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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Usually it starts with an innocent greeting such as that. Then sooner or later, it may be a few mins., it may be a few hours, or even days, your new friend will try to turn your encounter into a profit. I hate to be anti-social, but my advice, if you aren't the one starting the conservation with a stranger, be very very weary.
From what I've heard, this is just an empty cave. You have to pay £7 to go in (when you can visit three other tombs for under £10). This is the London Dungeon of Egypt! The Valley of the Kings is worth visiting, but don't bother with King Tut's tomb. We went into Ramses I, III and ninth (don't know the numeral!) which were all interesting. Our guide book also recomended the tomb of Seti I, which was closed for renovation when we were there. Try the Valley of the Queens. We didn't have a chance to visit, but it sounds a lot more interesting than TVotKs.
Unlike British/American hotels, it is rare to tip staff individually. We were given a suggested per-guest per-day rate and told to tip at the end of the holiday by putting the money in three envelopes for our Egyptologist, staff and outside staff. Remember this at the start of your holiday and don't hand out 50.E.P notes to bell-boys like we did!'Baksheesh' means 'share the wealth' and is a concept entirely foreign to British/American culture. Egyptians will ask for 'baksheesh' for something as small as helping you step onto a boat. Temples and attractions are full of 'guides' who will point out something very small or very obvious and then ask you for money. Can you imagine holding the door open for somebody or pointing the way to the beach and then demanding money? Also, most Egyptian salespeople claim not to have any small change. As there is no such thing as a fixed price in bazaars,...
Egypt offers countless tours and most of the them are expensive. I am against tours because I think you miss the best part of a country on a tour (the interaction with people). Egyptian and foreign travel agents offers tours that are in the thousands of US dollars but after backpacking this great country for weeks I can honestly say that if you are willing to do it independantly you will pay about 1/10 of the cost. Egypt is incrediblly cheap but requires a little effort and hassle to get by on your own.
The souqs in Egypt always pose a problem for travellers because no matter what you do or say people will rip you off in this country because they know you will be replaced in a matter of minutes with new tourists. My advice is dont buy on impulses, dont show emotion as Egyptians feed on this and can spot it a mile away and stand your ground. If you feel uncomfortable then walk away. In addition, learn some Arabic especially the numbers. The more you show them that you have a basic understand of the language the more they will think you know the game or maybe you are a foreign student etc. Hope it helps!
I thought I was really smart and bought this really pretty 'hargile". (An instrument to smoke with, but you drag the smoke through water first, so it is cool and tastes like apple, honey or nothing at all...)Anyway, I managed to pay less than half of what the salesman had asked for in the beginning, but when I came back home, I discovered that it didn't work....Lots and lots of holes in it...!! Managed to fix it but still...Last but not least: It is not really a tourist trap, but just a tip for any tourist who is interested in respecting this country. In Cairo and Alexandria I saw a lot of tourists, especially women, walking around practically naked, wearing bikinies and stuff in the streets, at resturants and so on. Please guys, I know it is hot there but remember that this is a Islamic ruled country which don't approve of such things. Show some respect for the inhabitants and dress...
The shopkeepers were inquisitive and friendly, they ask you to take time to sign their little book inside their shop, they were very good salespeople - just remember that if you do not want to buy anything stay out of the shop !!
Egyptians use American dollars and Egyptian pounds (EP) and piasters . Piasters are bills but are worth nothing. People try to rip you off when they give your change back they give it back in piasters instead of pounds and most people don't notice that because the bills kinda look similar. Be very aware of that because it happens quite frequently. Also beaware, some shop keepers will only accept US $$ especially for pricer items such as carpets and papyrus. Also EP is very filthy and dirty, locals spit on it as well when counting the money.
Typical tourist traps are inflated costs at tourist areas, pickpockets, and non-stop pressure from vendors. If you do choose to buy, never accept the first off, as bartering is the custom. Also, never show you money before you negotiate a deal, if they see money, they’ll hold out for more.
I guess everyones nightmare is to go somewhere and then has to spend the most of the time on the toilet. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done. But the usual precautions are drinking only bottled water (make sure it's still originaly closed), some take a gulp of liqour after every meal for desinfection (I survived without :-)), eat only fresh food, keep away from water-washed fruits & vegetables... From my experience, even though people were cautious, they still had stomach problems. How come? The reason is, we drink too cold beverages. And the guts catch a cold. It's the same as with nose - when suffering from a cold, it leaks constantly. The same with guts. So, no matter how good it feels to have an ice-cold drink, better wait till it has a room temperature. You'll have a better holiday.
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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