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Shopping in El Gouna - by the Red Sea in Egypt

Yesterday we went shopping in El Gouna in Egypt. We decided to alternate swimming and snorkelling with a few hours in the shops. So, what do you find here? How are the prices? And what about the haggling?

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Holidays in El Gouna

We travel often, but we rarely think of our trips as "pure holidays". We run a travel blog and want to write good travel stories, so we usually try to experience a lot and gather a lot of information at the same time.

The same really applies to this trip, but for once we have booked a charter trip with accommodation in one place. We also don't really feel like booking the longest excursions (Cairo or Luxor) because they are such long bus journeys, and since we visited Luxor before.

Therefore, it will a little calmer. We make do with swimming and snorkelling at the Zeytouna beach island and some smaller (but interesting!) excursions in the neighbourhood. In other words, this trip feels almost like a holiday, and yesterday there was shopping in the centre of El Gouna.

Our hotel, Sultan Bey, in El Gouna, Egypt

Shopping in El Gouna city centre

The centre of El Gouna, or Downtown as the area is known, is within easy walking distance of our Sultan Bey hotel. It takes a maximum of 5 minutes to walk, so it's not exactly exhausting ...

Shopping i El Gouna - Tamr Henna
Shopping i El Gouna

The whole of El Gouna is built as a holiday resort, so the shops are largely aimed at tourists. Here you will find shops selling clothes, bags, jewellery and souvenirs. There is also a phone shop (Orange) where you can buy a local sim card if you wish, as well as a wide range of restaurants and cafés.

Shopping i El Gouna
A shop selling genuine sponges and tea

Was there any shopping in El Gouna for us?

So, was there any shopping in El Gouna and any shopping bargains for us? Yes! I (Helena) bought a bracelet and Peter a necklace. I also found a dress, and Peter got a scarf. Not a bad result!

Shopping i El Gouna
Peter - shopping i Eö Gouna

What are the prices?

Prices in Egypt are generally good, and the country has a price index of 56 according to Forex (compared to 100 in Sweden). However, El Gouna is a slightly more luxurious tourist resort, so be prepared for higher prices.

Should you bargain?

We haven't seen a single fixed price in the shops in El Gouna, and since you only get the price when you ask, it's probably best to haggle. Our recommendation is to haggle until you get a price you think is reasonable for the product you want. Sometimes you need to haggle a little more, and sometimes a little less.

You have to respect the fact that the seller actually needs to make money (many make very little!) while at the same time being satisfied with your own purchase.

shopping i el gouna

More shopping in El Gouna

If you want to do more shopping in El Gouna, you can go to the marina, where you will find several shops. You can get there by tuktuk for about 25 Egyptian pounds (15 kroner). You can of course also go to Hurghada, where there is a wider range of shops and markets. Hurghada is about 2.7 miles away and we've heard that it's easy to get there by Uber. Our plan is to get there one of the days.

Blommor i Egypten
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