To plan your trip, here are some practical travel tips you may need to know.
Entry visa: -
Entry Visas are required for all Nationalities except for those whose countries grant visa-free entry to Egyptians.
The entry Visas can either be obtained from any Egyptian embassy or consulate in your home country, or upon your arrival at any port, or airport. If traveling overland, visas can be easily obtained from neighboring countries. You can apply for a single-entry visa, which gives the holder the right to stay for a maximum of one month and is valid for presentation up to three months, or a multiple-entry visa, which is limited to a maximum of three visits. There's normally a two-week grace period beyond your visa expiration date. Visas can be extended for a period up to six months; however, you will be required to show a reasonable reason to get such long visa, and show bank receipts proving that you have secured sufficient money. Credit card receipts for purchases or cash advances are generally not accepted in this case.
Clothing: -
The vast majority of people in Egypt tend to wear casual clothes, and anyway you should plan according to the weather.
Daytime dress should include cotton, breathable cloth, comfortable shoes, hat and sun block. Shorts are acceptable. Evening dress is smart-casual. A light jacket or sweater is advisable for the months of November - April.
Money: -
The national unit of currency is the Egyptian Pound (L.E) with 100 Piaster.
All hotels, many major shops and restaurants in tourist cities will accept credit cards. Traveler's cheques are best purchased in US dollars or pound sterling.
Tipping: -
All hotels and restaurants include a service charge in their bill. In any case it is not obligatory to tip waiters, but you can always, if you like, give a little tip. If service charge is not included, waiters should be given a tip of about 10% of the bill.
Electricity: -
The electrical system is based on 220 AC Volt, 50 Hz, and requires rounded two round pins/prong wall plug. Visitors from North America will need a transformers/adapter that can be provided by most hotels.
Water: -
All hotels have their own filtration system and their water is considered safe to drink. Bottled water is also cheap and readily available.
Shopping: -
Egyptian Handcrafts represent a tradition of skilled workmanship and folk art that dates back many thousands of years. The most common Egyptian craft items include, marble sculptures, papyrus, handmade carpets, silver, jewelry, carved stone animals, Bedouin jewelry, leather goods, colored sand bottles, old swords, and artifacts that correspond to the Pharaonic art. You can easily find all these items while you walk in a downtown “Souq”. You will also get in touch with hundreds of small everyday items that you may wish to take home as a souvenir of your visit to Egypt.
Time: -
The time zone of Egypt is +2 hrs. GMT; seven hours ahead of US eastern standard time.
Business hours: -
Friday is the weekend, when government offices and most businesses are closed.
Banks are open from Sunday to Thursday from 08h30-15h00.
Business offices are open from 08h30-13h30.
Government offices are open only from 08h30-14h00.
Shopping Hours are flexible; most shops open from 09h30 till 22h00.
Holidays: -
There are fixed national holidays on the same dates every year.: Coptic Christmas (January 7th) - Sinai liberation day (April 25th) - Labor Day (May 1st) - Revolution Day (July 23rd) in addition to Spring Day (Sham EL Nassiem) that has no fixed date.
Several Islamic religious holidays are observed by their precise dates that vary by about two weeks every year in line with the Islamic calendar that is used to determine religious holidays: Muslim New Year - Prophets Birthday- Eid Al Fiter -Eid Al Adha,
Medical services: -
Medical services are high quality in Egyptian major cities and towns. Most doctors are bilingual in Arabic and English. All hotels have a doctor on call, and embassies can also suggest a doctor or a hospital.
Useful numbers: -
Police: 122 - First Aid Ambulance 123 - Fire Service: 125 - Traffic Police: 128 - International Airport information: (+202) 26966300 - Tourist Emergency: 126.