Things to know to plan a trip to Egypt

This post is to help you plan your trip to Egypt. The prices are as of Jan 2020.

Visa Condition
Check here by entering your NATIONALITY and the DESTINATION.


Currency Exchange
Do it once you arrive at the airport. At most money changers, the exchange rates are very similar to xe.com. Remember to have the xe.com app installed on your mobile phone, so you can compare the rates.


SIM Card
Check out the following packages for tourist: Orange, Etisalat, Vodafone. I got my Orange package without international minutes for just 145 EGP.


Transportation - Train
To get to different cities, it's recommended to take a train. Go here, click on ENGLISH > TRAIN SCHEDULE to check for train schedule.

As a foreigner, to make things easy, you can register an account and purchase a train ticket online. My Egyptian friends do not favor this as they said online transactions are not safe. I did it several times and everything was good.

However, their system is not perfect. After a successful purchase, a copy of the ticket will NOT be sent to your email address. Make sure you capture the screen or PDF your ticket after purchase. When the next page doesn't load successfully, just click Refresh.

When boarding the train, you just need to show the softcopy. If you are going to Egypt during high seasons, such as school holidays, buy your train tickets early. Only the locals will know how and where to get black market tickets.

Based on my Egyptian friends, it's OK to take a bus for a short journey (3-4 hours). If you are traveling long, e.g. from Cairo to Luxor/Aswan, taking a train is safer, more comfortable, cheaper. It's NOT necessary to get a train ticket prior to boarding a train. If you are adventurous and fine with not have a secured seat, you can buy the ticket on the train.

When an Egyptian buys a train ticket, he needs to show his national ID. Therefore, no need to try buying a train ticket as a local, even you speak perfect Arabic.

The prices of taking a tourist sleeper train are:

Click for a larger image

If more details are required, check out seat61. Also, please expect delays of train.


Transportation - Taxi / Uber / Careem

Before going to Egypt, install both the Uber and Careem apps on your mobile, and tie them to your credit card. Why both? Because not all areas have both services available. I normally use Uber, only if Uber is not available, I use Careem. 

• Cairo and Alexandria - both 
• Luxor - Careem only
• Aswan - Careem only

If you prefer getting a local taxi and haggle, feel free to. That is always my last option. 

Accommodation
This really depends on personal preference: hotel/hostel; private/shared etc. These are the sites I use: hostelworld.com, booking.com, airbnb.com, couchsurfing.org

Food and Drinks

As of Jan 2020, a 1.5L mineral water is 5 EGP. For Egyptian food, check out this album or these videos (1 & 2). 

Attractions Ticket Price

The prices change pretty quickly. Check this page for the latest. 

The price of taking a hot-air balloon in Luxor is 920 EGP (about USD 60). It's said to be the cheapest place. Doing the same in Cappadocia, Turkey will cost USD250. 

To visit the attractions in West Bank Luxor, the cheapest option would be to join a group tour (8am to 3pm). Services include transportation and a guide. Destinations include (i) Valley of the Kings (ii) Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (iii) Medinet Habu (iv) Colossi of Memnon. If you wish to start early to avoid the crowd, you can always hire a private taxi. 150 EGP is possible, but it's only transportation.  

Suggested Itinerary?

I'm not going to suggest any itinerary because I feel that's highly dependent on personal preference. I do not agree with the "checklist-ticking" way of traveling. Usually, I will check Google Map or Wikitravel for what places are available at each city, e.g. Wikitravel Alexandria, Wikitravel Cairo, Wikitravel Luxor, Wikitravel Aswan etc. 

Choose and go only those that match your interests. There is no single standard way that suits all or is the best. 

• If you don't like museums, it's OK not to go to each museum. 
• If you like markets, just enjoy yourself there. 
• If you like to walk without a specific target and embrace different types of surprises, just do it! 
• If you like to explore unheard places without tourists, why not? 
• If you like to spend time talking with locals, go ahead!

Do what you like, not what others feel you should.

If you really need ideas to roughly plan how many days in each city, I'd say: Cairo (3-4 days), Alexandria (1-2 days), Luxor (3-4 days), Aswan (3-4 days). 

Finally, I hope the above is sufficient to help you plan your budget and your own unique itinerary. Let me know if I miss anything. Thanks!

A friendly coastal city, Alexandria

I took my first train in Egypt, from Cairo to Alexandria.

I'm going to resume staying with a CouchSurfing host in Alexandria. I found a profile, which to me, was pretty interesting. She's a Taiwanese girl, ZT, who has traveled off-the-beaten-track, done many things the usual people won't do. I wished so much talking to her and listening to her special experiences!

