Visas & entry
Most US, Canadian, UK, EU, Australian and New Zealand passport holders can normally obtain a 30-day tourist visa on arrival or use Egypt’s e-Visa system; other nationalities may need to apply in advance. A free, restricted South Sinai entry stamp can apply for short stays in the Sharm–Dahab–St Catherine zone, but it is not a substitute for a full visa if you will travel elsewhere in Egypt. Rules and eligible nationalities change: confirm with the Egyptian embassy or official e-Visa portal before booking.
Getting in
- Cairo International Airport: The default international gateway and the only sensible starting point for a first Egypt trip built around Cairo/Giza and the Nile Valley. It has the widest international network and the best domestic connections to Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
- Hurghada International Airport: Use it for a Red Sea-first holiday or a culture-plus-beach itinerary ending on the mainland coast. It has substantial European charter and scheduled traffic, but reaching Cairo or the Nile Valley still usually means a domestic flight or a long road transfer.
- Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport: The practical gateway for South Sinai resorts, Dahab and diving. It is not a convenient overland extension of a Cairo itinerary; fly from Cairo unless you have a specific reason to travel overland and current security advice supports it.
- Luxor International Airport: Worth using on a time-limited Upper Egypt trip, especially as an open-jaw arrival or departure around a Luxor–Aswan cruise. It saves a Cairo backtrack but has far fewer international and domestic options than Cairo.
- Aswan International Airport: Useful for an Upper Egypt-focused itinerary, Abu Simbel connections, or finishing a Nile cruise without retracing the route north. Treat it as a time-saving domestic gateway rather than a broadly connected international hub.
Getting around
For the classic route, fly Cairo–Luxor or Cairo–Aswan if time matters: the flight is short, but airport transfers still consume much of a day. Cairo–Alexandria and Luxor–Aswan work well by train; Luxor–Aswan also works as a three- or four-night Nile cruise if you value the journey over flexibility. Do not assume Egypt is suited to independent self-drive: Cairo traffic is punishing, desert routes need local planning, and South Sinai and Western Desert travel should follow current security guidance and usually use a licensed driver or operator.
Money
The currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP). Cards work at better hotels, larger restaurants, upscale shops and many official ticket offices, but cash remains necessary for taxis, small cafés, tips, market purchases and many local services; use ATMs in major towns and carry small notes. Tipping is routine rather than exceptional—budget for guides, drivers, porters, hotel staff and small service interactions—but agree private-guide and driver prices before setting off.
Daily budget · EGP; plan in USD-equivalent bands because exchange rates can move sharply.
- Value
- US$35–65 per person/day, excluding international flights.
- Mid-range
- US$90–180 per person/day.
- High-end
- US$300–600+ per person/day; substantially more for top Nile boats, luxury desert lodges, high-season Red Sea resorts and fully private touring.
- Value travel means hostels or simple guesthouses, ful/koshari and street-food meals, rail or shared transport, independently purchased monument tickets, and selective guides.
- The comfortable band covers reliable air-conditioned 3–4-star hotels or good guesthouses, restaurant meals, first-class rail or domestic flights where they save real time, private transfers on complex days, and guides at major archaeological sites.
- Do not economize blindly on Cairo–Upper Egypt transport: flying often saves a sightseeing day, while Luxor–Aswan is the stretch where rail, private road transfer or a Nile cruise each make sense depending on pace.
- The largest cost swings are Nile cruises, Abu Simbel flights or private transport, Red Sea resort season, diving, and private Egyptologist-led touring.
- Book the Nile boat and any high-demand resort stay early in the October–February peak; independently arranged hotels, food and ordinary monument admissions are much easier places to control spend.
Eating well
- Cairo is the place to eat cheaply and often: ful and koshari are practical meals, not dishes to save for a single novelty stop.
- In Alexandria, prioritize seafood over generic tourist menus; the city is worth an overnight partly because eating by the harbor is better unhurried.
- Around Aswan, look for food connected to Nubian communities and give Elephantine or less-packaged villages more attention than a rushed Gharb Soheil stop.
- During Ramadan, many locally oriented cafés and restaurants shorten daytime hours. Confirm openings, reserve evening meals and transport ahead, and eat and drink discreetly in public during daylight.
- Siwa’s dates, olives and abud are worth seeking out locally; this is one of the few Egyptian destinations where the food clearly reflects the oasis landscape.
