Egypt is a fabulous country to visit over the year.
It is Full of infinite treasures history, warm deserts, sunny coastal areas, and infinite beauty.
Before Egypt spellbound you, questions pump into your head:
“Is it safe to travel to Egypt?”
“Is it worth the risk of visiting?”
“How can I spend my time there?”
In this article, you will find all the Egypt travel tips and answers that ensure you live the Egyptian vibes while you are SECURE, comfortable, and saving your budget.
Let’s dive into the tips and you will get all the answers while reading.
I will start with the Guardian travel tips for 200% being safe in Egypt.
Safety Tips
Does Egypt have thieves?
Which country doesn’t have thefts and crimes? No country.
Even the country you came from has a percentage of crime, theft, and deception.
In Egypt, there is a very small percentage of these actions and you can protect yourself from it by following Egypt travel tips.
1. Caution and caution. You need to be aware of what happening around you. It’s a simple tip but it works.
2. Don’t hold your phone or wallet carelessly in the streets. Motorcycle riders have long hands here.
3. In public transportation, backpacks have to be front-packs. Don’t put your belongings somewhere you can’t see “your behind’. Make it always in front of you.
4. Avoid beggars and vagrants. Some of them have a strategy of stealing your money while talking to you.
5. Don’t leave your money naked in the room. If you booked in a local hostel, obscure your important assets in a safe place. For example in a secret pocket in your bags.
6. Don’t have excess money with you, to avoid being robbed. Neither putting the money in the hostel nor taking it with you during the tours.
7. Withdraw few daily money from your cards. To handle your daily activities without leaving cash in the hostel “if you can’t trust it”.
8. Forget about the trousers’ back pocket while being in crowded areas. Put your phone in a bag or in the trousers’ front pocket.
9. Lock your room door very well. It’s something conventional. However, some people need a reminder for it.
Budget Saving Travel Tips in Egypt
10. Use the “Green bus” to save your money and the environment.
11. Ask about the prices outside the shop.
“Yes,you’ve read it correctly.”
If you feel a price manipulation, get outside the shop and ask any Egyptian walker directly about the average price of the item you want to buy. This Egyptian travel tip will give you a testimony to negotiate prices.
You can go back to the same seller, or find another one while you have the power of knowledge.
12. It’s NOT a rare item.
If the seller refuses to go price down. You can find easily the same item in another shop. In most cases, in the next shop!
Only if it’s a handmade gallery or thrift shops, you can believe the word “one of its kind”. Otherwise, you can find anything anywhere. Egypt is chock-full of shops, stores, and malls.
13. Make your dollars the last card in the negotiation.
Sellers’ eyes get sparkle when they see a tourist. They try to snatch dollars as possible. Some of them offer logical prices, but others offer unrealistic ones.
The Egyptian pound is facing a devaluation. 1 USD = 30 EGP. (On 18/1/2023)
In most cases, you need to ask to pay in Egyptian cash. To avoid the sellers’ tricks of pricing and maintain your goal of minimizing the budget.
Tips for Comfort Trip in Egypt
14. Coming with a plane? Relax your body and take a nap.
Your body needs to be ready for the trip. No time to waste!
Egypt is full of adventures, activities, and places that you can’t be missed and you don’t want to spend your first day in Egypt sleeping.
15. Uber is here! Ride applications are supported in Egypt. Uber, Careem, and Didi, you will find them easily with fair prices and comfort service.
16. Mark your luggage with a noticeable sign, to avoid the hustle of being lost in the airport. Write on it your name, number, email, and your hotel, to be on safe side.
17. Don’t forget to buy a new SIM card for your phone.
The SIM cards available in Egypt are Vodafone, Etisalat, Orange, and WE. They have nearly identical features and similar money deductions for calls and megabytes.
After purchasing it, go to the online application to see the available bundles and choose the suitable bundle for your usage.
18. Your most essential travel tip in Egypt is to take a power bank wherever you go. Your small tours may take longer time than expected and your phone/ camera battery may run out from you.
19. Exhausted from walking, exploration, and the high level of adrenaline? Delivery applications can bring groceries, food, drinks, and anything you wish anywhere.
20. Take a few items while going for a tour. Don’t frustrate yourself with lots of holdings you take with you, instead of enjoying freely the beautiful sights around you.
21. Bring pharmaceutical items and necessities. If you have a chronic disease, don’t forget your medical prescription.
22. Bring an electric adaptor and convertor to keep your devices safe without damage. As in Egypt, the electric currency is 220 volts, 50Hz, and electric plugins mostly are rounded.
23. Pack up a jacket with you, in case the weather gets cold at night. Egypt is not warm 365 days, in winter the night weather becomes cold, especially in deserts and unpopulated areas.
24. Don’t depend on rare turtles. Instead, depend on your mobile network.
Wi-Fi network in Egypt is slower than the optimum network around the world. Even though, you can’t connect to it simply. Wi-Fi is mostly private service in Egypt, not a public service like in some countries.
As a role use your mobile data to connect to the internet. “It’s an Egyptian tip we follow in Egypt when going outside the home”
On the other hand, you can find free Wi-Fi in some hotels, coffees, and restaurants.
“How to be an Egyptian” Tips
25. Let Egyptians guide you.
You may notice I have repeated one of the most underrated Egypt travel tips which are ASKING and searching.
