Egypt holidays

Cairo deserves at least 3 nights to do justice. The Pyramids of Giza are best at sunrise (before the heat and the tour groups) or sunset (the colours on the limestone become apricot). The Grand Egyptian Museum is now the must-see — three years of staggered openings ended in 2024, and the Tutankhamun gallery alone holds more than 5,000 objects from the 1922 Howard Carter discovery, including the iconic gold death mask. The Old Cairo Coptic Christian quarter holds the Hanging Church, the Coptic Museum, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. The Khan el-Khalili souq is genuinely atmospheric despite its tourist trade — the El Fishawy cafe has been serving mint tea since 1773.

Beyond the headline Nile route, Egypt offers genuinely under-discovered destinations. The Western Desert oases — Siwa (a Berber-language oasis near the Libyan border, with the Oracle of Amun temple Alexander the Great consulted, the salt-pan Cleopatra's Bath swimming hole, and the Adrère Amellal eco-lodge of beaten-mud construction), Bahariya, Farafra (the White Desert's chalk formations), and Dakhla — make for a 5-7 day desert circuit. The Sinai Peninsula combines Red Sea diving at Dahab's Blue Hole with the climb up Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa) for sunrise at the summit and a visit to St Catherine's Monastery (sixth-century, UNESCO, home to a Burning Bush bush that's claimed to be original).

Red Sea diving from Hurghada, El Gouna, Marsa Alam or Sharm El Sheikh is world-class — the Strait of Tiran wrecks, the Brothers Islands, Daedalus Reef, and the Thistlegorm WWII wreck dive are headliners. The Egyptian Red Sea has reefs with abundant pelagic fish, sea turtles, dolphins and even hammerhead sharks at the southern Brothers and Elphinstone. PADI courses are widely available, and many cruise-itinerary operators add Red Sea liveaboards as Egypt-extension trips.

UK travellers need a visa — apply online ($25 e-Visa via the official Egyptian government site, processing 5-7 days) or visa-on-arrival at Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm airports ($25 USD cash). Arabic is the cultural language; English is widely spoken in tourism — guides are essential for Egyptology context and are typically Egyptology graduates with serious depth. Tipping (baksheesh) is woven into daily life — small notes for porters, drivers, mosque caretakers, and at restaurants 10% beyond service charge. Modest dress for women at religious sites (cover shoulders and knees). The Egyptian Pound (EGP) has been volatile recently; carry USD or Euros for major payments.

Best for: history-and-archaeology travellers (Egypt holds more major sites than any single country on earth), Nile cruise travellers, divers (Red Sea diving rivals the Maldives or Indonesia), photographers, families with older children (the Pyramids and Nile cruise work for ages 10+ with a good guide). November-March is the prime window — pleasant temperatures, low rain risk. April-May and October are shoulder. June-September brings 40°C+ in Aswan and the south, manageable only with strict early-morning and late-afternoon scheduling.