Cairo Adventure: An Epic Family Trip to Egypt!I visited Cairo with my family. There were 8 of us all together. We were there for 7 days and we live in the USA and are Americans. I was worried about the Iran conflict affecting our trip but it was fine. The trip was amazing and we all loved it. Had young adults with us and 10yr old girl and 14yr old boy. We visited pyramids twice, rode camels and horses in desert, Nile dinner boat cruise, khan el khalili, mosques, great Egyptian museum, old Cairo museum, street food tour, felluca rides on Nile at sunset, Coptic Cairo, Islamic cairo, Gayer-Anderson museum, and even went to a Christian church on Friday for sabbath observance.
A few tips for those going:
1.) Uber is awesome there and cheap. Most rides were $2-4. We had to get two Ubers every time since our group was large. Don’t hire a driver- just uber. Beware of the scam where the drivers want to go off app and have you pay in cash. In those scenarios we just got out of the uber and grabbed another one.
2.) don’t get guides for everything. The guide business is shady in Egypt with overtipping, over paying, and kickbacks galore. Get a few guided trips but just do everything else on your own. It’s a little scary but Egyptians are friendly. All of the vendors at the khan and pyramids are absolute sharks, but just take it patience. Egyptians won’t steal from you but they will hustle you like crazy. We rode camels at the pyramids and I had to haggle with 7 different guys to get the price I wanted and then even after the rides, he wanted more. It was fine and the Egyptian way. We got a guide for the museum and she was worthless, but we did a walking food tour that was amazing and that guide rocked. I almost hired him for the next day to take us to the pyramids but my family said no guide. Glad we didn’t use a guide there. The buses are free and entrance fees are pretty inexpensive- we didn’t understand the history of everything we were seeing but we don’t have the patience for all that
3.) pyramids- beware of the gauntlet and racket that is the pyramid scene. It’s like the mafia. My advice: deep breaths, patience, hold your ground, and observe. If you communicate firmly with the vendors and guides that you don’t want to be bothered (don’t be rude- just say “Shukran”), they will back off. If you appear unsure, they’ll think they have a chance and will be unrelenting. Also, don’t trust any of them. Just be firm and then watch for 5-10minutes. You’ll understand the game, rules of engagement, what’s allowed, etc….
4.) Egyptians are awesome- so fun and wanting to help you. We were in back alleys in old Cairo and they’re all so friendly. Didn’t feel unsafe at all. We had 5 women/girls in our group (all modestly dressed) and none harassed. It was probably because of the men in our group, but thats fine.
5.) animals- lots of stray dogs and cats. Most of them are cute but you don’t want to pet them due to diseases and you can’t save them. So just enjoy seeing them and move on with your life. The horses and camels at the pyramids are what they are. Many people say they’re abused so you shouldn’t ride them…all I have to say is that many Egyptians live in extreme poverty and these animals have better lives than many of the poorest Egyptians. So I gladly paid to employ Egyptians to let me ride their animals in the desert and it was a great time. We ubered from pyramids to a local stable and rode horses and camels out in the desert. Amazing and unforgettable.
6.) dirty, crowded, crazy- Egypt is not Europe or America. Just roll with it. They are lots of poor people which sucks but you spending money there helps the overall economy. Don’t give out swaths of money or trinkets to the beggars- it just makes them flock to you and doesn’t really help them. Made that mistake on day one and told everyone in our group not to do that anymore. Once we stopped doing that, the swarms of beggars stopped coming. Get a nice hotel so that can be a refuge for you at night after long days in Egypt.
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Egypt: Finally Saying Yes to Adventure (and a Private Tour!)We have been wanting to see Egypt for quite a while but the stream of negative reviews, and occasional regional conflicts, kept us away. We are independent travelers who avoid organized tours but concluded that it was the best way to travel Egypt. So we booked a high-end, small group fully guided tour that we lucked out on as we were the only participants. A private tour for 2!
The Good: We appreciated being guided through arrival and departure at chaotic Cairo airport, driven around in air conditioned vans everywhere without any need to be concerned with how to get anywhere, booking tickets for sights/museums, or being ripped off by restaurants, taxis, etc as everything was included. Last February’s weather was pretty ideal with cool mornings, sunny days and zero sandstorms.
The Great: Most of the famous sights are magnificent, notably Abu Simbel, Luxor, the Pyramids and Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum. The 3 day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor was an infinitely more relaxing and scenic way to get around the country.
