Usually you need to apply to your local Egyptian Embassy or Consulate General for a pre-entry tourist visa but if you are from North America, Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Brazil/Argentina or Hong Kong/Japan/Macau/Malaysia or Singapore you can get your tourist visa upon arrival in Egyptand tourist visa can be extended if required. To do this you have to apply to al Tahrir administration building inTahrir Square, or to the equivalent offices in Alexandria, Luxor or Sharm El-Sheikh

Yes, as soon as you leave Egypt your visa will be stamped and so you will require another one. If you are from a country that can get their visa upon arrival in Egypt, you can get the new one when you re-enter the country, but if you require a pre-entry visa you should apply for 2 of these, using the second one when you re-enter Egypt.

The best time to visit Egypt is from October to May. Though it is the peak travel season, when most travellers come, the temperatures are a lot better for those not used to the heat. Within these 8 months there are 2 periods of what are known as “High Season” (the Christmas/New Year period and the Easter Period) when hotels and cruises will put their prices up, though you will find that special events like Gala Dinners are also laid on for their customers. This can mean that some hotels become really expensive and so making your reservations very early, even for the budget hotels, is strongly advised.
For the other 4 months, May to October, it is the Egyptian summer and the temperatures can often be very high, especially in Upper Egypt (Luxor and the southern parts of the country). However, this is a time in which you can see Egypt in virtual peace and quiet, the advantage of being able to see the tourist sites without hassle from school children, or from the crowds of tourists, can easily be seen. Just imagine the peace and quiet at the various sites, allowing you to take photographs without strangers obscuring the view!
Some Cairo hotels will fill up with many Arab visitors in the summer, who are taking advantage of the slightly cooler conditions here compared to the hotter weather in their own countries, and early reservations are very rarely required; in fact many discounts are often on offer, to entice those who are willing to brave the heat.
The Egyptian springtime is also another good time to visit. The weather is fairly moderate at this time of year, but you are advised to try to avoid the “The Khamsin wind” season that runs between March and April. It does only last for a few days, which can easily be coped with. The Khamsin wind is a warm wind that blows in from the desert, carrying sand and dust; it really is quite an adventure, for those who wish to discover it.
Many travellers avoid travelling to Egypt during Ramadan, mainly because they feel that alcohol and food are not available, but this is not always true. Though Egypt is primarily a Muslim country, the people recognize that the majority of their visitors do not follow Islam and so, whilst alcohol is not freely available during the day, most of the restaurants and cafes are still open. To be honest, the only thing that is really different during the Holy month is that the sites close two hours earlier than normal, which is done to allow the people that work there enough time to get home in time for the sun to set; when they can break their fast. It can also be noticed that the local people are generally slow during the daytime, but this changes after sunset when they become very active after their fast is broken. Ramadan is a superb month in Egypt; Ramadan is actually a month-long festival. All through the night coffee shops remain open and they are often overfilled with people who stay up until the early morning hours. This is one time of year when Cairo, as well as the rest of the Muslim world, never sleeps; the time when all of the people go out to have some fun.

The end of Ramadan is called “Eid Al Fitr”, or the Festival of Breaking the Fast, and is a day which cannot be missed. It is a holiday, though touristic sites still remain open, and it is a very festive and joyous one. In the morning Muslims will wear their best clothes and perfumes to attend a special congregation at their local Mosque (masjid). After the completion of these special prayers, as well as a special sermon, they will rise, hug each other, and exclaim “Eid Mubarak” which means “holiday blessings”; it is a phrase will be heard many times during this day. This is a day when families will travel miles to visit one another and have special meals together, and some of these meals have treats which are not tasted at any other time of the year. The houses, and streets, are lit with a huge variety of lamps, lights, and other types of ornamentation, with the children being given sweets, money, or gifts as a reward. If you ever get invited to one of these special parties, it is an experience you will never forget.