Book before you land
Nile cruise cabin on a well-reviewed Luxor–Aswan or Aswan–Luxor boat, especially October–February and over Christmas/New Year · Abu Simbel solar-alignment visit and transport, around February 22 and October 22
- Build buffer time into any itinerary involving a domestic flight, desert transfer, felucca outing or tight connection: khamsin dust winds in spring can disrupt flights and river travel.
- Treat Cairo, the Nile Valley, the Red Sea/South Sinai and the Western Desert as separate trips joined by flights or long travel days. Cairo–Siwa and Cairo–South Sinai are not casual side trips.
- Use ride-hailing where available in Cairo rather than negotiating every street taxi; for day-long archaeological or desert outings, book a reputable licensed driver or guide with the route, hours and price agreed in advance.
- Dress conservatively away from resort beaches—especially in Cairo, rural Upper Egypt and religious sites—and carry water, sun protection and modest cover-ups for temples and mosques.
- During Ramadan, monuments remain open but locally oriented businesses may keep reduced daytime hours. Eat and drink discreetly in public during daylight, confirm opening times, and expect evenings to become busy after iftar.
- South Sinai’s coastal resort zone is operationally different from North and central Sinai, while Western Desert conditions and permissions can change. Check your government’s current travel advice and do not improvise remote-road travel.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
October–February
Cool-to-warm, mostly dry days make Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan, desert travel and Sinai hiking comfortable; nights can be cold in the desert, Cairo and Alexandria can feel damp and chilly, and the Red Sea may be windy.
first-time Nile Valley itinerariesarchaeology and city sightseeingdesert tripsSinai hiking
This is peak demand and pricing, especially over Christmas, New Year and European school holidays; reserve good Nile boats, guides and small hotels early.
March–April
Days are warm but usually manageable across the Nile Valley, with good conditions for desert camping, felucca sailing and diving; hot, dust-laden khamsin winds can arrive from March into April.
balanced culture-and-coast tripsNile sailingdesert campingdiving
A serious khamsin episode can disrupt flights, felucca trips and outdoor sightseeing, so tightly connected itineraries need a buffer night.
May–June
The Red Sea is warm and generally appealing, but Cairo becomes hot and Luxor and Aswan demand dawn starts and a long midday break by June.
Red Sea resortswarm-water divingvalue-focused tripsshort, early-start archaeological visits
Inland touring is increasingly a heat-management exercise rather than an all-day sightseeing trip.
July–September
Luxor and Aswan are intensely hot, while the Red Sea is prime for diving and Egypt’s Mediterranean resorts fill with domestic summer holidaymakers.
divingresort stayslow-season hotel ratestravelers comfortable with a dawn-to-noon sightseeing rhythm
Avoid a ruin-heavy Nile Valley itinerary unless heat is an acceptable trade-off; plan temples at opening, retreat indoors at midday, and favor the coast over adding more archaeological stops.
Events worth planning around
Ramadan · Moves about 10–11 days earlier each Gregorian year. · Nationwide
Monuments remain open, but locally oriented cafés, shops and services may keep shorter daytime hours; evenings become busier after iftar. Confirm hours, eat and drink discreetly in public during daylight, and reserve popular evening restaurants or transport ahead.
Abu Simbel solar alignment · Usually around February 22 and October 22. · Abu Simbel, near Aswan
The temple spectacle makes an already long excursion crowded and logistically constrained; arrange Aswan lodging and transport well ahead.
What to eat
Eat Egypt by region rather than treating it as one generic “Middle Eastern” menu: Cairo is for everyday staples and street food, Alexandria for seafood, and Aswan/Siwa for distinctly Nubian and oasis ingredients. Build meals around inexpensive local dishes in the cities, then seek out fish on the Mediterranean and dates, olives and regional breads in the desert south and west.
Koshari — the cheap, filling Cairo staple of rice, pasta, lentils and toppings.Ful — slow-cooked fava beans, a foundational breakfast or quick meal.Alexandrian seafood — fresh fish and shellfish around the harbor and Mediterranean coast.Nubian food — seek it around Aswan and Elephantine rather than reducing the region to a staged village visit.Abud — Siwa’s local date-filled bread.Siwa dates and olives.
Greater Cairo: Koshari · Ful · Street-food meals and everyday Egyptian staples
Alexandria: Egypt’s strongest seafood culture · Fresh Mediterranean fish and shellfish
Aswan, Elephantine and Nubian villages: Nubian food · Distinct Nubian culinary traditions alongside music and crafts
Siwa Oasis: Abud, the local date-filled bread · Dates · Olives