Egypt 2019

We were there in January 2017 on a private tour with a guide and driver. We don't usually travel that way but we were happy we did for Egypt. We were there before things starting to pick up, from a tourist point of view, and so there were no crowds at any site. It is my sense that things are much busier now. I wore skirts and tights every day and I was comfortable enough like that - I did not cover my head unless we were in a mosque. I did not wear long sleeves every day. Clothing-wise, I used the same guidelines I used for Turkey

We did walk alone in Cairo and Aswan at night. It was safe but I must say we felt intimidated in Cairo - the traffic, the armed guards - some of whom asked us questions as we walked, the poorly lit areas. We didn't walk far and opted to do our casual walking during the day. In Aswan, we went for a stroll from our cruise boat in the evening. While we felt safe, we were approached constantly...like every 30 seconds...offering rides, tours.

I blogged this Egypt trip extensively. The link to the blog is in my bio on this site or PM me and I'll email you a link.

Thank you, Valerie!

I've travelled in Turkey and Morroco, and was in Sri Lanka during the Tamil uprising, so I'm prepared (I think) for being in a challenging environment.

In January 2019, I went on a family holiday to Morocco and Egypt. Neither is "challenging" anymore. In fact, the Egyptian authorities work very hard to regain their reputation. I highly recommend visiting Egypt now - before, I thought that I'd need to keep my head low for the whole trip.

My husband and I have accommodations booked and are working on a schedule of day trips to take with a driver and guide.

You will need a driver and guide for Luxor and the Pyramids. You may or may not need a driver for central Cairo, depending on where you stay.

Uber is available in Cairo, and although the Uber cars may take a long time to reach you due to traffic, they save you the need to haggle.

Is it recommended that I wear a head scarf at all times?

No. If asked, please do, but I don't recall my mother being asked to wear a headscarf anywhere in Egypt. In Cairo and Luxor, the people are used to tourists.

Also, do tourists feel completely comfortable walking through Cairo at night?

Some parts of Cairo are poorly lit at night, but your bigger worry is getting hit by traffic or tripping over uneven pavement than crime. You'd also have less hawkers peddling their wares at you at night.

Speaking of going out at night, you can get a SIM card from many places all over the country, but as a foreigner, you'd need to present your passport to buy one. My dad and I went out at midnight in Giza to buy a SIM card, right after we checked in at the hotel, and there were no safety worries about going in Giza at midnight, other than perhaps slipping on a horse or camel turd.

Thanks, Carl. I didn't know that about buying a SIM card. Can I ask what was the name of the one you bought and what you paid for it?

Been to Cairo twice before all the political turmoil.

Egypt is seriously poor. It is said that half the people live in dwellings with dirt floors. Don't know if that is true, but it sure looks that way.

I would never go out in daytime (or especially nighttime) on my own except in a very, very public place. There are areas of the city that you should not go at all.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group that is largely what gave birth to terror groups like Al Qaeda, HAMAS, etc. It actually elected a President, who failed miserably and was kicked out by the military with the vast majority of Egyptians favoring.

There are still attacks on Christian churches and tour groups. A few months ago, an IED exploded killing tourist in a tour bus.

You can still visit Egypt, but I strongly recommend taking a guided tour. Also, don't eat street food or any restaurant below a four start hotel. Only drink bottled water that you open or beer the you open.

I lived in the Middle East for five years and loved the history that Egypt has to offer, but be careful.

I was in Egypt just a couple weeks before the uprising and that was an independent trip.
We did hire a tour guide to take us around but arranged her service before we got there. We had a truly fantastic time on that trip.
Egypt is magnificent and we had a hassle free time with Rasha making all the site-seeing arrangements etc.
We also did a cruise on the Nile, well arranged by the folks at Memphis tours.

I felt completely safe at all times while there and we did do one day site-seeing on our own which was fine.
But we did not venture out at night.
I strongly recommend a guide for your day trips as the people can be a little aggressive and sometimes as visitors we are
hesitant to be firm. The tour guide will take care of that as well as keeping you from paying a "baksheesh" at every turn.

I am going back to Egypt in April, 2019 but decided that this time I would go with a tour company as I am not sure how much things have changed since my first visit.
All the reviews I have read about people's experiences lately have been positive and I am looking forward being there again.

We used Etisalat SIM cards. Base price is 250 EGP, and every 2 GB of mobile data is an additional 50 EGP. You can recharge it at Etisalat stands.

I recently got back home from a one-week trip to Egypt with my wife and two kids. I did not find it very challenging at all. Tourism is definitely "back" (qualitative impression), at least I felt some sites were quite crowded. We did the trip independently. You do not need to go with a guide; we prefer not to have a guide generally. We do our research and learn before we go, and then see sights at our own pace. It really depends on the type of trip you want to have and what style you prefer. If you want to do little to no pre-planning and just show up, then a tour company can make all of the preparations for you and guide you every step, literally from the moment you arrive in Cairo airport. If you want more control and independence, you can just hire drivers (for Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and outlying Cairo sites) and use Uber in Cairo and for Giza.

You don't need to wear a head scarf. My wife certainly didn't. Your plan to wear pants and long sleeves is a good one for both cultural fit and for UV protection. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are also prudent. It was cold in the mornings when we were there (49 F) but the sun is still pretty intense. If you want, you can see my trip report on TA forum under the same user name as here.

The hassle from touts was the biggest annoyance. People are always trying to sell you something at Giza, Saqqara, and in the streets of Luxor. I wouldn't recommend walking around Cairo, not so much for fear of crime as much as it's just not pleasant to walk in most places -- obstructed sidewalks, trash -- and crossing the street is very dangerous as cars don't stop for pedestrians. It's the typical developing country model where pedestrians are lowest priority and the bigger the vehicle the more right of way you have.

I forgot to add the obvious -- it was an amazing trip. Out of 60+ countries visited, this was one of our most amazing trips. I don't think any country has the number of amazing historical sights that Egypt has. Every day was a highlight. Our trip focused on ancient sightseeing though: Cairo area (Egyptian Museum, Giza Pyramids & Sphinx, Saqqara & Dahshur), Luxor East and West Bank, the temples between Aswan and Luxor, and Abu Simbel. We weren't there to get a "pulse of modern Egypt" or anything like that.