Egypt Culture and Traditions
The culture and custom of Egypt is truly cosmopolitan as it is the perfect fusion of so many culture and tradition available here. Here the tradition introduced by Pharaohs is prevalent as well as the tribal culture and tradition and even the customs of invaders are somehow seen present a midst modern Egypt culture and outlook of the citizens. The culture and tradition of Egypt is like a melting pot where multiple culture and ethnic tradition have created a new concept of living hale and hearty and a mentality that embraces new and advanced for creating a liberal ambiance around. This liberal attitude is being displayed in Egyptians friendly behavior toward the foreigners and tourists. If asked, people of Egypt will always share their service and enthusiasm with the people whom hardly they know. In Egypt, besides it excellent travel attractions and cultural ambiance, the smiling faces of the locales are an added charm. All these sweet fragments are the best part of visit to Egypt program, which will remain with you as a memory forever. The Egypt culture immense the traditions, languages, history & civilizations at ancient places
The populace of Egypt is quite high in number, it is about 104 million. Out of them the majority of populace is of Sunni Muslims and they are more or less90 millions in number. Out of the rest 10-5 millions are Coptic Christians. Regardless Sunni or cop both the classes are religion sensitive and adhere to respective religious rules and customs. In Egypt, family integrity matters a lot and head of the family takes the entire responsibility to run the family in proper manner and with great focus on behavior. The family integrity of the Egyptians is at sharp contrast to the nuclear family concept in West. Here people put special respect for family value and family relation. Perhaps this is one of the reasons, traveling in City of Egypt is safer than any other top global destinations, even for women traveling alone.
The life style of Arabs is often different and often found enveloped with some mysterious facts. As a result people often find these people mystic and sometime off beat. But in reality these people are truly friend in heart, they love people and greet people with best hospitality. They often like to call people at their home. However, if someone expresses disrespect and unfriendly gesture, these people take it as an insult and they become aggressive.

The rules and regulation common in Egypt may seem quite a bit different, which can make people outsiders at Egypt at times confused. In order to understand the air of Egypt, you need to learn their culture, customs, and family values. Once you will be able to understand and respect their values, traveling in Egypt will be an added fun and bunch of excitement.
Commonly, Egyptians are quite adjustable in nature and they love to help people. If you ask them any question, they will answer it happily. One most interesting thing is whenever you will ask something to an Egyptian, he will call some other people to discuss about the question and will try the best to offer you the correct answer of the question asked.
Most of the Muslims in Egypt are not accustomed to drink alcohol, but hardly have they had any objection in others boozing. But it is important that if you drink alcohol while in Egypt, you should have it in moderation. In Egypt consumption of pork is not that common but the places where pork is available people can have plenty of other options.

Ramadan is a holy month for Egyptians and during this month peoplegreet each other celebrates the month with friends and relatives. During this month Egyptians stay awake at night and spend time in prayer and spiritual activities. Also they donate for charity and indulge of renewal relationship and sharing love and affection with each other. This time Egypt holiday season goes on.
In Egypt there are few restrictions valid for foreign women. In ticket line, foreign women stand with other women in queue. In underground first cars are found reserved for women, elderly ladies always get first preference. Outright interaction with Egyptian women are never recommended, it is always wise to speak to them via someone local or family persons whom you know well.
Crime in Egypt is rarely experienced and violence is mostly found in family disputes. However, some scattered events of petty thieves and pickpockets are sometimes found here and there. Women in an average need to be alert specifically in out-lying zones. Consumption of drugs is not appreciated and you should not carry your drugs in public if you have anything with you.

The star ratings get higher as the facilities and overall standard of the accommodation gets better and so it is easier to imagine 5 star deluxe (or any suffix added to 5 star) as being 6 star; something that those who fix the star ratings seem feared to use and If you are only in Cairo for a few days it is easier for you to see the sites starting from a base in Giza. The traffic from downtown to the pyramids can cause the journey to take over an hour, which means an early start if you want a full day’s experience, especially if you require to enter the Great Pyramid, when you have to be at the plateau before 0800. If you are in Cairo for a while, the hotels at the Pyramids are all on a resort basis, built in acres of land with outdoor swimming pools and relaxing areas, something which Downtown hotels cannot really provide. This is why you tend to find that the Downtown hotels are built like towers; very tall and narrow, while Giza Pyramid hotels are limited in height, but cover more ground.
Cost also comes into the equation as a simple 4 star hotel in the Downtown area is more than often a lot dearer than a 5 star resort in the Pyramids area. Cairo is like most major cities in the world in this regard as city center property is a lot more expensive. Though it may appear that Downtown hotels do afford the luxury of being able to wander around the area for shopping and restaurants, etc, most of the Pyramid hotels offer free shuttle buses to allow you to do the same, plus taxis are not expensive and will still work out cheaper in the end

