Is it Safe to travel to Egypt on your holiday?

You often hear that question "is it safe to visit Egypt?" if the thought of going to Egypt for a vacation. People always ask you why would you choose to spend your holiday in Egypt with all the fuss about terrorist attacks aimed at foreigners in Egypt. Actually Egypt is a lot safer than many places in the world, even safer than many of its neighboring countries like Israel for example. It’s a fact that some incidents happened in the past but that was years ago and security measures were taken to prevent such incidents from happening in future and indeed they were successful.

a photo of a street in Luxor Egypt

What makes you feel safe in Egypt?

I will tell you why you should get those worries out of your head when you plan to come to Egypt. Egyptians are very friendly to foreign people, they like to talk to them, invite them to a cup of tea or a shisha, offer them help when they seem lost and always salutes you when you go any place saying “welcome” which will be the most heard word you when you are walking in the streets in Cairo or any other city in Egypt. Although Egyptians are not fluent in English or any other foreign language, they will always try to find the words to talk to you. Don’ be afraid of being lost, you will find someone who will guide you to the place you are heading.

Is it safe to walk carrying a lot of money in Egypt?

I would say it’s as safe as any other place where you go. You will not be robbed but you should always put your wallet in a buttoned pocket or try to minimize the amount of money you carry. It will depend of course on the what you plan to do, for example if you go for a souvenir, a small statue might cost between $2 and $5, papyrus vary in price according to quality, you could buy one for less than $1 while other types may amount to $5, it also depends on the size as well. The bottom line is carry only the amount you see fit for your purpose. The reason for this is obvious, if you lose money, try to lose only what you can afford.

Is it safe to drink water in Egypt?

Tape water is quite safe as it’s well treated before it’s pumped in pipes but you could drink bottled water if you prefer a healthier body. Bottled water or mineral water in Egypt is quite cheap, a 1.5 liter bottle would cost around 2 Egyptian pounds, which converts to around USD 0.35

Is it safe to eat Egyptian food?

Safe as long as you eat from a good restaurant, and by good I mean a nice, clean restaurant you could easily recognize, you might also ask at the hotel for a restaurant that fits your budget. Restaurants in Egypt are checked by the health authorities regularly for complying with Egyptian health rule and are issued a certificate to be able to serve food. There are well known food chains in Egypt like Abu Shakra, Hosny and Balbaa for meat and fish food, Gad, Abu Rabea and Muhammaad Ahmed for cheaper Egyptian food and there are also fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC. You will have a lot of choices to eat what’s best for your appetite when you come to Egypt.

A few tips you could use when you are in Egypt:
• Don’t go around stuffing your pockets with much more money than you need. I am not saying you will be robbed, but take the risk of losing cash unnecessarily?
• Look both ways when you cross the street, drivers have a crush on speed.
• Better ask about taxi fare at the hotel before you go anywhere as taxi drivers do not use a meter in their cabs, they usually follow their sense in estimating their fare. You could hire a car and have it all day long.
• When you are shopping for souvenirs, go by yourself, don’t take a guide with you and browse around several shops before you buy to get the best price and see more stuff that might not be available in other shops. It’s a good advice not to buy from the hotel souvenir shop as prices there are usually higher than other shops in the street.
• If you are going to ride a camel you can haggle the price before you do and pay in Egyptian money as it’s cheaper this way.
• Always take your camera with you when you go anywhere, you will surely find something interesting to shoot in Egypt.