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Egypt: How To Get There
The easiest, and most convenient, way to get to
Egypt is to fly. All of the major cities have international
airports, though the most popular, and the busiest, is
Cairo. For tourism, the most popular land crossing is from
Israel, followed closely by Jordan (though technically this
is a ferry crossing): Egypt’s other two land borders, Libya
and Sudan, are very seldom used for tourism, except for
people from these two countries.
Sadly the ferries to and from Mediterranean ports, that used
to arrive at Alexandria and Port Said, no longer do so. This
used to be a good option for those coming from Mediterranean
seaports, but they were stopped because of the problems in
Palestine and Israel. Commercial ferries do still run, but
you will have to check with the relevant port authorities
for availability and price. It is hoped that passenger
ferries will be operating again in the not too distant
future.
Because Egypt is on the Mediterranean coastline, many flight
companies treat it as a European destination when pricing
the flights, not an African one, and so this helps keep the
cost of getting here down (many insurance companies do the
same, so take care when arranging this as it will save you a
lot of money). Many good bargains to Egypt can be found,
especially in periods when the tourist season is classed as
“low”; usually during the Egyptian Summer.
Below is a table of the rough time it takes to get from some
international airports to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Sharm
El-Sheikh (for Hurghada use the Luxor times). Please note
that these timings are mainly estimated and are just meant
as a guide, to get the proper durations you will need to
check with your local flight agent or airport.
|
Country |
City |
Cairo |
Alex |
Luxor |
Sharm |
|
Argentina |
Buenos
Aires |
14:00 |
13:15 |
13:15 |
13:30 |
|
Australia |
Sydney |
16:30 |
16:30 |
16:00 |
15:45 |
|
Australia |
Perth |
13:00 |
13:00 |
12:15 |
12:00 |
|
Australia |
Melbourne |
16:00 |
16:00 |
15:15 |
15:00 |
|
Austria |
Vienna |
3:00 |
2:30 |
3:15 |
3:15 |
|
Bahrain |
Manama |
2:15 |
2:30 |
2:00 |
1:45 |
|
Bangladesh |
Dhaka |
6:30 |
6:45 |
6:15 |
6:00 |
|
Brazil |
Brasília |
11:00 |
11:00 |
11:15 |
11:15 |
|
Canada |
Ottawa |
10:00 |
9:45 |
10:15 |
10:15 |
|
Canada |
Toronto |
10:30 |
10:15 |
10:45 |
10:45 |
|
Canada |
Vancouver |
12:00 |
11:45 |
12:15 |
12:15 |
|
China |
Beijing |
8:30 |
8:45 |
8:15 |
8:00 |
|
Denmark |
Copenhagen |
3:45 |
3:30 |
4:00 |
4:00 |
|
Finland |
Helsinki |
4:00 |
3:45 |
4:15 |
4:15 |
|
France |
Paris |
3:45 |
3:30 |
4:00 |
4:00 |
|
Germany |
Berlin |
3:15 |
3:00 |
3:30 |
3:30 |
|
Germany |
Hamburg |
3:30 |
3:15 |
3:45 |
3:45 |
|
Germany |
Munich |
3:00 |
2:45 |
3:15 |
3:15 |
|
Greece |
Athens |
1:15 |
1:00 |
1:30 |
1:30 |
|
India |
New
Delhi |
5:00 |
5:15 |
4:45 |
4:30 |
|
India |
Mumbai |
5:00 |
5:15 |
4:45 |
4:30 |
|
Indonesia |
Jakarta |
10:00 |
10:15 |
9:45 |
9:30 |
|
Ireland |
Dublin |
4.30 |
4:15 |
4:45 |
4:45 |
|
Israel |
Jerusalem |
:30 |
:45 |
:45 |
:30 |
|
Italy |
Rome |
2:30 |
2:15 |
2:45 |
2:45 |
|
Japan |
Tokyo |
10:45 |
11:00 |
10:30 |
10:15 |
|
Jordan |
Amman |
:45 |
1:00 |
1:00 |
:30 |
|
Kuwait |
Kuwait
City |
2:00 |
2:15 |
1:45 |
1:30 |
|
Lebanon |
Beirut |
:45 |
1:00 |
1:00 |
:45 |
|
Malaysia |
Kuala
Lumpur |
9:00 |
9:15 |
8:45 |
8:30 |
|
Mexico |
Mexico
City |
14:00 |
13:45 |
14:15 |
14:15 |
|
Netherlands |
Amsterdam |
4:00 |
3:45 |
4:15 |
4:15 |
|
New
Zealand |
Wellington |
18:30 |
18:45 |
18:15 |
18:00 |
|
Norway |
Oslo |
4.15 |
4:00 |
4:30 |
4:30 |
|
Oman |
Muscat |
3:15 |
3:30 |
3:00 |
2:45 |
|
Pakistan |
Islamabad |
4:30 |
4:45 |
4:15 |
4:00 |
|
Philippines |
Manila |
10:15 |
10:30 |
10:00 |
9:45 |
|
Russia |
Moscow |
3:30 |
3:15 |
3:45 |
3:45 |
|
Saudi
Arabia |
Riyadh |
1:45 |
2:00 |
1:30 |
1:30 |
|
Singapore |
Singapore |
9:15 |
9:30 |
9:00 |
8:45 |
|
South
Africa |
Pretoria |