Egyptians know the country better than you, you have to admit. Surely, you will get a new info every time you ask about something.
26. do you call yourself an adventurer? Do “cross the street game”. Egyptians add some adventure to their daily routine by neglecting the traffic lights and crossing the road immediately when there is a chance.
27. Photos last longer than your brain cells.
Take photos as much as possible to memorize every single memory. After some years, you will show happily the photos to your grandsons and granddaughters and tell them the story behind each photo of your amazing Egyptian trip.
28. Get to know more about Egyptians through social media. Visit Egyptian Facebook groups, where you can find some hints about hidden gems and more tips for your trip in Egypt.
29. Must do: Egyptian morning walk.
In case you arrive at the Egyptian lands early before your check-in time, go to the hotel and leave your luggage there. Now we can say you start your Egyptian tour.
Morning in Egypt has a different taste; streets are quiet from the annoying noise, trees are swinging to the birds’ songs, dogs and cats enjoying their sleep, and you will enjoy your peace while the fresh air hugs you cheerfully.
Bonus Tips
30. Don’t miss the early breakfast in the peaceful Egyptian streets.
Hungry in the morning? Here are the most delicious Egypt travel tips for amazing breakfast.
Search for a fool and ta’maia cart early in the morning, some of them open early at 7 am, and few carts open after sunrise. They mostly close in the afternoon.
If you pass through one don’t let the golden chance fade from your hand.
Order the most Egyptian breakfast “Fool and ta’mia” with some bread, fried potato, and the “Balady” salad. If you are okay with spices, try pickled vegetables. And definitely seasoned fried Eggplant. PERFECT!
I’m already feeling hungry while writing this. I think I will go order some now. ☺
You will pay around 15 to 30 EGP/ person including the mentioned menu above. You can ask about the prices before eating, or you can do like Egyptians they eat and trust the cart owner that he won’t ask for so much. You can give the cart owner around 1 to 2 dollars/ person. And he will be more than happy.
31. Egypt has LOTS of activities you can do at night.
Don’t worry about messing up your day and night due to the different sleeping hours. You will get used to it. Even if you wake up at night, you still have glorious activities to do. Some of them:
- Nile cruising
- Explore the local market and so buy some souvenirs
- Walking in the Egyptian streets
- Visiting some fancy restaurants “if your budget can afford”
- Go to a coffee shop on the Nile and enjoy the vibes
32. Travel etiquette in Egypt is the “NO etiquette”.
Don’t pressure yourself to follow eating etiquette rules. You have all the freedom to be as natural as you are. Almost 90% of the Egyptians don’t care about these things. Soupy food, macaroni, and rice are eaten simply by spoons.
33. Learn to use the bread as the spoon of your food.
Most Egyptian food is eaten with bread and hands. Not knives and forks. When eating soupy food, they cut pieces of bread and make it in the shape of a cat’s ear “wedn el otta”.
34. First Egypt travel tips you have to put in mind while packing your package is to bring lots of sneakers and comfortable shoes. In Egypt, most roads are bumpy and irregular, and you want to explore as much as possible comfortably, so sneakers are your key to avoiding foot pain.
35. Egyptians wake up early and some of them wake up late. However, most shops don’t open before 9 am.
36. Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs on Egyptian streets. You can go to jail in a jiffy if you be noticed doing these actions. Read First Time to Egypt Guide for more restrictions.
37. Say YES to new experiences.
- Balloon rides above Aswan lands, templates, and history.
- Diving or snorkeling among the marvelous treasures under the red sea.
- Ride scooters and bikes in Cairo streets.
- Go Safari by beach baggy in Sania and Sharm El-Sheikh.
- Or hike the huge mountains in Sinai and meet the snow at the peak.
38. If you are used to toilet paper, take some with you to the bathroom. Egyptians depend on bidets more than toilet paper. As a result, some places don’t provide toilet papers in their bathroom.
39. Never come to Egypt without eating Koshari. It’s one of the Egyptian dishes that you will fall in love with after trying it.
40. Go thrifting in Wekal is an Egypt travel tip for finding vintage treasures at low prices. In addition, there are more thrifting places and online stores for clothes and antics.
41. Enough for fancy restaurants and malls. Get mixed with Egyptian culture. Search for local famous Egyptian food, activities, places, and handmade brands.
42. Don’t be surprised about Egyptians’ eating habits. Egyptians take breakfast in the late hour of the morning, take lunch at the night, and skip dinner sometimes.
43. Prepare your stomach. Egyptian food is full of fats and carbohydrates, you can’t find a meal to miss those two ingredients. That may be heavy meals for some people if they don’t use to that kind of food. So, try the Egyptian food slowly to avoid being sick.
44. Enjoy the majesty around you MORE. Spend time on your phone LESS.
Traveling is about valuing the difference and enjoying it.
Reels, memes, and news are available all year.
Your presence in Egypt won’t last for too long.
An accurate travel tip in Egypt is to “snatch the moment and enjoy your presence in such wonderful land”.
I hope those Egypt travel tips are helpful.
Tell us in the comment which tip made you say WOW, I didn’t know about it before.
If you have additional travel tips you figured it out by yourself in Egypt, don’t forget to mention them below 😉