I Have Five Days In Egypt - What Do I Do?

[markis10]

I would have thought the answer is obvious, take the bangles advice and walk like an Egyptian.
Have a great trip

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Be warned that it may be colder than you had expected - believe it or not, snow in Egypt at this time of year is not unheard of.

Indeed, when I arrived in Jerusalem on 8 Jan many years ago a blizzard started and it was freezing for several days. And the Arab Hotel we were staying in had no heating in the rooms.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I’ve ‘done’ egypt three times now. Agree with others… two days Cairo (one for pyramids, one for the museum), and a couple,of days in Luxor (felucca in the Nile, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Karnak). We flew one way to Luxor and took the sleeper train back.

We rode horses across the desert from the Great Pyramid to Saqqarah. Nice idea at the time, probably wouldn’t do it again! We also rode a donkey from the banks of the Nile to the Valley of the Kings, which allowed us to take in the sun rise for the side and top of the hill/mountain around the valley. This was a private tour for just the two of of us, with a local guide, which allowed us to access routes not open to the general public or tour groups. (To access the valley we just stumbled down the side of the hill… completely by-passing any of the ticket booths!)

Would recommend getting a ticket to go inside and climb the main pyramid.

 

[RSD]

One other thing - when flying out of Cairo - be absolutely certain to be at the airport the moment that check-in is going to open. They usually won't let you into the terminal until check-in for your flight opens - but be there precisely then and no later. You will either breeze through all of the umpteen security checks etc and have tons of lounge time - or it will take nearly three hours to get through all the checks due to the volume of travellers and you won't even have time to find the lounge. Basically prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It is a heck of a lot better than it used to be 30 years ago though - I compared flying out of Cairo airport to the fall of Saigon.

 

[Sprucegoose]

As far as safety etc - frankly I feel safer walking around Cairo of an evening than walking around Melbourne.

Well noted. Wits are required everywhere in the world.

Grand Egyptian Museum is now (mostly) open

Yes, definitely on the list. I am sure it's well worth the wait.

The other must do in Cairo (in my opinion) is the Khan el-Khalili - Wikipedia - late afternoon and evenings is the best time.

I hadn't come across these so thanks - on the list.

look for places that are popular with locals.

As always. A good guide is invaluable,

So I would recommend heading to Luxor instead - fly down and back - spend a couple of days there - Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple, Karnak etc etc.

I'll look at some plans for this before I head off. Is there a particular place to stay? I am sure it's very tourist-centric.

Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive advice - most appreciated.

 

[DC3]

… I feel safer walking around Cairo of an evening than walking around Melbourne …

 

[CaptJCool]

I took my 2 friends to Cairo railway station much against their idea of a good time

Once there, the wow factor blew them away

 

[RSD]

Well noted. Wits are required everywhere in the world.
Yes, definitely on the list. I am sure it's well worth the wait.
I hadn't come across these so thanks - on the list.
As always. A good guide is invaluable,
I'll look at some plans for this before I head off. Is there a particular place to stay? I am sure it's very tourist-centric.
Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive advice - most appreciated.

You really only need your wits about you when -
- crossing the street
- driving in Cairo
Down at El Quseir I leave my car running while getting some groceries to keep the aircon going, I never locked the car doors, I leave my mobile phone on the front seat - I've no fear of it being pinched. Don't even lock the front door of my apartment.

You have to be really careful crossing the streets in downtown Cairo - the traffic doesn't take prisoners. The Interconti you are staying at is right in the heart of downtown - very close to Tahrir Square. You are about a 900 metre walk from my favourite part of downtown - the various streets running off Talaat Haab Square (which is actually a roundabout - must have gotten lost in translation).

I haven't stayed at the Interconti there but if you can try to get some sunset/dusk photos from the roof of the hotel if they have a rooftop bar etc. You can get some really nice photos of boats on the Nile etc.

The food in Cairo is great - the small places that the locals eat at with laminex on the tops of the tables etc are brilliant.

One thing I should mention - for some reason google gets a bit confused in Egypt. When google says "Your destination is on the right" - if you can't see it then it will be on the other side of the street. Apart from that google maps works well. Uber is very very cheap in Egypt too and works well.

You will see lots guards and police with guns - just smile at them and say hotel - most of them couldn't shoot straight anyway - if they even have any ammunition. They are a hang over from the old days - but it keeps them employed.

Its been 30 years since I last went to Luxor - keep meaning to do it but haven't gotten around to it - so I can't recommend anywhere in Luxor to stay.

 

[VPS]

When I arrived in Cairo in 1989 and not a seasoned traveller I asked the tour guide which side of the road they drove on - his response was whatever side they want.

One good thing was I changed some travellers cheques at Cairo airport and he confused the Australian Dollars for UK pounds and I got a LOT more than I should have

Fascinating country so enjoy.

We trained from Cairo to Luxor and cruised back which was magical

 

[RSD]

People are very friendly, if they can help you with directions etc they will, no drugs makes a huge difference. You just have to relax and embrace it and you will enjoy it.

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 10:10 PM

I took my 2 friends to Cairo railway station much against their idea of a good time

Once there, the wow factor blew them away

LOL! Yep!

 

[RSD]

When I arrived in Cairo in 1989 and not a seasoned traveller I asked the tour guide which side of the road they drove on - his response was whatever side they want.

One good thing was I changed some travellers cheques at Cairo airport and he confused the Australian Dollars for UK pounds and I got a LOT more than I should have

Fascinating country so enjoy.

