Egypt for family

Cpu2007

Egypt has a lot of places to visit but at the same time they seem to be distant from each other. I head a alot about Sharm-Al-Sheikh but this seems to be just a more a relaxing or activities type of place; on the other hand I heard that Luxor has a lot of ancient places to visit.

So what place would you suggest a family to go between luxor,cairo and sharm-al-sheikh?

Do you know any good agency that provides good holiday packages for families (6-7 people) in the month of August?
How much do you think it costs on average a holiday in august per person?

Thanks

InsideInsurance

In Luxor in August you are looking at temperatures over 40C/ 106F, are you really wanting those sorts of temperatures? In the tombs it will be hotter still!

Sharm el Sheikh will be slightly cooler but still an average of mid 30s

On the plus point, it is very much low season because no one but mad englishmen would go out in those sorts of temperatures and the prices will reflect it.

Sharm is very much about the beach and a few other activities. Cairo is necessary for seeing the Pyramids at Giza but to be honest, whilst you do have to do them they arent that exciting up close. The Cairo museum and markets are worth a visit but it isnt the most touristic of cities. Luxor you have some of the best temples and the Valley of the Kings near by.

Just be aware that even with the best companies if you want to see the main sites then there is a fair amount of time on coaches which arent the most modern or reliable. I've been three times and all three times one of our coaches has broken down at least once.

Cpu2007

Thanks a lot for the info.

If I ignore the temperature, it sounds like Luxor is the best place to go. I wanted to see the pyramids but I don't understand; you mean there are pyramids in cairo but not in Luxor?


Talking of low season, I don't see why the prices are so high then. After checking a few holiday packages, the prices fluctuate between £490 to £590 pp, which is quiet high for a low demand season.

InsideInsurance

"The Pyramids" are at a site outside of Cairo along with the Sphinx. There are other pyramids in egypt, from memory there was in the region of 120 built, but most of the ones still standing are more northerly than Luxor

As to prices, your going to have a balance of it being their low season but our and the US high season for travelling and so the two will somewhat counteract each other given we make up a big proportion of their tourists.

Cpu2007

I've noticed that the weather is good there all year around so going there in October could be a good idea.

For august, what would you suggest as a holiday destination for a family with teenagers and a kid? I know the locations are off topic but spain and greece seems to be a good alternative; does anyone know any good place in these two countries that is family friendly and affordable?

InsideInsurance

Last two times we were in Egypt were in late March and late December and both were easily sunbathing weather though we were slightly lucky in December and of cause it is relative to the snow we had come from.

I'll always love Barcelona in Spain but august your going to be potentially hitting 30C so fairly hot, depending on your preferences. Never been to Greece so can't help you there. Cyprus can be fairly cheap but its going to be low to mid 30C at the time

lady1964

You may find parts of Portugal aren't as hot as some other European locations.

We've been to Lagos, about a 40 minute drive from Faro twice in August and it was the high 20's, possibly 30 degrees on a few days, so pretty much bearable. That said, mine were mid/late teens then and apart from a few days out & about on walks, they pretty much were content to sit at the beach or by the pool, so not entirely sure what there might be to do for a younger child.

The Vendee region is France was also cooler than the mid 30's when we went in August several years ago, my youngest was about 8 or 9 then. We drove over so had the car to go out & about, maybe worth a thought?

mick_vandick

Sharm el Sheikh will be slightly cooler but still an average of mid 30s

Er, maybe at about 1am! Your are going to be looking at temps more in excess of 45 degrees. Even now it is like a sauna and in the mid 40's, i've just returned.
Your best bet would be to look at the Hurghada area. It is not so much in your face as Sharm and you can also do a day trip to Luxor easily from here.
Should you want to stay in Luxor longer you can also do 2 night trips. To be honest, thats probably all the time you need there to look around the temples and tombs. I know we keep mentioning the weather but in Luxor especially it will be quite unbearable, especially in the tombs. I have been in December and October to Luxor and it was a good 5 degrees hotter there than in Hurghada.
Thomas Cook and Thomson both do packages in Hurghada, have a look at their websites. You can arrange the Luxor trip when you are there.
If you wanted to go to Cairo too you can also do that from the Hurghada area but unless you want a long bus journey it would involve a flight and then it doesn't come cheap. There is more to see in Luxor anyway.
Not sure what kind of hotel you want but have a look at the Jungle Aqua Park in Thomson and the Sentido Mamlouk in Thomas Cook.

Cpu2007

@RileyBull LOL I had to use google maps to find what locations you were talking about

BTW thank you everyone for your advice, I want to clarify one thing,which is that 30 degrees is fine for us. I mean I can understand that many people can't cope with it but I don't think it should be a problem for a week, considering that you get a very bad weather all year around in the UK unfortunately

Having said that, the reason why I changed my mind from Egypt to Spain or Greece is because what "InsideInsurance" said; On the net I found that Egypt has a lot of historical places which I think everyone in my family will enjoy, but considering the fact that the inside temperatures of these places will be higher, I don't think it will be possible to cope with it.
In addition I am getting not so positive feedbacks about the transport and all that so I think it will be a good idea to go to Egypt some other time.

Spain is the closest and very attractive, my parents been to Barcelona and they loved it. The temperature wouldn't be a problem but a place that can be family is a must. Something where the beach can be accessed easily and have nice coasts and the possibility to do some water activities maybe. I was thinking of going to turkey as they have a lot of activities and they are cheap compared to european countries but then I thought that the costs of the flight to get there, plus the time of the journey outweighs the cheap prices.