❗ GENERAL

• Dress - an Islamic country, so dress rather conservatively - pants and long sleeves recommended
• Weather - we visited in January - in Cairo we wore a fleece, in the evenings a jacket because it was blowing cold wind; The south you go, the warmer it is, but only then until the sunset
• Water - you have to be VERY careful with water (in the drink, in ice in drinks, in the teeth cleaning) – drink ONLY bottled water
• First Aid - first aid kit - it's worth taking Loperamide with you (for the famous pharaoh's revenge)
• Electricity - the same sockets as in Europe
• Cash - the ATM only allows you to take 4000EGP at a time
• - it's worth having USD in small bills (1 or 5USD) for tips - interestingly our hotel did not take the older 100USD bill (before 2009), but I don't know if it's a common practice
• Credit Cards - cards (Revolut) works hotels, restaurants, etc
• Food - you can eat deliciously for little money - Shwarma with the drink 40EGP, small water 2.5FGP, Stella beer 125EGP, nescafe in the cafe 10-15EGP, mint tea 10EGP; coffee at Costa Coffee 80EGP
• Alcohol - sold only in some hotels and restaurants
• Security - at the entrances to hotels, subways, etc. there are gates and x-ray machine for luggage - in some cases they ring and they don’t do anything about it 😀
• Egyptians livelihood is tourism - if we are not interested in buying / trip / ride - it's worth arming yourself with a smile and politely refuse - usually after a few attempts they give up trying to sell you stuff

✈️ Cairo International AIRPORT

• visas on Arrival - after landing, you fill in the small print (as a place of stay - just enter the word HOTEL), buy a visa for 25US and take it to passport control
• SIM Card - before leaving the airport we bought a SIM card (Vodafon - 20GB - 301EGP), apparently Orange costs 160EGP for 16GB, but we couldn't find the shop
• Airport UBER / Taxi - from the airport you can take an UBER to the center (150EGP) but as we get there at midnight we went by taxi for 15US (negotiations started from 500EGP)

? TRANSPORTATION

• UBER - super cheap (rides costs 2-5 zlotys), super comfortable but unfortunately there are huge traffic jams in Cairo - sometimes it's faster to walk a few streets
• it's also good to have an app for cheap Taxi – “Careem”
• metro in Cairo - cool option - one ride costs 5EGP; we bought 10 cardboard tickets at once so that we don't have to stand at the ticket office each time - well-marked lines
• ticket validation gate at the entrance - gate at the exit where you put the ticket again 🙂
• in the subway there are separate cars only for women - couples/families can ride in those for men
• TRAINS - we took a night train Cairo-Aswan and then Luxor-Cairo; 80 US for a ticket, the ticket is personal - you need to show your passport when buying; cleanliness is not a great advantage of this train (or rather, we got the dirtiest train we have ever travelled) but the bedding is fresh; dinner and breakfast included - the conductor brings you trays (dinner - hot: rice, chicken, vegetables; plus a bun, cheese, fruit and juice – in general it is still better than on the plane 🙂 you can buy cold and hot drinks from him; toilets are so-so (without paper) but in each compartment there are 2 beds and a sink, so you can brush your teeth 🙂

? CAIRO

• The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx - insane! We just bought a 1-day trip, but it's worth coming early in the morning and wandering around - then buses full of people come down, it's worth going to the viewpoint - where you can see 3 pyramids align
• Museum of Egyptian Civilization - not too big but very pleasant - two floors - 22 mummies of Egyptian pharaohs downstairs - no photos allowed
• Kah el-Kahim Bazaar - a labyrinth of streets and shops; market mainly for tourists but also has charming pubs and cafes; you have to be very careful about pickpockets; and you have to bargain hard; it is worth looking up because some shops are in beautiful old buildings
• Egyptian Museum (200EGP) we spent half a day; the new museum will be open soon, the atmosphere of the building is dusty, but it's still worth it - we also took a guide in English (1h - 300EGP) he told great stories and patiently explained everything, there is a small cafe at the exit behind the shop - you can return to the museum for the same ticket after a break for coffee 🙂 on the first floor there is also an exhibition of Tutankhamun 🙂 they close at 17:00,
• Mahammad Ali Mosque - (common ticket to the Citadel 200EGP) – highly recommend, you need to dress appropriately, it's worth having your own scarf for your head (women) - additionally in the Citadel there is a small war museum and a police museum
• Al Azhar Mosque - next to the market, a beautiful white courtyard, free entrance, even though I had long pants and long sleeves, the lady at the entrance packed me in a tunic anyway - she didn't want money
• POMODORO Restaurant - rather a bar, but they have amazing seafood - spaghetti with a plate of shrimps 220EGP

? ALEXANDRIA

• 3 hours drive from Cairo - we chose the full day guided tour
• Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqqafa - interesting ruins
• Pompey's Pillar - all around in ruins, but the column is standing, if anyone is interested, it can be interesting, but not crazy (80 EGP)
• Roman Theatre - ruins, beautifully preserved; quite sparse but interesting
• Library of Alexandria - amazing 🙂 super modern building - included in the price of the ticket (70FGP) a tour with a guide who tells great stories for 40 minutes, then you can stay alone until closing at 19:00
• the city itself is quite crumbling, heavy traffic jams, very loud

