Region

Cairo and Giza

Sleep in Zamalek or near the pyramids, take one district per half-day by ride-hailing car, and keep Saqqara and Alexandria as day-trips from one kept bed.

Open Cairo Plan a trip

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Key facts · Egypt

Best months: Oct–Apr
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Egyptian pound
Language: Arabic
Plugs: C · F · 220 V
Time zone: UTC+2

Month by month here

Rules in force · 8Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…

Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
North Africa ↗Plan links between North African countries by air or by ferry via Europe; the only regularly usable land borders for visitors are Tunisia–Algeria and Morocco–Mauritania via Western Sahara.
North Africa ↗Book Saharan nights (dunes, desert camps, oasis tours) between October and April; from May to September desert day temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C and many tours stop.
Egypt ↗Check visa rules for your passport on the official Egypt e-visa portal before flying; visa on arrival availability depends on nationality and can change.
Egypt ↗Drones need prior permission and are routinely confiscated on arrival; leave them at home.
Egypt ↗Do not photograph military sites, police, bridges or government buildings; some museums and tombs charge for or ban photography.
Egypt ↗During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight; hotels and tourist restaurants still serve.

Cairo is one base and a few excursions. Moving hotels for each district wastes mornings to traffic; keep one bed, use ride-hailing between clusters, and start every big sight at opening.

Where to sleep

3 places in this region

Sleep base

CairoTrip line
Zamalek or Giza for the bed; sights by ride-hailing car.
Best Oct–Apr
JFMAMJJASOND
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Day trip

Saqqara and DahshurCity guide
Step pyramid and the Bent and Red pyramids; about 1 hour each way.
Best Oct–Apr
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Saqqara and Dahshur →
AlexandriaCity guide
Mediterranean city; about 3 hours each way by train, best as an overnight.
Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Alexandria →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

3 nights: Cairo 3
5 nights: Cairo 3 + Saqqara day-trip + one slow day

Cairo + Luxor + Aswan + the Red Sea in 5 days is mostly airports and transfers.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Saqqara and Dahshur	Cairo	75 min	unknown	Go with a driver or tour at opening; back by late afternoon.
Alexandria	Cairo	180 min	unknown	Train or car; a day trip is long, an overnight is easier.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding culture: leave the big bag at the Cairo hotel and take a day pack.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Cairo	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	ok	go	go	go
Saqqara and Dahshur	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	ok	go	go	go
Alexandria	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	go	ok
Egypt (country-wide)	go	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	ok	go	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Other regions of the country

Upper Egypt (Luxor to Aswan)

planned

4–6 nights

Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, Abu Simbel

Red Sea and South Sinai

planned

3–7 nights

Hurghada, El Gouna, Marsa Alam, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab for diving and rest

Alexandria and the Mediterranean coast

planned

1–2 nights

Alexandria as a day or overnight trip from Cairo

Cairo and Giza: what we know, and what is coming

3 of 3 places open

On this page

3 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
How to split 3 or 5 nights
2 day trips with door-to-door time
Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
What to do with the big bag between beds

Coming as the guide grows

Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
Regional food: what, where and when it works

Meanwhile

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 2, 1 h 15 to 3 h
Nights suggested: 3–5 nights

Trips that stop here

From the Egypt guide

Pyramids and the Nile highlights
7 days · 3 nights here
Cairo → Luxor → Aswan
Cairo and a Nile cruise
10 days · 4 nights here
Cairo → Nile cruise Luxor–Aswan → Aswan → Cairo
Nile and the Red Sea
14 days · 3 nights here
Cairo → Luxor → Nile cruise Luxor–Aswan → Aswan → Red Sea (Hurghada or Marsa Alam)

All Egypt trips →

Local time

What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.

Cairo
…
Checking your clock…Africa/Cairo

Open Cairo Up to Egypt

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialUK FCDO foreign travel advice: Egypt
officialEgypt e-visa portal (official)
secondaryWikivoyage — Egypt

Ask about Cairo and Giza

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