If you have read our guide to the best shisha in Cairo, calibrate down before you arrive in Hurghada. Cairo has a 250-year-old ahwa culture and cafes that Naguib Mahfouz wrote in. Hurghada was a fishing village until the 1980s. The shisha here is real and it is cheap, but it is resort shisha — attached to restaurants, bars, hotel terraces and the marina promenade rather than to a tradition of neighbourhood cafes.
That shapes how you should search. Looking for "the best shisha lounge in Hurghada" will turn up a short and slightly confusing list, because the town has only a handful of venues built specifically around the pipe. Looking instead for where shisha is reliably good and reasonably priced gets you a much more useful answer. Here are the three places worth knowing, and then what to expect at the marina and in the hotels.
The 3 Best Places for Shisha in Hurghada
1. El Khema Shisha Cafe — Best Dedicated Shisha Cafe
El Khema on El Kornish Street is the closest thing Hurghada has to a proper shisha cafe, and it is the best reviewed: 4.8 from 38 reviews on Tripadvisor, where it ranks around #166 of 549 restaurants in the town. The review count is modest, but the score is consistent and the reviews are specific rather than generic.
What reviewers single out is the setup. Seating is low — you sit on rugs and cushions close to the floor rather than at tables — and the cafe keeps resident animals that regulars mention as part of the character. The consensus is that it comes into its own after sunset, when the heat drops and the street quietens. If you want one evening that feels like Egyptian shisha rather than hotel shisha, this is the one to pick.
- Address: El Kornish Street, Hurghada
- Rating: 4.8 (38 reviews, Tripadvisor)
- Best for: traditional floor seating and a calm post-sunset session
2. Shisha Music Lounge — Cheapest and Open 24 Hours
Shisha Music Lounge sits on Mohamed Said Street in the Alkawthar area, inland from the main tourist strips, and it has two things nowhere else in town matches: it is open 24 hours a day, every day, and listings put the spend at roughly EGP 10–100 per person — genuinely cheap, even by Egyptian standards.
Be honest about the evidence here. It carries 5 out of 5, but from only two ratings on one aggregator and nine on Facebook, so that score tells you nobody has had a bad night rather than that it has been thoroughly tested. Reviewers mention the owner being notably welcoming, and listed facilities include outdoor seating, Wi-Fi and a TV. Treat it as a promising cheap local option rather than a sure thing.
- Address: Mohamed Said Street, Alkawthar Area, Hurghada 84511
- Hours: 24 hours, daily
- Price: approx. EGP 10–100 per person
- Best for: late sessions and the lowest prices in town
3. Granada Restaurant & Pub — Best Shisha Attached to a Proper Kitchen
Granada is on Old Sheraton Road, roughly 200 metres past the Sunrise hotel, and it is the highest-volume recommendation in this guide by a wide margin — around 2,144 Tripadvisor reviews, ranking somewhere between #75 and #86 of the town's roughly 700 restaurants depending when you check. Shisha appears on its menu alongside the drinks, and at least one reviewer calls the hookah there the best in Hurghada.
It is a restaurant and pub rather than a lounge, which is exactly why it is on this list: if you want dinner and a pipe in the same place without gambling on a venue with 30 reviews, this is the safe pick. Sheraton Road is also busy and well lit in the evening, which matters if you are walking back.
- Address: Old Sheraton Road, approx. 200m past the Sunrise hotel
- Phone: +20 102 514 4220
- Reviews: approx. 2,144 on Tripadvisor
- Best for: dinner and shisha together, with a large review base behind it
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Venue | Area | Evidence | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Khema Shisha Cafe | El Kornish St | 4.8 (38 reviews) | Not published | Traditional floor seating |
| Shisha Music Lounge | Alkawthar | 5.0 (small sample) | EGP 10–100 | 24 hours, cheapest |
| Granada Restaurant & Pub | Old Sheraton Rd | ~2,144 reviews | Not published | Dinner plus shisha |
Shisha at Hurghada Marina
The marina promenade is the first place most visitors look, and yes, there is shisha along it — travel guides describe shisha lounges sitting among the restaurants and moored yachts, and the boulevard carries dozens of shops with bars and restaurants between them.
Two honest caveats. First, it is the most expensive shisha in town; one visitor guide puts it bluntly that prices at the marina bite. You are paying for the waterfront and the yachts. Second, the named venues circulating in marina guides are hard to verify and the tenancies turn over, so we are not going to recommend a specific one here. Walk the boulevard, look at what is busy, and ask the price before you order.
If you have a car or will pay for a taxi, Abu Tig Marina in El Gouna is about 25 kilometres north and has a stronger reputation among reviewers for waterfront shisha — but that is a separate trip, not a Hurghada evening.
What You Should Pay
Hurghada venues mostly do not publish shisha prices, so there is less firm data here than we would like. The one clear figure is Shisha Music Lounge at roughly EGP 10–100 per person. Dedicated local cafes sit at the low end of any range; restaurants aimed at tourists sit higher; the marina sits highest of all.
The practical rule in Egypt generally, and Hurghada specifically: ask the price before the coals go on. It is normal to do so and it avoids the one genuinely common complaint in reviews of tourist-strip venues, which is a bill that did not match expectations.
Practical Tips for Shisha in Hurghada
- Most hotels will bring you a pipe. If you are on an all-inclusive, check the bar or terrace menu before going out — it is often the path of least resistance, if not the best quality.
- Evening is the point. Daytime heat on the Red Sea coast makes outdoor shisha unpleasant for much of the year. Reviewers of El Khema specifically describe it as an after-sunset place.
- Ask the price first. Especially on Sheraton Road and at the marina. This is the single most useful habit here.
- Verify before you travel across town. Several Hurghada shisha recommendations online trace to forum posts three or more years old, and at least one widely listed venue is marked closed. Check Google Maps the same day.
- Do not expect Cairo. There is no historic ahwa scene here. For that, the Cairo guide is the one to read, and it is an easy add-on to a Red Sea trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does shisha cost in Hurghada?
The only venue with a published figure is Shisha Music Lounge at roughly EGP 10–100 per person. Local cafes are cheapest, tourist-strip restaurants cost more, and the marina is the most expensive option in town. Prices are rarely posted, so ask before ordering.
Is there shisha at Hurghada Marina?
Yes. Shisha is served at venues along the marina boulevard alongside the restaurants and bars. It is the priciest shisha in Hurghada, and because tenancies change frequently we would suggest choosing on the night rather than following an older recommendation.
Does Hurghada have dedicated shisha lounges?
Only a few. El Khema Shisha Cafe and Shisha Music Lounge are the main dedicated venues; beyond those, shisha in Hurghada is mostly served at restaurants, bars, hotel terraces and the marina. This is a resort town rather than a city with a neighbourhood cafe tradition.
Can you smoke shisha at Hurghada hotels?
Generally yes — many hotels serve shisha on bar terraces or by the pool, and on an all-inclusive it may be the simplest option. Quality varies considerably and it is usually more expensive than a local cafe, so it is worth one trip out to El Khema for comparison.
