Egypt Travel Guide: All you need to know to visit Egypt in 2023

A trip to Egypt is an opportunity to explore some of the world's most popular ancient landmarks, the Pyramids of Giza. Tourists fall in love with the historical sites, the beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, and the overall energy of Egypt and its welcoming Egyptian citizens.

In this ultimate Egypt travel guide, we will share some Egypt travel tips and tricks and everything you need to know about visiting Egypt and how to have a hassle-free experience.

Document checklist for Egypt

• Visa
• Valid passport (at least six months of validity)
• Sufficient funds
• Return airline ticket

Essential Egypt travel information

• Currency - Egyptian Pound (E£). $1 is equivalent to approx. E£24,48.

• Daily budget for 1 person - Allow a daily budget of E£636 ($27).

• Languages - Arabic.

• Socket type - Types C and F, 220V supply voltage and 50Hz.

• Time zone - Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): GMT+02:00.

• Top 3 cities to visit - Cairo, Luxor, and Alexandria.

• Top 3 landmarks/monuments - Great Pyramid of Giza, Karnak Temple, and Egyptian Museum.

Egypt visa information

Exploring ancient Egypt will be a trip to remember, but you need a visa to enter the Cairo International Airport unless you are from a visa-exempt country. According to Egypt's visa policy, you can apply for a Business visa or a Tourist visa at the embassy according to your travel purposes.

Some nationals can apply for a Visa on Arrival, getting the document at the airport. But a better option than that is applying online for the Egypt eVisa. Many countries are eligible for this electronic visa, so you can use the iVisa Checker Tool to see if you are one of them.

Egypt eVisa

The Egypt eVisa is an official electronic visa that allows ordinary passport holders entry to Egypt for tourism or business purposes. You can choose between a single or multiple entry visa during the e-Visa application. Both options are valid for 90 days after issued.

It’s a straightforward process to get your eVisa online. You will fill in the form with all the required information, which takes only a few minutes. Then, you will receive the document via email. Depending on the processing time selected, the document can be ready within six business days.

Typical costs and budget for visiting Egypt

A basic guide to what you'll spend daily traveling through Egypt on a decent budget.

Daily spending - Around E£636 ($27)/per person/per day on a budget vacation. This includes:

• Meals - E£194 ($8.15)

• Transport - E£107 ($4.50)

• Hotel - E£555 ($23) for two people.

On average, a trip for two for one week will cost E£636 ($374).

Transport and best ways to travel around Egypt

Tourists usually arrive in Egypt at Cairo Airport. From there, many opt for a private tour, so they don’t need to plan the logistics to see the tourist attractions. But an Egypt Tour involves a schedule and a strict itinerary, so if you prefer travel to Egypt independently, it’s important to have some trip advice to choose your mode of transportation.

Train and bus networks are cheap, but not the best way to travel around. Trains often run hours late, and depending on your destination, buses are not very safe, especially if traveling alone. Hiring a taxi can be more expensive, but it may work out more economically if you are with a group and visiting close cities.

A domestic flight is the easiest and quickest option to visit the major cities. It can be surprisingly cheap if booked in advance.

In the cities, tour companies are worth considering because the tour prices may have a better cost-benefit than paying for the attraction's tickets and transport. In the cities, you can travel around by taxi, caleches(horse-drawn carriages), and take a Nile cruise with the traditional Egyptian felucca.

Safety in Egypt

Many travelers ask themselves “is Egypt safe for travel?”. There are some precautions and safety concerns you should have before your trip. For example, you must avoid visiting Egypt at the border with Libya or in the North Sinai region due to the risk of terrorist attacks.

Petty crime can happen in the country, and it is not advised to leave valuables unsecured in your hotel room or unattended in a public place. It can be a little more risky or uncomfortable for independent travelers or women traveling alone.

Weather in Egypt

You can enjoy Egyptian tours any time of the year. The country has hot weather and sunny days in each of the four seasons.

The best time to visit Egypt is during the Winter, from October to April, when temperatures are slightly lower. The daytime weather is quite pleasant, and the temperature drops significantly at night but usually stays between 18°C(64.4°F) and 26°C(78.8°F). But in January, there is heavy rainfall.

