Egypt Travel Guide

Practical advice from our team in Giza: when to go, visas, money, what to wear, getting around and the sites you should not miss.

When to go

The most comfortable months are October to April. Days are warm and sunny, evenings are cool, and in December and January you may need a jacket at night, especially in the desert. From May to September temperatures in Luxor and Aswan often pass 40 °C. Travelling in summer is perfectly possible, and cheaper, but visits start very early and the middle of the day is for resting on board or at the pool. The Red Sea is swimmable all year.

Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks, and prices rise accordingly. If your dates are flexible, late October, November, late January and February offer the best balance of weather, crowds and price.

Visas and entry

Most travellers from the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States can buy a visa on arrival at Egyptian airports or apply in advance for an e-visa on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, at least seven days before departure. For Spanish passport holders, Spain’s Foreign Ministry lists the visa on arrival at US$36 (a US$30 fee plus US$6 handling) as of October 2026. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the end of your stay. Rules differ by nationality and change from time to time, so check with us before travelling. On several of our trips the visa is included and we handle the paperwork.

Money

The currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP). Credit cards are accepted in hotels, cruise ships and larger shops, and ATMs are easy to find in cities. Carry some small notes for tips, drinks and markets. Euros and US dollars are widely understood, but you will usually get a better price paying in pounds.

Tipping is a normal part of life in Egypt and makes up a significant part of many people’s income. Your guide will explain the usual amounts for cruise crew, drivers and guides on the first day.

What to wear

Light, breathable cotton or linen, comfortable walking shoes, a hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen. Egypt is a conservative country outside the resorts: shoulders and knees covered is respectful in towns and essential in mosques and churches, where women will also need a scarf. Pack a warm layer for winter evenings, desert nights and early-morning departures to Abu Simbel.

Health and water

Drink bottled water, which is cheap and available everywhere, and use it to brush your teeth if you have a sensitive stomach. Food on cruise ships and in good hotels is safe; be more careful with salads and unpeeled fruit from street stalls. No vaccinations are compulsory for travellers from Europe or the Americas, but it is wise to be up to date with routine ones. Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Getting around

Nile cruises are the classic way to travel between Luxor and Aswan: your hotel moves with you and the temples are on the riverbanks. Three or four nights is standard; seven nights lets you sail both ways at a relaxed pace. Dahabiyas are traditional sailing boats with a handful of cabins and a slower, more personal rhythm. Domestic flights connect Cairo with Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh in about an hour. Trains run along the Nile and are a pleasant way to see rural life. All our trips include transfers in air-conditioned vehicles, so you never need to arrange transport yourself.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt?

It is the question we are asked most, and we prefer to answer with official sources. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advises against travel to North Sinai and to some border areas, and lists Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, the Valley of the Kings, Siwa, Bahariya and the White and Black Deserts among the places excepted from its Western Desert warning. Spain’s Foreign Ministry classes the tourist areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea coast and Sharm el-Sheikh as low risk. None of our trips goes to North Sinai, and our desert and Siwa journeys always travel with a local guide and driver.

Advice can change, so always check your government’s official travel advice before you go, for example the UK Foreign Office page on Egypt. Throughout your trip you have a 24-hour assistance line answered by our team in Egypt.

How much does a trip to Egypt cost?

It depends on the season, the ship and the flights. As a guide, on our website:

8 days with a Nile cruise and Cairo: from €500 with a special flight.
All-inclusive Egypt, 8 days: from €900.
Nile and Red Sea, 11 to 15 days: from €900.
Luxury small-group journeys: €2,200 to €2,999.

Add, where not included, the visa, tips, drinks and optional excursions such as the balloon flight over Luxor. Our quotes list in writing what is and is not included, before you pay anything.

What to see in Egypt in 7, 10 or 15 days

7 or 8 days

The classic journey: Cairo with the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan with Abu Simbel. See an 8-day example.

10 to 12 days

Add a third experience to the classic route: the temples of Dendera and Abydos, a night in the White Desert or a few days on the Red Sea. Examples: with Dendera and Abydos, with the oases and the White Desert, with the Red Sea.

15 days

Seven nights on the Nile without rushing, then time to rest on the Red Sea: see the 15-day journey.

The sites you should not miss

Cairo and Giza

The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx need no introduction, but go early and visit the panoramic viewpoint for the classic photo. The new Grand Egyptian Museum, beside the plateau, displays the complete treasure of Tutankhamun. South of the city, Saqqara has the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of all, and Memphis was Egypt’s first capital. In the city itself, walk through Islamic Cairo, from the Citadel of Saladin to the medieval street of Al-Muizz and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, and visit Coptic Cairo with the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization houses the Royal Mummies.

Luxor

Ancient Thebes is the greatest open-air museum in the world. On the East Bank are the temples of Karnak and Luxor; on the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatshepsut, Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon. A sunrise balloon flight over the West Bank is unforgettable.

Between Luxor and Aswan

Edfu has the most complete temple in Egypt, dedicated to Horus. Kom Ombo is a rare double temple on a bend of the river, with a museum of mummified crocodiles. North of Luxor, Dendera and Abydos are two of the finest temples in the country and far quieter than the famous names.

Aswan, Abu Simbel and Lake Nasser

Aswan is the most relaxed town on the Nile, with granite islands, Nubian villages and feluccas at sunset. The island temple of Philae and the High Dam are nearby. Three and a half hours south, the temples of Abu Simbel are one of the great sights of the ancient world. A cruise on Lake Nasser reaches Nubian temples that very few travellers see.

The deserts and oases

West of Cairo, the Bahariya Oasis is the gateway to the Black Desert and the chalk formations of the White Desert, where a night at camp is one of the most memorable experiences in Egypt. Further west, near the Libyan border, Siwa has salt lakes, palm groves and the Oracle of Amun visited by Alexander the Great. Closer to Cairo, Fayoum has lakes, waterfalls and the fossil whales of Wadi el-Hitan.

Alexandria and the Red Sea

Alexandria, on the Mediterranean, offers Greco-Roman catacombs, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Citadel of Qaitbay. On the Red Sea, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh have some of the most accessible coral reefs in the world, perfect for a few days of rest after the temples.

Related guides

See all our Egypt journeys