7:00 |
7:15 |
6:45 |
6:45 |
|
South
Africa |
Johannesburg |
7:00 |
7:15 |
6:45 |
6:45 |
|
Spain |
Madrid |
3:45 |
3:30 |
4:00 |
4:00 |
|
Sweden |
Stockholm |
4:00 |
3:45 |
4:15 |
4:15 |
|
Syria |
Damascus |
:45 |
1:00 |
1:00 |
:45 |
|
Taiwan |
Taipei |
9:45 |
10:00 |
9:30 |
9:15 |
|
Thailand |
Bangkok |
8:15 |
8:30 |
8:00 |
7:45 |
|
Turkey |
Ankara |
1.15 |
1:00 |
1:30 |
1:30 |
|
Turkey |
Istanbul |
1.30 |
1:15 |
1:45 |
1:45 |
|
Ukraine |
Kiev |
2:30 |
2:15 |
2:45 |
2:45 |
|
United
Arab Emirates |
Abu
Dhabi |
2:45 |
3:00 |
2:30 |
2:15 |
|
United
Kingdom |
London |
4:00 |
3:45 |
4:15 |
4:15 |
|
United
Kingdom |
Manchester |
4:15 |
4:00 |
4:30 |
4:30 |
|
United
Kingdom |
Edinburgh |
4.30 |
4:15 |
4:45 |
4:45 |
|
United
Kingdom |
Cardiff |
4:15 |
4:00 |
4:30 |
4:30 |
|
United
States |
Washington DC |
13:30 |
13:15 |
13:45 |
13:45 |
|
United
States |
New York |
10:15 |
10:00 |
10:30 |
10:30 |
|
United
States |
Chicago |
11:15 |
11:00 |
11:30 |
11:30 |
|
United
States |
Dallas |
12:30 |
12:15 |
12:45 |
12:45 |
|
United
States |
Los
Angeles |
13:45 |
13:30 |
14:00 |
14:00 |
Visas
Egypt
Visa
Most tourists and visitors to Egypt can obtain an entry
visa at any of the major airports or ports of entry. All
foreigners arriving in Egypt should have a valid
passport (with at least 6 months left, before expiry) to
get an entry visa.
The visa can also be obtained from Egyptian Diplomatic
and Consular Missions abroad, or from the visa
department at the Travel Documents, Immigration and
Nationality Administration (TDINA) building at Mogamma.
How to obtain your visa at the airport:
The visa is simply a stamp (like a mail or postage
stamp) that you buy from the visa office, which you
arrive at, just before the immigration booth; you can't
miss it! The visa will cost you around $15 and after
buying it; you just stick in any empty page on your
passport. Don't worry; it’s so easy! Once you have
bought your visa you then stand in line to get your
passport stamped by the immigration officer.
for more information
click here
How to get there
Interesting tips
Travelling
alone advice:
Egypt as a tourist
cannot be compared with
other countries. Things
are cheaper here. Even
entry fees to the sites
are cheaper than many
other countries. Flying
to Egypt is cheaper from
many tourist
destinations around the
world. Nowadays you can
even get an organized
package trip for $500
with accommodation!
Often I will advice
travellers to avoid
getting taxis to tour
the sites. What do you
expect from a local taxi
driver, who cares
nothing but how much you
will pay him at the end
of your trip? This is
the job of a travel
agency, or a local
licensed guide to do.
Today there are so many
travel agencies in
Australia and the UK
that offer very cheap
trip they are very well
organized. You picked up
the choice to do it on
your own! Then you must
be prepared.
You must be aware
of the following points:
If you must take a taxi,
then it would be best if
you asked the reception/
concierge of your hotel
to get you one. They
have certain assigned
taxis that they know
very well, and deal with
on a daily basis
If you want to tour a
site on your own, you
have to be aware of
where you are going, how
much you are going to
pay for the ticket, and
what is included with
the ticket! This is the
reason I built my
information site: To
help first time
travellers to Egypt.
If you want to dine out,
then you must know where
the recommend
restaurants are, and
where you will find the
clean healthy food.
Don’t consider the
price, even if you dine
in a 5 star hotel, it is
still cheaper than in
your own country!
Independent travel, for
your 1st experience, is not advised. I have
explained elsewhere about how “Lonely
Planet” gives the wrong impression. I have
spoken to many people who have tried it this
way, and wish they had gone as part of a
group (I do not mean a package holiday –
groups can be arranged when you get there!).
Egypt travel tips