Miscellaneous information - Egypt

This section contains information on:

Travel to Egypt and getting around once you're there
Passport and visa requirements
Geography and time zone
Weather
Electricity

Getting there and around

Getting there

International Flights

Apart from the main international airport in Cairo, other airports include Hurghada International, Luxor International, Sharm El Sheikh International and Marsa Alam International Airports.

Airlines flying from the UK include: Astraeus, BMI, British Airways, Budget Air, easyJet, EgyptAir, First Choice, flyglobespan, flythomascook, GB Airways, Monarch, Sudan Airways, Thomsonfly, XL Airways.

Ferry

If you have the time and you fancy a little adventure, you can also come by ferry from the following countries:

Piraeus in Greece to Alexandria.

Aqaba in Jordan to Suez or Nuweiba in the Sinai Peninsula.

Saudi Arabia to Suez.

Wadi Helfa in Sudan to Aswan via Lake Nasser.

Getting around

Hurghada Airport Information

Hurghada International Airport is just outside the main town, approximately 5km southwest of Hurghada.

There’s a taxi rank located just outside arrivals and you can get a taxi to most local destinations along the coast.

The journey time to Hurghada is around 20 minutes. The fare varies according to your destination but will typically range from 50 – 350 EL

A mini bus service operates between the airport and Hurghada city centre and runs pretty much all day but you’ll find there’s no official timetable as they depart when the bus is full. There’s no public bus service between Hurghada and the Airport.

You can hire a car from the airport or from Hurghada and the main resort towns. Avis (Sheraton Road, in front of Aqua Village tel: (65) 344 7400) and Hertz (Aden Beach, El Corniche tel: (65) 346 3176) are the better known operators. More on car hire later.

The airport is just off the main ring road and to get there, you need to head south from Hurghada city centre and follow the signs for the airport.

Travelling to the city centre, head north from the airport and when the ring road forks, bear right, heading towards the coast. Journey time is approximately 20 minutes.

Internal Flights

There are several airlines offering flights around Egypt to the main airports, including Air Sinai, Egypt Air and ZAS Airlines.

Between them they cover the airports at Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm el Sheik, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, Abu Simbel and Sidi Barani.

Taxis

There’s no shortage of taxis in the cities, towns and holiday resorts. It’s a good idea to fix the price before you accept the taxi, to avoid any shocks.

Something to bear in mind is that many taxis travelling between towns will operate a sharing system – they charge by the passenger and will wait until they’re full before they leave.

Buses

Buses and minibuses operate throughout the country and travel around towns and cities as well as between cities. They are cheaper than trains but it’s true to say that the level of comfort isn’t so good on all buses.

The overnight Cairo to Sharm bus, for example, is not the most luxurious way to travel and you’ll be lucky to get a good night’s sleep.

Train

You can travel by train between Egypt’s cities and the main routes on offer are:

Cairo - Aswan
Cairo - Alexandria
Cairo - Luxor
Cairo - Port Said
Cairo – Suez

Sleeping cars operate on the main rail routes, making the journey much more pleasant.

Hiring a Car

The good news is that you drive on the left in Egypt, just like the UK. The bad news is that not all drivers in Egypt know this!

The roads in the major cities and towns are pretty chaotic and a less stressful option may be to let someone else drive you around.

You can hire a driver when you hire your car and that way you can sit back and enjoy the journey.

Having said that, in the newer resort areas, driving is less of an “experience” than it is in, say Cairo. Both Avis and Hertz have offices in the main resort areas, where driving is undertaken at a more leisurely pace.

Passports and Visas

With just a few exceptions all visitors to Egypt will need an entry visa. You’ll find full info on the help sheet from the Egyptian Embassy.

You can obtain visas from the embassy or consulate in your country of residence or alternatively, a much easier option is to leave it until you arrive in Egypt and obtain the visa then.

If you’re visiting from the EU, US, Canada or GCC countries, tourist visas are available at all ports of entry into Egypt. This is also a cheaper option at £10 (or the equivalent) but they expect you to pay in pounds sterling, euros or US dollars so make sure you have the cash available.

