosque in Sakkala, take an Uber, Careem or taxi north along the coast road — about 30 km, 35–45 minutes. Agree the taxi fare before you get in. 3. Cheaper: Go Bus from its Hurghada station to the Downtown El Gouna stop. Check times and the boarding point in the Go Bus app; these buses don't serve the airport. 4. At the gate, show your passport and ask security to look up your permit in their system — you may not have a QR code. 5. Inside, use tuk-tuks (up to three people) or walk; Downtown to Abu Tig Marina is a long walk in the heat. 6. To get back, book the same taxi or call a car from the marina in the app. ## Can day visitors use the beaches? Hotel beaches are for hotel guests, so day visitors use beach clubs or the public beach. **Zouni Beach** (formerly Mangroovy) is open 10:00–22:00 and the town calls it a beach for everyone. **Moods Beach Club**, at the tip of Abu Tig Marina, opens 9:00 until sunset. The Smokery Beach charges entry and needs a booking. **Zaytouna Beach** is on an island reached by boat from Downtown. Hotel guests in El Gouna ride free; if you're coming from Hurghada, ask about the boat and entry when you book. In pools and lagoons, proper swimwear is required; loose cotton clothing and long swimsuits aren't allowed under the town rules. Sunbeds and restaurants can be booked in the official El Gouna app. ## How much does it cost to visit El Gouna? There's no ticket for the town itself. You pay for transport, beach club entry, lagoon boats and food. On the official site some clubs are tagged as charging entry; Zouni Beach isn't. Expect European resort prices rather than Hurghada prices. Beach and boat fees vary by club and season, so we don't list them — ask when you book. **Paying.** The currency is the Egyptian pound. Hotels, restaurants and beach clubs usually take international cards, but carry small pound notes for tuk-tuks, boats and tips. Uber works in Hurghada; you can pay by card in the app, though some drivers ask for cash. ## Guided tour or on your own? A tour is the easy option: the operator handles your entry permit from a passport photo, does the driving and usually includes a lagoon boat ride. Best if it's a one-off visit and you don't want to deal with the gate. Going independently gives you more freedom — stay on the beach until late and eat at the marina — but you still need someone to register you. Start by booking a beach club, a restaurant or a kite lesson. Allow 4–5 hours including the drive, or a full day with the beach. ## Before you go: checklist Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Entry permit arranged (tour, beach club or restaurant) - [ ] Original passport with me - [ ] Small Egyptian pound notes - [ ] Uber or Careem installed, mobile data working - [ ] Proper swimwear for pools and lagoons - [ ] Sunscreen and water - [ ] Half a day or a full day set aside ## Hurghada by the water: compare and choose Every Hurghada place by the water that YesGo has rated. - [Hurghada Fish Market](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/hurghada-fish-market) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free entry; seafood sold by weight - [Hurghada Marina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/hurghada-marina) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Sahl Hasheesh](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/sahl-hasheesh) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [El Gouna](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/el-gouna) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · No ticket; entry permit needed - [Hurghada Grand Aquarium](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/hurghada-grand-aquarium) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · $35, $32 online; kids 4–9 $17.50 - [Orange Bay](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/orange-bay) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Trip from $20 + park fee ≈ $5 - [Dolphin House](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/hurghada-dolphin-house) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Tours from $17 + ≈ $5 fee ## El Gouna and Hurghada by night in one day Lagoons and a beach in El Gouna by day, then back to Hurghada for the mosque by the fishing harbour and an evening walk around the marina. YesGo sets the times and transfers. 1. [El Gouna](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/el-gouna) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · No ticket; entry permit needed 2. [El Mina Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/el-mina-mosque) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, between prayers 3. [Hurghada Marina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/hurghada-marina) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Not to be confused with El Gouna is also a football club in the Egyptian Premier League and the name of the El Gouna Film Festival held in the town. This page is about the resort town north of Hurghada. There's no separate visa: Egypt's usual entry rules apply. ## Tips - Come for the last hour before sunset: soft light on the lagoons, then dinner at Abu Tig Marina. - See the lagoons from a boat, not the shore — only from the water do you see how the town is stitched together from islands. - Don't want to deal with the gate? Take a tour — the operator arranges your permit. - Zouni Beach lets everyone in — handy if your Hurghada hotel has no proper beach. - Heading back, stop for an evening stroll at [Hurghada Marina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/hurghada-marina) — it's on the way. - Want a quieter resort south of the city instead? Look at [Sahl Hasheesh](https://yesgo.io/egypt/hurghada/sahl-hasheesh). ## Questions ### Can you visit El Gouna without staying there? Yes, but you need a permit: the beach club, restaurant, kite school or tour you're visiting registers your passport with security, usually the day before. Without it you may be turned away at the gate. This is unofficial — check in advance. ### How do I get from Hurghada to El Gouna? By Uber, Careem or taxi (35–45 minutes from central Hurghada), by Go Bus from its Hurghada station to Downtown, or on a guided tour. ### How far is El Gouna from Hurghada? About 25 km north of Hurghada and under 40 minutes from Hurghada airport. ### Is there an entrance fee for El Gouna? No ticket for the town. Some beach clubs charge entry, and you pay for lagoon boats and food. ### Is El Gouna worth visiting? Yes for a calm half day of lagoons, marina walks and beaches. No if you want ancient sites — it's a modern resort. ### What is there to do in El Gouna? Walk Abu Tig Marina, Downtown and Tamr Henna Square, take a lagoon boat tour, spend time on Zaytouna or Zouni Beach, or try kitesurfing. ### Which beaches in El Gouna are open to day visitors? Zouni Beach (formerly Mangroovy) is open to everyone, 10:00–22:00. Other clubs charge entry or need a booking; hotel beaches are for guests. ### Does Uber work in El Gouna? Uber operates in Hurghada and is the usual way to get there. Inside El Gouna, tuk-tuks and local cabs are easier. ### Why is El Gouna called the Venice of the Red Sea? It's built on lagoons and islands linked by canals and bridges, with houses right on the water. ## How we checked Distance, airport time, tuk-tuks, the Zaytouna boat, opening hours of Zouni Beach and Moods Beach Club and the swimwear rules come from the official El Gouna website. The founding year, area, shoreline and hubs are checked against two sources; the distance to Hurghada differs — 25 km on the official site, 20 km on English Wikipedia — and we use the official figure. Entry rules aren't published officially: kite schools, rental hosts and tour operators describe them, so they're marked “verifying”, as are the Go Bus route, taxi times and card acceptance. We don't list beach or boat prices: there are no official ones. ## Sources - Official El Gouna website: Transportation, Beaches & Pools, Marinas, FAQs, Destination - English Wikipedia: El Gouna, Michael Graves; Russian Wikipedia: Эль-Гуна; Wikidata Q286510 - Orascom Development — El Gouna profile (area and shoreline) - Uber — Hurghada city page - Sick Dog Surf — entry procedure for non-residents - El Gouna rental listings and Hurghada tour operators — passport registration at the gate - Local Guide to Egypt — Go Bus and tuk-tuks in El Gouna --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.