Our vacation in Cairo, Egypt was quite an adventure. Ultimately, I didn’t know what to expect on this vacation. I did tons of research and still didn’t know what to expect. On this trip, we spent a few days visiting the Pyramids, taking a tour of the museum, and taking a boat cruise down the Nile River. As far as memorable vacations, Egypt is definitely #1. It is a country I know I will never forget.
So we stayed at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza during our vacation in Cairo. It was a great location and near the Embassy. I would advise staying here because of it’s convenient location. It’s also a beautiful hotel.
Before you Vacation in Cairo, Egypt
Be sure to get your Visa during your vacation in Cairo. You will need a Visa but you can get one upon arrival at the airport.
Your money will go very far in Cairo, Egypt. I think we had what’s equivalent to $100 which lasted us the whole time (we stayed for 3 nights). As a matter of fact, we still have some left that we will keep as souvenirs. Whenever we travel, we usually get money from the ATM in the country we’re vacationing in. It’s just cheaper to get cash out of the ATM versus converting US dollars to the currency needed.
Before booking a vacation to Cairo, be sure to research the culture. Women should dress modestly. Avoid anything too tight, low cut tops, short skirts and shorts. I advise dressing similar to how I mentioned here.
Baksheesh is basically “tipping”
If it’s your first time vacationing in Cairo, be prepared to tip for everything. It’s often referred to as “baksheesh.” You might be asked by someone who does something as simple as handing you a paper towel in the bathroom (that you didn’t ask for) for baksheesh. The airport is a trap for this so be careful. We found that a few people will ride in the elevator and press the button for you and expect a tip for it. It’s annoying. But I also have to keep in mind that the people of Egypt are hurting financially; the country is hurting financially so they will do whatever it takes to feed themselves and their families. This is probably the most annoying part of the visiting Cairo.
Transportation During your Vacation in Cairo
Before we booked our vacation in Cairo, we read that car service is the best option as far as transportation to and from the airport. So we scheduled car service for pickup to take us to our hotel. We read that was the best thing to do as negotiating a fair fare can be difficult. Either way, our driver was great!
We used Uber to get around the city. It was super cheap but the traffic is horrible. Each day we saw a few accidents, but for the most part, we felt safe.
While booking our vacation to Cairo, we also booked car service to take us back to the airport, and it was not a good experience. The car didn’t have working seat belts and she stopped for gas. It was annoying. At some point we weren’t even sure her car would make it to the airport. When Hubby put the bags in her mini SUV, there was barely any room for them because her car was full of stuff. One of our suitcases sat in the front seat. Her attitude was pretty bad as well.
Travelers Tip: If you plan to use car service in Cairo, please do really good research. Uber is cheap, and a decent choice as well. If you plan to take a taxi, you need to negotiate prices before riding.
Tipping
While in Cairo, tip waiters and bartenders 10% of the bill. Please note that the service charge does not go to the workers. Typically, you will tip hotel bellhops 10 Egyptian Pound and tour guides 50 Egyptian Pound. You can tip more, of course, but try not to tip less.
Must See the Giza Pyramids
While on vacation in Cairo, you must see the pyramids. If you do, visiting the Pyramids in the mornings are best. It isn’t as hot and there are fewer tourists.
Our tour guide was booked through Chase.com. His name is Taha Marie. You can find him on Facebook as well. He was the ultimate guide. He took great pictures of us and gave us history of Egypt that we were not aware of. We learned so much. It was definite history overload. We enjoyed every bit of it.
Although camel riding was part of the tour package, we decided not to ride them. But it was definitely an option.
Must Do the Nile River Dinner Cruise
We also took a Nile River Dinner Cruise which was awesome!!! It included a belly dancer and tanoura show along with hotel pick up and drop off. We booked the dinner cruise through Chase.com. The dinner was buffet style which is included in the package. You can also purchase beer, liquor, and wine which was reasonable in price. Our vacation in Cairo, did not break the bank at all.
Local beer 
View of the City from the Nile River
Visit the Museum of Cairo
To end our vacation in Cairo, we took a tour of the Museum of Cairo. This famous museum houses the world’s largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts (more than 120,000 items on display) featuring the famous Tutankhamun collection with its beautiful gold death mask and sarcophagus and the royal Mummy room, which houses an additional eleven Pharaonic dignitaries.
I can’t remember our tour guide, but she was wonderful. Pick up and drop off was included with Museum package. She provided snacks and water for us as well. Before entering the Museum you had to go through security, but this was common practice in Cairo. Before entering our hotel, all cars are checked before entering the drop-off location.
Vacation in Cairo needs to be on your bucket list if it isn’t. Learning about the culture and seeing so many artifacts is something I will never forget. With so much history, you can get overwhelmed, but it’s well worth it.
For those who have been to Cairo, what was your best and least thing about it?
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