Egypt travel checklist: what to do before you go

Start with the two things that gate everything else: your passport and your visa. Most nationalities need six months of validity left on the passport after arrival and at least one blank page. Renew now if either is short — a renewal can take weeks.

Apply for the Egypt e-visa through the official portal, or plan to buy a visa on arrival at the airport. Rules and fees change; confirm the current position for your passport before you pay for flights. If you are travelling on a passport outside the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland, check whether visa on arrival is available to you at all.

Book flights and hotels next. October to April is the Nile Valley season, so Luxor, Aswan and Cairo hotels fill early for Christmas and New Year. If you want a Nile cruise, book it three months out — the good boats sell out first. Use the trip-cost pages to set a budget before you book.

Book the internal legs: the Cairo–Luxor or Cairo–Aswan flight, or the sleeper train, and any Red Sea add-on. Internal flights on EgyptAir and Nile Air are cheap booked early and expensive booked late. The sleeper train sells out in high season.

Sort out health. Check that routine vaccines are up to date and ask a travel clinic about hepatitis A and typhoid; rabies and hepatitis B are sometimes recommended for longer or rural trips. If you are going to the Red Sea to dive, check your insurance covers diving and that you have a dive certification or plan to do a course.

Set up money. Tell your bank you are travelling, and plan to carry a mix of US dollars or euros in clean, untorn notes for larger payments and Egyptian pounds for daily spending. Cards work in hotels and better restaurants; markets, taxis and tips are cash.

Print or download the e-visa, your flight confirmations, hotel bookings and insurance policy. Egyptian border staff sometimes ask for a return ticket and an address; have both ready on your phone.

Pack for heat and modesty. Light long sleeves and trousers, a hat, sunscreen and a refillable bottle cover most of the trip. Women should plan a scarf for mosques; men and women both do better in covered shoulders and knees outside resort areas. Bring a universal adapter for types C and F, and any prescription medicine in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription.

Download offline maps, an Arabic phrase app and a ride-hailing app. Uber and Careem work in Cairo and Alexandria and remove most of the taxi-haggling risk. Save the emergency numbers: 122 police, 123 ambulance, 126 tourist police, 180 fire.

Carry the passport, e-visa printout, insurance and a pen for any landing card. Keep a few hundred Egyptian pounds in small notes in your pocket for the airport and the first taxi; the rest stays in your bag.

At the airport, use the official taxi desk or a ride-hailing app rather than a driver who approaches you inside the terminal. Agree the price or use the meter. If you land late, a pre-booked hotel transfer is the calmest option.

Once you are in, the rhythm is simple: early starts for sites, a long midday break in the heat, evenings for food and markets. Keep small notes ready for baksheesh — EGP 20–50 covers most small services, and 10–15% is normal in restaurants.

Your passport needs six months of validity beyond arrival and at least one blank page. Most visitors from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland can get an e-visa online or a visa on arrival; the fee and the exact rules change, so confirm on the official portal before you travel. Some nationalities must apply at an embassy in advance.

Carry printed copies of the e-visa, flight confirmations, hotel bookings and insurance. Border staff may ask for a return ticket and an address. If you are arriving overland from Israel or Jordan, check the current entry rules for that crossing — they differ from airport arrivals.

Keep a photo of your passport and visa on your phone and in your email, separate from the originals. If you lose the passport, the copy speeds up the replacement.

Egypt runs on cash for anything small: taxis, markets, tips, snacks, site extras. Carry Egyptian pounds in EGP 20–50 notes and keep a separate stash of larger notes. The pound has moved a lot in recent years, so check the rate before you change money and do not change more than you need.

US dollars and euros are accepted for some hotels, cruises and tours, but the rate is often poor. Clean, untorn notes only — Egyptian banks and exchange offices reject damaged bills. ATMs are common in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Hurghada; outside the cities, bring enough cash.

Cards work in hotels, better restaurants and larger shops. Tipping is expected almost everywhere: EGP 20–50 for small services, 10–15% in restaurants, and a small note for bathroom attendants and site guards who open a gate or point out a view.

See a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go. Routine vaccines should be up to date, and hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended. Rabies and hepatitis B come up for longer or rural trips. Yellow fever certificate rules apply only if you are arriving from a country with transmission — check if that applies to your route.

Egypt is hot for much of the year. Drink more water than you think you need, use sunscreen and a hat, and take a midday break in summer. Tap water is not for drinking outside the main cities; stick to sealed bottles or a filter bottle, and use bottled water for brushing your teeth if you have a sensitive stomach.

Pack a small kit: oral rehydration salts, painkillers, diarrhoea medicine, rehydration and any prescription medicine in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription. If you are diving in the Red Sea, check your insurance covers diving and that you are fit to dive.

Pack light, breathable layers: long-sleeve shirts and trousers for sun and modesty, a light jacket for desert nights and air-conditioned buses, and a scarf for mosques. Comfortable closed shoes matter more than anything else — you will walk on sand, stone and gravel at the sites.

Bring a universal adapter for types C and F plugs (220 V 50 Hz), a power bank, a refillable water bottle and a small day bag. A head torch is useful for tombs and early starts. If you wear contact lenses, bring solution; it is not always easy to find outside the cities.

Leave room for purchases: papyrus, cotton, spices and alabaster are common souvenirs. Keep valuables in a money belt or an inside pocket, and do not carry more cash than you need for the day.