Egypt is a spectacularly beautiful country filled with cultural gems. A country I’ve been lucky enough to experience and check off my bucket list. There’s TONS of reasons why you should visit, but here’s 11:
11 reasons why you should travel to Egypt:
Gaze At The Pyramids of Giza.
Let’s state the obvious first, right? The initial draw for many tourists to Egypt is to see the pyramids that we all learned about while in primary school. And, in my opinion, they don’t disappoint – they’re spectacular! The Great Pyramid of Giza (the largest of the three) is the oldest and is the only one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” which is still standing.
Play Kissy-Face With The Sphinx.
Also located in Giza near the pyramids is the Great Sphinx. The sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture and is generally believed to have been built sometime around 2520-2494 BC. You can pay a small price and have a talented local to pose you to appear to be kissing Mr. Sphinx.
Indulge in Delicious Egyptian Cuisine.
I found Egyptian food to be fantastic! I loved lamb kebab (minced meat skewers), baba ghannoug (a spread made with eggplant), kofta (meatballs), dolma (stuffed grape leaves), shawarma (shredded meat in a pita) and even mahshi hamam (roasted pigeon stuffed with rice and herbs)! (Hey, don’t knock the pigeon until you’ve tried it).
Search for Treasures in the Khan al-Khalili.
The Khan al-Khalili market in Cairo is one of the Middle East’s largest bazaars and is filled with copper, spices, alabaster, silver and perfumes. The “Khan,” as it is often called, may be my very favorite of all the markets and bazaars I’ve visited during my travels. If you have a discerning eye and are a good negotiator you can find great deals on quality products.
Hit the Beach and Splash in the Red Sea.
Need a break from the heat and sightseeing? If you’re seeking relaxation and respite head to Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera. The area is jam-packed with beach resorts and brimming with five star luxury, watersports, shopping and entertainment.
Admire Ancient Antiquities at the Egyptian Museum.
While in Cairo, browse the dazzling collection at the Egyptian Museum. Where else can you see King Tut’s golden mask and mummies? Read more about the top 5 “must-sees” in the Egyptian Museum here.
Kick Back, Relax and Cruise the Nile River.
I’m typically not a “cruise” person, but I thoroughly enjoyed my three night cruise on the Nile River traveling from Aswan to Luxor. Aside from forcing me to relax and slow down a bit, the scenery from the ship was fantastic and ever-changing. One moment the ship was drifting past lush jungle foliage, and the next the scenery was changing to a camel-filled arid desert. From the deck of the ship, you’ll see Egyptian men plowing their fields and women washing their dishes in the river – sights seemingly unchanged from hundreds of years ago.
Explore Temples, Temples and More Temples.
After the pyramids, the main reason most tourists visit Egypt is to travel back in time (or, pretend to be Indiana Jones) while exploring the country’s ancient temples. The temples are filled with interesting carvings, paintings and hieroglyphics. My favorite that I saw is the one pictured above of a woman giving birth!
Take a Sunset Felucca Ride in Aswan.
A felucca is a small, traditional Egyptian wooden sailboat. It’s possible to take a felucca tour lasting several days; however, I would recommend taking an hour or two cruise at sunset while in Aswan. The ride is a beautiful and a memorable experience.
Experience Alexandria’s European Flair.
Alexandria was the place for wealthy Europeans to vacation in the 1930’s. Although the city is well-past it’s golden era, Alexandria makes for an interesting visit since the city has an extremely different vibe from other Egyptian cites. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time as you stroll the through the streets lined with gorgeous, albeit run-down, European style buildings.
Mix and Mingle with Friendly Locals.
Unfortunately, it seems that sometimes Egyptian men get a bad rap in Western media. In my experience, all the Egyptians I met were kind and helpful. I was traveling with three other blonde American females, so did we attract attention and the occasional “cat-calling” (even when dressed extremely modestly)? Yes. Sure. But, I experienced much more of this type of “attention” while traveling through Spain, Italy and Greece than I did while in Egypt.
