Top Egypt hotels
Camels Cairo
27 Reviews If your going to get a camel then there is one thing you have to remember. Camels are not horses. Do not try to sit astride it like it is one. Watch the way your guide rides. Scoot all the way up...
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Papyrus Hurghada
2 Reviews Buying Papyrus by Saladinos Description: When going to most touristic sites you will be followed and surrounded by lots of men offering you to buy their original papyrus papers. It is not an...
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scams Luxor
17 Reviews In our way back from the Valley of Kings, we stopped in a stone factory with some appealing statues in its front, where we bought a wonderful head in lapis-lazuli (not cheap). As a reward, the owner...
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taxis and transport Alexandria
3 Reviews Taxi is the prime means of transport. These are atleast 15 years old cars for which I cant recognize the make honestly. English is very alien to everyone in Egypt. Best is to ask the hotel price of...
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Money/Prices Cairo
25 Reviews Be careful when buying small stone carvings and papyrus. They will always tell you that those are authentic but most of the items they sell in cairo are fake ones. They are not real stones and...
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Weather in Alexandria Alexandria
2 Reviews the trap would be the timing of the visit ...don't try to visit ALEXNDRIA in summer..it's very busy and i mean it..moreover the mentality of the egyptian that visit alexnadria to spend the summer...
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Hawkers and hassle Cairo
45 Reviews Well "yes" the hawkers do hassle you but our guide gave us such dire warnings that we nearly missed out on photos of a lifetime. Our guide wanted us to save all for "her shop". If you know what you...
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old city ruins- Roman Theatre Alexandria
1 Review Over 30 years of excavation have uncovered many Roman remains including this well-preserved theatre with galleries, sections of mosaic-flooring, and marble seats for up to 800 spectators. In Ptolemaic...
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Papyrus Cairo
10 Reviews We were in Cairo and walking down the street, when some guy who was sitting on a terras and drinking his tea, asked us in poor english, if we could help him by writing a postcard to his friends in the...
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Camera/Video Tax Cairo
10 Reviews It is currently FORBIDDEN to take a camera inside the Egyptian Museum. You must leave your camera at a booth just inside the gate. This is at odds with some of the information posted here previously...
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Transportation Cairo
13 Reviews If you travel to Egypt without the aid of Tour group leaving the airport terminal you will be approached by cab drivers offering you a ride anywhere in Cairo. Cab Drivers inside the terminal assume...
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Health Cairo
3 Reviews As for staying healthy, don't drink the tap water in Cairo -- even at the best hotels. It's also a good idea to avoid raw vegetables, unpeeled fruit and street food. Finally, always have change on...
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Dear, don't worry about anything this document was only written between both of you so he can travel within the Egyptian soil without been interugated by local authorities and to safe gaurd himself (sorry to say so) well as always said life is a school so don't look behind, just remember the nice days and places you have visited in Egypt. The paper does not stand infront of court.
It seems where ever you are in Kairo, especially near the pyramids, everybody wants to make money out of you. An invitation for tea, with the casual conversation and friendship-offers and "true interest" in you changes after a while in offers of Camel trips and exclusive visits to the pyramids. It is done out of friendship, of course, and if you refuse, you have insulted them and therefore, you have to go on the trip to save your face and costs are only mentioned afterwards, different to the one's you believed you had agreed upon. Another popular trick is to give you some "presents" like cheap stone ornaments and to exspect money in return. Nothing is for free in Kairo. Unfortunately, mass-tourism has spoiled Arab hospitality and genuine interest in each other's culture.
If you travel in Egypt and have any sort of guide, bus driver, taxi driver etc. there is no doubt that you will be offered the opportunity to visit a or "the" papyrus museum. These "museums" are located all over tourist areas in Egypt and are designed to sell you papyrus art. When you enter the museum you will be offered tea and a demonstration will be given on how the papyrus plan is converted into paper which was then used by ancient Egyptians to record their history. Following the presentation, you will be be able to shop in a store full of these paintings and pick one that you like (if you want to). The idea of the whole thing is to get you in the store to buy something. Some things are priced reasonably and make a nice souvenir and others could be your ticket to the road to ruin. As I recently learned from my 3rd grader who is studying Egypt, papyrus was the first paper invented...
THE PEOPLE & THE SHOPPING:The people are very friendly but will drive you mad to buy things. The touting is everywhere even at the smallest temples, but you can get some good bargains. At all times SMILE, and be FRIENDLY even when you feel harassed. HUMOUR goes a long way, as does being DIRECT. eg. look at a scarf, ask the price in Egyptian pounds. Don't let him (very rarely her) distract you with how fabulous the scarf will look on you, or how it's hand woven from Egyptian cotton etc. - just repeat your request for the price of the scarf. Then when he says an outrageous price (eg. 100 egyptian pounds) just exclaim "No!" or "No thank you" and WALK AWAY. WALK AWAY. WALK AWAY. THE WALKING AWAY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Instantly he will come back with 'ok, ok, 80 pounds' or 'ok, how much you want to pay' - then you deal. You can EASILY get a scarf down to 20 pounds - but say this price,...