? ASWAN

• we arrived by night train from Cairo (couch + two meals 80USD)
• a very nice market along the road from the station to the centre - it's worth coming in the morning around 9:00, to sit down with coffee and watch people bustle and open businesses
• much calmer than in Cairo, warmer (January - 25c), but a lot more flies
• UBER does not work - probably there is no such option
• Old Cataract Hotel - 5* hotel where Agatha Christi wrote her novel "Death on the Nile", a legendary place for sunset; you have to buy a ticket for 500EGP - later you have 500EGP to spend at the bar; unfortunately there are no brilliant drinks, beer 130EGP, coffee 90EGP, popular High Tea - sandwiches and snacks in London style 490EGP

? CRUISE ON THE NILE

• we chose 4 days (3 nights) - on the spot it turned out that the first 24 hours are rather stationary - a bus takes you around, but it is still so worth it!!
• HIGH DAM - ticket 100EGP, going up - taking pictures – coming back; nothing special
• PHILAE TEMPLE - we went after lunch by a small bus, admission 200EGP, you can reach the temple only by a small boat, beautiful at sunset
• ABU SIMBEL - on the second day the bus took us at 4:30 in the morning, journey time 3h, ticket 275EGP, one of the temples that was moved higher because of the dam - absolutely beautiful place; actually two temples side by side
• then we returned to the boat and sailed to Kom Ombo
• the boat itself is a floating hotel - quite large rooms with bathrooms, 3 meals (hotel buffet - delicious food), a small swimming pool on the top surrounded by deckchairs, a bar
• each group has its own guide (there were 11 of us in total)
• unfortunately, all boats probably have a similar program - when mooring at a temple, a crowd of boats was waiting for us - but it's a good way to see as much as possible with little time
• KOM OMBO TEMPLE – beautiful temple with interesting little museum with mummies of crocodiles (160 EGP)
• EDFU TEMPLE - we were early in the morning, access to the temple by carriages (200 EGP)
• LUXOR TEMPLE - super illuminated at night, if you stay in Luxor it's worth going again - at 9 am there were only a few people inside, 180 EGP
• KARNAK TEMPLE - connected avenue of sphinxes with Luxor Temple, 220 EGP
• VALLEY OF THE KINGS - approx. 40 minutes from Luxor, entry to 3 tombs included in the price of the ticket (there are 10 open tombs in total, so you can choose; tombs - e.g. Seti, Tutankhamon - are paid extra) by electric go-kart for 10EGP - there is a bar and shops, but toilet only by the cash desks; 260 EGP
• HATSHEPSUT TEMPLE - access also by electric go-kart (160 EGP)
• along the way, it is worth stopping at the Colossi of Memnon

? LUXOR

• a charming city on the bank of the Nile, in the centre of the Luxor Temple ruins - beautifully illuminated at night (180 EGP ticket)
• on the other side of the Nile is much quieter, more local restaurants - boat ride costs 5EGP
• in addition to taxis, there are small carriages around the city - you need to agree on the price before the ride
• Luxor Museum is worth visiting, small but very interesting (closed 14:00-17:00 I don't know why, 140 EGP)
• in the centre there is a market for tourists - one street, you have to bargain hard
• behind the station and behind the tracks, there is a second market - more local, there are fruits, spices, etc
• a lot of interesting bookstores with good books and old photographs - I recommend especially the one next to the Winter Palace Hotel - it was established as a photo studio in 1908, amazing black and white photos
• Winter Palace Hotel - a magnificent Victorian building, where Howard Carter announced to the world that he had found Tutankhamen’s Tomb; it's worth stopping in for a drink in the evening at the bar and listening to the piano playing, the prices are not scary (beer 180EGP)
• cheap street food - falafel in pita 10EGP
• Recommended - one of the available attractions that I highly recommend is a BALLOON FLIGHT over the Valley of the Kings - for me it was the first time and it was absolutely BRILLIANT - they picked us up from the hotel at 6:30 (there is also a 4:30 flight - but it was foggy), they prove place, explanation of the procedure, the flight lasted 45 minutes, the pilot tells us what we are passing down there - amazing views!!! - super safe and professional; (80USD per person - we booked via Viator) due to the weather, the balloons can only fly until 8am - they dropped us off at the hotel at 9am - amazing experience ❤

✈️ AIRPORT - RETURN

• we drove 40 minutes from the centre (7 am) by UBER for 93EGP
• at the entrance of the gate and x-ray of luggage and you move to the passport control
• A few shops at the airport (souvenir craze) cafes and Burger King
• ATTENTION - at the entrance to the Gate again the gate and x-ray of luggage - I think alcohol in the Duty Free bag will pass, but they ordered to leave water