Food and Drink

Food is plentiful in Egypt, cheap as well, from the street vendors to up-market restaurants to internationally known franchises. If you wish to dine out, away from your hotel, ask the clerk at the reception desk for the best places to go to in the area.

Enjoy yourself and get out and about to the different restaurants and cafes. Do not restrict yourself to your hotel (even if you have paid “all-inclusive”: Egypt is more than pyramids and tombs; there is a culture here waiting to be experienced.

Many places will have open buffets, especially on cruise boats, and here is a word of warning for you. Because of the freshness and taste of the fruit and vegetables, the tendency to keep filling ones plate occurs, greed is a human trait after all, but this can lead to you having an upset stomach, not because of food poisoning or “Pharaoh’s Revenge” (the usual claim) but by your stomach’s microbes having to deal with the new food that they are not used to.

Guides

To be a guide in Egypt the person must have completed, and passed, a three-year course at university. They are then issued with an identity card from the Ministry of Tourism and they also have to apply for a tour guide syndicate card, both of which have to be updated annually. Anyone working as a tour guide without these cards is doing so illegally. So, if you have any doubts about the validity of a guide when someone has approached you at a site saying they are a guide for example, just ask to see their credentials.

Be especially careful of people who say they are guides that may approach you once you have entered some of the tourist sites or even the Egyptian Museum, and make sure you ask to see their credentials. Many of these are unlicensed and will try to scam you by saying things like you have to have a guide as you cannot go around the site without one: which is totally and utterly untrue.

There are some guides who will offer their services inside the garden of the Egyptian Museum. They are NOT employed by the Museum, even though they say they are, and care must be taken if you want to pay for their services. Ensure you get a low price, even teaming up with other visitors to share the cost.

If you do wish to get a guide, for any reason, ask at your hotel’s reception desk as they will often have a list of trustworthy people that they use.

Groups

Many independent travelers miss out on a good time visiting sites because they insist on doing it alone (this tends to be truer on Luxor’s West Bank). Whilst they think they are saving on their budget, they can often be adding to it due to having to rely on taxis, when a minibus with a temporary group (including a guide) is much more feasible and usually cheaper. Being part of a temporary group is also a superb way of avoiding hassle as the guide will often chase away any offending vendors.

If your hotel does offer you the chance of a tour in a group, please consider it before heading out alone in a taxi. The total cost may be more beneficial to your budget, especially as you will have transportation, usually a guide, sometimes the admission prices (saves from long queues for tickets), and a recognized route.

Travelling Alone

Many people travel abroad alone nowadays and Egypt is a popular destination for many of these travelers. However, it should be noted that many costs will incur a single supplement unless stated differently, which is noted mostly in hotels (except lower grade hotels) and cruises.

Be extra vigilant as many vendors see solo travelers as an easy target for scams.