We trained from Cairo to Luxor and cruised back which was magical

LOL - you quickly learn that a one-way street only exists in the mind of the person who planned it.

I was similar to you - my total travel experience before landing in Cairo (at 1am) was a week in southern Italy - and you was probably like me - none of the modern travel helps - just the Lonely Planet book.

 

[RSD]

Well noted. Wits are required everywhere in the world.
Yes, definitely on the list. I am sure it's well worth the wait.
I hadn't come across these so thanks - on the list.
As always. A good guide is invaluable,
I'll look at some plans for this before I head off. Is there a particular place to stay? I am sure it's very tourist-centric.
Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive advice - most appreciated.

One other thing that I just thought of - are you planning to use Uber to get from the airport to the Interconti?

 

[Sprucegoose]

One other thing that I just thought of - are you planning to use Uber to get from the airport to the Interconti?

Most probably - why?

 

[RSD]

Most probably - why?

The Uber pickup point can be a bit confusing - it is in the middle of a car park - and getting to it can take a bit of trial and error - but when you walk out of the terminal look for a gap between the big building in front of you and a much smaller building to its right - you have to find a winding concrete path between the two and that will take you down to the true ground level where the car park is - its sort of something like this - best thing is not to try to book the Uber until you reach the pickup point as otherwise some of the drivers will think that you are in front of the terminal, but they aren't allowed to pick you up there, and the ones that understand that head straight to the car park - causes a bit of confusion.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Thanks. Uber and Grab are different in all countries - you need that local knowledge. Even different between Qantas and Virgin in Sydney,

I may book a Hotel car - easier.

 

[RSD]

Thanks. Uber and Grab are different in all countries - you need that local knowledge. Even different between Qantas and Virgin in Sydney,

I may book a Hotel car - easier.

Would certainly recommend a hotel car if you are arriving late in the day.

 

[RooFlyer]

People are very friendly, if they can help you with directions etc they will, no drugs makes a huge difference. You just have to relax and embrace it and you will enjoy it.

I recall when I first went, maybe 30 years ago now I was at first terrified being driven around by our hosts - inter-stitching traffic at intersections, door-handle-to-door-handle , lanes, lights, everything ignored. But then I realised that we never got up to a speed where any damage could be done if we did collide, so I just sat back and enjoyed the experience.

But then, a year or two ago, they had driven some freeways right through neighbourhoods (in many cases obviously slicing a building in two, demolishing one half, the other intact) so the traffic flowed much better and quicker!

@Sprucegoose if you have the time, visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (different from the new Grand Egyptian Museum out at the Giza pyramids)

NMEC - National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

Its not near anywhere in particular, so Uber, but its new, big and where they have put the Royal mummies. Unique experience.

Post in thread 'Dipping my toe back in the Nile'

Dec 14, 2022

So it was farewell to the Step Pyramids. Highly recommended if you have half a day; seeing the mastabas and discovering the evolution of Pharaonic burials made it for me.



Next morning, I went to the relatively new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. NMEC - National Museum of Egyptian Civilization As you can see from the web site, its a slick modern production. The site is huge (God knows how many neighbourhoods would have been demolished and people displaced to make way for it) but the footprint of public galleries is relatively modest. The Museum does...

• RooFlyer

• 

Also, learn 'La, shukran', meaning no, thank-you. The touts and sellers in Egypt are pretty bad, especially near the pyramids. You can start with that, with various stages of emphasis, before moving to higher levels of saying no, you don't want to buy a little pyramid on a chain or a plastic camel!

 

[RSD]

I recall when I first went, maybe 30 years ago now I was at first terrified being driven around by our hosts - inter-stitching traffic at intersections, door-handle-to-door-handle , lanes, lights, everything ignored. But then I realised that we never got up to a speed where any damage could be done if we did collide, so I just sat back and enjoyed the experience.

But then, a year or two ago, they had driven some freeways right through neighbourhoods (in many cases obviously slicing a building in two, demolishing one half, the other intact) so the traffic flowed much better and quicker!

Cairo - 27 million people - who each own a car - but have never had a driving lesson in their life.

It looks like Grand Theft Auto for real, but I've driven in Cairo - its not as bad as it looks/feels.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I tried to get my Egypt Visa online, only to learn that it takes at least seven clear days before the date of arrival. Well, I stuffed that up.

In BKK, I rock up to the local embassy on Soi 22 Sukhumvit, and find they only do visa transactions on Monday and Thursday between 10-12 (even Canberra works harder than this)

Having missed today, I'll return the day before I depart BKK this Thursday. I feel more comfortable getting this sorted before I leave than doing it around midnight in an excited state. (I have a poor track record in this department).

In the meantime, I stumbled across one of the better restaurants in BKK: "Bourbon Street". Have you tried it?

 

[CaptJCool]

I tried to get my Egypt Visa online, only to learn that it takes at least seven clear days before the date of arrival. Well, I stuffed that up.

In BKK, I rock up to the local embassy on Soi 22 Sukhumvit, and find they only do visa transactions on Monday and Thursday between 10-12 (even Canberra works harder than this)

Having missed today, I'll return the day before I depart BKK this Thursday. I feel more comfortable getting this sorted before I leave than doing it around midnight in an excited state. (I have a poor track record in this department).

In the meantime, I stumbled across one of the better restaurants in BKK: "Bourbon Street". Have you tried it?

The visa on arrival is a 2 minute process …
No questions asked
You just gotta pay in US$ at one of the ‘banks’ adjacent the immigration “exit desks”

It’s very simple