Egypt, Cairo - Al-Azhar Mosque

Transportation

Direct flight from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Cairo International Airport.

We used UBER in Cairo - super cheap and easy, but beware of traffic.

We took the night train from Cairo to Aswan (inc. breakfast and dinner - 80 USD) and then from Luxor to Cairo (inc. breakfast and dinner - 80 USD).

Our itinerary

Day 1 - 12.01.2023 - Cairo

  • arrive in the evening

Day 2 - 13.01.2023 - Giza

  • Cairo Highlights Tour - Pyramids and The Great Sphinx of Giza
  • visit to the Museum of Egyptian Civilisation
  • visit to the Khan el-Khalili market

Day 3 - 14.01.2023 - Cairo

  • visit to the Egyptian Museum

Day 4 - 15.01.2023 - Alexandria

  • all day Alexandria tour - visit to the The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqqafa, Pompey's Pillar, Roman Theatre, Fort Qaitbey and The Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Day 5 - 16.01.2023 - Cairo

  • visit to the Citadel
  • visit to the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque

Day 6 - 17.01.2023 - Cairo

  • exploring the downtown of Cairo
  • night train from Cairo to Aswan

Day 7 - 18.01.2023 - Aswan

  • exploring Aswan
  • visit to Aswan Market
  • sunset at Old Cataract Hotel

Day 8 - 19.01.2023 - Aswan

  • exploring the city
  • visit to the Aswan Market

Day 9 - 20.01.2023 - Aswan

  • boarding the Nile Cruise
  • visit to the High Dam in Aswan
  • visit to the Philae Temple

Day 10 - 21.01.2023 - Nile Cruise

  • early morning drive to Abu Simbel
  • visit to the Abu Simbel
  • Nile cruising
  • evening visit in Kom Ombo

Day 11 - 22.01.2023 - Nile Cruise

  • visit to the Edfu Temple
  • Nile cruising
  • afternoon visit the Luxor Temple

Day 12 - 23.01.2023 - Nile Cruise

  • visit to the Karnak Temple
  • visit to the Valley of the Kings
  • visit to the Hatsutep Temple

Day 13 - 24.01.2023 - Luxor

  • visit to the Luxor market
  • exploring the city

Day 14 - 25.01.2023 - Luxor

  • hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings
  • visit to the Winter Palace Hotel
  • visit to the Luxor Museum
  • night train to Cairo

Day 15 - 26.01.2023 - Cairo

  • visit to the Al-Azhar Mosque
  • coffee at the El-Fishawy Cafe
  • visit and shopping at the Khan el-Khalili market

Day 16 - 27.01.2023 - Cairo

  • early morning flight to Warsaw
Egypt, Luxor - Hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings

Travel essentials

 

TIPS:

  • tap water is NOT ok to drink - use bottled water to drink and to brush your teeth
  • keep small bills for tips - everyone expects bakshish
  • agree the price before the the ride - best to write it down!
  • best deals in Egypt all come down to negotiating like a pro - learn how to haggle 🙂
  • as in most muslim countries alcohol is only available in some hotels and restaurants

Our favourite local food

Egypt, Alexandria - Fried fish
Egypt, Cairo - Airport breakfast
Egypt, Cairo - Chicken wrap
Egypt, Cairo - Falafel station
Egypt, Cairo - Coffee
Egypt, Cairo - Mint tea at El-Fishawy Cafe, the country's oldest cafe
Egypt, Cairo - The night train breakfast
Egypt, Cairo - The night train dinner
Egypt, Cairo - Aish baladi (or eish baladi), the Egyptian version of pita bread
Egypt, Luxor - Bakery
Egypt, Aswan - Hotel breakfast
Egypt, Aswan - Steak dinner
Egypt, Aswan - Shrimp skewers
Egypt, Aswan - Stella beer
Egypt, Aswan - Baklava
Egypt, Aswan - The night train breakfast
Egypt, Aswan - The night train dinner
Egypt, Cairo - Stella beer
Egypt, Cairo - Tomatoes salad
Egypt, Cairo - Torshi, pickles
Egypt, Cairo - Shrimps
Egypt, Cairo - Shawarma place
Egypt, Cairo - Aish baladi (or eish baladi), the Egyptian version of pita bread
Egypt, Alexandria - Mint tea
Egypt, Cairo - Stella beer
Egypt, Cairo - Hotel breakfast
Egypt, Alexandria - Mango juice
Egypt, Alexandria - Torshi, pickles
Egypt, Alexandria - Fried aubergine
Egypt, Alexandria - Mezze
Egypt, Alexandria - Pickles and fried aubergine
Egypt, Cairo - Chicken wrap
Egypt, Cairo - Kebab
Egypt, Giza - Stew
Egypt, Giza - Torshi, pickles
Egypt, Giza - Hummus
Egypt, Cairo - Hotel breakfast