The Bad: Unreliable domestic flights: our 10pm flight was rescheduled after checking in to 3am. Eating lunch in otherwise empty restaurants during Ramadan. The famous sights were often packed, for example we arrived at Edfu Temple at 4:50am only to join a queue of several hundred tourists. Hotels were not so good. Our “upgraded” room at a Hilton in Cairo must have been built around the time that they started building the Sphinx!
The Ugly: Egypt gets well deserved flak for many reasons. Chaotic, honking traffic on dusty roads and driving at dangerously high speed. Animal cruelty. Litter. Questionable hygiene. Filthy toilets that you must pay to use but locals use for free. Cairo airport was always packed and locals cut lines whenever they can get away with it. Both my wife and I got sick for a day or two of fever and diarrhea. We were infuriated by religious intolerance on display at most of the ancient monuments we saw. So many carvings have been defaced by opposing theists. But all of that would have been nothing if we left a week later and got stuck in the Iranian war like so many others did as we had tickets to return home on Qatar Airlines via Doha. We were simply lucky.
We are glad we went, especially since we made it home in time, but we certainly won’t be going back. While we met some lovely locals the overall vibes of the country are not positive or welcoming. It’s one and done for us.
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Egypt Exceeded Expectations: An Epic Adventure for TwoThere are numerous online posts about traveling to Egypt, often accompanied by quite negative comments. For me, this trip was fantastic and exceeded all my expectations!
I am a 36 year-old Mexican living in London, traveling with my wife, also Mexican and the same age.
Here's our 11-day trip to Egypt trip report.
We arrived in Hurghada in March 2026. Long lines, but nothing else. Obviously we did not pay extra for "fast track". It took about 60 minutes from exiting the plane to our uber.
Once outside, we requested an Uber. They tried to charge us double by asking for cash even though the ride was paid in the app. The situation was resolved and we paid just over 350 EGP to our hotel, Palm Inn.
Palm Inn was fine. You get what you pay for, but we found it clean and comfortable enough. Breakfast was very simple but sufficient. We did not use the pool. The outside restaurant is not the best to be honest, that is worth mentioning, but still delivered and was ok for dinning after the flight.
We spent the day at the beach, which is less than three blocks away, paying 50 EGP per person to enter. The facility has toilets, chairs and tables and a beautiful beach. We had a great day!
The next day we started our liveaboard on the northern route with Aggressor. I already made another post about it, so nothing to add here. The ship, the diving and the service were all outstanding. The red sea is gorgeous and full of life! We saw dolphins, spanish dancers, rays, lots of fish, octopus, and the Thistlegorm. Worth a trip if you fancy diving!
After returning, we spent one more day in Hurghada using a day pass at a hotel. I do not remember the name, but we enjoyed it a lot. It cost about 80 USD for three people, including lunch and using the pool and the beach. Funny, it did not include towels, so we did not like that!
We paid 600 EGP for a taxi with several stops to the airport. We arrived a bit early and could not go inside yet, so we waited at a café. One hour flight to Cairo, everything went smoothly. So, consider ariving just on time to the airport, not to early, not too late as they will not let you in.
From Cairo airport we paid 600 EGP in cash for a taxi to Zamalek. Beautiful hotel, New President. Good food and excellent breakfast, great location. If you want to stay somewhere very nice in Cairo, stay in Zamaleek. Its safe and conveniently located, but more expensive. Its like staying in Roma or Condesa in Mexico City.
The next morning we took an Uber to Giza for less than 300 EGP. Regular line to enter, nothing unusual, about 15 minutes. They took credit card. Prices are written in english and you know what you will pay.
We walked a lot! Vendors and sellers left us alone after a couple of no thank yous. To cammel owners, we just said "we have don it already, thank you" and were left alone. We did not argue with anyone. Nobody scammed us. They kept welcoming us. So, prety pleasant experience far different from what I read elsewhere honestly.
We saw all the pyramids and the Sphinx using the free bus inside the park. I bought a souvenir knowingly at a slightly higher price (2 USD higher) because I decided I wanted to support the seller. To my surprise, he gave me extra items for my wife as a thank you. Small things, but a nice gesture of kindness from his part and a win-win trade.
