The city is not usually my preferred habitat. I would much rather spend my time exploring the outdoors. So I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed the Egyptian capital. It certainly is full on and exhausting.
But the sheer variety of history and culture in every neighbourhood makes for a really fascinating start or end to your Egyptian adventures. All of this is very dependent on the infamous Cairo traffic⦠The easiest way to get from the airport to anywhere in the city is Uber.
You can apply for a visa from the official Visa2Egypt portal or at your nearest Egyptian Consulate. Tourist visas granted using the e-visa system are valid for a maximum of 3 months. If you wish to get a visa on arrival, you can do so at approved bank kiosks within airport arrival halls, before reaching immigration counters. Visas granted on arrival are valid for a maximum of 30 days. Do not stick the visa into your passport yourself; the immigration official will do this at the desk when they stamp your passport.
No matter how confident you think you might be driving, do not try to drive in Cairo. I have lived, travelled and driven in some places with some fairly terrifying road systems. But nowhere, absolutely nowhere, has come close to Cairo. The traffic and utter chaos or at least as it appears to an outsider is unmatched! Taxis are the easiest way to get around Cairo. Uber is widespread, easy to use and offers the best value.
Prices depend on the number of stops. The metro is open from 5am to 1am every day of the week, and there are cars on every train reserved for women. There are plans to open a line that connects all the way to Giza, but that has yet to come to fruition. I tend to prefer independent exploration, over guided sightseeing. But in Cairo β and the entire of Egypt! I therefore recommend a mixture of days with a guide, and days exploring independently. He was fantastic at helping us make the most of our time in Cairo, and was staggeringly knowledgeable about all things Egypt.
