Hurghada · El Dahar, Hurghada
El Dahar — the old souk
The quarter from before the hotels: spices, copper, leather, shisha — and bargaining as the common language.
El Dahar is Hurghada's old town, where residents live and shop, the opposite of the hotel strip. The souk runs through its lanes: open sacks of spices, copper workshops, slippers, shishas, fabrics. You also eat better and cheaper here than on the Corniche, provided you step away from the fronts with menus in five languages.
The extra bit
Walk it once without buying, asking prices as you go: the second pass bargains far better when you know what things are worth.
Know before you go
Cash and small notes: few shops take cards. Bargaining is the rule and is not aggressive — you name a price, you smile, you split the difference; walking away is an acceptable answer, and often the one that lowers the price.
