TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving
|
U.S
Driving Permit and International Driving Permit required |
| Currency |
(EGP)
Egpytian Pound |
| Electrical |
220 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 20, City Code Alexandria 3+7D, Banha 13+6D, Suez 62+6D |
Time:
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from May to September).
Electricity:
Most areas 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Certain rural parts still use 110-380
volts AC.
Telephone:
Full IDD is available. Country code: 20. Outgoing international
code: 00.
Climate:
Hot, dry summers with mild, dry winters and cold nights. Rainfall
is negligible except on the coast. In April, the hot, dusty Khamsin
wind blows from the Sahara.
Required
clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens during summer,
with warmer clothes for winter and cooler evenings.
Transportation: Several international
airlines serve Cairo. There is domestic air service between Cairo,
Alexandria, Aswan, Luxor, Hurghada, the Sinai, and the New Valley.
Rail service is available from Cairo to Aswan in the south and
to Alexandria in the north. Taxis are often shared with other
customers. Settle on a price before entering a taxi.
Food
& Drink: Egyptian cuisine is excellent, combining
many of the best traditions of Middle Eastern cooking, and there
are both large hotel restaurants and smaller specialist ones throughout
the main towns. Some of the larger hotels in Cairo and its environs
have excellent kitchens serving the best cosmopolitan dishes.
In the centre of Cairo, American-style snack bars are also spreading.
Local specialities include foul (bean dishes), stuffed vine leaves,
roast pigeon, grilled aubergines, kebabs and humus (chickpeas).
Restaurants have waiter service, with table service for bars.
Although Egypt is a Muslim country, alcohol is available in cafe-style
bars and good restaurants. The legal drinking age is 21.
Shopping:
The most interesting shopping area for tourists in Cairo is the
old bazaar, Khan-el-Khalili, specialising in reproductions of
antiquities. Jewellery, spices, copper utensils and Coptic cloth
are some of the special items. There are also modern shopping
centres available, particularly near Tehrir Square. Shopping hours:
Winter: Tues, Wed, Fri-Sat 0900-1900, Mon and Thurs 0900-2000.
During Ramadan, hours vary, with shops often closing on Sunday.
Summer: Tues, Wed, Fri-Sun 0900-1230 and 1600-2000.
Photography:
Tourists will have to pay a fee to take photographs inside pyramids,
tombs and museums.
Tipping: 10 to 12 per cent is added to hotel
and restaurant bills but an extra tip of 5 per cent is normal.
Taxi drivers generally expect 10 per cent.
Currency:
Egyptian Pound (E£) = 100 piastres. Notes are in denominations
of E£100, 50, 20, 10, 5,1, 0.5 and 0.25. Coins are in denominations
of 50, 25, 20, 10 and 5 piastres.
Currency
exchange: Available at banks and official bureaux de
change. There are five national banks and 78 branches of foreign
banks.
Credit
& debit cards: MasterCard, American Express, Diners
Club and Visa are accepted. Check with your credit or debit card
company for details of merchant acceptability and other services
which may be available.