On one particular day, my friends and I found ourselves lost deep within the traditional Islamic district in Cairo. Once we were finally able to locate a main road and catch a cab, we weren’t able to communicate where our hotel was located to our cab driver since he didn’t speak English (and I don’t speak Arabic). Likewise, we couldn’t show him our hotel’s business card as he only read Arabic. Showing him the location on the map didn’t seem to help either – besides the language barrier, Cairo is a huge, sprawling city. After a few minutes of desperately trying to communicate with him, a crowd of 10+ strangers had accumulated around us – all of them trying to help instruct the driver where our hotel was! (As captured in the above “lovely” candid photo above taken by one of my travel companions). Through a game of charades and with the help of some resourceful (and friendly) local translators, we finally made it back to our hotel.
Where to stay in Egypt?
You can find great deals on your hotels in Egypt and book online here.
How to Get an Egypt Visa
Most travelers need a visa to visit Egypt, including American and British passport holders. It’s possible to get a visa on arrival at the Cairo International Airport for Americans and citizens from 40 other countries.
If you want to get your visa in advance, the simplest solution is an online agency, such as iVisa.com. They will do all work for you. The service fee is only $25 and you’ll receive your visa for Egypt within 4 days. You can get your Egypt eVisa by clicking here.
Have you been to Egypt? Is the country on your bucket list? Why or why not?
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May 23, 2015
I can’t understand why anyone would NOT want to visit Egypt! It’s on my bucket list for sure, but there are plenty of other places I want to see first. Looks like you had a great trip though. Really ran the gamut of temples, markets, etc. I’d love to hear more about your visit to Alexandria – I haven’t read much about that yet!
May 25, 2015
Alexandria was really interesting… very different from the other parts of the country I saw. Certainly worth a day or two, but you wouldn’t need many more. The buildings are beautiful in a almost a sad way – you can tell that once, years ago, they really were spectacular, but the majority of them haven’t been kept up.
May 27, 2015
i did not find the locals so friendly especially in cairo! please consider El Gouna for great civilized Egyptian people!
May 27, 2015
Yikes! I’m sorry you had that experience!
May 27, 2015
I’ve always wanted to travel to Egypt!!! That Nile river cruise looks pretty awesome!
Amanda recently posted…Sunday Funday in St. Pete
May 27, 2015
You should, Amanda! The scenery from the cruise was fantastic.
June 1, 2015
There is loads of prejudice going around in the media about the arabic countries, so the more I am glad that you had a good time and didn’t get harassed too often. I have never been to Egypt as it is portait as an all inklusive destination back where I come from, but I would like to go there one day.
Marta Kulesza recently posted…10 MOST SCENIC DRIVES IN NEW ZEALAND – South Island
June 1, 2015
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised!
June 1, 2015
WOW. Awesome blog. You are looking dashing. I am so excited about my journey to Egypt. I am travelling to Egypt next week and all arrangements are done by my friend through a local travel service site.Hope I will enjoy my trip to the best.
June 2, 2015
Have a great time, Kathy!
June 3, 2015
Karisa, I love your blog so much! Glad that I found you through Twitter. 🙂
I’ve been living between Germany and Egypt for the past 4 years, so I’ve gotten to know Egypt really well! It makes me incredibly happy to know that you loved your time there. It’s such a stressful country, but one of the most amazing I’ve ever been to.
Looking forward to more of your posts and hope to see you around my own blog sometime!
Whitney Buchanan recently posted…Five Things
June 3, 2015
Thanks, Whitney! 🙂 There were definitely some stressful times – but it was well worth it!
June 11, 2015
First of all thank you for leaving such a beautiful image about my Lovely Egypt. I’m very happy that you liked Egypt that much, and I’m sure that there are so much more to see and experience within Egypt (Specially Luxor & the Nile). I assure you that you’ll have the passion to come back and sail the Nile for couple of day in a different way (more adventures & Romantic) than the Cruise Ship.
Thanks once more 🙂
June 11, 2015
Thanks, Mohamed. I really enjoyed my time in Egypt and I’m sure I’ll be back one day!
