Egypt Travel Guide

Social Conventions

Islam in Egypt is not a religion reserved for Fridays and holidays - it is a shaping factor in all aspects of daily life. As such, many social conventions stem from the teachings of the Koran, the Muslim holy book. People are enjoined by their religion to be courteous and hospitable and they expect similar respect from visitors. Shaking hands is the normal greeting but men should wait for a woman to offer her hand before assuming it is acceptable.

Dress should be conservative and women should not wear revealing clothes, particularly when in religious buildings and in towns (although Western style of dress is accepted at the main archaeological sites and in modern nightclubs, restaurants, hotels and bars in Cairo, Alexandria and other tourist destinations). Official or social functions and smart restaurants usually require more formal wear. Smoking is very common.

Photography: Tourists will have to pay a fee to take photographs inside pyramids, tombs and museums.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

The national airline is EgyptAir (MS) (www.egyptair.com).

Departure Tax

None.

Main Airports

Cairo International (CAI) (www.cairo-airport.com) is 24km (15 miles) northeast of the city at Heliopolis (journey time - 1 hour). To/from the airport: There are bus services every 30 minutes, and taxis are available. Special limousines are offered by local and international operators. Hotel cars may also be available. Facilities: Incoming and outgoing duty-free shops selling a wide range of goods, car hire, post office, bank/bureau de change, restaurants and bar, hotel reservation service, souvenir shops, bookshop and travel insurance services.

Borg El Arab (HBE) is 60km (37 miles) southwest of Alexandria. Facilities: Duty-free shop, bank and exchange services, VIP lounge, post office and restaurant.

Luxor Airport (LXR) (www.luxor-airport.com) is 5.5km (3.5 miles) from Luxor. To/from the airport: There is a regular bus service to the city center (journey time - 15 minutes). Special limousine and local taxi services are available. Facilities: Car hire, bank and exchange services, Internet cafe, duty-free shops, information desk, bar and restaurant.

Getting There By Water

Main ports: Alexandria (www.apa.gov.eg), Nuweiba, Port Said and Suez.

The Saudi Sea Transport Company runs a regular car ferry service between Suez and Jeddah. A ferry service usually travels twice per week up the Nile between Wadi Halfa (Sudan) and Egypt High Dam. However, it is occasionally suspended. For further information, contact the Nile Valley Association (tel: (2) 578 9256). There is also a ferry service that operates between Nuweiba in South Sinai and Aqaba (Jordan).

Many cruise ships stop over in Egypt as part of their African itinerary.

Getting There By Rail

There are no international rail links to any of Egypt's northwestern neighbors. The railheads at Aswan and Wadi Halfa, in Sudan, are connected by a ferry across Lake Nasser.

Getting There By Road

The road border between Libya and Egypt is open. There are two border crossings between Israel and Egypt: one runs from Cairo via El Arish to Rafiah on the north Sinai coast (currently closed to foreign visitors); and the other from Cairo via Suez and Taba to Eilat. Daily coaches leave early in the morning from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in Israel for travel via El Arish/Rafiah to Cairo and vice versa. There are no direct buses from Eilat to Cairo; it is necessary to change in Taba. The crossing from Taba to Eilat is open 24 hours a day. Passengers in taxis and hired cars are not permitted to cross the borders between Israel and Egypt.

Privately owned vehicles may be taken across other borders, provided the appropriate documentation is obtained. All private vehicles entering Egypt must have a three-month triptyche or carnet de passage en douane from an automobile club in the country of registration. The driver must hold an International Driver's Permit. Visas should normally be obtained in advance; however, travelers entering Egypt via Taba may be able to obtain visas at the border. Contact the tourist office for further details of entry restrictions.

Duty Free

Overview

The following items may be imported into Egypt by travelers over 18 without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 200g of tobacco.
• 1L of alcoholic beverages.
• 1L of perfume or eau de cologne.
• Gifts up to the value of E£500.

Note: Persons traveling with valuable electronic equipment such as cameras, video cameras or computers may be required to list these in their passports to ensure that they will be exported on departure.
All cash, travelers checks and gold over E£500 should be declared on arrival.

Prohibited Imports

Narcotics, firearms, cotton, gold and silver purchased locally unless for personal use only and in small quantities; for a full list, contact the Egyptian Commercial Office, 23 South Street, London W1L 2XD (tel: (020) 7499 3002).

