Egypt Trip Summer 2026 Recap

Hi all! Sharing my self-guided \~ 18-day Egypt summer (July/August) recap as a resource for others. 

Traveled as a family of 4 [M/F60s, F32, F23], and our travel pace can be considered on the slower side. Typically aim for 1-2 main attractions for the day, utilizing Google Maps to pre-save places we want to go so that we can visit spots that are nearby the main attraction as a stretch goal. We opted for self-guided given the short planning time we had (\~2 weeks, due to life logistics) and the fact that we had a (non-Egyptian) Arabic speaker (dad). 

Disclaimer- I am by no means an expert and I source most of my trip tips/attractions through 1. Reddit, 2. Top-Rated.online (which I also found through Reddit) 3. Social media (primarily Instagram, as I don’t have a TikTok [trying to minimize my vices, lol]) 4. Whatever other people are doing (if a place is bustling, or if it’s recommended to me by a local and within my ability to wait for the place- I’ll check it out)

Overarching things- 

  • For connectivity I looked at Airalo vs upgrading our GoogleFi plan to the international one. Went with upgraded GoogleFi (first time using it) and it was convenient with solid connection throughout our multi-country trip. Less toggling between different eSIMs and relatively straightforward, was able to support my basic remote working needs (ie teams, outlook, etc)
  • For cash I generally kept \~100USD on me in case (to use at currency exchange, if needed), but there are ATMs galore in Egypt. Overall we found international bank ATMs and AlexBank ATMs to be the most reliable. Would generally try to keep \~40 USD in EGP and a credit card (for use at attractions, fancier restaurants) on hand. 
  • For phone apps, I used Uber/InDrive the most for hailing rideshares and checking costs when using taxis. Ofc downloaded Egypt as an offline map in GoogleMaps before arrival as well. Dowloaded talabat (used once), civitatis (Egypt guide), GoBus (wonky app but worked better than site for booking the tickets). Downloaded but never used Careem and DiDi during the trip
  • For traveler’s diarrhea (which we got in Cairo, and pretty much had on/off for the rest of the trip, RIP) I made sure to have loperamide and hydration/electrolyte packets on hand. Given the extended nature of our diarrhea, we also took azithromycin and rifaximin (dosing recommendations available on the CDC website here https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/preparing-international-travelers/travelers-diarrhea.html). These medications are cheap and readily available OTC at any pharmacy (bless)
  • For stays, I mostly used Booking to find relatively basic stays at flats/aparthotels so that we could do laundry frequently and have our own space. Additionally, most hotels take max 3 people per room (which was difficult with the 4 of us)
  • When being hustled, just ignore and move on. Overall, never felt like we were in harm’s way even with the more persistent hustlers. But did we get hustled/cheated/followed? Yes, and it was heavy at major attractions (notably Giza, Khan el-Khalili area, Luxor-reportedly worse when we were there per our Aswan to Luxor driver given that it was low season during our trip). However, for every negative experience I can think of a positive experience so things generally even out
  • When eating at a restaurant, keep in mind that many (usually fancier) restaurants charge a seating fee (\~14%)+ tip (\~12%) + credit card fee (variable, not much). Compounded with the fact that you will likely receive the foreigner English menu (with higher prices, ofc), the time it takes for you to place your order/kitchen to prepare the food (which can take longer since it’s typically from scratch), and the time to get a hold of someone to pay your bill, it can be a bit much. We circumvented this a few times by ordering takeaway and eating at our stay. Egypt is a relatively inexpensive country, but when you add the extra layer of being hustled/cheated, things can quickly escalate to/beyond western prices
  • For souvenirs, we got \~1 carry on sized bag’s worth of items. This included: Khaymiya embroidered pillowcases, small Nubian rugs (from Aswan), assorted pottery pieces, bookstore branded tote bags, books from said bookstores, jewelry from Diana market (Saturday flea market near Al Attaba, so fun), and Egyptian cotton galabeyas and pajama sets from Halawa (Egyptian cotton is mostly exported- we stumbled upon this 1920s founded establishment on our way to the oldest pharmacy in Cairo, Stephenson’s pharmacy [with one of the most personable pharmacy owners I’ve ever met- conversing with George is such a treat]. While on the more pricier side, the quality of the pieces at Halawa are so good that I wish I picked up at least 1…or 2… or more of everything)