June 20, 2015
A great post! One of my doubts on Egypt has unfortunately been about the men but like you said you get cat calling in a lot of other places too so it’s good to know you didn’t feel it was any worse there!
Ellie Quinn recently posted…Discovering Zadar.
June 21, 2015
In my experience, it wasn’t ay different, Ellie!
June 24, 2015
I’ll be honest – Egypt has never been high on my bucket list, but it has definitely moved up now!
Dannielle x
Dannielle Lily recently posted…Best Sunsets Around the World
June 24, 2015
Excellent, Dannielle! 🙂
July 3, 2015
I loved the history of Egypt, learnt so so much for my 2 weeks there but found myself feeling uncomfortable not only by men but women and teenagers gawking at me, filming me etc! I don’t think I would return now I’ve seen everything but everyone definitely should put egypt on their list!
July 3, 2015
Ugh – I hate that you had that experience, Maddy. I had a similar experience with women touching my hair and asking to take photos, but most of them were very friendly and interested in striking up a conversation (not trying to make me feel uncomfortable). I also found the men in Greece or Spain to be more inappropriate, which was unexpected!
July 4, 2015
Thank you for your beautiful post and description of Egypt! I have booked a trip to Egypt this December and have had such negative feedback from friends and family. Nobody seems to understand why I want to go so baf.
On the note of cat-calling, I have experienced that everywhere. From northern Europe to southern Europe it happened. I’ve even had similar experiences in Asia! It’s just bound to happen and will never stop me from seeing the world! 🙂
Thanks for this post! After all the negativity I really needed this 🙂
Cheers,
Lexie
Lexie recently posted…Liebster Award
July 5, 2015
Thank you, Lexi! Please let me know how your trip goes. And, I would love you to write a guest post about it if you’re interested!
July 6, 2015
Hi Karisa, I would love to write a post about it on your blog! I absolutely love your site! My trip is quite some time away but I won’t forget 🙂
Lexie recently posted…Liebster Award
July 6, 2015
Fantastic! 🙂
July 20, 2015
We went to Egypt in 2008 and had a great time. We did a dinner cruise, there was a sand storm, we went to Alexandria for the day and ate the best fish. We mostly ate shawermas because we didn’t know what else to order. Crossing the street to buy water was an adventure and everyone invited us in for tea and to sell us things. So much tea! I was surprised by the size of the Sphinx because I thought it was larger. I was also surprised by the kfc/Pizza Hut across the street. I’m glad you had a good trip. With all the rioting lately, I wouldn’t go back until things settle down politically.
July 20, 2015
Sounds like you also had an amazing trip, Esther!
July 22, 2015
I’ve been wanting to go to Egypt!! These pictures are great. Safety wise, how did you feel?
Ashley recently posted…A Weekenders Guide to Quito, Ecuador
July 22, 2015
I felt safe when I was there Ashley, but I was traveling with a touring agency and at times we did have security with us.
July 22, 2015
Good to know. What touring agency did you go through? I would love to go soon
Ashley recently posted…The Parking Garage Every Book Lover Needs to See
July 26, 2015
I used Gate 1, Ashley! Check out my Machu Picchu post for my opinion on tours with the company!
October 15, 2015
Egypt was always high on our bucket list and we had a trip booked. Our timing was bad as we were scheduled to arrive just after the unrest began. We would still love to go, but have been concerned about security. Now I’m thinking that if 4 ladies can visit so can we!
Great post and love the pictures!
Marvin recently posted…Exploring Key West
October 15, 2015
Thanks, Marvin! If you’re wanting to go but nervous, I would recommend booking a group trip which employs local guides.
October 21, 2015
Egypt is somewhere both of us desperately want to get to but we’d both like to spend a good amount of time there, like a month and really see all four corners. Hopefully things change there in the not too distant future and tourists will be able to really explore it. Cheers and thanks for the tips 🙂
Ross @FreeYourMindTravel recently posted…Ultimate Travel Guide to San Marino
October 21, 2015
I hope so too, Ross. It’s a magical country. 🙂
February 14, 2016
Loved your insights! Egypt has been #1 on my bucket list forever! This year I took the leap and am leaving a secured job to take a post in Cairo for 2 years. I want to explore this part of the world and am lugging my 3 rugrats with me for as long as they want. (hopefully, they will fall in love with adventure!) Very exciting times ahead!