Her profile attracted me, so I sent her a CouchRequest. I've been waiting for a while to receive her positive reply! My plan was to spend 2 nights in Alexandria, then take a night train heading south to Luxor.

I made the first mistake as soon as I arrived in Alexandria. The lady sitting next to me on the train told me it was time to get off, so I just did the same. Afterward, I realized that's not the station nearest to the Citadel of Qaitbay. It's fine. I walked a little and met with a female university student at a tram station.

Surprisingly, she asked if I'm a Chinese, and told me she was studying Chinese language! Subsequently, I spent a few hours together with her and her friends who wanted to show me around.

A traditional taxi in Alexandria

Before dusk, I finally reached ZT's place and met with her! She has been staying in Alexandria for a while to learn Arabic. Her schedule is basically doing revision, going to class, and more revisions at the Alexandria Biblioteca (library). She usually sleeps and wakes up early, but during my time there, we had so much to chat about. Even after we switched off the light to go to sleep, both of us continued chatting in the dark.

Coincidently, the day we met was 25 Jan 2020, the first day of the Chinese New Year. We did not celebrate anyway, because we are both not festive :)

Via ZT, I met other CouchSurfers, inclusive of Mina, and Osama (her neighbor). It was a surprise to find out that Osama used to host my long-term traveler British friend, Paul, a few years ago.

I tasted Syrian food for the first time together with ZT and Mina

I've been loving Alexandria because the people (especially those at various markets) have been so nice and friendly to me. There was a lot of laughter when I walked around, seeing things I'm not familiar with and asking many questions.

On the last day, Osama invited me to his home to have lunch together. I met his beautiful sister and mother. His father is from Jordan, whilst his mother is from Syria. His mum cooked delicious mulukhiya (spinach soup), which I fell in love with since the first taste.

Osama also showed me oud, an Arabic instrument. He has learned it for a short while and was already able to play pretty well. I took some videos of him playing oud, as shown below:


After leaving Osama's home, I left my host's place to the train station. While saying goodbye, I felt very heavy-hearted. What an amazing girl I've stayed with for the past 2 days! She told me I'm welcomed anytime since Saudi Arabia is not far away.

I wished her all the best with her Arabic learning in Alexandria! We will surely be in touch!

Additional Notes: 

• You can get to Alexandria from Cairo either by bus or train.
• 1-1.5 days will be enough to go around Alexandria. 
• Uber service is available if you have trouble taking the shared vans
• A tram ride is only 1 EGP regardless of the distance. It's a little slow. The first carriage is for women only. 
• Alexandria train station is equipped with digital signs, providing clear instructions. 
• My only regret in Alexandria is the failure to taste the seafood there (I went to a restaurant but they kept delaying their opening time, and I couldn't wait further).

Good Start in Cairo

On 14 Jan, just before going to sleep, I suddenly had a thought of visiting Egypt, a country which is never in my plan.

I did a little research online the next day. Everything seems to be feasible. Expenses will not be high, and it's just the right moment before the weather gets hot!

I shared such a thought with my husband after he came back from work. He did not have any objection. Then I bought a Flynas flight ticket (SAR 540) departing a week later.

Backpacking seems to have been so far away from me, for at least 4 years! 2020 is a year that I plan to travel as much as I can. Few countries in Europe, China, Pakistan, Mongolia etc. Due to being "dormant" for many years, I was a bit worried if I could take on a long-term solo trip. I see this only-3-week Egypt-and-Sudan trip as a warm-up for myself.

I started to look for CouchSurfing hosts. As usual, I received many invitations. On second thought, I decided to stay at a hostel in downtown for the sake of convenience. However, I'd still like to make time to meet with some CouchSurfers, as that's always the best way to get to know a place and country.

In short, I've met with 2 Cairo CouchSurfers. One is Ayman, a retired Egyptian Air Force, even he's only 40s. He picked me from the airport, showed me the Khalili Market for a few hours, then we met again on my 3rd day in Cairo.

Another CouchSurfer, Hosny, showed me and Ling (an Australian girl I met at the hostel) Saqqarah and Giza. It was a pretty happy day for all of us. The following video provides a good elaboration of the day.



My Egypt trip started well in the capital city, Cairo. Honestly, I've heard a lot of bad things about Egypt (especially Giza), therefore I did not go there with high hope. However, my experience was totally the opposite.

As a Malaysian, I received a 15-day visa on arrival. For this short period, I did not plan to visit many places. It will just be along the Nile including Alexandria, Cairo, Minya (finally skipped as I couldn't get a train ticket), Luxor, and Aswan. After 2 weeks in Egypt, when my visa is due, I will cross the border into Sudan, and spend another week there, before heading back to Riyadh.