Two weeks from now I will be visiting Egypt. The tour includes pyramids, Cairo museum, the Nile etc.
Do I need to bring local currency? I will have a credit card and euros in cash.
Any other advice?
They like dollars more than Euros there.
The advice we got from our guide was to not make eye contact with the ubiquitous vendors. I’m from New York, so this was easy for me, but I saw a guy trying to be friendly, and they were on him like bees on honey.
You can go into a pyramid for $10. Don’t take this trip if you are claustrophobic or not in shape. You go down a ramp, with lots of other people, with a very low roof. I had to take this steep slope with my body bent backwards. My knees hurt like hell afterward. My daughter, who is 22 and in great shape, said her knees hurt also. I went in April when it was cool outside. It was quite hot inside - I had to think what it is like in August. I’m glad I did it, though.
Best example of go-getterdom ever: my daughter, who is a horsewoman, wanted to ride a camel, and was able to go on a short camel ride also for $10. About two hours and three tour stops later a guy comes running up to her with a nicely done picture of her on the camel blown up to 8 x 10. She bargained him down to $4 and bought it. That’s a guy who would go far anywhere.
By all means get local currency, and get lots of small bills. The baksheesh will eat you alive if you don’t get anything at the exchange but 20s and 50s.
I once had to baksheesh a men’s room attendant with a 20 because that’s all I had.
You will be perpetually, perpetually bombarded by people trying to separate you from your money.
Get used to ignoring people trying to sell you rocks. Be prepared for people coming out of shops while open coke cans and insisting that you must buy them because they went through the trouble of opening them and coming out into the street.
Cab drivers will come to a screeching halt beside you while you wander down the street, spend 10 minutes trying to coax you into the cab, and then squeal off in a huff when they finally give up.
99.8% of the Egyptians on the front line of tourism are scheming to get your money, and I’m not exaggerating. It’s all quite ridiculous.
Otherwise, Egypt is great.
After you’ve been to Egypt, you might consider visiting northern Sudan (From Khartoum north to the Egyptian border). We spent 2 weeks there last December…
There are loads of fantastic Egyptian and Nubian ruins, pyramids, tombs, etc. and of course the Nile… and not a single person tried to sell us something. Super friendly people and no tourists. A friend we were travelling with said it was like Egypt without the Egyptians. 
PM me if you’d like the name of a reliable agency to arrange a trip (car driver, hotels, visa etc)
Take your own water.
Hopefully, you’ll have time to visit the Khan el-Khalili, which is the huge marketplace. Agree with the others about not engaging vendors. In particular, don’t fall for the line “I’m an official guide.” The guy will take you on a “tour”, but once out of sight of the crowds, will become threatening to extort money from you. I did the climb up inside the Cheops pyramid. Hot and close, and nothing to see once you get up there. They do a sound and light show in the evenings, which is okay. A falucca ride on the Nile is relaxing. Drink only bottled water that you have opened yourself.
Thanks for all the advice!
Probably the most valuable advice in the thread.
I disagree. If you know where to shop, you can get 1.5-liter bottles of water for like 2 E£.
I would, however, recommend taking your own toilet paper unless you’re staying in a big hotel.
I took that to mean don’t try to drink water out of the tap, not that there is no potable water available anywhere in Egypt. Having spent a year in the Congo where we had to boil all water we used for drinking or cooking, I’m very sensitive to this issue.
BYO toilet paper – they make travel rolls
Forget the baksheesh stuff, literally ignore everyone and everything at every site except admission. If they aren’t in a uniform, ignore them. I didn’t tip anyone outside of normal expectations (hotel stuff). Everywhere you go there will be tons of tourists so make a buddy if you are alone or ask a tour guide (assuming you aren’t already on a tour, most people are).
The tourist police in uniform do a decent job of keeping touts away. If you need help go near them.
The vendors in khan al khalili are friendlier/provide less hassle than other places. I ignored all other vendors.
You’ll get a handle of the touts in a day. After a week you’ll lose absolutely all patience with them. I had a friend who worked abroad for a year and was annoyed that she was a local yet always harassed.
Have fun.
You knew somebody had to say that.
Looks like my wife and I are thinking of going, so since we haven’t even booked anything yet, what are the must-sees, can’t-misses, and ho-hums?
I’ll never forget one bit of advice I read in a travel book when I visited Egypt 20 years ago: Egypt makes great beer, but the quality standards are very low, so if you open a bottle of beer and it is green, don’t drink it.
