According to lawschoolsinusa, Egypt (Arabic: مصر, Miṣr) is a country located mostly in Africa. Only Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is in Asia. In the Arab world, Egypt is known as Misr. Egypt borders Israel, Sudan and Libya. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. A number of major cities in Egypt are: Alexandria, Al Jīzah, Suez and Luxor.
Egypt has a very long history. Everyone knows the desert plains, pyramids, hieroglyphs (pictorial writing), ruins and royal tombs (including Tutankhamen and Ramses) that occur in Egypt. It has been given trade status from the past and the country still lives up to that with the many bazaars. There are shops, markets and street vendors everywhere. The country is also known for its spices, beautiful beaches and the longest river in the world, the Nile. Tourists often come to Egypt for a beach holiday, diving holiday, tour or Nile cruise. The seaside resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are especially popular among Western tourists. See health-beauty-guides for the best of Egypt.
Where is Egypt located?
Travel information of Egypt
Official name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Continent: Africa and Asia
Area: 1,001,449 km²
Capital: Cairo
Country code: EG, EGY
Population: 104,124,440 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 2,629 m (Mount Catherine)
Distance (Amsterdam – Cairo): 3,282 km
Flight time: approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: All travel to certain areas in Egypt is discouraged.
Current color code: Yellow, orange and red.
Due to this status, a partially negative travel advice is in effect for Egypt.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), (temporary) measures may apply in Egypt that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs in Egypt, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete tours and holidays to Egypt. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Egypt?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Egypt at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
The Egyptian climate is a desert climate. During the day it is very hot, while it cools down very much at night.
In the summer, temperatures fluctuate during the day between 15 degrees in the evening and 45 degrees during the day. In winter, the temperature fluctuates around 20 degrees throughout the day. The country only has about 20 rainy days a year.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Egypt can be found on our extensive weather page.
Extensive information about the climate of Egypt can be found at Climate info.
Best time
April, May, September and October are the best months to travel to Northern Egypt.
January, February and December are the best months to travel to South Egypt.
In these months you generally have the most pleasant temperatures.
Language
Arabic is the official language in Egypt. Egyptian and Sudanese are also spoken.
As a trading language, English and French are widely spoken.
Would you like to translate from or into Arabic for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 8 months upon arrival in Egypt.
A visa is required. You can purchase this upon arrival in Egypt. Do you want to avoid any queues? Then you can apply for a visa via visa2egypt (credit card). This visa is valid for 30 days.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Egypt: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Egyptian Embassy in the Netherlands: rijksoverheid.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory for Egypt if you have visited a yellow fever country in the seven days before you visit Egypt. In addition, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Money and Currency
In Egypt, payment is made with the Egyptian pound (EGP).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Egypt can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Egypt are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -63% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (73% cheaper), food (58% cheaper), imported beer in catering (57% cheaper), cigarettes (71% cheaper) and public transport (96% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Egypt it is customary to give a tip of approximately 5-10%. Egypt has a true tipping culture. A tip is expected for any kind of service.
Time difference
During our summer time there is no time difference with Egypt.
During our winter time it is 1 hour later in Egypt.
Egypt has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date, time zone and exceptions for Egypt can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Egypt you must drive on the right.
To drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Egypt you must have an international driver’s license. The international driver’s license is available at an ANWB shop.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Egypt.
Electricity
In Egypt the same plugs and sockets are used as in the Netherlands.
More information about electricity in Egypt can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 122
– Fire Brigade: 180
– Ambulance: 123
– Tourist Police: 126
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap because of the chlorine content. This can cause stomach and intestinal complaints.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Egypt can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Egypt can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Egypt end in.eg.
Egypt’s official website: egypt.travel.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Egypt is 0020 or +20.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Egypt? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Company details can be found in Egypt’s Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Egypt.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Egypt.
Public holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Egypt can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Egypt, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Egypt?
At Waarbenjij.nu you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have visited Egypt before. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Egypt can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Egypt can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Egypt? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, perfume, alcohol and money, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported into Egypt.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you are planning to do business in or do business with Egypt, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Egypt, including: opportunities, import and export rules, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, current sanctions, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Egypt.
– Alcohol: Spirits from the age of 21, beer from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Buy from the age of 18, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Not allowed. Prison sentence up to 10 years.
Did you know that…
…96% of Egypt is desert?
…Mummies of animals have also been found in Egypt?
…It is very rude in Egypt to eat with your left hand?
…One could wall France with all the stones of the pyramids?
…The calendar as we know it (365 days) was invented in Egypt?
…The pyramids were not built by slaves but by paid workers?
