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Hey guys, travelling to Egypt soon, had questions about the airport:
1) Foreign currency exchange. Do they have kiosks/booths or customer service centers where I can exchange American dollars for Egyptian Pounds? I have a Visa Debit Card, can they accept that as payment?
2) What is the least expensive, most efficient way to get from the airport to the Pyramids? How much for taxi, bus, shuttle, etc
3) Does the airport accommodate English speakers well enough? Such as signs in English, and English speaking workers. I assume I'll find an English speaking cab driver.
Thats all I got for now. Any suggestions or concerns you think I should consider, feel free to type it. Thank you.
They have exchanges in the airport. Remember that Egyptian Pounds are worthless outside of Egypt, and you'll find that everyone is out of dollars if you try to convert them back, so only do what you need. If you're hitting Khan a Khalili, see what the going rate is for $ and you can probably pay in dollars.
There's lots of cabs. I think every Peugeot 504 Estate has been shipped to Cairo and is currently working as a cab. Travel to Giza is heavily dependent on time of day and traffic.
When we went we arranged a private tour through the doorman, who "knew a guy". Went to Giza, Saqqara and the Red Pyramid over the course of a day. It was really cheap, don't remember specifically, but well under $100, and we had our own driver who took us wherever we wanted.
Any airport (not just Cairo) will have hotel reservation desks in the concourse where the shops are. They will arrange a transport for you to the pyramids, or anywhere else. They might charge a pretty high commission and not know/tell very much about low-budget options, but they'll get you there with safe and reliable transport.. Anybody associated with the tourism industry will speak English, but In Cairo, I wouldn't always bet on then to speak it truthfully. Cab drivers will be the least likely to speak English, but still most will.
There will be plenty of money exchange kiosks in the airport, but just change enough for your first day, and make subsequent exchanges away from the airport. If you are staying for several days, your hotel can steer you to an exchange office, or maybe even exchange for you at the desk. Go online the day before you fly, to see what the official exchange rate is. Count your money carefully in the presence of the exchange clerk. Keep he amount you are exchanging in a separate pocket, so bystanders cannot see where you keep your wad. Cairo is full of thieves of every variety, and worse.
Hey guys, travelling to Egypt soon, had questions about the airport:
1) Foreign currency exchange. Do they have kiosks/booths or customer service centers where I can exchange American dollars for Egyptian Pounds? I have a Visa Debit Card, can they accept that as payment?
2) What is the least expensive, most efficient way to get from the airport to the Pyramids? How much for taxi, bus, shuttle, etc
3) Does the airport accommodate English speakers well enough? Such as signs in English, and English speaking workers. I assume I'll find an English speaking cab driver.
Thats all I got for now. Any suggestions or concerns you think I should consider, feel free to type it. Thank you.
Yes, I have.
1.) Do not do this at the airport, it costs too much. I do recommend getting getting some Egyptian pounds before you get there for the taxi. Then find a BANK ATM and pop in your visa debit card and get Egyptian pounds.
2.) Be prepared to get ripped off. My son had lived in Cairo for 8 months before I came to visit. If they give you a price of $10--it is probably should be more like $2. Haggle, haggle, haggle. It is the name of the game.
3.) Yes there is English speaking people there. I would certainly find arrangements for a cab/transportation before you get there...again be prepared to be ripped off.
Be prepared when you get there---they will come up to you immediately asking where you need to go. Note---they often can speak English--most cannot read it. So if you have an address--good luck having them read it.
Go to Trip Advisor and get some recommendations for transportation BEFORE you get there.
They are wonderful people---but they know you have $$$$$.
I personally don't know how anyone can go there without someone who speaks Arabic and is familiar with the place. I was very lucky to have my son who knew how to get around, how to deal with everything and he speaks fluent Arabic.
Lastly---cars will not stop for you. Good luck crossing the roads! Oh and..lines? orderly? NO--it is all chaotic! Just push yourself through.
It's been a couple years, right before Mubarek fell.
We had everything arranged so I can't answer all your questions, we had a driver meet us, prearranged before we left. I think there is an ATM in the terminal. Taxi's should be cheap but you have lots of scammers - the airport should have a public taxi stand and ONLY use that. In a pinch, they may accept US dollars with an inflated exchange rate, most developing countries love greenbacks. I would not rely nor use a debit card in Egypt, no way. Credit cards are fine for hotels.
English language is, surprisingly, common - Egypt is a tourist destination and they are used to westerners.