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

EgyptAir (www.egyptair.com) operates daily flights between Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut and Hurghada.

Getting Around By Water

There are slow and fast ferry services linking Hurghada with Sharm el-Sheikh in Sinai (journey times - 1 hour 30 minutes (fast ferry) or 6 hours (slow ferry)). The traditional Nile sailing boats, feluccas, can be hired by the hour for relaxed sailing on the Nile. Regular Nile cruises operate between Luxor and Aswan, and sometimes between Cairo and Aswan.

Getting Around By Rail

A comprehensive rail network run by Egyptian National Railways (tel: (2) 574 9474 or 575 3555) offering a high standard of service is operated along an east-west axis from Sallom on the Libyan border to Alexandria and Cairo, and along the Nile to Luxor and Aswan. There are also links to Port Said and Suez. There are frequent trains from Cairo to Alexandria, and also several luxury air-conditioned day and night trains with sleeping and restaurant cars from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan for the Nile Valley tourist trade.

For the overnight train, bookings should be made one week in advance through a travel agent or through Abela Egypt, Ramses Station, Ramses Square, Cairo (tel: (2) 574 9274 or 9474; www.sleepingtrains.com). On Egyptian State Railways, children under four years travel free. Children aged four to nine years pay half fare. Holders of Youth Hostel cards are entitled to reductions.

Getting Around By Road

Traffic drives on the right. There are motorways in and around Cairo but the standard of driving is notoriously chaotic and lawless. Besides the Nile Valley and Delta, which are served by an extensive road network, there are paved roads along the Mediterranean and African Red Sea coasts. The road looping through the Western Desert oases from Asyut to Giza is fully paved. Private motoring in the desert regions is not recommended without suitable vehicles and a guide. Along some roads, the government often imposes convoy conditions for the protection of tourists; this has been recently suspended but check locally for any reinstatements. For more details, contact the Automobile & Touring Club of Egypt (www.atce-egypt.org).

Bus: The national bus system serves the Nile Valley and the coastal road. Main routes are from Cairo to St Catherine's Monastery, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Ras Sudr, El-Tour, Taba and Rafah; from Suez to El-Tour and Sharm el-Sheikh; and from Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba, Neweiba, El-Tour, Dahab and St Catherine. Coach services operate between Cairo and Agami, Marakia-Mrabila, Marina-Aidda Sidy Abd El Rahman, Matrouh, Ma'amoura Beach and Hurghada.

Bicycle: You would have to have a death wish to cycle in Cairo but in Luxor it is a pleasant way to get around town and there are many places for bicycle hire.

Taxi: Long-distance group taxis for all destinations are cheap. Fares should be agreed in advance.

Car hire: This is available through international and local companies. The driver must be at least 25 years of age.

Regulations: The speed limit is usually 90kph (56mph) on motorways and 100kph (62mph) on the desert motorway from Cairo to Alexandria (there are substantial fines for speeding).

Documentation: Visitor's own insurance and an International Driving Permit are required to drive any motor vehicle. Carnet de Passage or a suitable deposit is necessary for the temporary import of visitor's own vehicle. All vehicles (including motorcycles) are required by law to carry a fire extinguisher and a red hazard triangle.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

The government-owned Cairo Transport Authority runs buses and tram services in Cairo and also operates cross-Nile ferries. There is a central area flat fare. In addition, there are other buses and fixed-route shared taxi and minibus services run by private operators. Vehicles normally wait at city terminals to obtain a full load, but there are frequent departures. Fares are three to four times higher than on the buses. Cairo's suburban railways have been upgraded to provide a rapid transit network, including Africa's first underground railway.

Alexandria also has buses and tramways, with first- and second-class and distance-regulated fares.

Taxis: These are available in all the larger cities and are metered. In Cairo, taxis are white and black, in Alexandria they are orange and black. Taxis which are Peugeot 504s are 'service' taxis. They are larger but more expensive.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Cairo to other major cities/towns in Egypt.

	Air	Road	Rail
Alexandria	0.30	3.00	2.30
Aswan	2.00	16.00	19.00
Marsa Matr’h	1.30	5.00	9.00
Suez	-	4.00	4.00