Throw out any preconceived notion you have of Cairo or the rest of Egypt. There is no amount of reading that will prepare you for a visit to any part of Egypt. It can give you a little head start. Because tourism industry is the bread and butter of Egypt, tourists are targeted with many things unlike what is found in other countries. One important key item is that Egypt is one of the safest countries for any tourist to visit. There are tourist police everywhere and the people are quite friendly. You can freely walk around at all hours of the night but just be careful of your surroundings as in any prudent venture.

 

Traveling without a tour always allows you to go at your pace and see what you want to see. The only problem is that you will have to deal with scams and transportation on your own. The rewards are great because you see the people and learn on your own about the culture instead of being bused around everywhere but it can also be quite disheartening and make you feel violated at times to deal with some of the taxi drivers or other salesmen. Dont let this happen to you. Read the excellent info here and be prepared.

 

The Currency in Egypt is the Egyptian pound ( referred by LE - Livre Egyptienne) and it is divided into 100 piaster. In Arabic it is called Genaeh. Here you will find 25 and 50 piaster notes and various sized coins down to the 5 piaster. At present $1 dollar is equivalent to 7.5 Egyptian pounds

 

In Egypt, most of the banks are open from Sunday to Thursday; working hours being 0830 to 1400, though banks at the airports and the major entry ports are open 24 hours daily.

Note: Most of the major credit/debit cards, such as American Express, MasterCard, Visa, all Euro cards and JCB, are widely accepted in various hotels and shops. If you want to use an ATM machine, they mostly accept Visa, MasterCard and Cirrus cards. If you can't find an ATM machine in your vicinity, you can still obtain cash if you go to any of the Misr Bank branches. Banks are unwillingly to accept $100 notes issued before 1992. If you wish to convert your currency, you can use $US, £UK or Euros, as they are accepted in many banks and other places. TIP: Don't change your $, £ or Euro until you arrive in Egypt – the conversion rate is much better here!

Please don't bring Scottish pounds, Irish punts, and New Zealand dollars etc. as they are not accepted in Egypt! You will find plenty of banks at the airport and several foreign currency exchange offices. Your duty free goods must be purchased within 48 hours after arrival.

If you at any point during your tour, run out of money, and your credit cards are not accepted, you still can get money wired to you from abroad. In Egypt, there are plenty of Western Union branches; it takes just a few minutes to get any sum of money sent to you from abroad.

 

The moment a guide book is published, it's out of date where entry fees are concerned. The price of everything goes up continuously without prior notice. There is one price for Egyptians and one price for tourists. You will find this in all sites as well as restaurants, stores and other places. If you ask the price of a simple item such as a bottle of water, it will be one price now and another price a couple of hours from now. Everything is dependent on their perception of what you're willing to pay for something or when something is a hot item (e.g. middle of the day or at night in the case of water).

 

There is a difference between tourists and Egyptians. If you ask Egyptians in Egypt whether to tip in a restaurant or elsewhere, they will tell you it is NOT customary to do it. Many places will have the service already included in the bill. Don't feel that you're forced to tip because you've heard it's the norm. There is nothing that is the norm in Egypt except what is pushed on tourists. On trains the luggage guy will put his hand out to tourists but they let Egyptians go right by. If you give a couple of pounds, they will ask for more, while an Egyptian might give a few piastres. They might even play a game with you and pretend like they locked the exit door and the door to the other car so that you feel scared and give a tip. Don't fall for games and don't feel guilty to pay for services you don't wish to receive.
 

Taxis, horses, caleche, camels, and donkeys are all the same as far as the scams are concerned. Be careful when negotiating the price of a ride. Make sure you state how many people it's for, whether it includes all parking fees, what stops you will be making, and how far and long you will be going. It is quite common to get bombarded with demands at the end of a ride. The horseman will demand two fees because you used two horses instead of one, the taxi driver will demand parking fees and will exaggerate how much it costs, the caleche man who will ask for more money because there was a "misunderstanding". They will all make you feel guilty and concerned about their well being so that you, as a gullible tourist, pay more. Don't fall for it. Don't be afraid to open the window and ask the parking attendant how much so that you know. Don't be afraid of standing up for yourself. In the end, hand over the agreed amount and walk away. Look for the Tourism and Antiquities Police who are usually not too far away. If arranging your own transportation, it sometimes makes sense to rent the taxi for the full day or for a specified number of attractions until say, mid afternoon (say in Luxor esp. if you are short on time and have a good idea of your itinerary.

Help: If you need to ask for directions or any other help, be choosey. Pick someone who is in his mid 30s and looks like a businessman either in a suit, with a briefcase, or just neat clothes. Chances are he will speak English and also will not be expecting a tip. If you want someone to take your picture, ask another tourist.

