Taxi Travel

Within Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, and Nuweiba, a taxi ride will cost about £E10. There are no meters, so be sure to agree on a price with your driver before you get into the car. You can also take a taxi between towns; here are some fare estimates: £E200 between Sharm El-Sheikh and Dahab; £E300 between Sharm and Saint Catherine's Monastery; £E220 between Sharm and Nuweiba; and £E130 between Nuweiba and Taba. Taking the microbus in Sharm will be much cheaper.

In Hurghada, taxis are only available on the street (not by phoning a dispatcher). Taxis will cost at least £E15 for the shortest distance in Hurghada. A better, if more communal, option would be to flag down a microbus, which will cost only £E2 to £E5 per person. To travel between El Gouna and Hurghada, a taxi will cost around £E90. Within El Gouna, taxis are unnecessary since free microbuses and boats stop at all key hotels and hot spots.

In the Suez Canal Zone, taxis are everywhere. Just flag one down, and agree with the driver on a price before you get in. In Bur Sa‘id, you should pay no more than £E5 for any local trip. In Ismailiya, you might pay up to £E10. The drivers are usually pleasant, and they will turn down the music if you ask them to. But brace yourself: they drive very fast.

At this writing, tourists were being targeted by a note-switching scam in Hurghada. When you give a taxi driver, perhaps, a £E50 note for a fare, he quickly switches it for a 50pt note and tells you you’ve given him the wrong amount. Always look at your cash before handing it over.