Egypt is very safe to visit and the police, tourist police and army are in prominence wherever you go, giving you a feel of being in secure surroundings. Egypt prides itself on its high safety record for tourists and best proves to ensure safety in Egypt is to follow the recent visitors reviews that published by a real recent visits on the most trusted travel website
If you hold a residence permit in the country you live in you can apply to the Egyptian Embassy/Consulate General in that country, otherwise you have to apply to the country that issued your passport.
Though many nationalities are exempt from requiring a visa for staying in Hurghada, once you leave the confines of the town a full tourist visa is required.
A tourist visa can be extended if required. To do this you have to apply to Mogamma, in Tahrir Square, or to the equivalent offices in Alexandria, Luxor or Sharm El-Sheikh
Bed and breakfast means that only breakfast is supplied.
Half board means that breakfast and dinner are supplied
Full board has all meals supplied (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
All inclusive means that all meals and drinks are supplied; some hotels also supply alcohol. This latter point should be checked when making the booking.
No, definitely not, and we would encourage you to go out and enjoy the culture of Egypt. Many packages are full board, which tends to make people think they have to stay imprisoned in their hotel, but the sites and sounds of Cairo, especially, are too great to be missed. Why stay in the same hotel, with the same faces, when you could go out and have your dinner on a cruise boat sailing around Zamalek Island, accompanied by either a belly dancer or a Whirling Dervish; or sometimes both. This is your holiday, so enjoy every minute and get out and explore.
All hotels and cruises have safety deposit boxes, sometimes even in your room/cabin. All you need do is ask at reception and they will give you instructions on how to use them, or will safely put away your valuables until you need them.
The bus station in Luxor is situated behind the Luxor Temple.
Unless you are used to the way that Egyptians drive, it is not advised to attempt this. Lane etiquette is unknown, cars will cut across you to make a turn, and the use of lights during the night is very seldom done. Though some road signs are in English and Arabic, the majority are in Arabic alone and there are simply not any good road maps, especially town ones.
NO!! If you were to do this you could find yourself paying more for the ride than the fare by bus/train would have been.
Sadly the links between Alexandria (and Port Said) and other Mediterranean ports are not available right now due to the ongoing problems in Palestine and Israel. It is hoped that these will be resumed in the not too distant future. Commercial ferries are available, some of which carry passengers, but you would need to contact the relevant port authority for information on these.
Abu Simbel can be reached by flight, which is the easiest and most convenient method taking about 4 hours for the round trip and visit, or there are 2 police controlled bus convoys that leave Aswan at 0400 and 1130 that take about 9 hours for the round trip and visit.
Though movies like “Death on the Nile” show people using this cruise, it has not been possible cover this route since the late 1990’s. Flight or train are the only ways to get from Cairo to Luxor or Aswan nowadays.
Yes, but ticket sales for this are restricted to 300 people per day; 150 at 0800 and the other 150 at 0300. Tickets for this can only be bought at the main entrance, not the entrance close to the Sphinx. As tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis it is advised to get to the office as soon as possible as buses will arrive at opening times and they tend to get the majority of the tickets. If you can spare the time, try for the tickets in the morning, and if you are not successful you can be first in line for the afternoon tickets.
Yes, but not advised! Egyptian water has a high chlorine level in it which can upset the microbes in your stomach, causing diarrhoea. For drinking purposes it is far safer to stick with bottled water, ensuring the seal is intact before drinking it.
Egyptian water is highly chlorinated, not poisonous, and so it is perfectly safe to do this. You often swallow small amounts of water whilst in the shower, or swimming, and this causes no problems, so why should cleaning your teeth?
Protocol does ask for women to cover bare skin as much as possible and so shoulders, especially, should be covered and a simple scarf will suffice. Again, it is advised to wear long trousers, or skirts, as legs should also be covered. Heads do not need to be covered, despite what some tourist books say, though it is a sign of respect if you do this.
You may wear whatever you like onboard the cruise but you are asked to dress for dinner. Casual but neat is acceptable, you do not have to dress formally. Swimwear is not acceptable.
When walking around the towns, dress as you would for a hot summer’s day back home. Shorts and t-shirts are actually worn by many locals.
Many women travel alone and have found that they have been safe. The police, tourist police and army are always close by and the Egyptians themselves are generally safe and will try to protect solo travellers. On the whole, it is generally less safer for a solo female traveller in Egypt than places like Greece, Italy or Spain.
Although the chances of being confronted are almost negligible, please ensure that you take the same precautions that you would anywhere else and do not be tempted to walk in deserted areas alone: get a taxi back to your abode! You may receive some invitations, which on the whole are innocent, do not accept any of these from strangers.
Yes. Most places accept these nowadays, including all decent hotels and cruises. You are advised to carry cash when shopping in the many street markets (souks) though the larger malls, and street shops, can accept plastic.
Most of Egypt’s monuments, historic sites, and museums are open from 09:00 to 17:00. Outdoor historical sites, such as the Pyramids of Giza, for example, are open from 8:00 am until sunset. Some museums have morning hours, from 9 am to 4 pm, and hours in the evening, from 5 pm to 9 pm. During Ramadan, the holy month of Ramadan from the Islamic calendar, be aware that these hours will change dramatically.