After that, we walked towards the Grand Egyptian Museum from the main entrance but got tired, as it is too far from this entrance. Someone on the street helped us take public transport and even paid our fare without us asking. After that people helped us cross the main highway, without asking for anything. If you want to walk from the Giza complex to the museum, make sure you start at the Sphynx entrance, otherwise you need a taxi.
We arrived at the museum two hours before our scheduled entry. After speaking with staff, they allowed us in early because we mentioned we wanted to have lunch. So, if you go to the GEM, make sure you arrive just in time and plan accordingly. They will probably not let you in if you arrive early and its ok. Its their rules. The food at the museum was very good and we had the chance to rest at the restaurant area before starting the visit that evening.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is the best museum I have ever visited. It is impressive and very high quality. If you go to Cairo, I strongly recommend spending at least three to five hours there. It is huge and beautiful. I'd recommend gettin there by 13:00 if you visited the pyramids in the morning. Consider you will spend 3-5 hours in the pyramids and 3-5 hours in the museum. You may want to eat lunch at the musem. Enjoyt it!
On the way back, tired, thirsty and hot, we took a taxi that we know was a little overpriced. 500 EGP back to Zamalek in cash. The real prince is around 250-300 EGP. The driver was very nice and solved our problem instantly: to get back to the hotel, no hassle. So we agreed on the price and went.
The next day we walked around Zamalek, took a boat ride, visited bookstores, cafés and shops. It was a very nice morning. Nobody bothered us or tried to scam us. We negotiated the price and the time of the ride beforehand. We paid a little bit over local price for the boat ride but it was maybe 100 or 200 EGP etra, and the tour was private, so, again, happy to pay. Riding a boat in the Nile river with my wife on a private tour on a beautiful sunny day was totally worth the 4 extra USD we paid for.
Then taxi to the airport and end of the trip.
Honestly, we had an incredible time.
We understand that paying seriecs like taxis and boat rides are a complicated part, especially because foreigners often pay more. You have to choose your battles. The extra cost in our case was at most around 4 USD (200 EGP), but usually closer to 2 USD (100 EGP). For us that is not a lot, and for them it can make a difference. Also, you are not only paying for the service per se, but for convenience. We do not speak Arabic, we did not always have internet to request Ubers, and we were often tired and thirsty. Taxis were available exactly when we needed them. The boat ride was private and tailored to our timing. Personally, I prefer this over paying high prices in developed countries for products or services that i do not fully enjoy, like a 5 USD tasteless coffee or an expensive overcrowded airport train. Just make sure to arrange the correct price before starting the ride anda always have cash available in small bills at hand. Also, practice some local language words like hello, yes, no, thank you, how much and goodbye. This will give you more opportunity to negotiate a fair price and have a better experience.
I’d also recommend figuring out in advance what you actually want from the trip. You need to know yourself and understand what you enjoy and what you don’t.
For example, we don’t enjoy constantly negotiating or arguing to pay “local prices.” We also don’t do poverty tourism. Going into poorer or rougher areas just to see “the real Cairo” isn’t something we’re interested in. This often ends up being uncomfortable at best, and you’re still only scratching the surface of a reality that’s way more complex than what you can understand in a few days.
We’re also not trying to impose our views or “understand a country deeply” in one trip. That’s not realistic, in our opinion.
So we stick to what we know we enjoy. We don’t feel the need to check every must-see box or force experiences just because people say you “have to.”
We’re happy staying in more tourist-friendly areas while still using local services like taxis, guides, local restaurants, markets, etc.
If you do want to go more off the beaten path and experience Cairo “like a local,” that’s totally fine, just go in with realistic expectations. It might not feel the way you imagine.
As with any destination, use common sense and standard safety precautions.
And enjoy it. Egypt has incredible cultural and natural treasures.
We would like to come back, next time to dive the deep southern red sea and explore other sides of the country that we did not have time to see, like the Nile river cruises, Luxor, and repeat a day at the GEM.
Overall a 10/10 trip!
Photo 1: Sunset at Sharm-el-Sheik national park
Photo 2: Pyramids of Giza
Photo 3: Sphynx and pyramid in Giza
Photo 4: Boat ride from Zamaleek in Cairo
Photo 5: Tutankhamun's sarcophagus at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Sunset ar Sharm
Giza Pyramids panorama
They sphynx and pyramid in Giza Plateau
Boat ride in Zamaleek from Cairo
Tutankhamun's sarcophagus at the Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo
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