Egypt is the perfect destination for anyone seeking ancient, historic temples and pyramids, dreamy oases in the middle of the dessert, and scuba diving or snorkeling adventures in the beautiful reefs of the Red Sea!! If that’s not enough to get you going then its World Wonder will! Egypt is know for the iconic Great Pyramids of Giza, but really the whole country is an incredibly fascinating masterpiece!! It is full of magic, history, and mummies! Haha!

If you’re ready to start your adventures through Egypt then here is my Egypt Travel Guide and Itinerary that will hopefully guide you and inspire you to visit this country!

Egypt Travel Guide

karnak temple in Luxor, Egypt - Egypt travel guide and itinerary

Egypt Tourist Visa for US Citizens

First’s things first, you’re going to need a visa. You can obtain yours once you arrive to Egypt before going through immigration or you can obtain it online if you want it now – it’s only $25 USD. It’s a fairly easy process so you don’t have to worry much about it.

Women Safety & Hiring a Guide

Next, I want to discuss women safety. Although you’ll meet some of the nicest Egyptians EVER, you will probably also encounter some harassment. For example, my cousin Vanessa and I were constantly begged for money, men insisted that we accept their taxi services (sometimes for 15 minutes straight), men followed us in groups and asked if we could take pictures with them, and so forth.

In retrospect, we were perfectly fine, but as female travelers it was very stressful and exhausting to always feel like we had to be on the lookout for sketchy behavior or dangerous situations. Which is why I suggest that all solo female travelers hire a personal guide or that you invite at least one male companion to join your trip so that you can avoid the stress and harassment all together.

Other than that, Egypt is fairly safe. Of course, it has its issues just like every other country, but it is not nearly as dangerous as the news portrays it to be.

Dress Code

Women in Egypt dress pretty conservatively and I suggest that you do the same during your trip. By doing this, you will show respect to the locals but you will also avoid a lot of unwanted attention. I mainly wore maxi dresses, loose cotton pants, sandals, shawls, and short sleeve shirts. I avoided spaghetti straps, low-cut shirts, and anything above the knee.

Transportation

Transportation in and around Cairo is super easy because they have Uber, so that won’t be a problem! But the smaller cities like Luxor don’t offer Uber yet so you’ll have to take taxis. I suggest you arrange for transportation with your hotel for the best car services available!

Best Time to Visit

Egypt can get very VERY hot during summer, making it difficult to travel and explore comfortably. I would suggest that you visit in the Spring or Fall season. My cousin and I visited in April and although it was still hot, it was bearable and evening temperatures were breezy.

Currency & Typical Costs

The currency exchange is 16.61 Egyptian Pounds for every US dollar, and everything in Egypt is SUPER cheap, which means you don’t need much to visit this extraordinary country.

Just to give you an idea, some of our hotels cost $25-$30 dollars per night – and that’s before my cousin and I split the total (insert tears of joy emoji here)! Food is also extremely affordable, a single meal can be as cheap as $2 USD. Your flight will probably be the most expensive thing during this trip!

Egypt: 4 Day Itinerary

I have to say beforehand, my trip was only 4 days long and that is not nearly enough time to to even scratch the surface of everything that Egypt has to offer. I would recommend an entire week, minimum! Either way, I hope my short itinerary can still help guide you and inspire you.

Day 1 – 2: The Great Pyramids of Giza

My cousin and I arrived in the evening so we decided to take an Uber straight to our hotel. Luckily, our hotel had a rooftop overlooking the pyramids so we enjoyed some dinner and drinks while we watched the pyramids’ light show.

The following day was dedicated entirely to visiting and exploring the Great Pyramids of Giza. We didn’t want our experience to be rushed so we were at the site as long as possible.

cindyycheeks at the Great Pyramids of Giza

Here are some tips for visiting The Great Pyramids of Giza!!

Day 3: Cairo

On our third day we explored Cairo as much as we could! Here are some amazing places to visit and cool things to do:

The Great Pyramids of Giza (obviously)
The Khan El-Khalili souk – one of the oldest open-air markets
The Egyptian Museum – dive deep into the extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts at this museum
Coptic Cairo – a part of Old Cairo that is believed to be visited by Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, and saint Joseph. It also houses some pretty historic constructions; like The Hanging Church and Babylon Fortress.
Nile River Boat Cruise – take a dinner cruise along the iconic Nile River, the largest river in the world!
Cairo Tower – head to the top of Cairo’s Tower for some stunning views from their observation deck
Bab Zuweila – one of the three remaining gates that serves as an entrance to the Old City of Cairo
City of the Dead – ancient and vast cemetery with historic burial sites
Visit some of the most stunning Mosques:
- Mosque of Ibn Tulun
- The Mosque of Muhammed Ali
- Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan
- Al-Azhar Mosque + park
Day trip to Alexandria – this city used to be home to a lighthouse ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today, you can find sandy beaches, more historical landmarks, and a more relaxed vibe.
Day trip to Memphis, Saqqarah and Dashur – towns outside Cairo with more pyramids and historical sites
Day trip to Faiyum Oasis – a desert oasis for a true Egyptian experience

views from Muhammed Ali Mosque - Egypt travel guide and itinerary

Day 4: Luxor

Finally, on our fourth and last day in Egypt, we flew to Luxor! Luxor is a city south of Cairo, home to some of the most astonishing temples in Egypt! We mainly wanted to visit Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple so we pretty much explored those areas all day and then wandered around the city.

karnak temple in Luxor, Egypt - Egypt travel guide and itinerary

Hotels I Stayed At

Giza – Panorama Pyramids Inn: pretty decent hotel with really nice staff and amazing balcony views. Rooms aren’t great but the views make up for it.
Cairo – The Square Boutique Hotel: pretty decent rooms with nice and helpful staff.
Luxor – Aracan Estabe Luxor Hotel: large hotel in Luxor with pool, balcony views, restaurants, and a cafe.
If you plan on booking with Airbnb, please use my code and get a $40 credit for your first stay!

Other Cities to Visit

Like I said, my visit was very short, but I know of other cities in Egypt that look so dreamy and that have been recommended to me by other bloggers. I highly suggest you look into them – here’s a list: