Practical
Egypt travel tips
Everything practical in one place — money, packing, customs, safety and the questions worth settling before you book.
The Egypt travel tips that actually matter
Most Egypt travel tips online repeat the same six lines: drink bottled water, cover your shoulders, carry small notes. All true, and all easy to find. This section exists for the questions underneath that, where the answer changes what you pack, budget or book.
The grouping below follows when you need each thing. Money and tipping come first because they catch people out on day one. Then what to pack and wear, which depends more on where you are going than on the season. Then the practical business of moving around and staying well.
Where advice differs by region, the pages say so. Cairo, Upper Egypt and the Red Sea resorts have genuinely different rules about dress, heat and hassle, and treating Egypt as one place is how people get it wrong.
Money
Before you go
- Flights and which airportCairo, the Red Sea airports, and why the choice matters.
- Getting a visae-visa, visa on arrival, and what you need for each.
- What to packIncluding the cold-evening problem that catches everyone out.
- What to wearTemples, cities and resorts have different standards.
- When to goMonth by month, with temperatures and crowd levels.
On the ground
- Culture and customsHospitality, haggling, Ramadan, photography and etiquette.
- Food and what to eatKoshari, ful, molokhia — and honest advice on street food.
- Getting aroundDomestic flights, the sleeper train, taxis and the metro.
- Map and distancesHow far apart things really are, in hours rather than kilometres.
- Frequently asked questionsTipping, safety, drinking water and everything else.
Deciding
- Is Egypt worth visiting?An honest answer, including who should go somewhere else first.
- Is a Nile cruise worth it?When it is the right call, and when hotels are better.
- Egypt vs JordanWhich suits you, and whether to do both.
- Egypt vs MoroccoAncient world versus living one.
- Egypt vs GreeceAn expedition versus a holiday.
- Hurghada vs Sharm el-SheikhWhich Red Sea resort, and why it depends on the Nile.
- Luxor vs AswanMonuments or the river, if you can only pick one.
- Nile cruise vs land tourSail it, or stay in hotels and drive.
- Egypt itineraries by lengthWhat 5, 8, 10 and 14 days each actually covers.
Still deciding?
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and how long you have. We will send a real itinerary with prices, usually within 24 hours, and nothing is booked until you say so.
Plan your tripRead next
- Egypt visa requirementsThe one piece of admin you cannot skip.
- Egyptian foodWhat to eat, and what to be careful with.
- Getting around EgyptTrains, flights and the overnight sleeper.
- Egyptian culture and etiquetteWhat to wear, and how to behave at a mosque.
Official sources
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
- UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗It updates continuously, and most UK travel insurance follows it.
- WHO travel health: Egypt ↗General health guidance. Your own travel clinic knows your history; ask them too.
- Central Bank of Egypt ↗The official reference for the Egyptian pound. Rates move; do not rely on a figure in an article.