Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Dear Di,

Firstly let me assure you that you will be fine travelling solo. If you are very nervous then you may feel safer with a guide. If this is the case, for your own peace of mind, book a guide for those days.

Once you have been in Egypt for a few days you will realise just how safe you feel & you may even become alittle more adventurous & set out on your own somewhere.

The first time I travelled to Egypt was the fisrt overseas trip I had ever taken.....& I was on my own. So don't let this cause you any grief, you will pal up with your group members & have a wonderful time. There is plenty of time were you can join in with the group & other times when you can do your own thing.

Have a wondrful holiday Di, wish I could join you . If I can help in any other way, just drop me a line.

All the best........Debbie.

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Debbie

Thanks for the comments. Quite honestly, I wasn't overly concern until a "friend" began scaring me with his travel stories. Considering the current situation in the Middle East, I just wanted to hear from other solo women travellers.

So it shouldn't be a problem exploring Cairo & Alexandria on foot?

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Di,

I agree completely with Debbie - I wandered round Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada on my own, and had no problems. You will get attention and probably get more offers of help/taxi rides/papyrus for sale than you really could use, but in my experience it was all completely friendly and good natured, and I never had any problems.

Debbie's idea of a guide is a good one - particularly for your first day while you're finding your feet and working out where you are and what things should cost, or at least get the hotel to help you negotiate for a taxi driver to take you around for the day.

Have a great time!

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Melissa!,

Great to hear from you again. Planning any exciting holiday's soon?

Hello Di,

Honestly I felt safer walking alone on the busy streets of Cairo late at night than when I had to stand on a busy Sydney street, waiting for a taxi after my neices wedding. Give me Cairo anyday!!

You will always be approached by taxi drivers & street vendors. They are only interetsed in selling you something. Just say "La" which means no or "la shukran" which means no thank you. If you are really being pestered say "ma salama" which is goodbye.

Always haggle prices when shopping, (except food goods.)I found that if you showed no interest in an item the price just dropped like magic. So try to show appear as though you don't really want the item & when you have come to a price you feel is fair than accept. You will often be offered a cup of tea when shopping.

Buy bottled water from the street vendors as it's cheaper than the Hotels, just check the seals are intact. Always carry water with you. If you are travelling on the oevrnight sleeper train don't use the water on board (not even to clean your teeth). Take plenty of bottled water with you. This may seem alittle over the top, but you don't know where the water came from or how long it's been in the tanks. So err on the side of caution.

If you book a taxi at the front desk, aggree on where you are going & price & the drive will wait for you whilst you are looking at the sites & will return you back to the Hotel. You don't pay until you are dropped back at the Hotel. This is a really good way of getting to see those places that interest you & you know how much it will cost before you go....you just have to carry some extra money for the entrance fees, any nick nacks you may buy & some food & drinks along the way.

Carrying a card with the Hotels name, address & phone number in both arabic & english is also a good idea. Be prepared for the Egyptian style of driving!! Weaving in & out of lanes with the car horns honking away. Some even punctuate sentences with their car horns.....just hilarious!!

Taxi drivers always have a cousin or brother or someone who owns a perfume or papyrus or whatever factory. Again they are only trying to sell you something!!

I would suggest you purchase a copy of the "Lonely Planet" Egypt edition & read up. This will give you an idea of sites to visit & other items of interest such as food etc.

Have a wonderful time. I'll be thinking of you!!.....Debbie.

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

I spent just under two days in Alex - most of it on my own.
It depends where you hotel is, but Alex is too big to do all the things you want to do on foot.
I did walk a lot - but the distances are pretty great between some locations.
However, you can walk between the Library, the Museum and the Fort - but that will take up the day just with those three sites and the walking.
If you have plenty of time, strolling along the corniche is wonderful - no one pestering you except the odd taxi honking to see if you want a ride.
You should try and see the following:
Library (totally awesome I spent hours there)
The Fort (cool and can do in 1.5 hours)
Museum (super cool - can take camera just no flashes and the items there are incredible - I got some FANTASTIC shots - my favourite is an extreme close up of Akenaton's face)
Villa of the Birds (45mins max)
Catacombs (45mins or so if you really take your time and read everything in your guide book while you are down there)
Pompie's pillar - 15mins and a little sad when you consider what used to be there

The library and the catacombs are the only two places you can't take your camera so you might want to plan them together - but you can always check them and pick them up after because some of the external shots of the library are amazing.

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hey Di!,

16 days to go....but who's counting???......bet you are!! Have a wonderful time, wish I could join you.

All the best.....Debbie.

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Debbie, Melissa & Tae

I can't believe I'll be leaving in a week. I'm still rushing to get ready for my trip.

I'm trying to figure out how much money/cash to bring. Could you give me an idea how much taxi rides cost? I've got a basic idea about the cost of food & entry fees. And the trams in Alexandria are pretty cheap. I know most places don't take credit cards & there aren't many instant teller/bank machines around. I hate to be caught short.

Any suggestions for my 12 days in Egypt?

Thanks.

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Di.
To play it safe, I had

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Di,

Have a great trip! I second Nicky's daily budget, that was about what we got through (we spent more in Hurghada, but that was mainly at the bar!). I had no problems finding cash machines though - they seemed to be easily available, and I just made sure I stocked up when I came across one, and kept the USD I had on me just in case (in the end I didn't use it at all, and changed it at the airport when I got back..)!

Cheers,

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hello Di,

i have to agree with both Melisssa & Nicky that around 200 LE per day would be a fair enough budget.

But remember to consider options like buying bottled water from the street vendors rather than from the Hotels.....much cheaper!, just check that seals are intact. Things like that can save fairly large amounts overall.

Take tissues with you for toilet stops as you are charged extra for toilet paper. Try to have on hand lots of small notes, such as 1 LE or 50 piastre notes for toilet visits. Also take wetwipes or the like for use after handling money....it can be very smelly!!

Always haggle like the devil before buying items!! They will enjoy it as much as you! You will often be offered a cup of tea during the haggling process. If you accept do not feel obliged to buy....it's all part of the fun.

I have used my creditcard at a large Hotel in Cairo & have used ATM in Cairo. When I was there last in '04 there appeared to be lots more ATM's available as compared to 1999.

Have a wonderful time, look forward to seeing your pics when you arrive back home.

Kind regards.....Debbie.

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hi Everyone.

Which currency is more widely accepted in Egypt, US dollars or British pounds? I was planning to bring both. USD for Egypt & GBP for my London stopover. But if GBP is just as common in Egypt, I'll won't bother getting USD. It'll be one less thing to worry about.

Thanks again, Di

Re: Alone in Cairo & Alexandria

Hello Di,

I took all my money in US$ travellers cheques. Plus I exchanged some aussie $ at the airport here in OZ just prior to leaving so that I had some egyptian money on me upon arrival. I also exchanged aussie money for local in Dubai Singapore, etc & in Egypt. I found it very easy to exchange travelers cheques in Cairo, just ensure you have your passport with you & the receipts.

I can't comment on GBP, sorry.

To answer an earlier question you posted, taxi are very cheap BUT alot of drivers will try to rip you off. So it's best to organise a taxi through the front desk of your Hotel. To travel from Khan El Kalili to the Salma should only cost between 10 to 20 LE. I'm not certain if you are staying at the Salma, this is just an example.

Hope you have a wonderful time, you know I love to be there . Think of me when you are at the pyramids & on the glorious Nile at Aswan. Part of me is always there

All the best..........Debbie.