February 14, 2016
What a brave decision, Mabel. Have a great time and keep me updated!
February 16, 2016
Amazing post! I’m hoping to get to Egypt this summer and this is some pretty good guidance for a trip!
Heather K recently posted…Photo Diary: Mardi Gras 2014
February 16, 2016
I’m glad I could help! Have a great trip, Heather.
April 2, 2016
Hiii,
WOW. Awesome blog. You are looking dashing.
April 2, 2016
Thanks, Nikki 🙂
June 6, 2016
Great writeup as always! Egypt is on our bucket list. What season would you suggest would be best to visit given we would travel with our small child? How’s the security condition there now? For a family trip would it be the right time to visit?
Neha Verma recently posted…Comment on The Story behind our Travel Stories by Neha
June 9, 2016
Neha, I went in November and was pleased by the weather conditions. I also recommend checking the safety of a country carefully before you go. In Egypt you may want to consider going with a tour group which will have local Guides such as Gate 1 Travel.
June 16, 2016
I plan to return to Egypt before too long. I’ve always wanted to go to Alexandria and would love to take the feluka down the Nile again.
On my first trip, we really roughed it. We took the overnight bus from the Israeli border and spent two days in Cairo. Even though I was used to the heat of Israel, I found the country stiflingly hot (we travelled during May, one of the hottest times of the year, not recommended if you are touring rounding the city!) I was a backpacker in those days so we did everything on the cheap. I realise now that made travel even more difficult. Everywhere we went we had to haggle for everything, from a bottle of water to an overnight stay in a hostel. I think I found that more tiring than anything else. Next time I would make sure I have a local guide.
I will never forget those two weeks. (I always tell people it feels like six weeks!) Every moment of my time in Egypt was so vivid. I loved the hibiscus tea, the fresh mango juice, the fuul (beans) and flat breads that Egyptians eat with their hands, the incredible street markets… We got as far as the pyramids but did not enter, so I need to go back. (Look out for the sand fleas! Apply repellent on your ankles…)
Highlights of my trip were Abu Simbel, to the very south of the country (a few hours drive across the desert from Luxor); donkey ride through the hills to visit the Valley of the Kings; the (several day) trip from Luxor to Cairo by felucca. We spent all our time on the boat and slept on the open deck, gazing at the open skies at night. Like you say, the world around you has not changed the thousands of years. It’s endlessly fascinating to watch people. I did this trip in 1988 I doubt whether much is changed along the banks of the River Nile.
On my next trip, I will explore Cairo more. It’s the biggest city I have ever visited. It is immense. It has some fine old buildings. The architecture includes hundreds of mosques, many centuries-old. I would like to experience modern Egypt too. We tend to explore ancient Egypt forgetting how important the capital is in the region. I have a British friend who lived the expat life in Cairo for three years and absolutely loved the place. I’m intrigued to find that side of the city too. The country has been through a lot but we need to (re)visit to reconnect the country with the rest of the world.
June 16, 2016
Wow – sounds like you had a fantastic trip! Your recount has made me want to return again too! I would love to do the multiple day felucca trip! Thanks for the comment, Charlie.
August 6, 2016
Great article. Wish I had seen it earlier! We just got back from a trip that included Cairo and I would totally concur with all your points especially the Khan being your favorite market. The souks in Morocco come close, but the Khan has all that great architecture, in addition to the vendors (many of whom are selling strictly for locals). One thing you didn’t note that stood out most to us (besides the friendly people and great food): there were hardly any other tourists. Now we were there during Ramadan which may account for some of that, but we heard from several locals that tourism is at record lows. I feel badly for all the people there in that industry who are definitely hurting. But as a traveler, you sure have a different experience without the crowds. Did you find the same thing when you were there?
