4 days trip to Cairo, Egypt

blueredface

Hi there,

We are planning to visit Cairo, Egypt for 4 nights on way to Dubai with 3 children (Age 8, 6, 4).

I have couple of queries if you could share your recent experience:

• Do Irish need visa for Egypt? If yes, any web link or information I can apply for visa or online visa or this could be done on arrival to Egyptian Airport?
• Would weather during end of March or start April be O.K. for children or whole family (We already had a week time in Dubai in October so quite used to of that hot weather)?
• What is the best/cheaper connection/airline to go to Egypt from Dublin?
• What could be seen the most in 4 days in Cairo?
• Would Egyptian pyramids and / or The Great Sphinx of Giza could be still seen now a days or in March / April?
• Would Cairo be safe to go into downtown, public places etc.?
• Would Public Transport / Taxi / food be cheaper/convenient there?
• Any other tip while booking hotel etc. or any travel tip to see most in that short 4 days

Thanking you with best regards.

suds1984

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/egypt/

Check if your travel insurance covers Egypt. I've a friend that travels to Egypt with work on occasion and she hasn't been in over a year or even longer due to safety concerns

coylemj

I wouldn't spend more than one full day in Cairo, that is enough to see the pyramids and the Cairo Museum (to see King Tut's gold). The air in Cairo is foul, especially in the afternoon as most of the cars are poorly maintained secondhand bangers imported from Europe so they spew out noxious fumes which hang in the air and turn the sky brown by the afternoon. Consider flying down to Luxor and spend a couple of nights in a resort hotel there, do the Karnak Temple 'son et lumiere' show in the evening or go to a Red Sea resort for a couple of days but get the f*** out of Cairo after one day is my advice.

BeeMee_123

I think you pay visa at airport once you get there, if it is the same as Turkey/ tunisia this was €10

Zebra3

coylemj wrote: »

I wouldn't spend more than one full day in Cairo, that is enough to see the pyramids and the Cairo Museum (to see King Tut's gold). The air in Cairo is foul, especially in the afternoon as most of the cars are poorly maintained secondhand bangers imported from Europe so they spew out noxious fumes which hang in the air and turn the sky brown by the afternoon. Consider flying down to Luxor and spend a couple of nights in a resort hotel there, do the Karnak Temple 'son et lumiere' show in the evening or go to a Red Sea resort for a couple of days but get the f*** out of Cairo after one day is my advice.

Can't agree with that enough!

I've done a lot of travelling and it's far and away the biggest kip I've been to. Dangerous for women too.

Visa for Irish passport holders should be available at the airport.

Yamanoto

Either extend your stay in Dubai or better still, tack on somewhere like Oman.

Four days in Cairo with a young family would be very hard going for reasons already outlined by others above.

uck51js9zml2yt

As above. avoid it

towger

Cohen Sparse Chinchilla wrote: »

As above. avoid it

Totally disagree. We went quite a few years ago when our kids were small. They loved it and still remember it.
For sure the security situation has changed since then, and yes the air is dirty,lots of litter etc .... but seriously do not miss the opportunity. Cairo is amazing, hot and tough going, but so so much to see ... we hooked up with a taxi driver who was our personal guide for the few days, he brought us everywhere including to a poor family house in the City of the Dead. We paid him only at the end, nothing paid in advance.
Do not miss this opportunity to visit an amazing city.

VG31

You'd probably be better off visiting somewhere like Jordan which is one of the safest countries in the Middle East. Israel is also another possibility.

Stealthfins

Stay away from it.