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Egypt Travel Tips: Ultimate Guide to Visiting Egypt

Egypt Travel Tips: Ultimate Guide to Visiting Egypt

Egypt is a land of dreams for travelers looking for a bustling destination with a vibrant culture. For Europeans, Egypt has been a popular spot (among Turkey and Tunisia) to go for a resort getaway with occasional day trips to Luxor and Cairo.

Growing up, I remember seeing many chartered flights to Sharm El Sheik and Hurghada, and everyone and their mother had been to Egypt. It’s no surprise that Egypt has been the first place I traveled to solo after my high school graduation back in 2007, at the age of eighteen.

However, Egypt for Americans has never been a ‘hot spot’, but after my second independent trip to Egypt, I can say that it surely should be! Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Egypt and the most useful Egypt travel tips.

Ultimate Guide to Visiting Egypt

solo travel to Egypt

Safety in Egypt

First things first: is Egypt safe? Absolutely! When I visited Egypt back in 2008 safety wasn’t the biggest concern. Unfortunately, nowadays most of the Middle East is currently in political or social unrest, but we often forget to see the difference between Egypt and the rest of the Middle East.

Sure, there are some regions which are not safe, but there are also regions where are perfectly fine. Just like in any other country and city. That said, everywhere in Egypt I was told that the only rules for tourists in Egypt are to “enjoy and feel like at home”.

As you may know by now, Egypt is NOT on the travel alert or travel warning list for the U.S Department of State.

Tourist attractions are largely safe and not under any threat. Egyptians are one of the most welcoming people I’ve ever encountered on my travels (among Iranians!) and they love tourists. Not once I feel in any danger anywhere in the country, people constantly had my back when I looked lost or unsure

I was very saddened to read a lot of other blog posts saying that everyone in Egypt wants your money, as it’s absolutely not my experience. I met locals trying to help me on numerous occasions, asking me if I’m all right, and feeding me good food. Everyone was nothing but nice to me.

Read more on my experience of traveling to Egypt solo.

Egypt travel tips

When to Go to Egypt?

Don’t make my mistake during my first visit by going to Egipt in the summer. In summer, temperatures can get up to 45 degrees Celsius in dusty, so Luxor and Aswan are unbearable.

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Remember that nights can be freezing so bring a sweater and a pair of warm socks. Trust me, you can thank me later.

The best time to go to Egypt is surely between October and April. The tourist high season is considered from December to February, so if you come slightly out of season you will also enjoy cheaper hotel prices and fewer crowds. Also, make sure to avoid traveling during Ramadan.

Egypt Travel Guide


How Much Does it Cost to Travel to Egypt?

Not much. Egypt is comparatively cheap if you’re coming from a developed nation. For a bed in a dorm, you’ll usually pay about $4, guesthouse would be about $12 per night and a higher standard shouldn’t be more than $150. If you’re backpacking you could get by for $30 a day without any issues.

The most expensive thing I paid for in Egypt was my hot-air balloon flight ($50).

Always carry a lot of coins and small bills. You will have to “tip” many times a day, for all kinds of reasons. While you don’t HAVE TO do this, it’s customary to for instance give some coins to a bathroom lady who hands you a few sheets of toilet paper. 

I was completely fine with tipping here and there, especially after visiting some of the poorest neighborhoods of Cairo and Luxor.


Food in Egypt

I enjoyed the food in Egypt very much. I ate anything from basic kebabs to local vegetables and rice, through the most traditional dish – Koshary. It’s a mix of rice, macaroni, and lentils topped with tomato-vinegar sauce and fried onions.

If you’re staying in local hostels or hotels be prepared that you’ll be served a LOT of food. Quite often for breakfast, I was receiving a few bread rolls, 8 balls of falafel, hummus, omelet, hard boiled eggs, french fried, yogurt and a fresh smoothie. It was impossible to eat it all!


How to Get Around Egypt

Plane

Domestic flights in Egypt as affordable and great. You’d be looking at two airlines: EgyptAir and NileAir (I can only personally vouch for EgyptAir and they’re great). For a flight from Cairo to Luxor or Aswan, you’ll pay about $50-80 one way and the flight takes about an hour.

