You’ve arrived to Egypt! What now?

Taxi travel

From the airport you can get a government taxi for aprox 80 le. At the end of the trip you can give the driver 10-20le tips. When you are using taxis in Cairo, note that taxis pulling up to and waiting for passengers right in front of the hotel are usually more expensive so go to the street outside the hotel to catch a black and white cab. Name your destination. You can fix a price, but if so be prepared to haggle a bit. Or you can jump in and when alighting, simply give the cab money as though you were a local! It is aprox 5 le for a trip in the same suburb, 10le for 2 suburbs, 15 le for 3 suburbs, 20le for a trip of 30 min to 30-40 le an hour respectively.

Good Inexpensive Communications - Did you know that your laptop can be very a handy thing in Egypt?

Avoid expensive hotel business centres for emails, try to source a local net café as soon as possible, or better still bring a laptop as Egypt is extremely “wireless” these days with many great coffee houses and cafes offering free internet. A laptop can be great for instantly downloading photos or keeping a blog! And don’t forget Skype for friends and family “live” from great locations in Egypt – where they can see you talking right in front of some of the most amazing monuments!

Save on phone bills with an Egyptian sim

Leave your sim card at home in an old phone, with someone who can take calls. Get an Egyptian sim card in Cairo (they are cheap) plus some credit. You'll feel safer - store all Egyptian contacts on this phone. To sms overseas from Egypt cost local prices.