Steve Brock recently posted…Tourist vs traveler: 25 ways to be a traveler even in touristy places
August 8, 2016
Hey Steve, I’m glad you enjoyed your trip. Yes, I agree about the lack of tourism. I recently came back from Istanbul, another city experiencing record lows for tourism right now. I was surprised to see we were the only ones in the same cafe that was packed two years ago. It certainly is a different experience, but I do hope tourism picks up some for the locals sake.
November 23, 2016
Can’it help but share. Just returned (Sat 19 Nov) and what a whirlwind 10 day trip it was. We went through a local B and B located in Luxor – Mara House. From arrival at Terminal 1 to departure we were taken in as if on a family visit by the most welcoming, passionate, kindly and caring people I think we have ever had the good fortune to meet. Egypt is not for the faint hearted but the true hearted. The people are me with most generous with their time having patience with clumsy Khawaga. They laugh with you and smooth over the inevitable tourist western glitches that you are sure to make. Have a local guide you around their patch. Respect and research the cultural norms, ask questions (they are as keen to learn about what the west might think as you are about things we are fed by western media about Egypt) – the results will likely astound you if you listen with your heart and your eyes.
The sights and sounds are overwhelming and if you compare Egypt to a Westernised nation standards, you will not have a good time. Save your money and don’t bother. Egyptians care deeply about their country and about welcoming tourists. Sure some are a bit dodgy, but these can be avoided with a local guide. Egypt is safe. People will stand in front to defend you if there is even a slight hint of trouble. They don’t want us to have a ‘bad’ opinion of Egypt. Contrary to that we had one of those experiences and I was left with a profound feeling of shame that my ‘advanced western democracy’ couldn’t show the same community and country spirit that teh Egyptians showed as a matter of course.
Bargain hard and learn some basic Arabic. people will be delighted and surprised you have made the effort, so many tourists don’t even bother with the basic and easiest of these, Shukran (thank you). Work to understand your environment and suddenly an entirely different way of looking at life opens up to you. Immerse yourself in it and if you are luck, you will exchange emails with Egyptians keen to open a dialogue with you. These friendships take work, so only do this if you are intending to maintain the friendship. Long distance relationships an work within this modern connected world. Egypt is safe and well worth the visit for those who can overcome their media induced fear. Be free and visit Egypt.
November 28, 2016
Thanks for the comment and advice, Jamie. I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip. I hope to make it back soon!
December 27, 2016
Thanks for your inspiring post about this fabulous destination! 🙂
December 27, 2016
Thanks, Dordaneh.
February 1, 2017
🙂
July 16, 2017
Thanks for the awesome review,
I’ve been organizing private guided tours in Egypt for a long time. I always hear from my guests that they’ve been always interested in visiting Egypt. Some of them are even visiting it for the third and fourth consequent times.
Looking forward to seeing more of your awesome posts,
October 2, 2017
So far, one of the best and most subjective article about Touristic Experience on Egypt. Glad you enjoyed ur time here. Issues which you went through I guess u can face anywhere. But we evaluate our experience on collective value, not one by one. Thank you for the great article. And our pleasure to receive u anytime.
October 2, 2017
Thank you – I had a great trip to Egypt!
October 29, 2017
Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to visit Egypt in November!
October 30, 2017
Enjoy! You’ll have to let me know what you think!
October 31, 2017
I will Karisa.
Looks forward to board the Nile cruise on M/S Al Jamila and sunrise hike in Mount Sinai 😉
Regards, Laura
November 11, 2017
Sounds amazing!
November 3, 2017
Egypt looks ?☄️?To me
December 3, 2017
Oh Karisa,
This is one of the best articles I have read about Egypt, thank you so much for spreading such lovely words about my country, Egypt is a wonderful place and it has layer and layers of history. Pharaonic history, Ptolemy, roman christian and Islamic, so much to see and always the feedback I got from all my friends and tourists that we want to come back again
December 5, 2017
I’m so glad to hear it – thank you!
December 28, 2017
Interesting reasons you have shared here.