Bus

If you’re on a strict backpacking budget, you might want to look into Go Bus. Their buses are very comfy, cheap and easy to book on the website or app on your phone.

Train

Sleeper trains are another popular way of traveling, but since my flight to Luxor cost me the same as the sleeping train would have, the choice was obvious.

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Boat (Nile Cruise)

There is a cruise on the Nile that starts in all of the touristic cities, and most tourists decide to do it. Many travelers think the Nile Cruise is the only way to get to some places, which isn’t true as the same places can be reached by car or bus.

Keep in mind that it’s not going to be a very local experience hanging out at the pool and eating touristy food on the boat. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that but it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I opted for a cheaper version staying in local guesthouses.

Uber & Taxis

In Cairo, you can take Uber anywhere and it’s extremely cheap. For instance, an average taxi trip from Cairo Airport to downtown Cairo should not cost more than 50-60 LE, whilst a journey from Cairo Airport to the Pyramids go for 100-110 LE.

visiting Egypt
traveling to Egypt

Extra Egypt Travel Tips:

  • Traffic jams and driving in Egypt, particularly in Cairo, can be quite intimidating. But don’t be afraid to cross the street.
  • Egypt gets extremely hot, particularly during the summer, so stay hydrated. If you want to save on bottled water get a LifeStraw Water Bottle . You can fill it anywhere even with water from a puddle!
  • Always haggle a bit and never say yes to anything without discussing the price first.
  • Bring your own toilet paper. The toilets here have a built-in bidet spray nozzle.

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Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Egypt
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Jean Brandl

Thursday 12th of May 2022

I stumbled upon your posts about Morocco and Egypt (going to both in June) and they are great. Your posts are encouraging and very helpful. Plus you seem really positive and modest.

Emily Rivera

Monday 8th of February 2021

Hey, I just have a few questions. My friend and I are planning to go to Egypt next year and we were wondering how you toured. - Were you touring privately or with a group? Iโ€™m just curious and interested on how you go about touring a country like Egypt. - How far do you have to plan in advance? My guess would be months but Iโ€™m not sure Thatโ€™s all, thank you :)

Anna Karsten

Tuesday 9th of February 2021

I was on my own. Just used drivers when needed :) I never plan any travels months in advance, but Egypt is also super easy to arrange things. In fact, you can arrange everything (minus hotels) upon arrival without any issues.

Amal Owasi

Wednesday 10th of June 2020

Hey Anna, thanks for the monetary information. It'll help me prepare my itinerary well in advance along with the budget which is indeed the toughest part while planning a vacation. You've given some very vital information on taxis, airfares, transportation and places to stay. Keep building more stuff like these, your blog is very resourceful.

shamsa lalani

Monday 17th of February 2020

Hi We are planning 7 days trip to Egypt in the next two weeks. Want to know what is the best option to cover Aswan and Luxor - through three day Nile river cruise or by staying a night in Luxor and travel to Aswan through train and spend a night there. We will go with the tour agency so they have both the options

Anna Karsten

Wednesday 26th of February 2020

You can easily stay in Luxor overnight not on a boat - there are so many nice hotels. Nile cruises will be significantly more expensive than regular hotels. Both options seem fine, but you a cruise to Aswan will be more relaxing than going overland. Greeting from Cairo, as I'm actually in Egypt again :-)

Kim

Friday 24th of January 2020

Thank you Anna for sharing your great adventures. Your tips and experiences are so helpful. We will be going to Egypt in April and would love to know where you booked the private cars/guides? We've searched a few options online and would prefer to follow the route your took.

Take care and thank you again.

Anna Karsten

Friday 24th of January 2020

In Cairo I just moved around with Uber. In Luxor I rented a driver who took me to various spots of the West Bank. His name was Ahmed and he gave me his number: 01001202609. For the balloon tour I just booked one through my hotel, they sell them everywhere so don't worry - you can just get one upon arrival.

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