Tips for upcoming trip to Egypt

Take US cash, but also plan to get some local currency from an ATM. You can also exchange to local currency, but try to avoid the airport exchange bureaus as they give poor rates.
You don't mention where you are visiting, but the further south you go, the warmer it gets....so plan for some layers. You will see some tourists in skimpy clothing, but respectful clothing should be considered. Shoulders covered, longer shorts, and if you are a woman, cover cleavage, and aim for below knee hemlines...skirts, dress or shorts. Capris are fine. Carry a shawl or large scarf if you need to cover your head in mosques.
Ramadan starts March 22nd, so eating during daylight hours in front of locals may be insensitive. You can ask your guide how best to act those last days.

4). Don’t buy or consume food prepared and offered on the street. Use an actual restaurant.

Enjoy!

I did a tour with Egypt and Beyond Travel and loved it! They were an awesome company to tour with.

You can take your US dollars and put them into an ATM and they will exchange right into Egyptian currency. Your Egypt and Beyond Travel will help you do it.

Yes, you can take US dollars and exchange them in machines in most hotels. I read somewhere that the exchange machines are heavily regulated, and the fees/markups are the same at any machine. The most challenging part is getting enough small bills for tips. You will be surprised at how many 5 and 10 EGP notes you go through. We finally wound up going to a local bank to exchange $100 for a bunch of small bills. Going to the bank was its own kind of backdoor experience --- everything was good, but we were the only non-Egyptians in the place except for one rather noisy and demanding expat.

We were there in March 2020. It was fairly comfortable in Cairo and Luxor -- light weight long sleeves in the morning and short sleeves in the afternoon. (Okay, Luxor was comfortable only because there was a cold front.) Evenings can be cool (low to mid 50's), and so I would recommend a very light sweater or jacket. South of Luxor was considerably warmer. Loose linen pants and shirts were perfect. One thing about traveling in March is that dust storms are a real possibility. We encountered a brief dust storm in Cairo and a major dust storm in Luxor that shut down the whole city. We were the only folks crazy enough to be out in it, and we had Karnak Temple pretty much to ourselves that day. Fortunately, I had packed a keffiyeh, and it was great for protecting my face from the blowing dust. You can buy cheap ones at most markets in Egypt.

Basically, I would pack 1 hiking/khaki pants, 1 loose linen pants (mine came from Orvis), 1 jeans (but that's just me -- I wear jeans all the time), 1 long sleeve button up shirt, a light fleece, and a half dozen short sleeve t-shirts along with sturdy walking shoes, a good sun hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sunscreen. Also, those rayon elephant pants are comfy and cool, and they weigh next to nothing. And definitely a scarf for mosques.

I have heard great things about Egypt and Beyond. You chose well.

Egypt is wonderful! Have a great trip!

We just did a two week tour with Gate 1 in January, it was wonderful and we did Abu Simbel, which was great.
Cost including airfare was $3500 pp in top hotels. Tour guide was fantastic. What did your tour cost.

1) We didn't purchase any Egyptian money, but did bring about $500 in US, which included lots of ones and fives for tips. Also, of the 500, much of that was for the tips of the guide, the two river cruise ships (2 three day cruises) and other tips for staff at hotels.

2) If you need local currency, like we had to pay in Egyptian Pounds a couple of times, we got help from fellow travelers that used an ATM. Cash was needed to go inside the Great Pyramid of Giza and an additional entry into tombs at Valley of the Kings. It wasn't a lot.

3) It will be warmer in March and Jan, but we were surprised by how chilly it was at night, in the early morning and evening. The cruise ships and one hotel in Aswan were top ships, but didn't have heat, and we had to bundle up. Be sure you take a good jacket, I took my nice leather jacket. Still, I wished that I had taken a sweater for the chill.

4) Do not drink anything, water, beer, wine, sodas, unless you open the bottle or watch someone open it. Never drink tap water and even wash you toothbrush in bottled water. It will be hot during the day and you will need lots of bottled water. Our tour guide and bus driver provided as will as the hotels and cruise ships. Also, never eat street food. Best to only eat in top restaurants in the equivalent of four or five star hotels.

Enjoy, it is a wonderful experience.

A couple of other random things:

• We had a running joke about the "Diet Coke test." If Diet Coke is available, you are in a tourist area. If the only "sugar free" drink you can get is non-alcoholic beer, or if they look at you as if you're from Mars when you ask for a Diet Coke, you are not in a tourist area. :-)

• I don't know where you will be staying in Luxor, but I know that private/small groups often stay at the Winter Palace. If you happen to find yourself at the Winter Palace, learn to use the back entrance. If you go out the front door, you will encounter a constant stream of touts and hustlers. If you use the back door, you will discover a much more local experience -- lots of small markets with friendly and delightful shopkeepers, and virtually no tourists (and no Diet Coke). We sampled all sorts of fruits, nuts, candies, and juices. If I took a good photo of a shopkeeper or his store, he would often ask me to WhatsApp it to him. It was a totally different, and very enjoyable, way to experience Luxor.

• Admittedly, I am a bit more adventurous than most when it comes to eating. I didn't eat much real street food, but I did eat in a lot of very local establishments. I think you are missing out if you limit yourself to hotel food. Totally agree with the advice on sticking to bottled water, though.

Our guide handed out Egyptian coins, change for us to use for rest rooms. So, I would make sure you have some too.

My post Egypt Practicalities may be helpful.

I visited Egypt in mid January and loved it. Seeing the antiquities in person, up close, that I had read about while I was a kid was absolutely fantastic and quite moving.

I traveled alone and prearranged a private guide and driver each day, using different companies based in the cities I visited (Cairo, Luxor, Aswan). I brought crisp dollar bills for tips. The Egyptian pound has been losing its value, so even though I felt like the "ugly American" flashing my dollars, I figured that the hardworking Egyptian people who assisted me would appreciate the more stable international currency. (Everyone that I tipped was very gracious.) One of my tour group contacts advised me to bring crisp bills because they are more accepted. I tipped restaurant servers $5 (as a single diner), hotel cleaners $5 per day, drivers $5-10 per trip depending on distance, and my guide $20 per day.

I stayed mostly in Western owned chain hotels (Marriott, Movenpick, Le Meridien), and they all had ATMs in the lobby for obtaining local currency. You can also find ATMs in airports, I think. At minimum bring $25 cash for your entry visa. Have a wonderful time!

You won't need much Egyptian money, mainly for toilets and if you are on a tour and want to see the inside of the Great Pyramid the fee is in pounds, but not much.

If you can acquire about $100 for two person, that would be more than enough.

I’m going to disagree with the above post regarding not needing much in the way of cash in Egypt. Have as many small bills and coins that you can get your hands on. EVERYONE has their hand out for a bakeesh ( tips). I’m a generous tipper in 3rd world countries.

Tipping with US dollars was not a problem in Egypt. Most of the people on our tour tipped with dollars.
The only reason to have pounds was for the toilet tip, since one dollar was way more than needed. You tip the equivalent of 5 cents.

Totally agree with Diveloonie. Never underestimate the number of small EGP bills you will need. Of course, it's a moot point now because the OP is already in Egypt.

Hi arn888, I just found your post today and it is apparently the last day of your vacation. I hope you had a wonderful time and will do a trip report to let us know how it went. I have a river cruise in Egypt on my radar for 2025 and appreciate any info. Happy travels!