Cairo

Coronavirus in Cairo

As much as it pains us to say, now is not the best time to be boarding that plane, boat or train. More and more countries are going into COVID-19 lockdown and closing their borders, which is making it virtually impossible to travel anyway. You can track the current coronavirus right now.

Culture in Cairo

We've written a very extensive guide filled with insightfull comments and handy tips and tricks about all the aspects to travelling in Egypt. We've summarized the most critical things below, but you can discover more information in our detailed guide to Egypt.

Money in Cairo

Currencie(s): Egyptian pound

• 1 Egyptian pound = 0.05 €
• 1 Egyptian pound = 0.06 $
• 1 Egyptian pound = 0.05 £

Corruption: Egypt has a corruption score of 65/100.
If your itinerary runs through Egypt, watch out for muggers and beware of corrupt police officers. According to Transparency International, Egypt scores average on the list of corrupt nations around the world.

Egypt is concidered to be a relatively dangerous country, with a Global Peace Index of 2.52 out of 4.
This report is the only one of its kind that measures how dangerous or safe a nation is based on 23 different indicators, including political terror, deaths from internal conflict, murder rate, and ease of access to small arms and light weapons.

Language in Cairo

Language(s): Arabic
Here are a few basic lines to get you started, however keep in mind: The Arabic language uses an Arabic alphabet, so all the words below are witten in the phonetic pronunciation.

• Yes = Naʻam
• No = Lā
• Thank You = Shukraan lakum
• Hello = Marhabaan
• Do you speak English? = Hal tatakalam allughat al'iinjaliziat?
• Please = Min Fadlik
• Bye = Ma'a Salama
• Excuse Me = aedhirni
• Where is the Bathroom? = 'ayn alhamam(phonetic pronunciation)
• What is your Name? (My Name Is) = ma asmk? (asmy hu)

Food & Drinks in Cairo

4 National dishes: Ful Medames, Kushari, Molokhia & Falafel.

Tap Water: Do not drink. According the the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - USA, Source), you might want to drink bottled water because travellers' diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera are among the illnesses that can be transmitted with bad water.

Drinking age: The minimum age for drinking in Cairo is 18.
On- and off-premise age minimum is 18 for beer/21 for wine and spirits.

Religion in Cairo

Egypt is a religious country. According to the Gallup Poll in 2009 research, 97% of the population thinks religion is important in their daily life. More info about this study can be found here. The religous adherents are Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%. Read this article about the impact of religion on your travel plans.

Sex & Relationships in Cairo

Age of Consent: 18 years.
At the age of 18, an individual is considered mature enough in Egypt to consent to sex. Sexual relations with someone under the Age of Consent are considered statutory rape.

Same-sex marriage (also known as gay marriage) is not legalized in Egypt.

Egypt scores a -7/10 on the 'Gay Travel Index'.
Please note: Certain cities, tourist areas and resorts can sometimes be LGBTQ+ friendly even when the laws in Egypt are very anti-LGBTQ+. In all cases, do your research, check official government data for up-to-date news and if you feel apprehensive consider travelling to a more LGBTQ+ friendly country.

Other practical tips for Cairo

Timezone: UTC+02:00

Driving: Right-hand traffic.

Power adapters and converters: 220 V (50 Hz), Plug C / F

Weather: Currently clear sky, with a temperature between 13.9 and 17°C (57 and 62.6°F)

Pollution (PM2.5 fine dust particles): 87 µg/m3
PM2.5 Fine dust particulates can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung diseases. The smaller the particles the deeper they travel into the lungs, with more potential for harm. Note that the World Health Organisation's guideline value is 20 µg/m3. So be carefull when travelling to Egypt. Make sure you are prepared by reading our article about effective strategies for a healthier trip.

Fly to Cairo

• CAI - Cairo International Airport, 13 Kilometers (8 Miles) from the Cairo city center.
• ALY - El Nouzha Airport, 178 Kilometers (111 Miles) from the Cairo city center.
• HBE - Borg El Arab International Airport, 179 Kilometers (111 Miles) from the Cairo city center.

Map of Cairo

List of interesting places in Cairo