You can also obtain visas through the Egyptian Embassy in most of the capitals around the world and full details are given on the help sheet from the Egyptian Embassy.

In brief…

UK citizens and residents can apply for a visa at the Egyptian Consulate in London either by post or in person.

If going in person, you need to deliver your passport valid for six months, the completed visa form and two passport photos.

You can drop off your application between 09:30 and 11.30. You can collect your passport with the visa 2-3 days later.

If you prefer, you can post your application together with your passport, two photos and a postal order for the fee. You’ll also need to enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for the return of your passport.

Egyptian Consulate
No. 2 Lowndes Street
London SW1X 9ET

Tel: +44 20 7235 9719
Fax: +44 20 7235 5684
info@egyptianconsulate.co.uk

You can download the visa application form for UK residents here.

ROI citizens and residents can apply either in person at the embassy or by post. You’ll need your passport valid for six months, two passport photos, the completed application form and the fee.

If you deliver in person, you must pay the fee in cash, if you post it you must send a postal order or a bank draft and a stamped addressed envelope for the return of your passport and visa.

The visa section is open Mon – Thu 09:30 – 13:30 and Fri 09:30 – 12:30.

Consular Section - (Visas)
The Egyptian Embassy in Dublin
12 Clyde Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4.
Ireland

Tel: +35 31 660 6566
Fax +35 31 668 3745
consular@embegyptireland.ie

You can download the visa application form for ROI residents here.

Geography

Egypt sits on the north eastern corner of Africa and is linked to Asia by the Sinai Peninsula. Its northern coast is formed by the Mediterranean and its eastern coast by the Red Sea. Libya and Sudan form its western and southern borders respectively.

Egypt plays a strategic role in world shipping with the Suez Canal, which forms a vital link for Asia, Africa and Europe.

Of Egypt’s total area of 1 million square km, only 35 thousand km are populated and this is mainly concentrated around the Nile, the coastal areas and of course Cairo.

Egypt is divided into four main regions:

Nile Valley and Delta
This extremely narrow and extremely long area makes up around 4% of Egypt’s total land mass and runs from Sudan in the south, along the full length of the country. It passes through Cairo and then splits into two to form the Nile Delta, both arms continuing on to the Mediterranean.

Western Desert
The Western Desert is a large area dominated mainly by sand dunes. It runs from the Nile Valley to the Libyan border in the west. Vertically it runs from the Mediterranean all the way down to the border with Sudan in the south.

Eastern Desert
The Eastern Desert comprises about a quarter of Egypt’s total land area and runs from the Nile Valley eastwards to the Red Sea. Its most striking feature is the mountain range which runs along the Red Sea coast.

Sinai Peninsula
A small triangular peninsular in the north east of the country, it’s bounded by the sea on three sides and Israel to the right. Its north coast is the Mediterranean, with the Red Sea and Suez Canal to the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east.

Time

The time in Egypt is GMT + 2 hours in the winter and GMT + 3 hours in the summer.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Egypt runs from the last Friday in April until the last Friday in September.

Weather

Egypt's climate is hot and dry most of the year with just a variation in the temperature defining the two seasons: a very mild winter from December to April and a hot summer from May to November.

During the winter months the average daily temperatures on the coast are around 20°C (68°F) and a hotter 26°C (80°F) further inland and down in Aswan. Night time coastal temperatures can drop to 10°C, whilst in the desert they can drop to a very chilly 0°C.

In summer, the temperatures average around 30°C in coastal areas and up to 50°C in the desert. Summer temperatures drop at night to around 20°C on the coast and 7°C in the desert areas.

It doesn’t rain much in Egypt, with less than 2 inches (50mm) per year apart from the coastal area which can get between 4-8 inches (100-200mm) a year.

As winter turns to spring, the hot Khamsin wind blows out of the Sahara from the south and south east, onto the Mediterranean. (The Europeans know this wind as the Sirocco.) It can last for several weeks and reach speeds of 90 mph (150 kmph).

Thankfully, it’s not an issue for the Red Sea Riviera.

Electricity

Most areas in Egypt are on 220 volts AC, 50 Hz and they use the continental style plugs with two round pins). You’ll need an adaptor for things like hairdryers.