You can plan the trip in March, April, or September if you want to avoid the crowds. These months are in the shoulder season, so daytime weather can be quite pleasant but still hot enough to enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming.

Traveling in the Summer (May and August) requires a lot of sunscreen and always carrying bottled water. The maximum temperature is around 36°C(96.8°F), and the lowest is around 23°C(73.4°F), so on hot days, it can be hard to enjoy outdoor activities.

Egypt Itinerary: Popular cities and towns

Nile Valley, Sinai Peninsula, Valley of the Kings… There are a lot of ancient sites to explore in Egypt! Below you will find some travel tips for the cities you should include in your itinerary:

• Cairo - The capital offers a lot of attractions, and you can buy a Cairo Pass to visit some of them. Enjoy a Nile cruise, and don’t leave without visiting the ancient site of The Great Pyramid of Giza near the city.

• Luxor - It’s the old Thebes city in the Valley of the Kings. Also full of historical temples to explore, where you can use the Luxor Pass to visit.

• Alexandria - One of Egypt's most important archaeological sites. The famous library and the huge lighthouse are no longer there, but the now modern city still has many ancient wonders.

• Abu Simbel - The historic village is home to Pharaoh Ramesses II's twin temples carved out of the mountainside from the 13th century BC.

• Hurghada - A great city for relaxing on Egyptian sandy beaches. You can also enjoy water sports or snorkel to admire the colorful coral reefs.

Egypt Travel Tips: Must-do and see

There are so many things to explore on your trip to Egypt! Here are some Egypt tips for the must-do and see activities in the country.

1. Visit the Royal Mummy Exhibit in Cairo. There are gold coffins and mummies of pharaohs who ruled more than 3,000 years ago.

2. Make a day trip to visit the Kom Ombo Temple. It’s a double temple dedicated to two deities, Sobek and Horus.

3. Explore the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor. The place has decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other ancient buildings.

4. Visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It’s the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East and has the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities.

5. Enjoy the Nile Cruises. The felucca cruises are an opportunity to live an authentic experience in a traditional sailing vessel and explore the region.

Typical Egyptian food to try

• Ful Medames - This dish dates back to the time of the pharaohs. It’s a fava bean stew, in which the bean grains are simmered overnight in a large pot, then seasoned with olive oil and spices.

• Mulukhiya - Known as jute in English, this is a green leafy vegetable. In this recipe, the leaves are chopped and cooked with garlic, lemon juice, and spices until they resemble a thick stew.

• Fattah - It consists of layers of rice and fried aish baladi, with meat chunks(lamb, beef, or veal) and topped with vinegar and tomato sauce. It is popular in celebrations and religious festivals.

Vaccine information for Egypt

It's important to know what routine vaccines and COVID-19 measures are required when traveling to Egypt. We recommend you check the CDC website to learn about all vaccine requirements before your trip to Egypt.

7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Egypt

Egypt has seven historical sites among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among them, there are the regions that are home to some of the most important buildings and tourist landmarks in the country:

• The Great Pyramid of Giza’s Fields from Giza to Dahshur.

• The ruins of Abu Mena† in Alexandria.

• The historic Cairo

• The temples and palaces at Karnak and Luxor (Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis).

• The Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae.

• The orthodox monastery of Saint Catherine.

• The archeological site of Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley).

Fun facts about Egypt

Egypt is a curious country, and here are some fun facts about this fantastic destination!

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only remaining monument of the seven wonders of the ancient world that resisted the test of time.

2. Ancient Egyptians considered cats sacred animals. Because of that, most families kept a cat as a pet, which they believed would bring the household good luck.

3. Egyptians invented the 365-day-a-year calendar to predict the yearly floodings of the Nile river.

4. Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Middle East. The city has an estimated population of 22 million and approximately 500 square km.

5. Aswan in Egypt is the third sunniest place in the world! The city has around 3863 hours of sun each year; that’s 10 hours of sun a day.