Egypt is home to the famous pyramids and the Sphinx, the Nile river, the Valley of Kings, plus great archaeological museums, superb diving in the Red Sea, and beach paradises along its coastline. The country of the Pharaohs offers 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 Thebes and Abu Simbel, the intriguing 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 along 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 things like antiques, rugs, leather goods and jewelry 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, receiving alone 50 percent of all tourist arrivals to Africa and the Middle East.
Beaches & dive sites. In addition to its precious historical sites 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 bustle and 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 holiday destinations. Besides Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan and Marsa Alam all have airports with direct flights from Europe. You can also enter Egypt by bus from Israel or by ferry from Saudi Arabia or Jordan.
Getting around. There is an extensive domestic air network in Egypt, as well as plenty of public transport options offered by buses, trains and boats. Besides buses, service taxis are a common way to travel between cities in Egypt. Normal taxis are plentiful in tourist areas, and car rental services are well available. However, keep in mind that local traffic is chaotic and speeding is very common in Egypt.
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 sites 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 beautiful monasteries in Sinai Peninsula and plenty of ancient churches and mosques that are yet not too well known.Bazaars & Nile cruises. The Egyptian metropolis of Cairo is a sight itself, and the cruises along 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 things like antiques, rugs, leather goods and jewelry 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, receiving alone 50 percent of all tourist arrivals to Africa and the Middle East.
Beaches & dive sites. In addition to its precious historical sites 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 bustle and 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 with guaranteed sunshine 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 plenty 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 holiday destinations. Besides Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Aswan and Marsa Alam all have airports with direct flights from Europe. You can also enter Egypt by bus from Israel or by ferry from Saudi Arabia or Jordan.
Getting around. There is an extensive domestic air network in Egypt, as well as plenty of public transport options offered by buses, trains and boats. Besides buses, service taxis are a common way to travel between cities in Egypt. Normal taxis are plentiful in tourist areas, and car rental services are well available. However, keep in mind that local traffic is chaotic and speeding is very common in Egypt.
Photo: Jack Versloot, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
Visitor services. Egypt has a wide selection of hotels suitable for all types of budgets, including five-star resorts and international hotel chains. The same goes to restaurants, which offer varied cuisine from cheap local restaurants offering Arabic cuisine to stylish international dining. Although Arabic is the main language in Egypt, English is widely understood by educated Egyptians.
Safety. Egypt is generally a safe country to travel, but as in many other countries in the region, there is a risk of violent demonstrations especially in Cairo as well as of occasional terrorist attacks targeted to tourists. In general, the northern part of the country and all popular tourist destinations in Egypt are considered safe, but traveling between them can be more dangerous. After a line of terrorist attacks of the 1990s, travel restrictions were set for travelling along the Nile, especially between Cairo and Luxor. Nowadays, the situation is quite good but do check instructions before you go. When travelling in Egypt, be prepared to pickpockets and scams causing problems familiar to all popular Egyptian travel destinations.
From Pharaohs to Arabs: short history of Egypt
Egypt is home to one of the world's great civilizations. The Nile Valley has been inhabited for at least 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 it stayed nominally within the Ottoman Empire until 1914.Modern independence. Partial independence was given to Egypt by the UK in 1922. 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. The long-ruling president Hosni Mubarak was ousted during a revolution in 2011. Today, Egypt is a populous and modernizing Arab country with a large tourism industry.
