Everything you need to know before you visit Egypt

We spent 10 days in Egypt and I will admit that I was very well prepared before the trip. I had researched extensively on every requirement and when we were there, I made sure to double check everything as well. Egypt is a fascinating country and I genuinely think that to enjoy it, one has to be well prepared. It is not a country to visit spontaneously (well, not for us). In this Egypt Travel Guide, I will share all you need to know before you visit Egypt and when in country. 

The importance of a guide in Egypt

Before I go into a full list of all you need to know, the most important thing that will shape your experience is an Egyptologist. Our trip was fantastic because I had contacted Sam of Egypt Eye Tours ahead of our stay and planned our route with him. 

As soon as we landed in Cairo, a driver from the company met us and took us to our hotel. Throughout our time in Giza, Cairo, Aswan and Luxor, we had guides from the same company taking us around and explaining the history to us. All guides were Egyptologists which meant that they had studied the history of Egypt at university for 4 years to qualify as guides. There is no way I would have known all the back stories of the places we visited without the teachings of these incredible people. Their wealth of knowledge is truly fascinating.

Egypt Travel Guide: Everything you need to know before you visit Egypt

1. Entry Requirements to Egypt

For British, US and EU passport holders, a visa is required if you are travelling to most parts of the country.

We did not get a visa before flying; instead we got it on arrival in Cairo International Airport. It was 25 USD per person (including our 3 year old daughter) and we paid cash. I’m sure you can pay in pounds but I had read on the UK government website that US dollar was preferred and in cash so that’s what we did.

Passport validity for Egypt has to be 6 months from return date so this is very important to note. 

2. How to get from the UK to Egypt

There are so many options depending on where you are flying from and where exactly in Egypt you are going to. We flew British Airways from London Heathrow to Cairo International Airport since it was our first stop. On our way back, we flew Turkish Airlines from Sharm el Sheikh to London Gatwick.

We had to complete the landing cards which were provided to us by the flight attendants. It was personalised to British airways so I’m guessing that other airlines have their own landing cards too. I thought it was cute with the Egyptian Queen on it.

3. When is the best time to go to Egypt?

We went in the middle of April and it was very hot for the 10 days that we were there. October to April are the best times to visit which also means that hotels are most expensive at this time. The hottest months are July and August so shoulder months are May and September. 

4. How to get around Egypt

We used a tour company throughout our time in Egypt and they provided drivers to take us around. From picking us up at the airport to visiting all the sites and even the drive from Aswan to Luxor, we used drivers organised by the company. This is what I will recommend. On the few occasions that we needed a taxi, we used Uber in Cairo which was very efficient and inexpensive. A 15 mins journey was less than £1 so that was a great option. 

I don’t recommend hiring a car and driving around Egypt. Unless you can read Arabic, some of the road signs will confuse you. Also, the driving in Egypt is crazy; only second to Lagos lol. So, I recommend to avoid by every means necessary.

5. The weather in Egypt

We went in mid April and it was hot. It ranged between highs of 25C – 29C. Sunscreen is essential and of course, hats and sunshades too; anything to help with the sun. Staying hydrated in Egypt is also essential with the high temperatures. We went everywhere with some water and made sure to have sips from time to time.

6. What to wear in Egypt

This is such an important topic when travelling to Egypt. I did so much research on what to wear in Egypt before my trip and even though my dressing is more on the conservative side, I wanted to be sure I was respectful to the culture and religion.

Being a predominantly Muslim country means that dressing for women is very conservative. As a tourist, you are not expected to cover your hair but decent dressing is expected in public spaces especially. In hotels and resorts, we were fine wearing our swimsuits and shorts around the property.

For reference, we travelled from Cairo to Aswan to Luxor to Sharm el Sheikh.

For Women:

Hot weather also means that you have to wear breathable, light clothes. Linens and Cottons are more bearable in the heat.

I always had a shawl with me so even though some of my tops were off shoulder or thin strapped, if I ever thought I needed to, I’d use it. I wore my Birkenstocks everywhere for comfort and the ruggedness; especially walking around dusty, uneven ground. 

For Men:

Linen trousers and shirts or just light, short sleeved tee-shirts are perfect for the weather. Mr E wore mainly tee shirts and linen trousers when we were out and about. He also had his sun hats with him for when it got too hot. Of course, sunshades are essential.

For kids:

Cover shoulders and neck because of the sun. At the pyramids and Temples, for example, there’s no shade. So even though it’s hot and you are tempted to put littles in sleeveless outfits, their shoulders should not be too exposed to the sun. Adanna always had her hat and sunshades. I also had a short sleeved linen shirt with us at all times. So if I thought it was too hot for her exposed arms, I’d put that on.

