Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh (or only Sharm) is situated in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, on the shore of the Red Sea, at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. It used to be just a fishing village 50 years ago. Sharm el-Sheik is in Egypt, but it has been captured twice by Israel. The first time was in 1956th during the Sinai conflict (the next year it is restored to Egypt) and the second – in 1967th during the Six-Day War. This time Sharm stayed under Israeli control until 1982nd. Then the Sinai Peninsula is returned to Egypt due to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty from 1979th.
That second period under Israeli control is the time, when Sharm started being developed. In 1970th an Israeli settlement has been created near the fishing village and opened the first tourist-orientated establishments 6 km away from Sharm el-Sheikh. After Sinai is restored to Egypt the Egyptian government encourages the development of the city. Foreign investors, already discovered the potential of the area, contributed to the building projects.
Due to its strategic location Sharm has become a major port and a naval base and it has hosted a number of Middle Eastern peace conferences. Anyway, its main industry is tourism. The strict environment law successfully protects the natural look of the clean sand-beaches and the crystal water. Because of the clear water and calm climate Sharm el-Sheikh has become popular for the large number of watersports that can be practiced there. Sharm is nowadays a whole-year tourist resort with beautiful nature and modern infrastructure, including 3-to-5 star hotels, the second biggest airport in Egypt (after the one in Cairo), cruise ships and ferry service. There are also mall shopping centers and worldwide franchises like Hard Rock Cafe, McDonald’s and KFC

Alexandria

Tourism can be divided into two main directions. The first one is related to spending one’s holiday on a nice place to relax and have some fun – a sea or a mountain resort. The second is related to sightseeing – visiting places famous for some event, or some unique monument or a place with historical significance. And, of course, it’s best when these two things are combined in one place. Such place is the city of Alexandria.
It is found in 331st BC by Alexander the Great by the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and still carries the name of its founder. Alexandria was the capitol of Egypt for almost thousand years and was among the most famous cities in the world. At the island of Pharos, right off the shore, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was raised – one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world and the one that survived the longest. The Lighthouse was torn down by two earthquakes in the beginning of 14th century.
Very little has survived from the ancient times until now, but there are still some magnificent monuments like Pompey’s Pillar, situated in the Alexandria’s ancient acropolis, the Alexandria’s Catacombs – a multi-level labyrinth and the Roman amphitheatre.
Modern Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, its population counts more than 4 millions of people. It is the largest seaport at the region and is also a tourist resort. Hotels for all price brackets are available in the city. Alexandria can offer its guests all the luxuries of the big city, hot days at the beach and a humble look at its glorious past.