Airport and Visa on Arrival

Took a red-eye flight from DLM airport connecting through Istanbul (SAW) to Alexandria airport. Both flights were around 2 hours, arrived in Alexandria around 2 AM, got our Visa on Arrival (\~$30USD cash each, paid exact). Relatively painless, but ofc had to wait in a longish line (consisting of our flight’s passengers) to get the VOA. Took Uber to the aparthotel and by the time we settled in it was around 4AM. Overall, 10/10 would recommend flying into Alexandria on a redeye.  Yes the timing sucks but it’s a straightforward experience and Alexandria was a relatively chill city that eased us into our next destination (Cairo) well.

Alexandria: \~2 days

-Stayed by the booksellers area/Prophet Daniel Mosque. Walkable area to the downtown/beach/train station and everything else was a short drive away. 

-Places we visited included the Qaitbay citadel/Alexandria lighthouse, Alexandria Bibliotheca (which was hosting the national book fair while we were there! Took a free guided tour by a librarian who was very knowledgable), Catacombs of Kom Elshoqfa, and walked down the corniche at sunset. 

-Great seafood and desserts here, known for including liver as a topping on their koshary (worth a try). Some of my favorite meals were brunch at Le Metropole (food is mid, view is stunning), El Sheikh wafik (ice cream, Om Ali, rice pudding, would come back just for this), El Baraka on the corniche (chicken spot-started my trip long obsession with El Baraka, lol), Al Farouk (historic cafe, people watched during the final FIFA game), Koshary Abu Nasser (personally my favorite koshary the whole trip, we also got a mixed grill meat plate that I think about from time to time). 

Train from Alexandria to Cairo: \~1 day

This was the main attraction the day we took it- we took the general class noon train to Cairo (130EGP for Arab ticket which we bought day of- all the ATMs near the train station were out of cash so didn’t have enough for the first class ticket and we were on a time crunch to catch the train). Stunning scenery and cool enough with a personal fan on hand for when the train would make stops. If you take the general train, keep in mind that folks sell things by dropping the item for sale in your lap as they pass by your seat. When they come back around, you either keep the item (and pay them) or return the item to them (if you don’t want the item). After getting off at Ramses station (in which a sea of people are exiting/entering the train at the same time-not for the faint of heart or claustorphobic), we went home and had an easy dinner/evening

Cairo: Total of \~7 days: \~3 days with a base in Mohandiseen + \~4 days with a base in Zamalek. We split Cairo into 2 parts, separated by a trip to Aswan/Luxor. 

  • Mohandiseen is more residential, and we had to take a cab if we wanted to go to any attractions. Zamalek was much more walkable, with plenty of shops/easy access to the metro (which we took several times, mostly to the Attaba stop- the metro was cleaner and easier to take than I expected)
  • Places we visited included:
  • Ancient Egypt-related destinations: Pyramids of Giza, Grand Egyptian Museum, The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (\~2 hours, royal mummies were worth it for me), Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (visitor beware, the place felt half empty when we went- with many of the artifacts clearly moved to the new GEM; enjoyed the building architecture though)
  • Saladin citadel complex (several hours for us, complex has access to mosques/museums/scenic overlooks of the city)
  • Islamic Cairo: Al Azhar complex, Qalawun complex (heads up regarding tip fishing every step of the way at this one- still worth checking out though), Al-Moez St
  • Bookstores: Very well read citizens, notable book spots are the Diwan chain and the book market in Al Attaba (recently redone)
  • Notable food/meals were Koshary Abou Tarek, juice (get whatever’s in season- for us that was mango juice which was divine, lemon/mint or hibiscus juice being the other standard pick), pastries/gelato from El Abdo (chain), Oldish (went here at least 3 times, great breakfast deal), Groppi (specifically the Heliopolis location) for their ice cream/sorbet, Madeline Kouder (try the mandarin gelato, please), Baba Abdo (go to the one by Bab-ul-Futuh- great seating upstairs with a view of the Bab), knafeh at Al-Agha, Fatatry El Hussein Pancake restaurant (mostly street facing seating, sit as inside as you can if you want to avoid the hubbub of the street)