Bed and breakfast means that only breakfast is supplied.
Half board means that breakfast and dinner are supplied
Full board has all meals supplied (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
All inclusive means that all meals and drinks are supplied; some hotels also supply alcohol. This latter point should be checked when making the booking.
All hotels and cruises have safety deposit boxes, sometimes even in your room/cabin. All you need do is ask at reception and they will give you instructions on how to use them, or will safely put away your valuables until you need them.
Egypt travel square would encourage you to go out and enjoy the culture of Egypt. Many packages are full board, which tends to make people think they have to stay imprisoned in their hotel, but the Sites and sounds of Cairo, especially, are too great to be missed. Why stay in the same hotel, with the same faces, when you could go out and have your dinner on a cruise boat sailing around The Nile, accompanied by either a belly dancer or sufi dance; or sometimes both. This is your holiday, so enjoy every minute and get out and explore.

There is no online facility for this but you can order them by telephone. Call El Watania on +20225749474 or +20225749274, or fax them on +20225749074. You will be given a booking reference and you can pay and pick the tickets up at Cairo station at least 24 hours before departure

No, photography inside tombs, including the pyramids and Abu Simbel, is strictly forbidden, which has led to all cameras being banned from the Valley of the Kings (you have to leave all cameras at the x-ray point at the second entrance). Excessive flash damages the paintwork inside the tombs and so, because of people who ignore the rules, draconian measures have been implemented to safeguard these ancient works of art. The simple rule of thumb when visiting sites is: no cameras inside, cameras are okay outside.

NO!! Malaria has not been in Egypt for well over 85 years and there is no need for any type of anti-malaria medication. To be honest, it is quite the obverse as any types of anti-malaria medication can actually cause side effects that will simply ruin your holiday. Just because Egypt is in Africa does not mean malaria is here as well and you can drink tape water,but not advised! Egyptian water has a high chlorine level in it which can upset the microbes in your stomach, causing diarrhea. For drinking purposes it is far safer to stick with bottled water, ensuring the seal is intact before drinking it.

Protocol does ask for men to wear long trousers as opposed to shorts, though Egyptians are used to the latter being worn and so say nothing, or little, if it occurs and Protocol does ask for women to cover bare skin as much as possible and so shoulders, especially, should be covered and a simple scarf will suffice. Again, it is advised to wear long trousers, or skirts, as legs should also be covered. Heads do not need to be covered, despite what some tourist books say, though it is a sign of respect if you do this.

Many women travel alone and have found that they have been safe. The police, tourists police and army are always close by and the Egyptians themselves are generally friendly and will try to protect solo travellers, it is generally less safer for a solo female traveller in Egypt than places like Greece, Italy or Spain.
Although the chances of being confronted are almost negligible, please ensure that you take the same precautions that you would anywhere else and do not be tempted to walk in deserted areas alone: get a taxi back to your abode! You may receive some invitations, which on the whole are innocent, do not accept any of these from strangers.

Yes. Most places accept these nowadays, including all decent hotels and cruises butyou are advised to carry cash when shopping in the many street markets (souks) though the larger malls, and street shops, can accept plastic.
Almost every bank has an ATM outside it, or just inside the front doors, and you will normally find that they are guarded by a policeman. Many shopping malls have ATM’s and you can also find them located along a busy pavement (sidewalk), or where two busy pavements meet. Airports and railway stations also have ATM’s as do the larger tour company offices.

Egypt has a voltage supply of 220V and the plugs are the 2 round pin type that are common throughout Europe (except the UK).

Yes, alcohol is available in Egypt, either in the better hotels, higher class restaurants and cafes, pubs, and beer gardens. You will also find off licenses as well. Please note though, it is illegal to drink alcohol in the streets in Egypt, so do not walk around with a can of your favorite tipple.

Yes, you are only allowed to bring in 2 liters with you.