Egypt has the famous pyramids and the Sphinx, the Nile river, the Valley of Kings, great archaeological museums, diving paradises in the Red Sea and along the Sinai peninsula. the county of the phafaohs offer also plenty of sun and sand to ensure its reputation as a popular beach holiday destination. What else could you hope for? Well, there are also the temples of Luxor and Abu Simbel, and the medieval Islamic and Christian heritage and bargain shopping in the immense bazaars of Cairo, the biggest city in Africa.
Bazaars & Nile cruises. The Egyptian metropolis of Cairo is a sight itself, and the cruises in the famous Nile River that cuts Egypt into half are some of the most popular things to do in Egypt. Egypt also offers good value shopping for for example antiques, rugs, leather goods and jewellery with bargain prices. Keeping all this in mind, it is not surprising that Egypt is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world and receives alone 50 percent of all tourism arrivals to Africa and the Middle East.
Beaches & dive sites. In addition to its precious historical sights and the many cultural draws, Egypt offers also great beach resorts along the Red Sea coast, including Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh, both of these which some of the world’s best diving. There are beaches along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt as well, for example in the historical city of Alexandria, but with less activities.
Traveling to Egypt is easy by air as there are good flight connections between Cairo and many European and Middle Eastern cities. There are also plenty of Charter flights to Egypt’s many travel destinations. Besides Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan and Marsa Alam also have airports with direct flights from Europe. You can also enter Egypt by bus from Israel or by ferry from Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Getting around. There is an extensive domestic air network in Egypt, as well as public transport by buses, trains and boats. Service taxis are also a common way to travel between cities in Egypt. Normal taxis are plentiful in tourist areas, and car rental services are well available. However, local traffic is chaotic and overspeeding very common.
Attractions of Egypt: ancient monuments, museums, beaches, Red Sea diving and Nile River
As the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization, Egypt is filled with great historical and archaeological sights and museums, tombs, temples and hieroglyphs. Most famous of these are probably the Pyramids and Sphinx in Giza, near Cairo. Other places to see include the Valley of Kings and temples of the ancient Thebes in Luxor, The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, as well as the temples of Abu Simbel in Southern Egypt near Aswan, the most African city in Egypt. There are also plenty of ancient churches, monasteries and mosques that are maybe not that well known.Bazaars & Nile cruises. The Egyptian metropolis of Cairo is a sight itself, and the cruises in the famous Nile River that cuts Egypt into half are some of the most popular things to do in Egypt. Egypt also offers good value shopping for for example antiques, rugs, leather goods and jewellery with bargain prices. Keeping all this in mind, it is not surprising that Egypt is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world and receives alone 50 percent of all tourism arrivals to Africa and the Middle East.
Beaches & dive sites. In addition to its precious historical sights and the many cultural draws, Egypt offers also great beach resorts along the Red Sea coast, including Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh, both of these which some of the world’s best diving. There are beaches along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt as well, for example in the historical city of Alexandria, but with less activities.
Egypt travel information and practical tips
Located in Northern Africa, spreading along the coasts of both Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Egypt has a dry desert climate with hot summers and temperate winters. Summer months can be very hot, with high temperatures up to 40°C, in many parts of Egypt south from Cairo. Fortunately the seaside resorts on the Red Sea coast have a cooling sea breeze also during the summer months, accompanied by warm water and a lots of sun.Traveling to Egypt is easy by air as there are good flight connections between Cairo and many European and Middle Eastern cities. There are also plenty of Charter flights to Egypt’s many travel destinations. Besides Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan and Marsa Alam also have airports with direct flights from Europe. You can also enter Egypt by bus from Israel or by ferry from Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Getting around. There is an extensive domestic air network in Egypt, as well as public transport by buses, trains and boats. Service taxis are also a common way to travel between cities in Egypt. Normal taxis are plentiful in tourist areas, and car rental services are well available. However, local traffic is chaotic and overspeeding very common.
Photo: Jack Versloot, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
Visitor services. Egypt has a wide selection of hotels for all types of budgets, including five-star resorts and international hotel chains. The same goes to restaurants, which offer varied cuisine from cheap restaurants offering Arabic cuisine to stylish international dining. Although Arabic is the main language in Egypt, English is widely understood by educated people.
Safety. Egypt is generally a safe country to travel, but as in many other countries in the region, there is a risk of terrorist attacks that are being targeted into tourists. In general, the northern part of the country as well as all popular tourist destinations are considered quite safe, but moving between the destinations is more dangerous. After the terrorist attacks of the 90s, travel restrictions were set for travelling along the Nile, especially between Cairo and Luxor. Nowadays, the situation is quite good, but check instructions before you go. When travelling in Egypt, be prepared to pickpocketing and cheating -problems familiar to all popular Egypian travel destinations.
From Pharaohs to Arabs: short history of Egypt
Egypt is home to one of the world's great civilizations. Evidence of human habitation in the Nile Valley dates back 12000 years. A kingdom was established in the Nile Valley as early as 3200 BC, and Pharaoh dynasties ruled Egypt for the next three thousand years. Persians invaded the country in 341 BC, and were soon followed by Greek, Roman and Byzantine conquerors. Arabs conquered the area in the 7th century and introduced Islam. Their rule in Egypt lasted until 1250 when the local Mameluks took the power. Egypt was again invaded by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Britain took control of Egypt in 1882, but stayed nominally within the Ottoman Empire until 1914.Modern independence. Partial independence was given to Egypt by the UK in 1922, and Egypt gained full independence in 1952, when the British-backed monarchy was overthrown and a republic of Egypt was formed. Nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956 caused a war called Suez Crisis, and Egypt also participated in two wars against Israel in 1967 and 1973. A peace treaty with Israel was signed in 1979, after which Egypt re-gained control of the Sinai Peninsula that it had lost to Israel.