Now, some comments here - Egypt otherwise is a very confusing destination for even an experienced traveler. The travel/tourist infrastructure doesn't really work right - things break, power goes out, people don't show up, trains and buses are late, things close for no reason, strikes break out, road blocks occur, you have to know who to bribe (backsheesh) and when and how much to get anything done. It's just confusing. If you are going at it alone, that's great, I respect that. But it ain't like visiting Europe. I usually advocate anyone traveling to just go it alone. Egypt is an exception - I would advise anyone visiting Egypt to have a pre-arranged tour. It's just too confusing. You can also set up a tour in your hotel but it is much more expensive.
But it is an amazing country. Don't spend all your time in Cairo however, it get's a bit overwhelming after a few days. Do you plan to go down to Luxor and Aswan? You should.
Just a warning: all foreigners will be ripped off in Egypt. The hotels officially have higher prices for foreigners.
Those tourist shops sell things 20 times more expensive than fair price.
On the other hand, the inflated prices are still acceptable for most westerners, as long as you can get along with the feeling of being fooled.
They have exchanges in the airport. Remember that Egyptian Pounds are worthless outside of Egypt, and you'll find that everyone is out of dollars if you try to convert them back, so only do what you need. If you're hitting Khan a Khalili, see what the going rate is for $ and you can probably pay in dollars.
There's lots of cabs. I think every Peugeot 504 Estate has been shipped to Cairo and is currently working as a cab. Travel to Giza is heavily dependent on time of day and traffic.
When we went we arranged a private tour through the doorman, who "knew a guy". Went to Giza, Saqqara and the Red Pyramid over the course of a day. It was really cheap, don't remember specifically, but well under $100, and we had our own driver who took us wherever we wanted.
Thanks. You say they have exchanges in the airport. Do they accept visa debit cards, or do I have to have cash on me already?
Also, how did you find your driver? Through a tourist company?
It's been a couple years, right before Mubarek fell.
We had everything arranged so I can't answer all your questions, we had a driver meet us, prearranged before we left. I think there is an ATM in the terminal. Taxi's should be cheap but you have lots of scammers - the airport should have a public taxi stand and ONLY use that. In a pinch, they may accept US dollars with an inflated exchange rate, most developing countries love greenbacks. I would not rely nor use a debit card in Egypt, no way. Credit cards are fine for hotels.
English language is, surprisingly, common - Egypt is a tourist destination and they are used to westerners.
Now, some comments here - Egypt otherwise is a very confusing destination for even an experienced traveler. The travel/tourist infrastructure doesn't really work right - things break, power goes out, people don't show up, trains and buses are late, things close for no reason, strikes break out, road blocks occur, you have to know who to bribe (backsheesh) and when and how much to get anything done. It's just confusing. If you are going at it alone, that's great, I respect that. But it ain't like visiting Europe. I usually advocate anyone traveling to just go it alone. Egypt is an exception - I would advise anyone visiting Egypt to have a pre-arranged tour. It's just too confusing. You can also set up a tour in your hotel but it is much more expensive.
But it is an amazing country. Don't spend all your time in Cairo however, it get's a bit overwhelming after a few days. Do you plan to go down to Luxor and Aswan? You should.
Not necessarily planning to go down to Luxor or Aswan. I just wanted to see the Giza complex and tour Cairo. I got 5-6 days to spend in the country.
1.) Do not do this at the airport, it costs too much. I do recommend getting getting some Egyptian pounds before you get there for the taxi. Then find a BANK ATM and pop in your visa debit card and get Egyptian pounds.
2.) Be prepared to get ripped off. My son had lived in Cairo for 8 months before I came to visit. If they give you a price of $10--it is probably should be more like $2. Haggle, haggle, haggle. It is the name of the game.
3.) Yes there is English speaking people there. I would certainly find arrangements for a cab/transportation before you get there...again be prepared to be ripped off.
Be prepared when you get there---they will come up to you immediately asking where you need to go. Note---they often can speak English--most cannot read it. So if you have an address--good luck having them read it.
Go to Trip Advisor and get some recommendations for transportation BEFORE you get there.
They are wonderful people---but they know you have $$$$$.
I personally don't know how anyone can go there without someone who speaks Arabic and is familiar with the place. I was very lucky to have my son who knew how to get around, how to deal with everything and he speaks fluent Arabic.
Lastly---cars will not stop for you. Good luck crossing the roads! Oh and..lines? orderly? NO--it is all chaotic! Just push yourself through.
Thanks. I don't mind paying $10 for a single cab ride, even though in that country the going rate may be $2. Coming from America $10 is cheap to me, even though it may be alot to a cab driver in Egypt.
I would assume coming through an airport exchange rate fees would be higher. Do you know how much higher?
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