Egypt

han2505

Hey all,

Have just booked my first holiday in a while for nex year.

Going to Egypt for 2 weeks bed and breakfast. Does anyone have any info that might be useful? best places to visit? visa info? etc....

Thanks all xxx

skr80

it depends which bit of Egypt you are going to and what you hope to do as to whether a visa etc is required. Do a search for Egypt on this site - there have been a few posts...

han2505

going to Sharm el Sheik will do a search

sturll

Yes!!!

1. Carry loads of pound notes - its shocking how many people dont have change
2. Never ever ever ever accept the first price your given.
3. At the airport go for your visa and only pay the price given by the embassy (when i went it was about £50LE bu was getting asked for £200.
4. Dont eat salads, poultry or tap water.
5. Take some factor thousand if your fair skinned!
6. Dont be afraid to argue the toss over the price, sometimes it gets quite heated too.
7. Always stand your ground.
8. Have a great time :beer:

bcl999

The last time I was there, you didn't need a visa for Sharm if you are not going to go off the Sinai peninsula. Previously, there were 2 prices of visa, one for Sinai only and one which also covered the rest of Egypt.

MrsE_2

bcl999 wrote: »

The last time I was there, you didn't need a visa for Sharm if you are not going to go off the Sinai peninsula. Previously, there were 2 prices of visa, one for Sinai only and one which also covered the rest of Egypt.

The Sinai only visa is free, but doesn't allow you to go to Ras Mohamed (only a few miles from Sharm) it would be a shame NOT to go to Ras Mohamed.

The visa is $15

afclegend

I travel to Egypt quite a bit,

Best recommendation is take lots of small doller notes with you as everywhere you go no-one ever has change, watch out as they will all expect a tip for something or the other!!!!

Visas are aviable from the airport and cost $15 pay with US dollers much easier, they give you a sticker which you put into your passport.

If i remember correctly in Sharm if you want to go scuba diving then you will require a different visa which you will have to get also at the airport, not sure how much this costs, prob about the same as above.

The food in general is very western, there are some great indian resturants there, so i would check that out.

Also if you are going during the summer months i.e May too August it get very very hot and this is just the sun glaring down on you, so take the highest facotr sunloction possiable. Remember during October is Ramadan so best to aviod going then, as its extremly relgious time.

windswept

Have a look here -

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g294200-i9124-Egypt.html

There is nothing these good folks don't know about.

I'm using it to plan my trip next year to Luxor, Cairo and Sharm.

Juicylmt

We went to Dahab. Very laid back, very windy, but LOADS of mozzies in the evening so take plenty of repellent.

MrsE_2

afclegend wrote: »

If i remember correctly in Sharm if you want to go scuba diving then you will require a different visa which you will have to get also at the airport, not sure how much this costs, prob about the same as above..

If you want to scuba at Ras Mohamed you would need a visa, but if you want to dive off Sharm resort you wouldn't need a visa.

You need a visa to get in & out of the road blocks that skirt around the resorts (they are quite a way out), you can move freely within the resort though.

If you were to get a boat to Ras Mohamed (as lots of people do), I'm not sure if you would need a visa.
Ras Mohamed is about 10 miles from Sharm centre, its a nature reserve of outstanding natural beauty.

herecomesthesun

Hi the Tiran Island boat trip is lovely. You can do a trip to St Catherines and Mount Moses. There are dinner in the desert eves with star gazing. There are 3 waterparks. A trip to Cairo is a must - shop around for prices. Dont book with the hotel reps as they will be more. Sharm Club is very good see http://www.sharm-club.com/ for details of their trips and prices.
Sharm is split into different areas. Nabq, Naama, Hadaba, Old Market. You then have smaller areas such as Sharks Bay, Garden Bay etc which are very quiet with no shops etc except for those in the hotels.
Where / what hotel are you staying in?

There are lots of watersports such as pedaloes, canoes, banana boats, sea spies, sea scope submarine etc.

The money is filthy so we use anti bac handwash gel. Drink at least 3 litres of water daily. Take sterling with you and change there as the exchange rate is much better - normally 10% more. Watch the money - they have a 50 piastres about 50p and they will try and pass this off as a 50le note which is £5. There are plenty of banks and alot of hotels have cash machines. some of these you can change sterling notes into LE with a slightly lower rate than the banks but you will still get a better rate than in the UK.

