Hurghada after the Beach World Cup: stay, eat, go
Hurghada after the Korfball Beach World Cup
Hurghada did not just host another summer tournament. From 2 to 4 July 2026, the city staged the Beach Korfball World Cup under the Red Sea Governorate’s sports-tourism push, with matches played on the beach of Mercure Hurghada Hotel. According to Egyptian coverage of the closing ceremony, 80 players representing 6 teams from 5 countries took part; Belgium won the title, followed by Hong Kong in second, Hungary in third and Egypt in fourth. Red Sea Governor Walid El Barqy attended the finale, and local organisers said play ran daily from 9am to 7pm on the Mercure beach.
That matters for travellers because it underlines the city’s current direction: Hurghada is being marketed not only as a fly-and-flop resort town, but as a year-round base for events, marinas, beaches and easy excursions. If you are extending a trip after the championship, or simply planning a Red Sea weekend with the same energy, here is where to stay, eat and go.
Where to stay in Hurghada
For a polished resort stay: Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel
If your Hurghada plan is beach-first, Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel remains one of the city’s best-known full-resort addresses on the southern hotel strip. Recent booking listings for July 2026 show it operating as an all-inclusive five-star option with sea-view and suite categories, making it a strong fit for couples, families and anyone who wants to stay put between pool, beach and restaurants. It is also well placed for the airport and for moving between Village Road and central Hurghada.
For dependable international-brand comfort: Hurghada Marriott Beach Resort
Hurghada Marriott Beach Resort is another useful pick if you want a classic Red Sea resort without being too far from the city centre. Marriott’s current Hurghada destination pages list the property among the city’s resort stays, and it works especially well for travellers who want a known brand, private-beach access and easier taxi rides to the marina than some far-flung compounds.
For a city break feel: The Boutique Hotel Hurghada Marina
If your priority is to be able to walk out to cafés, dinner and the promenade, staying around Hurghada Marina makes more sense than booking deep inside an all-inclusive compound. The Boutique Hotel at the marina has long traded on exactly that advantage: direct access to the waterfront, boats, restaurants and evening strolls. For readers who care more about atmosphere than giant buffets, this is one of the smartest locations in town.
For adults-only downtime: SUNRISE Holidays Resort
SUNRISE Holidays Resort - Adults Only is another practical post-event option, especially for couples wanting a central address. Current booking data places it about 500 metres from the city centre and around 2 kilometres from Corniche Road attractions, which makes it more plugged into Hurghada proper than many isolated beach hotels.
Where to eat in Hurghada
Start with the marina for variety
For most visitors, Hurghada Marina Boulevard is still the easiest evening dining zone. It is walkable, photogenic, and lined with restaurants and cafés rather than requiring a car for every meal. Older local lifestyle reporting and current tourism materials still point to the marina as a reliable dining cluster, and that remains true if you want to compare menus on foot before choosing.
Expect a mix of seafood, grills, pizza, coffee stops and shisha venues rather than one single must-book fine-dining address. This is the part of Hurghada that feels most naturally suited to a post-event evening: dinner with a sea breeze, then a slow walk by the yachts.
Seafood is the obvious Red Sea move
Hurghada’s official tourism positioning still leans hard on seafood by the waterfront, and rightly so. If you are in town after a sports event, this is not the moment to default to hotel buffet food every night. Prioritise grilled fish, calamari, shrimp and mixed seafood platters, especially around the marina and the better-known seafront strips. Menus change frequently, so it is smarter to choose busy, well-reviewed spots on the day rather than chase outdated listicles.
Use the Ministry guide for licensed tourism restaurants
One useful but underused planning tool is the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ guide to tourist restaurants and cafeterias in Red Sea Governorate. The latest ministry directory page available online is older than ideal, but it is still a practical cross-check if you want to confirm officially listed tourism venues rather than rely only on social media hype.
Where to go after the matches
Hurghada Marina
If you only do one city outing, make it Hurghada Marina. It is the simplest answer to “where do we go after dinner?” and the easiest area for mixed groups. Some people want coffee, some want dessert, some want photos, and others just want a waterfront walk. The marina covers all of that without much planning.
Giftun Islands and Mahmya-style boat days
Official Egyptian tourism promotion still highlights the Giftun Islands as one of Hurghada’s signature escapes, and for good reason. The water is clearer than in the city itself, the sand is better, and boat trips work well if you want one last Red Sea day before heading back to Cairo. Mahmya Island is also still promoted as a full-day beach trip with food and activities, which makes it an easy add-on for families and friend groups.
Hurghada’s marine attractions are expanding
One of the most notable 2026 developments is that Egypt announced the opening of three man-made diving sites off Hurghada in March, a sign that the destination is actively investing in new underwater attractions alongside its established reef tourism. For divers and repeat visitors, that is a genuine reason to treat Hurghada as more than a package-holiday standby.
Desert safaris, quad biking and Bedouin-style outings
Official tourism materials continue to push quad biking, dune buggy rides, camel trips and visits toward Bedouin village settings as Hurghada staples. These are worth considering after a beach-heavy itinerary, particularly if your group wants a half-day activity without committing to a full sea excursion.
Submarine and family attractions
For non-divers or families with children, Hurghada’s tourism platforms also highlight the Red Sea submarine experience and dolphin-watching boat trips. They are more touristy than authentic, but they solve a real problem: how to enjoy the marine environment if not everyone wants to snorkel or dive.
Why Hurghada feels especially relevant now
The city’s summer 2026 momentum is not just about the korfball event. In June, Hurghada also hosted the launch workshop of the Egyptian Red Sea Initiative, bringing together the Ministry of Local Development, the Ministry of Environment, UNDP, the Red Sea Governorate and reef-focused partners around coral conservation and the blue economy. Then in mid-July, Egyptian press reported the start of work on a LE100 million tourist walkway development in Hurghada. Taken together, those updates point to a city that is still reshaping its visitor experience, not standing still.
Bottom line
After the Beach Korfball World Cup, the best version of Hurghada is the one that balances resort ease with real movement around the city. Stay on the marina if you want walkable evenings, or book a southern resort if beach time is the priority. Eat seafood, spend at least one night on the waterfront, and give yourself one sea day and one land day. That combination is the difference between merely sleeping in Hurghada and actually enjoying it.