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2 Petrol Buildings, Ahmad Orabi St. Mohandeseen
Zip 12411- Cairo, Egypt.
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vesitors online now
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Language:
Arabic is the official language of Egypt. However, tourists will rarely find a problem communicating, as the most common foreign languages spoken by Egyptians are English with French as a close second, followed by German and Italian. |
 Worship:
Egypt is known to be the cradle of civilization and the beacon of religion. It hosts some of the oldest synagogues, churches and mosques.
Sunday & Saturday Liturgies are practiced at the different Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Advantest churches that are to be found all over Egypt. Also active Synagogues are to be found in both Cairo and Alexandria. |
Currency: 
The Egyptian pound is divided to 100 piasters. The Pound note denominations are: 200 - 100 - 50 - 20 – 10 – 5 – 1. & Piaster notes are 50 – 25.
For your guidance on rate exchange, please refer to any of the officially stated rates of exchange at any bank or exchange office. |
 Health:
Yellow fever vaccination is required if arriving within 6 days after leaving or transiting infected areas. Exempted are children under one year, and transit passengers not leaving the airport who will continue with the same aircraft. |
Tipping: 
The principal is that "baksheesh" must be justified by some help or service rendered. It is advisable to keep a good supply of small change. In hotels and restaurants, it is usual to give between 10-12% of the bill. Porters and taxi/bus drivers also expect a "baksheesh". |
 Time:
Egypt is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and three hours of summer time, which is from last Thursday in April, to last Thursday in September.
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Electricity:
Electrical current throughout Egypt is 220 Volts, 50 Hz.. Sockets take the standard continental European round-pronged plug. Plug adaptors and current converters, are usually available at major hotels. |
Passport and visa:
Most nationalities are granted visa upon arrival to Cairo Airport, few need to apply for visa before arriving to Egypt. Immigration Authorities at port of entry will grant entry visas. For up-to-date information, it is essential that enquiries be made with Egyptian Consulates prior to travel. Passports should be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Egypt. Registration with the police must be done within 7 days of arrival, and not needed if the stay is less than 7 days. Hotels provide this service automatically. |
Customs:
Free foreign currency is allowed in and out of the country. A declaration from must be completed if objects of value such as jewelry, video cameras, etc. are imported. |
 Clothing:
In summer, light cotton garments and in winter woolens are advised. In the evenings, a sweater and an overcoat may be needed. Generally avoid very brief clothing, as the norm is semi-conservative attire. In all seasons, light walking shoes and a hat are essential. Handy items include: sunglasses, sun oil, a pocket torch and binoculars and of course cameras. |
Other valuable tips
Those who wear contact lenses should bring glasses as the fine dust in some areas can cause irritation and damage the lenses.
Protect cameras' lenses with plastic caps and use high-speed films as flash photography is prohibited in many temples.
In all seasons bring an adequate supply of sun protection creams. |
 Business hours:
Banks are closed on Fridays and Saturdays, and are open during the rest of the days from 8.30 am to 2.00 pm. Most embassies are closed on Fridays and Saturdays except some, on Saturdays and Sundays. Shops are generally open from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm and closed on Sundays. |
 Publications:
Egypt has multilingual publications published in Arabic, English and French. Among the English publications are "Al-Ahram Weekly" and "The Egyptian Gazette" while the French publications include "Al-Ahram Hebdo" as well as "Le Progres Egyptien". |
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