I live in Egypt. Ask away:D
I live 10 mins from pyramids when I’m in Cairo.
To do in Cairo:
Go to pyramids very early in morning to avoid heat. Today it is a cool 32/90 but it can vary.
Ignore any vendors. Only buy tickets for pyramids at desk. You pay extra for ‘inside Cheops’ and solar boat museum on plateau.
Camel ride should be around 30-40le for 10 mins.
DO NOT pay more.
Wear strong shoes and a hat and sunscreen.
Cairo water is fine to drink.
As soon as you land buy Entocid or Antinal from any pharmacy. Nothing you bring will work if you get Delhi belly except these and they are great. 2 tabs and you should be fine.
Drink plenty water and very little alcohol.
Start every day day with egyptian yoghort and honey for breakfast. It is on every buffet.
DO NOT eat any salad or peeled fruits (except watermelon), jellies, or milk puddings in buffets. Everything else is fine.
Take wet wipes everywhere you go.
Ignore taxi drivers or anyone trying to stop you in the street. It’s perfectly acceptable to say . ‘La-ah shukran’ and walk on. Keep head down and walk on. Do not engage in conversation.
Men should always cover shoulders and upper arms, women should never expose cleavage or thighs.
Friday prayers will bring everything to a bit of a standstill. You will see Muslims lay prayer mats out on pavements in downtown if no room in mosque. Life will go on as usual for tourists but respect the time of prayer on Fridays and DO NOT step on matting, or rugs, or anything laid out on pavements for prayer. Mosques are open to visitors anytime except during prayer times women included. Women should wear a scarf to enter and everyone should remove shoes.
Always bargain for goods.
If the price does not suit you walk away.
It’s custom to bargain.
Good places to visit in Cairo are
Pyramids, Saqarra, Egyptian Museum, Al Azhar Botanical park, Citadel, Khan al Khaili, Japanese Garden in Helwan, the various Mosques in Old Cairo and the churches in Mokattam, City of the Dead, Fayoum’s monuments and Wadi Rayan waterfalls, Lake Qarun, and if you hire a 4x4 you can see the Valley of the Whalebones.
If you have kids and want theme park there are two in 6th October City around 10 min drive from pyramids. Dreampark, and Magicland part of EMPC Movie studios.
Oh and baksheesh.
Egyptians give 1-2 le to a beggar.
2-5le for a service provided.
No more than 5 le.
If you as tourists give more than this it encourages harrassment.
Always try to tip the poorest. These are the ones who sell tissues on the street and the ones sweeping the streets in green overalls.
Others make lucrative businesses and often shabby dress and poor looking children does not necessarily mean poverty.
If you can go on a Nile cruise do so, I don’t know if the one I went on was typical (though I suspect it was) but it was truly excellent.
The service was superlative, honest, friendly and some of the best that I’ve had anywhere in the world.
I don’t recommend this, but onboard you could leave your wallet lying around and the staff would find the owner and hand it back, contents intact.(I saw this actually happen), but I don’t think that this would happen ashore.
Our guide was a graduate and had an in depth knowledge of all of the temples etc. that we visited.
The Egyptians both staff and the locals where we visited were great.
Didn’t get so much as a twinge of Delhi belly.
One of the best holiday experiences of my life, and I’ve had many and varied worldwide.
The scam I encountered was someone offering me a ten pound note for Egyptian currency at a ridiculously good rate.
Don’t be tempted.
I can only say that what I have recounted may not apply to Cairo as I was in Luxor and further up river.
Probiotics can also help with travel trots. Bring some.
Wear a hat. Do not bring your very expensive sunglasses or watch.
Although pickpockets and crime are not a huge problem there, one good idea in traveling is to have a decoy/small bill wallet. Put a back up ID, and a low limit or fake credit card* in there, along with some business cards, a few pictures and other non-critical papers one keeps in a wallet, and then fill it with small denomination bills. Have this be the wallet you are seen taking out to buy beverages, tips, etc. A pickpocket will steal that, and your OK. Also in the very unlikely circumstance you are held up, you can toss that down and skedaddle.
- In America we get these quite often in the mail, they are advertisements for the real thing- they only look good to a very casual look-see.
These are not nessesarily just for Cairo, they could apply as well to Mexico city or even Los Angeles, etc. In other words, any large city with strange water, sun and a higher crime rate than you are used to.
How do you buy high quality reproductions? I mean, old egyptian paintings, carvings, vases, etc. There must be high quality ones available-not the cheap stuff hawked by street vendors-where do you buy this stuff?