Luxor: \~2 days

  • Flew here from Cairo, stayed on the West Bank- there’s an inexpensive ferry that takes you to the East Bank, which is where most of the attractions are.
  • Tip for the airport if you don’t have a hired car- go past the guarded gate onto the main street when calling an InDrive (Uber doesn’t work here). Regular rideshares will not go past the guarded gate, but can easily meet you streetside. We learned this the hard way. Ended up receiving assistance from a very helpful delivery driver who called his cousin to give us a ride to our stay. We ended up hiring the cousin for the next few days to drive us to the different attractions in Luxor and then to Aswan
  • Places we visited included Luxor temple (walked around the outside perimeter as recommended by other Redditors), Valley of the Kings (took the advice of Redditors by booking online tickets to maximize number of temples visited since the online tickets can’t be punched), Hatshepsut temple, Der el Medina, Medinet Habu, Karnak temple, Colossi of Memnon

Luxor to Aswan: \~1 day

  • Took us a day given a later start, a stop at Esna Temple (worth it, stunning colors), and a high speed bump + small car combo. One thing that I haven’t seen discussed much (as part of my research, anyway) is that the speed bumps are really meant to STOP drivers with their sheer height and lack of uniformity. Since we were in a smaller car (with 5 adults PLUS luggage- 4 backpacks and 1 carry on) you best believe we were stopping at every speed bump. Hire a larger car if you can, we did this on our day trip to Abu Simbel and had less of an issue with speed bumps in the larger car

Aswan: \~2 days

  • Stayed on the Nile across from the Old Market
  • We mainly came to Aswan for a day trip to Abu Simbel, which we arranged via car hire through our hotel. Left at 8AM, and the hotel arranged breakfast boxes for us to go
  • Whatever leftover time we had was spent napping, walking around the market, and taking Nile cruises at sunset
  • On our way out of Aswan to the airport, we asked the taxi driver to stop by the High Aswan Dam (for an extra fee, of course). Nice quick stop if you have some time, shouldn’t take more than 30 mins or so

Reflection on Luxor/Aswan: Start early, rest during midday heat, and go out in the evening (which is when everyone is out and about). We combated the heat by staying hydrated, utilizing UV block umbrellas, sunglasses, handheld fans, and light linen or UPF clothing that covered our skin (counterintuitive by most Western standards, but sunburns are no joke in the desert). However, a huge plus of traveling in the heat was very minimal crowds. Given the opportunity to visit again, I would try to utilize a ferry/boat tour between the two cities vs driving. Would also aim to visit temples that we unfortunately did not have the capacity to visit during this trip, specifically: Dendara and Abydos (day trip from Luxor), Edfu and Kom Ombo (between Luxor/Aswan), Philae temple (by Aswan)

Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheikh: \~1 day

  • Traveled from Cairo via GoBus, mainly for the direct flight between SSH and Glasgow (GSW). It took us nearly a whole day to get here, and while the drive across the Sinai was fine, there were several checkpoints, including a search of all belongings, that really made this a whole day affair. SSH was similarly intense, with several checkpoints, including in front of the gate as well

Sharm-el-Sheikh: \~2 days

  • Stayed at a resort flat hosted by the loveliest Canadian couple- definitely the cleanest and most hospitable stay of the whole trip
  • More or less an all-inclusive (European-targeted) resort town. Needless to say, everything here was much pricier than the other places we visited in Egypt, and we did not want to shell out the $$$ for an all-inclusive stay.. Our resort flat stay included beach club passes, so we spent a day snorkeling in the Red Sea and enjoying the stunning reef life there

Overall, our trip to Egypt was well worth it. While we could’ve used a bit more pre-planning, research, or even an egyptologist guide at some point - we were pretty satisfied with the experience. A security guard at the Qaitbay citadel gave us some of the best advice (for a tip, ofc), “There are many signs. Don’t bother reading them. Take a picture of the sign, read it at your hotel”.

Hope this helps! Here are some helpful posts I referenced during my trip: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1jmth0g/my_assorted_tips_after_a_mostly_selfguided_trip/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1rdijsc/16_days_in_egypt_tips_and_afterthoughts/ 

Author: aiichoo