Egypt, Alexandria - Fried fish
Egypt, Cairo - Airport breakfast
Egypt, Cairo - Chicken wrap
Egypt, Cairo - Falafel station
Egypt, Cairo - Coffee
Egypt, Cairo - Mint tea at El-Fishawy Cafe, the country's oldest cafe
Egypt, Cairo - The night train breakfast
Egypt, Cairo - The night train dinner
Egypt, Cairo - Aish baladi (or eish baladi), the Egyptian version of pita bread
Egypt, Luxor - Bakery
Egypt, Aswan - Hotel breakfast
Egypt, Aswan - Steak dinner
Egypt, Aswan - Shrimp skewers
Egypt, Aswan - Stella beer
Egypt, Aswan - Baklava
Egypt, Aswan - The night train breakfast
Egypt, Aswan - The night train dinner
Egypt, Cairo - Stella beer
Egypt, Cairo - Tomatoes salad
Egypt, Cairo - Torshi, pickles
Egypt, Cairo - Shrimps
Egypt, Cairo - Shawarma place
Egypt, Cairo - Aish baladi (or eish baladi), the Egyptian version of pita bread
Egypt, Alexandria - Mint tea
Egypt, Cairo - Stella beer
Egypt, Cairo - Hotel breakfast
Egypt, Alexandria - Mango juice
Egypt, Alexandria - Torshi, pickles
Egypt, Alexandria - Fried aubergine
Egypt, Alexandria - Mezze
Egypt, Alexandria - Pickles and fried aubergine
Egypt, Cairo - Chicken wrap
Egypt, Cairo - Kebab
Egypt, Giza - Stew
Egypt, Giza - Torshi, pickles
Egypt, Giza - Hummus
Egypt, Cairo - Hotel breakfast

 

Favourite places to eat and drink

Cairo

Aleksandria

  • Branzino restaurant - nice waterfront restaurant

Aswan

Luxor

Egypt, Aswan - The Philae temple

Some prices

At the time of our travel:

100 Egyptian pound (EGP) = 3,06 euro = 14,57 zł (PLN)

Cairo

  • SIM card - 602 EGP
  • taxi from the airport to the hotel - 15 USD
  • Cairo Highlights Guided Tour (1/2 day, Pyramids, Great Sphinx, Kah el- Kahim Market - 120 USD)
  • Museum of Egyptian Civilisation - 240 EGP
  • Salah El Din Citadel and Alabaster Mosque - 200 EGP
  • Egyptian Museum - 200 EGP
  • Egyptian Museum Guide - 300 EGP per hour
  • single metro ticket - 5 EGP
  • XL chicken wrap - 50 EGP
  • black coffee - 51 EGP
  • latte - 60 EGP
  • chicken shawarma wrap - 75 EGP
  • day-trip to Alexandria with private guide - 100 USD
  • tabboule - 35 EGP
  • Stella beer - 125 EGP
  • Sakkara beer - 25 EGP
  • glass of house wine - 125 EGP
  • coffee - 60 EGP
  • pepsi - 30 EGP
  • shrimps and pasta at Pomodoro - 220 EGP
  • small bottle of water - 2,5 EGP
  • night train from Cairo to Aswan (inc. breakfast and dinner) - 80 USD
  • airport breakfast for 2 people - 615 EGP

Alexandria

  • whole day trip - 100 USD
  • The Pompey's Pillar - 80 EGP
  • The Bibliotheca Alexandrina - 70 EGP

Aswan

  • ticket to High Dam - 100 EGP
  • Philae Temple - 200 EGP
  • drinks at Old Cataract Hotel - 500 EGP per person (voucher against the bill)
  • taxi to the train station - 50 EGP

Kom Ombo

  • Kom Ombo Temple - 160 EGP
  • beer on the Nile cruise boat - 78 EGP

Edfu

  • Temple of Horus - 200 EGP

Luxor

  • Luxor Temple - 180 EGP
  • Karnak Temple - 220 EGP
  • Luxor Museum - 140 EGP
  • Valley of the Kings - 260 EGP
  • Hatshepsut Temple - 160 EGP
  • breakfast for 2 people - 215 EGP
  • falafel in the street bar - 10 EGP
  • 1/2 chicken grilled - 150 EGP
  • cola - 20 EGP
  • mint tea - 15 EGP
  • chicken sandwich - 40 EGP
  • breakfast set at Aboudi Coffee Break - 55 EGP
  • beer at Winter Palace Hotel - 150 EGP
  • cola at Winter Palace Hotel - 60 EGP
  • hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings - 80 USD
  • night train from Luxor to Cairo (inc. breakfast and dinner) - 80 USD

 

Extra excursions

We booked all organised trips on the Viator website:

  • 1/2 day trip Cairo Highlights Guided Tour for 2 people (private car, guide, all entrance fees, lunch) - 120 USD
  • all day Alexandria trip for 2 people (private car, guide, all entrance fees, lunch) - 100 USD
  • Nile Cruise - (4-days/3-nights accomodation on the boat, transportation, entrance fees to the temples, 3 meals per day, private guide) - 400 USD per person

Travel tips

❗ 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