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Egypt

⁨Egypt⁩ guide

Egypt

The pyramids and the Nile all year, the North Coast in summer, the Red Sea for diving.

Why ⁨Egypt⁩?

  1. Pyramids and the Nile

    The pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then Luxor's temples on the Nile.

  2. Red Sea diving

    Diving on Red Sea reefs right off the beach.

  3. North Coast summers

    Mediterranean beaches and concerts in July and August.

Before you go

  • Currency

    Egyptian Pound

  • Language

    Arabic

  • Time difference

    GMT+3

  • Plugs

    Type C, F

  • Getting around

    Train

  • Driving

    On the right

Popular destinations in ⁨Egypt⁩

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Best time to visit ⁨Egypt⁩

November to March

  • January

    Best time to go

  • February

    Best time to go

  • March

    Best time to go

  • April

    Good time to go

  • May

  • June

  • July

  • August

  • September

  • October

    Good time to go

  • November

    Best time to go

  • December

    Best time to go

Places in ⁨Egypt⁩

Compare flight tickets to ⁨Egypt⁩

Trip plans for ⁨Egypt⁩

Local tips

  • Insider tips

    1. Pick two of Cairo, the Nile Valley and a coast, not all three. Egypt is long; moving eats the days.

    2. Start early: the pyramids, Karnak and the west bank are in full sun by mid-morning, and early light is better.

    3. Take the night train between Cairo and Luxor or Aswan, not a flight: one hotel night saved, there by morning.

  • Money

    1. The currency is the Egyptian pound. Hotels and larger restaurants take cards; markets, taxis and anywhere outside cities take cash.

  • Internet

    1. Good coverage in cities, the Nile Valley and resorts, thin in the desert; an eSIM bought early avoids airport hassle.

  • Customs and safety

    1. Cities are more covered than resorts: shoulders and knees covered, and expected at mosques; beachwear stays at the resort.

    2. Bottled water is what is drunk, sold everywhere including the sites. In the Nile Valley, carry more than seems necessary.

  • Food and prayer

    1. Halal is the ordinary case across the country. Pork appears only in a few places for visitors, labelled where served.

    2. Mosques are in every city and the call to prayer carries; airports, shopping centres and larger hotels keep prayer rooms.

Getting around ⁨Egypt⁩

  • Train

    The national railway follows the Nile between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan and runs north to Alexandria. It is the one long journey in Egypt that is more pleasant than flying it.

    Recommended

  • Bus

    Intercity coaches are how the Red Sea and Sinai resorts are reached overland, across desert road with little between the towns.

  • Car

    Driving suits the coasts, where distances are long and the road is empty; it suits Cairo far less.

  • Domestic flights

    A short domestic flight reaches most places, with daily flights between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan.

eSIM plans in ⁨Egypt⁩

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About ⁨Egypt⁩

Almost everything a first trip to Egypt is built around stands within sight of the Nile. The river runs the length of the country from the Sudanese border to the delta, and the pyramids, the temples and the cities are all on its banks, because in a desert that is where people could live.

The other Egypt is its coasts. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba are edged with coral, close enough inshore to reach from a beach, and the resorts along them (Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Sharm El Sheikh) exist for that reason. Alexandria, on the Mediterranean, is a different country again: cooler, wetter, and a city rather than a resort.

The distances are larger than they look. Cairo to Luxor is a night on the train, Cairo to Aswan longer, and the Red Sea coast is a desert crossing from the Nile rather than a detour off it. Most trips pick two of the three (the river, a coast, and the capital) rather than all of them.

Photo credits

Photographs on this page, with their licences.