Photos: Sharm el-Sheikh by Tanya Dedyukhina, CC BY 3.0, cropped.
Punta del Este or Sharm el-Sheikh?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Punta del Este for
- nightlife
- shopping
- food and drink
What lies behind each score is written up on Punta del Este’s own page.
Choose Sharm el-Sheikh for
- prices
- nature and the outdoors
- wellness
What lies behind each score is written up on Sharm el-Sheikh’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Punta del Este and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Too close to call, 2 points apart
Wins on nightlife and shopping with your weighting.
Wins on prices and nature and the outdoors with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Punta del Este in July
Sharm el-Sheikh in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Punta del Este's temperatures are measured 79 km from the centre, at Rocha.
Punta del Este has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Sharm el-Sheikh has no weather station within reach, so its figures come from a gridded climate model rather than a measured record, and read a broad area rather than the city itself.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Punta del Este: 1991-2020 normals, Rocha (78.5 km from centre). Sharm el-Sheikh: 2001-2020 normals, NASA POWER reanalysis grid, no weather station within 90 km.
Before you go
| Measure | Punta del Este | Sharm el-Sheikh |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | - | Arabic |
| Currency | Peso Uruguayo (UYU) | Egyptian Pound (EGP) |
| Sockets | CFIL230 V, 50 Hz | CF220 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-3 | UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer |
| Emergency number | 911 | Police 122, ambulance 123, fire 180 |
| Elevation | 11 m | 1 m |
| Main airport | Capitan Corbeta CA Curbelo International Airport (PDP)18 km from centre6 non-stop destinations | Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH)16 km from centre112 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 15 days | 15 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Punta del Este | Sharm el-Sheikh |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 9,277 | 73,000 |
| People per km² | 455 | - |
| Museums within 10 km | 5 | 1 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 0 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 3 months | 12 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Punta del Este or Sharm el-Sheikh somewhere new.