Honestly, dressing in Egypt was not as strict as I was expecting. I saw people wearing shorts out and about especially in Cairo. It’s also important to note that we travelled as a family and had our guide with us for most of the trip when we were in public spaces. Therefore, to some degree, there was the comfort of being with a local. I have friends who travelled solo to Egypt and had to dress even more conservatively so as not to stand out. Therefore, the consensus is to be as conservative as possible. 

7. Is Egypt expensive?

Generally speaking, no it’s not an expensive country to visit.

The cost of the food itself in hotel restaurants is not particularly expensive but what adds up are the taxes. An additional 26% or even more is added to the final bill. This is usually stated in the little print at the bottom of the menus (& room service menus too). We ate at the hotels in Giza, Aswan, Luxor and Sharm el Sheikh; each order had 12% -14% VAT and 14% tourism tax. So this seems to be a thing throughout Egypt and therefore, important to keep in mind.

8. The vibe in Egypt: Is Egypt safe?

Even though Egypt is a very popular tourist destination, the fact is that it is still a developing country. I’m careful not to say it is a poor country but it definitely has a noticeably high level of poverty. Cairo, most especially was eye opening. I mean, that is close to where the pyramids are located so it must see millions of tourists yearly.

I wondered if the locals even benefitted from the tourism or is it just another country where the government benefits and the people continue to live in poverty? On the streets, kids beg for everything; from money to the food you are holding and one even asked for Adanna’s toy. On the first day, it is shocking but you soon get used to it tbh and once you say a hard “La Shukran” meaning “No thank you”, that seemed to do the trick of them leaving you alone.

So, safety while travelling in Egypt

Now for the follow up question that I often see, “Is Egypt safe”? I must add that we did not for one minute ever feel unsafe. We had seen the narratives online and while everyone’s experience is personal to them, I tend to go with an open mind to places. That is why we travel right?! Everywhere cannot be the same.

Yes, the kids will come up begging you. Also, there’s always someone that wants to sell something to you etc but we didn’t think they were bad people. Egyptians are some of the kindest people we met. Mr E had football conversations with some in local food shops: The Nigeria vs Egypt debate in Africa Cup of Nations. I had banter with some of the market guys when he teased “this lamp is 1 million dollars”, I teased back “Won’t you sell it for 5 million dollars”? I genuinely think that your approach matters sometimes. In the end, they are all trying to survive and that’s the way they know how to. This might be an unpopular opinion but Egypt did not feel unsafe to us.

9. Currency in Egypt

The Egyptian Pound is the currency. We used our travel debit card in most places. In most of the entrances, you could pay by card. In fact, only card payments were accepted in popular places like The Old Museum and the Pyramids. The Egyptian Pound is a “closed currency” which means that you won’t be able to use it outside Egypt.

10. Tipping Culture in Egypt 

In Egypt, tipping is a very huge part of the culture and anyone offering a service automatically expects a tip. I will admit that I usually struggle with tipping and in Egypt, I struggled even more because the expectations felt like I was constantly under pressure to tip. Then, it was confusing knowing how much exactly was ok to tip so I asked our guide what the usual numbers are and then we made up the numbers as we went along.

We typically tipped our drivers (who worked with the guides) 200 Egyptian Pounds. Once, we tipped 15 USD to the driver who drove us 5 hours from Aswan to Luxor. For the guides, we tipped 10 USD per guide. I just thought that being Egyptologists, that seemed more appropriate. 

The only place I did not tip at all or feel like I had to was at the Four Seasons hotel in Sharm el Sheikh. Service provided just felt like it was normal and I did not feel any pressure to. Also, I’ll admit that by the time we got to Sharm, we had run out of cash and I just did not want to withdraw any extra. 

11. Are drones allowed in Egypt?

Drones are strictly prohibited in Egypt. Although the country is generally safe, you have to remember that it is surrounded by countries in and out of war.

To bring a drone in, one would need permission from the Ministry of Defence or the Civil Aviation Authority. And yes, you will be caught so there is no point trying to sneak it in. Security is very heavy in Egypt; especially around the tourist areas so bringing your drone out would be easily noticed. I have read about people’s drones getting destroyed by customs and I’m not surprised. Even if you are transiting through Egypt, just leave the drone at home.

12. Alcohol in Egypt

Egypt is a conservative Muslim majority country. Most of our meals were eaten in the hotel where alcohol was readily available. However, I noticed that alcohol was not sold in shops on the streets. Mr E bought some alcohol in duty free and that seemed to be fine since it passed through the hotel scanners and nobody said anything. 

There are beers that are made in Egypt and Mr E had Sakara most of the time which he really enjoyed. There is definitely a conservative culture to drinking alcohol. So unless we were in the hotel, we avoided drinking alcohol in public.

It is also worth stating that during Ramadan season, alcohol is forbidden as it is considered haram in Islam.

13. What are the foods to try in Egypt?

If you have read previous blog posts, you know that we are not foodies at all. However, for Egypt, we challenged ourselves to try some new things. We had falafel, kofta and a lovely sesame seed sauce.

