Regent House Hostel
2 Marof street from Taleet Harb, Cairo, Egypt
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More about Cairo
Photos
Papyrus is being demonstrated.
The Gothic clock tower
At Muscat transit lounge.
Ceiling detail - Al Rifa'i mosque
Forum Posts
Money
by ronhtaylor
Can anyone tell me which is the best currency to use for taxis, restaurants, museums etc., in Cairo. Are there any places that will only take a particular currency ?
Re: Money
by petersnice
egyptian pound
Re: Money
by GrumpyDiver
The currency of the country of course. Egypt = Egyptian Pounds (and piasters). If you pay in any other currency, the exchange rate will be poor, if it is accepted at all.
Re: Money
by KakapoTheParrot
Your biggest headache with the currency is having enough small change. You need a near constant supply of one pound notes as tips. The best thing to do is when you run short of small change (about once a day in my case) ask someone who asks for a tip to change a 10 pound note for 9 one pound notes. They get their tip and you get your change for the next 9 tips.
Re: Money
by ter1413
Pretty simple...the Egyptian pound!
Re: Money
by Miguelzgz
Yes, they like their own money.
Re: Money
by TheLongTone
Clever idea, Kakapo. I do suspect you'd end up wth 8LE rather than nine, tho......
Re: Money
by ronhtaylor
Thanks everyone. Confirmed my thoughts entirely. Destroys all guide book advice to take US$ ! Next question - current exchange rate (M & S / Sainsbury's etc around 8.10 with no commission. Will I do better taking sterling and exchanging there in a bank or take the folding stuff with me ?
Re: Money
by Miguelzgz
I use this website to check the exchange rate: http://www.oanda.com/lang/es/currency/converter/
When we went, it was very easy to change in every hotel, or boat-cruisse. Rates were the "official" one, so no problem. It was some years ago, but I guess it is more or less the same. That allows you not to carry big ammounts with you.
Re: Money
by petersnice
I use www.xe.com to check for exchange rates (or www.xe.com/ucc/full for more exotic currencies).
Currencies usually have highest rates at home, so it might be wise to buy some before departure. Be conservative when buying though, you wouldn't like to return home with wads of pounds :)
Re: Money
by vdoortje
Don't buy Egyptian pounds before departure!!! It will cost you money! In Egypt they accept all hard currencies like USD, GBP, Euro's, Swiss francs etc. Depending where you are coming from take just your own currency and exchange it at the airport of arrival while buying your visa.
And about the visa.... Most Western European and American citizens don't need to acquire an Egyptian visa before departure, easy to buy it after touch down in Egypt at any bank desk before passport control. Price is 15$ or the equivalent in your own currency. We buy our visa with 100 Euro's, get the visa's and the exchange money in Egyptian Pounds. That will get you started, easy enough.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/58ca6/#TL
Here I will give you extra advice on the use of money in Egypt, including tips on how to get the smaller notes.
Good luck, Dora.
Re: Money
by al2401
You can find ATMs nearly everywhere in Egypt. They are very convenient and you pay a fee regardless of how you change your money. The major card groups are all catered for.
Travel Tips for Cairo
TOP TOUR GUIDE...
by smirnofforiginal
Dr Abdelghany Nassar is from Cairo. He is a young man with wisdom beyond his years. We spent a day with him and it was by far our best day (in Cairo). He was sensitive to what we were looking to get out of Cairo, he knew when to guide and when to be silent. Conversations were interesting and relaxed and by the end of the day we considered him more a friend than a guide.
What he didn't know about Cairo and Egypt's history probably wasn't worth knowing and he was super with our kids - he didn't patronise them but neither did he bore them.
Certainly when we return to Egypt we'll look him up for 2 reasons : 1 to say "hello" and 2 to have another fab tour!
I believe he guides around other places including Luxor and Sinai. His email is :
Abonassar2015@yahoo.com hmm... would say fondest memory is sitting drinking mint tea and Turkish coffee in Fishwari's chatting to Abdel about his apartment whist he smoked hubbly bubbly had his shoes polished by an old man, our kids went on sugar overload from Sprite and Cola and we all (including the guys that worked there) tried to figure out what thje lotion in a little plastic bottle was (my guess was hair conditioner)!
Cairo Museum
by SumTingWong
This is the most amazing museum, in my opinion, in the world. The artifacts are amazing and the Tut artifact area is awsome. But the most amazing area of the museum, although it costs more to enter, is the mummy room. These are real open mumies of about a dozen ancient Egyption Kings, including Ramses II and Seti II, it is well worth the extra ticket costs.
Advice: Currency
by aliante1981
If you have no plastic card (either a debit, or a credit one) and do not wish to be bothered with travelers cheques (where commission charges tend to be quite high) you will be better off taking with you determinate currency.
At present, these currencies are clearly Euros (#1, offering the best exchange rate) and US Dollars (as widely accepted but somewhat marked down by the Exchange Bureaus & banks due to the recent slide).
Some other currencies are accepted, but they are heavily marked down.
Islamic Cairo, walk to the Citadel
by sachara
Islamic Cairo is not more or less Islamic than other parts of the city, but its unchanged atmosphere, the alleyways and the view at the many minarets make this area different from the other parts of Cairo.
From Khan El Khalily to the Citadel we took the Darb al-Ahmar. When you take this street, you can easily find your way. But you can also choose to explore some of the narrow side alleyways. This asks something more of your sense of direction.
In this street are a lot of local shops and stalls with clothing, plastics, spices and herbs.
~ Egyptian Food & Drink ~
by Heavens-Mirror
Egypts cuisine has a mix of African, Arabic & Mediterranean style. Egyptian dishes are rarely very spicy but they do use a mix of colourful spices in some of the foods. Although Egypt is a Muslim country, alcohol is widely available at restaurants & bars but do not miss out on the fantastic freshly squeezed fruit juices.
The local Stella Lager is good, but i do prefer the Egyptian beer which is called Saqqara Gold. There are a few Egyptians wines too my favourite is Obelisk. Hot drinks include Chai (Mint tea) which tastes great & you will find that everywhere you go they will offer you this tea, & Ahwa (Arabic coffee) which is a little too strong for me. Only drink bottled mineral water whilst in Egypt... A well known brand is Baraka which is really cheap to buy in the shops.
Also a must try is the Sugarcane Juice....its very sweet but delicious. It is made from Sugarcane pulp which is squeezed to give asap, a sweet light green drink with a foamy head.
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