Destinations
The benefits of Egypt are known to everyone: a quality beach holiday all year round on the Mediterranean and Red Seas, diluted with excellent diving, plus a variety of excursion programs: the pyramids, the Sphinx and Luxor. Everything about Egypt is from Hurghada to Sharma.
Guess why Egypt looks like a Christmas tree? Right! It is also one color in winter and summer – the color of the turquoise sea, the bright underwater life and the motley crowd of tourists. A great number of our vacationers are accustomed to consider Egypt a year-round second cottage house, where you can escape for the weekend to sunbathe and dive. Historic sightseeing tours complete: Pyramids and Luxor are daily crowded with travelers who want to touch eternity. Well, about divers and nothing to say: there are three dozen here for each reef.
In Egypt, there are hotels of all known world chains. However, the “chain prefix” in front of the hotel name does not guarantee quality service. The general approach is this: if you do not need a budget tour at all, nothing below the four-star hotel should not be taken. There are decent 3* in the country but unproven options are better not to choose. 2* in Egypt? Forget immediately and forever. Instead, always remember that the all-inclusive system at different hotels can be quite radical: check all the details!
Many hotels in Egypt have their own “home reef”: corals near the beach where you can see the fishes.
In Sharm el-Sheikh, the area around hotels is usually larger than in Hurghada, and the establishments themselves are newer, including the resort. In Hurghada, there are noticeably more 3 * hotels than in Sharm, and they are often located on the first line of the beach, whereas in Sharm, the “three” are generally located on the second line, at different distances from the sea (500-600 m).
Makadi Bay and El Gouna are “mini-cities” with few hotels. Soma Bay, El Quseir and Marsa Alam are young resorts that are now rebuilding at a rapid pace. The level of service at their hotels is also very different, but still closer to European than in Hurghada.
Keep in mind: an officially declared hotel category is often untrue and downgraded. This applies primarily to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
The cost of accommodation varies greatly – in 4* and 5*” can be numbers from 100 to 500 USD per night for two. It all depends on the brand and package of services.
In Egyptian cuisine, everything goes well: traditional Middle Eastern lambs, spices and couscous traits, and anything that has the nonsense to swim into the nets of local fishermen, from fish to cuttlefish. In this case, the Egyptians emphasize the aroma, not the severity of the dishes: generously use aromatic herbs, but hot peppers – only occasionally, to slightly offset the taste. National meat dishes are a variety of couscous and stews, with vegetables it is worth trying falafel, “koshari” (rice, Turkish peas, pasta, tomato sauce) and classic “ful medames” – stewed beans with olive oil, onion and garlic.
Be sure to try the roasted pigeon stuffed with porridge. Pigeons in Egypt are specially bred for gastronomic purposes.
The choice of catering in Egypt is the widest: from inexpensive eateries on city streets to high-end restaurants.
Drinks should be ordered without ice, as it is often made from ordinary tap water.
Materials are from the site: tonkosti.ru
There are currently no direct scheduled flights from Kiev to Cairo. But you can buy cheap flights with transfer in Europe: Istanbul, Athens, Vienna, Munich, Rome. The average flight duration will be from 5 to 8 hours or more, taking into account the transplant. From cities of Ukraine it is possible to get flights to Egypt only for connecting flights in Kiev or, for example, in Istanbul.
There are several major airports in Egypt: Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Tabi. The largest airport is in Cairo. It is considered the gateway to Africa, the second congestion on the continent and is the home port for Egypt Air. The Egyptian carrier sells cheap flights on domestic flights to the country, and is also the most convenient for traveling to Europe, Africa and Asia.
In Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are “touristic” airports that take hundreds of charter flights and serve from 7 to 10 million tourists every year.
The easiest way to get to Egypt is to get on a charter plane from any city of Ukraine to any resort city of Egypt.
It is convenient to travel between cities of Egypt by bus, train and plane. Tourists often choose buses simply because they are more economical. But if you need to get from the capital to any resort of the Sinai Peninsula, it is better to use the domestic flight. EgyptAir has something like a monopoly on domestic flights, so it’s better to look for tickets on the company’s website. The cost of a flight from Sharm to Luxor and back in one day (which is usually enough) is about 170 USD. Price is highly dependent on the season, it is quite possible to catch a one way flight and for 35 USD.
You can also travel around the country by train (and even with some comfort), but for safety reasons, only the most popular routes should be chosen. In particular, the Alexandria – Cairo – Luxor – Aswan branch and back, as well as from Cairo to Mersa Matruh. Other routes to Suez and the Libyan border are “folk”, to say the least, exotic. People travel lying on luggage racks or riding on rooftops and locomotives.
Foreigners in such a train may not be allowed, however, to understand the timetable in Arabic is almost unrealistic.
In Egypt, there are two types of intercity buses – baladis and tourist. The last ones, of course, more comfortable and safe, though on ordinary municipal buses that go long distances are not bad, too. Their specific drawback is poor timing. Therefore, it is better to use special tourist transport, for good, there are a large selection of carriers in the country, the largest – Super Jet Buses, Upper Egypt Buses and East Delta Buses. Fare from Cairo to Sharm is around EGP 100.
Urban transport in the main resorts is not very different: it is represented by the local equivalent of minibuses and taxis. The shuttle minibuses run in the central part of the resorts along the coast. Fare – about 2-3 EGP per person in one direction depending on distance.
Taxis at the resorts can be rented for EGP 15-30 per day and EGP 20-40 per night (in Cairo – a bit cheaper). It is always necessary to agree in advance with the driver on the amount.
Do not rent a car in Egypt: most local drivers have the furthest understanding of the rules of conduct on the road. This is especially true of Cairo.
Giza (4.69km)
Shubrā al Khaymah (9.09km)
Tanta (85.79km)
Al Fayyum (90.18km)
Egyptian pound, £
ISR, LBY, PSE, SDN
27.73 EG£
60 EG£
+20