 

If you’re confident with your haggling skills, take a black taxi to your next destination. The black taxi’s are considered private and never have running meters. Most people will tell you to avoid them and use a metered taxi while in Cairo, but we took many black taxi’s during our stay. All you need to do is ask a local how much it should cost to go from point A to B and use that number to haggle with the driver. Make sure you agree on a price BEFORE entering the taxi. Confirm the price 2 or 3 times before actually getting in to avoid any issues. By doing so, you may save yourself a few pounds. Once again, if you’re confident and aware of the true “Egyptian” prices (what Egyptians would pay for something), you’ll most likely have no issues with agreeing on a price and you’ll be able to avoid being ripped off.

 

School kids love tourists. They will bombard you in groups at sites if they're out on a school trip. They will want you to take their pictures, take pictures with them, say hello, or discuss anything they can with you. Don't be afraid. Go for it. Kids in the street will also say hello quite often and will say whatever sentence they know even if it's wrong. Don't be concerned. They don't want anything from you even if they start following you around for a little bit. You will soon get a feel for who is a regular Egyptian and who is a scam artist or salesman.

 

Make sure you take water and snacks BEFORE arriving at any tourist sight or you will end up paying 4-5 times more for the same item. Buy these items at local stores in streets. Don't ever want something so bad that you will pay any price for it.

 

Every store will ask you to go into it and will try to sell you whatever they can. Many items are made in China, know that. If there is an item you're interested in, don't show your interest. First ask about other items and price them. Be prepared to walk away and not take the item you want. They will undoubtedly start the price at 3-4 times more than it's worth. You have to negotiate to bring it down. First figure out how much you want to pay for something. Then ask how much something you don't want is. Then move casually to what you do want and ask for its price. Let's say the item is quoted at 150 but you only wanted to pay 60 for it. You can say that's a lot and start walking away. Chances are he will reduce his price right away. Sometimes they will reduce it twice before you even have to give a counter offer. You have to then give him a price lower than the 60 you want to pay. He will come back with a different price. You will play this game until you reach a mutually agreeable price. It's not an exact science. It's a game and you have to play it to get close to the price you want.

 

Egypt is a predominantly muslim country. While you can wear anything you want, it is inappropriate and disrespectful to wear certain articles of clothing. It is out of respect that you should adhere to some clothing do's and don't's. You will see women with scarves and without. There will be young Egyptian ladies dressed with form fitting clothing that covers all of their body. That's as far as it will go. For men: feel free to wear t-shirts and long pants anywhere. In tourist sites if bused around by tour bus and not making any stops in local shops, and in resorts it's ok to wear shorts. For women: wear 3/4 sleeve shirts, skirts below knees, and longer pants. The less skin you show, the more respect you will receive. It is ok to wear t-shirts or tank tops at tourist sights where other bus loads of people are present. Have a long sleeve shirt to cover up once you leave the sight. Cairo is the busiest and most businesslike city in Egypt. Dress smart.

 

There will be some young couples holding hands here and there but any further public display of affection is not the norm. No kissing in public. Like other muslim countries, men can be friendly towards other men and women can be friendly towards other women. But women, especially non-family members, should not be over friendly to men as is done in western countries. Kissing on the cheek, touching on shoulder or any other part, even shaking hands are not common between men and women. Store owners will shake hands with foreign ladies often but don't allow it to go beyond that with anyone. It is a sign of respect for yourself if you learn to separate Egpyt from the west in how you deal with people.

 

There is one city in Egypt that turns crossing the street into an art form. The streets in Cairo are packed with cars zipping around each other trying to gain a few inches in heavy traffic. Crossing these streets can be a harrowing experience for those who are not used to it. Observe how locals do it the first few times to get a feel for it. When you're ready to take the challenge, use any or all of the following suggestions to make your experience a little easier: Plan to start walking as soon as you see a gap between the car that is about to pass in front of you and the next one that is approaching. The moment the car passes, your foot has to be behind it. If there are two of you, grab each other's arms so that you can walk in synch. You have to pause after you clear one car to determine the speed of the next car and his willingness to slow down for you to pass. This is a fraction of a second deal. You continue this way until you've passed all cars. Do not expect a car to stop. It is a negotation between pedestrians and drivers. If a car is honking at you as he's approaching, he might be indicating that he is not going to slow down. This is something for which you have to develope a feeling. Feel free to use a free arm to put up in front of a car you're unsure of, to let him know you're walking in front of him and do so quickly. If the traffic is unbearable or you're not ready to take the challenge, place yourself next to locals who are crossing the street and walk at exactly the same pace as they do passing each car. In doing this, you have to keep an eye on the local and an eye on the oncoming traffic. After some practice, this process can become a breeze. Do NOT run across the street under any cicrumstances. This is a common theme in any country. It does not allow for the drivers to notice you or realize how fast you're crossing the street. It also does not allow time for you to notice any car that might have been missed with first glance.