Egypt 2010

A few hints to Egypt

Travelling

Train is best when travelling in the Nile valley. Overland buses are fairly on-time and in a good condition. Prebook one day ahead when travelling from Hurghada to Cairo. From Luxor to Hurghada no prebooking is needed. In cities foreigners travel by taxi rather than public transport. Taxi fares are quite low, unless you get cheated.

Money

Always make sure the price is in Egyptian pounds (LE). Vendors and taxi drivers use to indicate prices in euro or US dollars especially in sea-resorts where some of the visitors tend to pay everything in hard currencies.

Language

In tourist resorts people use to speak English fairly well. Some taxi drivers do not speak English. They might agree with a price even though they didn't understand you. Always double check and let them stop to ask some pedestrians, if you think the driver has no clue where you want to go to.

Restaurants and recommendations

Restaurants which have been recommended by Lonely Planet turned out to be bad in food quality and service; such as Abu al-Hassan al-Haty in Cairo or Oasis Café and Sofra in Luxor. Is it a characteristic of the people there to stop making efforts as soon as they are successfully or were we just not lucky with our choices?

Taxi drivers

Take the white modern metered taxis whenever possible. If they have no taximeter, negotiate the fare before entering the car. Short distances cost about 5 LE, middle 10 LE. One hour should not cost more than 30 to 35 LE. Avoid young 20 to 30 year old guys, they tempt to drive like mad. You might have difficulties in finding a cab, especially late in the evening when the traffic gets completely stuck around the Nile bridges.

Food

Food is generally better in non-alcoholic restaurants. Egypt is famous for Kebabs, Koefte, salads, mezze, desserts; just give it a go. Make sure the locale is clean and the food is fresh. Spending a night in the loo is not uncommon.

Sleeper trains

We had no chance to prebook two days in advance in February. All sleeper-cabins were sold out for about 10 days. Travelling in the first class coach is quite comfortable. Make sure to take blindfolds, the cabin is lighted all night long.