Tips for how to visit the land of pharaohs & pyramids
Egypt is full of ‘bucket list’ experiences. The most famous of these would easily be the Great Pyramids of Giza near the capital city of Cairo, but there are also some other ‘must see’ sights in central and southern Egypt.
Top sights in my opinion would have to include the archaeological museums and temples of Luxor, and the incredible pharaoh statues and ancient tombs at Abu Simbel.
Read through this complete Egypt travel guide for more info on what to expect!
Arabic; 'Thank you' is 'shoukran'
Egyptian Pound (EGP)
Visa on arrival for most nationalities
Type C / F
Islam
Cairo
Arid; hot & dry year round. Coolest months are Dec - March
Uber,Careem
As a tourist, your main airports in Egypt will be Cairo (CAI), Hurghada (HRG), and Sharm El Sheikh (SSH). Cairo has lots of direct flights from countries around the world. There are also smaller airports in Luxor (LXR) and Aswan (ASW). You can shop for flights to Egypt on Skyscanner.
Egypt has struggled with some safety issues over the years, but the situation seems to be improving. Even so, I’d recommend avoiding crowds and practicing situational awareness; terrorist attacks have occurred near some popular tourist areas in Egypt.
The other thing to note is that Egyptian culture is conservative, so clothing in public should be modest.
The climate of Egypt is arid, so it’s hot and dry year round. The coolest months are from December to March, and this is probably the most popular time to visit, but honestly any month in the spring or fall would also be fine.
I visited Egypt in September, and the heat was bad at times in Luxor, but I didn’t think it was too much of a problem in Cairo. Egypt is not as hot as nearby Middle Eastern countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Egypt is a budget friendly travel destination, with hostels available from 185 Egyptian pounds ($6 USD) and private hotels from 500 EGP. With that said, your money won’t go as far here as it will in Southeast Asia. Meals in Egypt are about 150 to 300 pounds depending on location.
Transportation is generally by car or train, and these are very affordable. You can use taxi apps like Uber and Careem in Egypt.
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Complete travel guide for visiting the Giza pyramids!