Usually you need to apply to your local Egyptian Embassy or Consulate General for a pre-entry tourist visa but if you are from North America, Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Brazil/Argentina or Hong Kong/Japan/Macau/Malaysia or Singapore you can get your tourist visa upon arrival in Egypt.
Usually you need to apply to your local Egyptian Embassy or Consulate General for a pre-entry tourist visa but if you are from North America, Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Brazil/Argentina or Hong Kong/Japan/Macau/Malaysia or Singapore you can get your tourist visa upon arrival in Egypt.
Though many nationalities are exempt from requiring a visa for the many Sinai resorts, a full tourist visa is required if you come to any place in Egypt that lies to the west of the Red Sea/Suez Canal.
Yes, as soon as you leave Egypt your visa will be stamped and so you will require another one. If you are from a country that can get their visa upon arrival in Egypt, you can get the new one when you re-enter the country, but if you require a pre-entry visa you should apply for 2 of these, using the second one when you re-enter Egypt.
The star ratings get higher as the facilities and overall standard of the accommodation gets better and so it is easier to imagine 5 star deluxe (or any suffix added to 5 star) as being 6 star; something that those who fix the star ratings seem feared to utilise.
The bus station is situated in Hurghada town centre.
Many travel books mention the road and bus service between these two towns, but these are not advised for tourists and the buses will often refuse admittance. The advised route is to get the bus to Luxor and then the train to Aswan.
Though these buses are air-conditioned and are good to use, tourists are advised not to and will be very lucky to either obtain a ticket or even be allowed to board the bus. This journey, for tourists, is restricted to trains or flight.
No, photography inside tombs, including the pyramids and Abu Simbel, is strictly forbidden, which has led to all cameras being banned from the Valley of the Kings (you have to leave all cameras at the x-ray point at the second entrance). Excessive flash damages the paintwork inside the tombs and so, because of people who ignore the rules, draconian measures have been implemented to safeguard these ancient works of art. The simple rule of thumb when visiting sites is: no cameras inside, cameras are okay outside.
Though most companies will use the same sites for their packages, this is mainly because the majority of visitors are experiencing Egypt for the first time and so these are the “must see” sites. Egypt has literally hundreds of ancient sites which can be visited and it only takes a request for them to be explored.
NO!! Malaria has not been in Egypt for well over 85 years and there is no need for any type of anti-malaria medication. To be honest, it is quite the obverse as any types of anti-malaria medication can actually cause side effects that will simply ruin your holiday. Just because Egypt is in Africa does not mean malaria is here as well.
Yes, but please ensure that you only bring enough for your stay, with just a few day’s extra supply as a back up. It would also help if you could bring the prescription as well, as proof, or for topping up (there are many pharmacies in Egypt that can do this for you). If you happen to be travelling onwards from Egypt, and so have a lot more of your prescribed medicine with you, please ensure that you do have the prescription as proof.
Protocol does ask for men to wear long trousers as opposed to shorts, though Egyptians are used to the latter being worn and so say nothing, or little, if it occurs.
This really depends on which site you are visiting and at what time of the day. Some offer little shade and so you should ensure that you do not have too much skin available for the sun to burn (the Giza Pyramids, in the afternoon, is a prime example of this). Temples are well shaded so you do not have to cover so much, but remember that even though they are shaded well, tombs tend to accumulate the heat from the sun as well as the many visitors, so try to wear something lightweight in them, especially cotton fabrics. Though many people like to wear open toed sandals, please note that many of the floors are exceedingly unlevel and so it can be easy to stub your toes. Ladies, please do not wear high heels; not only can you easily break them, they can also become trapped between the large stones in flooring, and you will also find you will tend to slip and slide on the stone. High heels and sand are not the best partners either as the heels will sink in (you may laugh, but many ladies do insist in wearing high heels).
This is a tourist book fallacy. Women walking around these towns can do so as if they were walking around their home towns in the summer. You will be amazed at how many of the local women dress like this as well, looking more like tourists than Egyptian.
Egypt has a voltage supply of 220V and the plugs are the 2 round pin type that are common throughout Europe (except the UK).
Yes, you are only allowed to bring in 2 litres with you.
The legal drinking age is 21.
Yes, alcohol is available in Egypt, either in the better hotels, higher class restaurants and cafes, pubs, and beer gardens. You will also find off licences as well. Please note though, it is illegal to drink alcohol in the streets in Egypt, so do not walk around with a can of your favourite tipple.
Almost every bank has an ATM outside it, or just inside the front doors, and you will normally find that they are guarded by a policeman. Many shopping malls have stand alone ATM’s and you can also find them located along a busy pavement (sidewalk), or where two busy pavements meet. Airports and railway stations also have ATM’s as do the larger tour company offices.
Yes, EgyptAir, the official Egyptian airline, organizes direct flights from the US. to Cairo especially. there’s a flight from NY, John F. Kennedy flying field, on to Cairo 5 times per week. The journey takes twelve hours. EgyptAir conjointly flies directly from l. a. to Cairo. This journey takes concerning seventeen hours; but, most tourists from the US. stop either in Europe (usually London or Paris) or in a geographic region (usually Morocco).
Most Egyptians, who live in cities, speak or understand at least some English words or phrases. Fewer Egyptians can speak French, Italian, Spanish, and German. However, professionals, who work in the tourism sector, are accustomed to visitors who cannot speak Arabic and will speak enough English and other languages to meet the needs of most travelers.
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