Entertainment & Spa

El Gouna: a day in the town built on lagoons

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Anorya Team · 31 mai 2026 · 1 min read

Twenty minutes north of Hurghada and a different country in atmosphere. What to do with a day there.

El Gouna was built from nothing in the late 1980s on a stretch of empty coast, laid out across a set of islands connected by bridges and water channels. The nickname — the Egyptian Venice — is doing some work, but the comparison is not absurd: a lot of the town genuinely is easier to reach by boat than by road.

El Gouna: a day in the town built on lagoons

What a day looks like

Most trips arrive by boat rather than road, which is the right way in. The marina is the centre of gravity: cafés, a walkable waterfront, and a boatyard full of things being repaired. The old town square, Abu Tig, has the restaurants. Between them are the lagoons, which are calm, warm and shallow enough that the watersports schools use them for teaching.

El Gouna: a day in the town built on lagoonsEl Gouna: a day in the town built on lagoons

Why it feels different

The nickname — the Egyptian Venice — is doing some work, but the comparison is not absurd: a lot of the town genuinely is easier to reach by boat than by road.

There is no old Egypt here — nothing predates 1989 — and that is the point for some visitors and the objection for others. It is quieter than Hurghada, more expensive, and laid out for walking. If you want a bazaar and a call to prayer, go to Hurghada's Dahar district instead. If you want an afternoon that feels like the Mediterranean, this is it.

El Gouna: a day in the town built on lagoons
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Good to know

Frequently asked questions

We really have some of the lowest prices that can be offered while keeping the quality of service high. We are an online booking company working directly with large organizers in Egypt, so we can offer very favorable prices thanks to the large flow of tourists. Buying from us, you get quality service and don't overpay intermediaries.
The organizers' fleet has plenty of vehicles - cars, minivans and large comfortable buses. Vehicles for short, medium and long distances are equipped with air conditioning and safety systems, and buses with toilets are provided on long routes. All vehicles are regularly serviced and sanitized, hold the necessary tourist permits, and drivers are inspected before every trip.
We work without prepayment. Group excursions are paid on the bus or during the trip. The exceptions are individual excursions where plane tickets or documents are involved. The organizer comes to you - there is no need to look for anyone to pay. You can pay in cash in dollars or euros, and an alternative payment method can be arranged.
Egypt is heavily regulated when it comes to tourism. For a car or yacht to run a tour, daily permission from the police and military is required, and organizers without a license don't get permits. That is why on some tours we may ask for voucher and passport details (this applies to marine excursions, individual tours and some group tours that leave the city). For other excursions only the number of people is needed.
Some hotel guides wrongly claim insurance does not apply to third-party excursion organizers. That is not true. Your travel insurance is valid throughout Egypt, and once you are on the organizer's ship, bus or transport they carry full insurance responsibility for passengers - otherwise they could not obtain a tour permit at all.
Please check your belongings when you leave the bus or boat at the end of the tour. If something is lost it is hard to recover, as vehicles leave immediately to be cleaned. We will always help you look, but we cannot guarantee a 100% return - so please be careful!
We have a large daily flow of bookings, so most excursions run every day (or on set weekdays per the program's schedule). After booking we send the exact hotel pickup time. Many trips are shared with small hotel groups who bought the same tour from operators - the only difference is that our price is 40–60% lower.
Tour photographers are independent and do not work for the company, so any arrangement with them is your responsibility. We do not recommend paying in advance unless you are sure the photos will be delivered. If you do not want photos, tell the photographers early to avoid any pushiness.