Koshari is another popular option and it is made of a mix of rice, lentils, chickpeas, pasta in a spicy tomato sauce. Sharwama and Fattah are also some of the Egyptian delicacies to try when in Egypt.

14. Military Presence in Tourist areas

It is interesting to see heavy military presence in the tourist areas especially in Cairo. Cars driving into the Pyramids’ car park are searched military style (open boots, sniffing dogs etc) and there are airport like check points for bags everywhere. Sometimes, you forget that Egypt is actually close to active war zones and there have been terrorism fears towards the pyramids for years. Still, it is weird to casually see all the military presence out and about.

15. Can you drink tap water in Egypt?

The short answer is no lol. We were advised to use bottled water for everything from brushing to washing fruits to drinking. Even to boil water for our tea, we boiled bottled water just to be safe. In the same breath, we were warned not to eat salads in restaurants which made sense because the vegetables would have been washed with tap water. So for our duration in Egypt, we stuck to bottled water.

16. Toilets in tourist locations

There are toilets in tourist spots and airports around Egypt. However be warned that you might have to pay to use them (the tourist spot ones). Some asked for 10 Egyptian Pounds and 1 in particular asked for 15 Egyptian Pounds (I think this was Kom Ombu Temple in Aswan).

Also you have to always carry your own toilet paper (tissue) with you because yes, you guessed right; you’ll be expected to pay for it when in the public toilets. I was shocked to see the toilet lady holding the roll and casually cutting it up and giving it out as you walked in. Anyway, this seems like such a small thing but it is a very important detail to note.

17. Do you need Bug spray in Egypt?

The mosquitoes come out at night to feast so be ready with your bug spray. It’s not too bad but you might need a bug spray for those pesky bugs. We especially felt their wrath in Sharm el Sheikh. We usually have Jungle Formula bug spray with us anywhere we travel to and it came in handy on this trip. 

18. Animals in Egypt

Be prepared to see a lot of stray cats and dogs. And I mean, a lot of them. Our guide told us that the government rightly banned killing of cats and dogs but they failed to create enough centres to take in strays. The dogs and cats are not mistreated (or at least, we did not notice) but they didn’t look healthy either.

It is impossible to discuss animals in Egypt without the horses, donkeys and camels that casually walk around Egypt. I expected to see them around the pyramids. However, I was not prepared to see these working animals on the main roads, in traffic jam, side by side with cars. Giza especially, felt like a step back in time. We got used to looking out of our car window and straight into the eyes of a camel. At first, it is shocking but like everything else in Egypt, you get used to it.

19. Is Egypt a family friendly destination?

To an extent, yes it is. I felt more comfortable travelling with my family than I’d have felt if I was solo. We thought that we were accorded more respect as a married couple travelling with a child. Locals were very friendly towards our daughter and we felt rather safe there.

However, Egypt is possibly the busiest, most chaotic, unruly place I have ever visited. I would say that for experienced child travellers (like our 3 year old who had been to 18 countries prior to Egypt), it was not a problem at all. However it might be a tad too much for some kids. 

Perhaps, beach towns like Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada are better options for a more family friendly trip to Egypt.

20. The reality of travelling around Egypt

This is such a difficult one because Egypt is genuinely not the easiest country to travel around. It took me a while to book this trip because I knew that the logistics would not be as simple as the others. The first thing we did once I booked our flights and mapped out the route was to contact a guide. We flew within the country as well with Egypt Air and all that was carefully curated well in advance.

I don’t know how else we could have done this trip without a guide by our side even as an experienced traveller. Travelling around Egypt and even visiting the sites can be quite overwhelming and overstimulating for anyone. It was a lot; and this is coming from me who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria for the first 25 years of my life.

This is not to discourage but to be realistic. I don’t think you can just go off the beaten path and you are always a bit more guarded than usual. Maybe I am being too harsh? But honestly, whilst it is a fascinating country and genuinely one of the best trips of my life, it can be a lot.

Lastly, I genuinely don’t think it is solo travel friendly especially in places like Cairo. However for solo travellers, contact a guide ahead of time and you should be fine. As a family, we loved Egypt and I think we were able to visit everywhere we planned to in the 10 days we were there.

Egypt Travel Guide: Everything you need to know before you visit Egypt

There will always be some hesitation around travelling to Egypt and having been there, I totally understand. A lot of people go to Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh and tbh, that is still a valid trip to Egypt. In fact, it is an easier way to do Egypt without the stress of travelling around. However, I recommend travelling around the country to fully feel like you have seen the “real” Egypt. 

I will also add that this trip was incredible for us. We had the most wonderful time and everything was so fascinating. Even though it was a lot of logistics to plan, I’d 100% do it all again as it is just one of those countries I think you have to visit in your lifetime.

Bisous, Bugo x