Tipping is the norm in Egypt - little and often depending on service.

Ref Visa it is $15 per passport. This one will also cover you to go to Cairo and Luxor. You do need one for Ras Mo and Thistlegorm. If you are not going out of Sinai just write Sinai only on the back of your landing card and head straight towards immigration.

Dont buy cigarettes from street sellers or small shops as these are normally fake. Also dont buy water from the street sellers because these are normally tap water. It is advisable not to drink the tap water because it is highly chlorinated and your body is not used to it.

The taxis in Sharm are now new - insist they put the meter on or agree a price as they will rip you off big time.

The plugs are 2 round pin European ones. If you get pharoahs revenge then go to the pharmacy and ask for Antinal - nothing bought from home will shift it. Dont pay more than 10le a pack for them.

There tend to be lots of mozzies so make sure you take sprays, plugs etc.

Watch your baggage weight. They do tend to try and over charge you at the airports so a good idea is to take some small luggage scales with you or just watch the scales are set to 0 before you put your bags on.

The underwater world is amazing - please dont step on the coral or feed the fish. Every hotel I have stayed in supplied towels for room, pool and beach.

You will get lots of hassle so expect it from the shop keepers, taxi drivers who will honk at every opportunity and waiters outside the restaurants. Just avoid eye contact say no thanks or La Shukran and keep walking. Do not fall for the line of come sign my book or come in my shop I have a free gift for you. Once in the shop they wont let you out!

Tourist police are everywhere if you need them and they wear the white uniforms.

There are some casinos in Sharm as well but you need to be over 18, take your passport and currency is $.

Naama has lots of shops but most will have no prices so when you ask how much haggle and start with a 1/3 of what they asked. The Camel bar is good for chilling on the roof top bar and watching below. There is also Pascha,Bus Stop, Tavern Bar, Little Buddha, Hard Rock etc as well as Pizza Hut, Mc D, TGI Fridays, Mexican, Chinese, Tandoori at the Camel hotel to name a few. Pomodoros at the Camel is good. Cleopark is behind Tropicana Rosetta on Peace rd. There is a bowling allwy in Naama as well as an extreme sports park and fun park.

The prom in Naama bay is lovely. Pedestrianised and very clean. You get very little hassle here and you will find bars and restaurants. Ghazala beach bar has a singer most nights and buy one get one free drinks 6 toil 9. Pirates bar is at the Hilton Fayrouz and you will get cheap beer from 6pm for 6le until 8pm at 8le - it used to be til 10 but a few weeks ago it had changed to 8pm. Further along you will find the Marriott beach and their Italian is lovely. Inside this hotel you will find the Kona Kai and the Teppanyaki tables are fab, great food and very entertaining. You will need to book the day before though and there are normally 2 sittings 7 and 9. On the Deck at the Lido hotel is very nice. there is a floating pontoon that is lite up over the coral at night and you can watch the fish. The Hyatt has a very good Thai.

At Hadaba about 10 mins drive from Naama you will find the new waterpark which is really good, Alf Lela which is huge and has shops, shisha bars and restaurants all around the outside and inside as well. Sat night is English night and show and meal is £9 - pay on the door. Next to here you willfind the large open air mall Il Mercato which is very nice. There is a chinese, a few fast food outlets and Onions which is very nice. Lots of International brand names here such as Mothercare, Bodyshop, Clares etc.

Further along down the hill is Old Market which is very busy. It has lots of rubbish bins over flowing, stray cats etc. The prices here though will be cheaper than in Naama.

Nabq is lovely and there are 2 new shopping malls called Al Khan and La Strada. Here you will find shops like Timberland, Playboy, D & G, La Senza and Morgan although they werent open a few weeks ago, Starbucks, Mc D's, Hard Rock is built but not furnished yet, there are 2 good supermarkets just opened 24/7 and Metro to name a few. There is a lovely bar called Malibu above Mc D that has fab sea views. There is a waterpark at the Park Inn hotel. Colona watersports are based on the beach at Nabq and they do kitesurfing as well.

RAMADAN is the beg of Sept this year. Avoid going straight after as this is when the celebration feast begins and lasts a few days and this can be busy in resorts.

Any other ? please feel free to ask.

Hope this helps.