Know before you go: Egypt

Citizens of most countries need a visa to enter Egypt, but nationals of many countries, including the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the EU member states, can choose between the e-visa and the visa on arrival. Some other nationalities must apply in advance through an embassy, and a few, including several Arab countries, have different arrangements, so always check your specific passport on the official list first.

For the e-visa, you confirm your passport against the eligible-country list on the official Egypt e-Visa Portal (visa2egypt.gov.eg) before relying on any third-party summary, since eligibility is nationality-specific and the portal’s list is authoritative. As of late 2026, pricing runs about US$30 for a single-entry e-visa and about US$65 for a multiple-entry e-visa, and applications should be submitted at least seven days before departure.

If you prefer to arrive without pre-applying, the standard visa on arrival costs US$30, cash only, bought at bank kiosks before passport control, for a stay of up to 30 days; this fee rose from USD 25 on 1 March 2026. At Cairo International Airport you can also use a digital visa on arrival, available from 1 August 2026, costing US$36 including a US$6 service fee, paid by card.

Because fees, eligible nationalities and processing times change without much notice, treat every figure above as a snapshot only. Before booking flights, verify your own nationality, stay length and fee directly on the official e-visa portal or with the nearest Egyptian embassy, and avoid unofficial “visa agent” sites that charge extra for a free government service.

In Cairo, the Metro is the fastest way to cross the city and dodge traffic. Africa’s oldest metro system, opened in 1987, has three lines covering approximately 100 km of track through the city’s core, and fares are distance based: tickets for up to nine stations cost EGP 10, while trips of up to 16 stations cost EGP 12, rising to around EGP 20 for the longest journeys. Buy a paper token or a rechargeable smart card at any station counter, and look for the dedicated women-only carriages.

For point-to-point trips, door-to-door comfort or luggage, Uber and Careem are the practical solution for almost all tourist journeys, since the city’s chaotic traffic and the Metro’s limited coverage mean visitors need both. Rides are inexpensive by international standards, typically 30 to 60 EGP for most trips within the city, 60 to 100 EGP for cross-city rides, and 150 to 220 EGP between Cairo Airport and downtown or Giza.

For longer distances between cities, Egypt’s intercity rail network connects Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan. The timetable is reliable on the official Egyptian National Railways site, but as of 2026 the online booking service is restricted to Egyptian nationals, so residents holding Egyptian national ID numbers will find the process most straightforward, meaning foreign visitors generally need to book tickets in person at the station or through a travel agent, though the site remains useful for checking live departure times.

Egypt’s currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP), trading at about 52 to the US dollar and 59 to the euro in late September 2026, though rates fluctuate, so check a current conversion before your trip. Cards work in hotels, good restaurants, supermarkets and at state ticket offices, while cash rules everything else: taxis outside apps, markets, boats, small cafés and tips.

For withdrawals, use bank ATMs such as CIB, HSBC, National Bank of Egypt or Banque Misr, and always choose to be charged in pounds rather than accepting the machine’s “convenient” home-currency conversion, which typically carries a worse rate. Egyptian pound banknotes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 EGP, and it’s worth keeping a stock of small notes for tips and market stalls, since baksheesh (tipping) is a normal and expected part of daily transactions for guides, hotel staff and restaurant service.

The most comfortable travel window is October to April, when days are warm and sunny and evenings are cool; in December and January you may need a jacket at night, especially in the desert, while from May to September temperatures in Luxor and Aswan often pass 40°C. Travelling in summer is still possible and cheaper, but it means early starts and resting through the midday heat.

If you can be flexible, Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks with higher prices, so late October, November, late January and February offer the best balance of weather, crowds and price. For a specific sense of climate by site, October to March offers pleasant weather for visiting Abu Simbel, and families are generally best served by the shoulder months around spring and autumn.

Egypt operates a unified emergency hotline alongside dedicated service numbers. Dial 112 for a single, unified emergency number that connects callers to all emergency services, complemented by direct lines for police (122), ambulance (123), fire (180), and tourist police (126). Note that 112 may not reliably work in Egypt in every area, so keep the direct-dial numbers saved as well.

The Tourist Police line deserves special mention: the tourist police have offices at the main sites and are the people to go to for a scam, a theft or a problem with a guide. Expect visible security at tourist infrastructure, since metal detectors at hotel doors and site gates, tourist police at every major site, and checkpoints on every intercity road are standard. General travel advisories typically rate Egypt’s main tourist circuit as operating normally while flagging specific border and northern Sinai areas as higher risk, so check your home government’s current advisory before finalising your itinerary.