Egypt is a big tourist trap. Once you enter the country, be prepared to meet the worst kind of people on earth, they will all try to be nice and ask for money afterwards. It's a third world country where you spend as if you are in a developed country. Not worth the time and money. There are two types of modern Egyptians, the ones you can see in touristy places, the vultures and the real human Egyptians (probably educated ones) which you can find in malls and some decent establishments.Don't get me wrong, the sites were amazing, the only thing that sucks are the people living in that country. They're stuck in their ancient world and they don't seem to mind as long as baksheesh is pouring in. Don't talk to friendly strangersRide the yellow metered taxis in CairoSpend a Maximum of 1 day in every cityYou don't need to see all the temples, they're all the same unless you are deep into...
Every tour in Egypt has a visit to a Papyrus (or perfume) Museum/factory . Be aware, that at least 50% of the price you pay goes in comission to the guide or driver that took you there. That's on top of the whip round that the tour may have donated because the guide is such a nice guy and so informative. On you own. Get your driver to drop you down the road from your intended destination, wait until he has gone, then enter the shop or factory at your own risk. Remind the sales person that you came in without a guide/driver, that means any marked prices should be cut in half for starters and then haggle, haggle, haggle. My wife and I do a double act, her wanting to buy the whole shop and me acting the poor man (sometimes it's not so far from the truth). Comments like, "the shopkeeper is obviously a collector, and does not want to sell this item, that is why he is charging such a high...
Hi i was in Egypt in 1998, along time ago i know, i went on a weeks cruise & a week in a hotel in luxor.I went with a friend but the thing is she was the same age asone of my daughters she was 27 & i was 50,I do mean friend.But not once did we have a problem. naturally we had seprate beds.we had more problems with some of the men,not all, i think they think that maybe western women are easy,so don't beover friendly.I realy do not think you will have any problem what so ever. bargain hard & know you can walk away
Most Egypt Merchants are honest but there are many out there that are not. Haggling needs practice, my recommendation is to start with 20% to 30% of what the vendors asked for. Then haggle with them. If they asked you how many you buy, its a good indication you are offering a good price for him already. Insist with your price and leave the store when necessary. They will come out & ask you back. Take your goodies before your pay. Also ask them to show you the change & exchange money at the same time with the goodies in your hand. If you buy a few items, count before you leave the store. You may be surprised some gave you only half of the quantities you asked for. If possible, bring a friend who pretend he/she is the decision maker & kept telling you its too much & pretend to pull you out. It helps to haggle the price range like this. Also, buy with your friend together in bulk to get...
Reading and hearing the papyrus history will encourage you to buy one in Egypt. Dont be cheated. The papyrus offered by the street vendors usually the fake ones, made from the banana leaves. Get the original one from the papyrus institute; they use to demonstrate the papyrus making process to the visitors. The oil painted papyrus will be more expensive. The popular displays on papyrus will be The After Life, The Ancient Calendar, King Tut, Queen Nefertiti, and King Ramses II.
Shopping tour will be an extra tour by your guide to his suggested stores. Apparently the guide will get extra commission by doing so. This kind of tour used to be in Giza and Memphis area, Cairo City Tour, Aswan, and Luxor. Yes it is true that you will get the qualified things in Giza shops and they are inspected by the ministries. Nevertheless, this tour will consume more time and your tour companions may not have the same interest as you do in shopping. Furthermore, this shopping tour will lessen your time in the tourist sites, which is your main goals; and you will let your tour companions wait. You have to bargain for the things you plan to buy and it will be very difficult for you to leave the stores empty handed once you enter one. Take an extra day with your guide alone if you plan to shop more, not on the tour with others.
Four Seasons At The First Cairo
4 Reviews and 208 Opinions You must go through a street barrack and through metal detectors just to get to the elevator and get...
Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa Luxor
8 Reviews and 261 Opinions We had a fabulous time! We were pampered from top to bottom. I am feeling very relaxed. Excellent...
Sultans Gardens Resort Sharm El Sheikh
6 Reviews and 2565 Opinions The Sultans Gardens hotel locate near Sharm El Sheik´s Airport (about 15 minutes drove) and hotel...
Reviews and photos of Egypt attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Egypt sightseeing.
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Q: My husband and I booked a trip a few months ago to Cairo & Sharm, and we're considering cancelling given the recent kidnappings in...
A: I dont know what to tell you but I would still go...dont let anyone ruin your plans and dont live with what ifs...Are your planned trips going to be with big tour...
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