Sharm El Sheikh without a package holiday: independent travel and transport
Visiting Sharm El Sheikh without a package holiday means arranging four things yourself: your entry document, the airport transfer in both directions, getting around during your stay and transport for day trips. A tour operator normally bundles these; if you fly independently on a low-cost or scheduled airline, they are yours to organise. This guide goes through them step by step and flags what we could not confirm. Facts checked 15 October 2026.
What a package normally includes, and what you now arrange
A package holiday usually covers the airport transfer to the hotel and back, often help with the visa and sometimes excursions with transport included. If you buy flights and a hotel separately, you need to arrange the transfer both ways, transport for any excursions and your entry document.
Flights vary by market. According to the airline list on Wikipedia, UK passengers fly to Sharm on easyJet and Jet2, Italians on Wizz Air, easyJet and Neos, and Poles on Wizz Air from Gdansk, Katowice and Warsaw-Modlin, with three of those routes shown as starting on 26 and 27 October 2026. Always check your airline's current schedule.
Before you fly: passport, Sinai-only stamp and visa
Your passport needs at least 6 months' validity from the day you arrive and at least one blank page, according to the UK Foreign Office. Then you choose between the free Sinai-only entry stamp and a full visa.
The stamp is free and covers stays of up to 15 days (some operators say 14) at the resorts of Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. A full visa costs 30 US dollars according to the UK Foreign Office, paid in cash at a kiosk before passport control, and you need one if you will go to Cairo, Hurghada or Luxor, or stay longer.
Sources disagree about two places: whether the stamp covers Saint Catherine's Monastery and Ras Mohammed National Park. Checked 15 October 2026, so check before you travel.
Booking the airport transfer yourself
You have three realistic options. A pre-booked private transfer is priced per vehicle with the driver included, the current lowest price for your area is shown live on the airport transfer page, and you can add your flight number on the booking step. An airport taxi has no meter, so you agree the fare first. For apps, Careem and inDrive work in Sharm while Uber does not, according to our local partner companies (October 2026).
Our guide to getting from Sharm El Sheikh airport to your hotel compares all the options, with distances to Nabq, Naama Bay and the Old Market. If you land after midnight, enter the actual landing date.
Money and SIM cards: the basics only
Travel guides say ATMs and currency exchange are in the Terminal 1 arrivals hall, but rates tend to be less favourable than in town and some counters take cash only. That source is unofficial, so do not rely on a single counter.
Mobile operators sell tourist SIM cards at airport counters, but this comes from vendor blogs with no official price list. You need your passport, and there can be queues in the high season. Keep some Egyptian pounds for small rides.
Getting around during your stay
Taxis have no meter, so agree the price before getting in. Of the apps, Careem and inDrive work in Sharm (with inDrive you offer a fare and pay cash), while Uber does not operate on Sinai. Microbuses stop at the roadside and, according to the Italian operator Alpitour, cost 10 to 20 EGP for a short ride, but they are harder for first-time visitors. A car with a driver by the hour suits a day with several stops.
For self-drive, our local partner companies accept national driving licences from any country, for example Ukrainian, Russian or Saudi, so your own licence is enough to rent. As a separate, official point, the UK Foreign Office and German and Austrian motoring clubs advise carrying a 1949 international driving permit together with your national licence for road checks. Minimum age is set by the rental company (sources say 21 or 23). The deposit is set by the company that owns the car and is shown on the car's page before you send a request: typically 300 to 500 US dollars or euros depending on the car, and about 1,000 for an expensive one. Some companies accept your passport left with them for the rental period instead of a cash deposit. There are police checkpoints on the roads, so agree with the company which ID you carry.
Day trips without an agency
Road distances from the airport without traffic: Ras Mohammed park gate about 20 to 30 km; Dahab about 90 to 95 km, 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30; Nuweiba about 150 km, 2 hours; Taba about 220 km, 2 hours 45 to 3 hours 15; Saint Catherine about 205 km, 2 hours 45 to 3 hours 30; Cairo about 500 km, 6 to 7 hours.
A Sinai-only stamp does not take you to Cairo, and Ras Mohammed and Saint Catherine are the disputed points above. You can reach all of them by car with a driver or by transfer. We do not quote tour prices here. Guides say you need your passport at the Ras Mohammed gate, and fees and opening hours should be confirmed on the day.
The way back
Book the return transfer together with your arrival transfer, or ask at reception how to order it. When to be at the airport is up to your airline, so follow its advice, as we do not give check-in times. Leave with a margin for traffic and checkpoints.
Confirm which terminal you depart from, because SSH has two terminals next to each other.
A short checklist
Before you fly: passport valid for 6 months with a blank page, a decision between Sinai-only stamp and visa, a transfer booked or a taxi plan, your national licence if you will drive (official sources advise an international driving permit for road checks), cash for the visa (30 USD) and small Egyptian pounds. On arrival: visa kiosk before passport control, ignore unofficial agents, step outside the hall and agree the price before the ride. During your stay: keep your passport with you. Before you leave: the return transfer and your airline's schedule.