To book a holiday to Egypt (Cairo)

[Naturenurture]

Just that really… govt advisory’s are mixed for different countries. Travelling with 10 and 7 year olds. Would you go?

I've had two recent (within last five years) holidays in Egypt and both were brilliant. One in Sharm El Sheikh, one in Hurghada. Both in five star hotels that felt more like four star, however, the food was fantastic, zero hassle on the beaches and resorts, great excursions, and no dodgy tummies. I would absolutely go back.

Yes we went with our child last year and it was fine but we read up on the common scams and only stayed in and ate at the best hotels (apart from the one koshari we had).

What do you want to do there though? Now the GEM is open, I don't think you really need to go to Cairo.

You'd be better off staying at Mena House in Giza then flying to Luxor and spending time seeing stuff there.

People who have been on Red Sea holidays won't understand the realities of Cairo btw so that advice won't really help.

I wouldn’t no. Were a diving family and whilst I did some excellent diving there 10yrs or so ago, the number of shark attacks they’ve had there over the last 5yrs or so I could never get in the sea there now. Especially not with my kids.

We loved Egypt and I would happily go again, but we're pretty well travelled so very used to going places where they hassle tourists etc. I didn't think it was more than many other places, and we found that a few choice phrases in Arabic very quickly shut down any unwanted conversations.

We had no problems with the food either, but we're vegetarian so that probably reduces the risk significantly. We're also mindful about what we eat, careful with water, ice, salads etc.

We really enjoyed our visit. It was very hot though, especially in Luxor...I would pick a slightly cooler time of year if I was going again.

We loved Egypt and I would happily go again, but we're pretty well travelled so very used to going places where they hassle tourists etc. I didn't think it was more than many other places, and we found that a few choice phrases in Arabic very quickly shut down any unwanted conversations.

We had no problems with the food either, but we're vegetarian so that probably reduces the risk significantly. We're also mindful about what we eat, careful with water, ice, salads etc.

We really enjoyed our visit. It was very hot though, especially in Luxor...I would pick a slightly cooler time of year if I was going again.

Oops, apologies for the double post.

Just got back from Cairo last week. All is fine. It's a massive city full of 20 million people. Just go and have a nice time.
All the airlines are still flying there, nothing is unsafe or dangerous. 🙄

I've just double checked, Cairo is a "green" area for travel according to the UK government advice - there is no advice against travelling there. Exactly the same as when we went. There are areas of Egypt were advised not to go to, but Cairo isn't one.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt

I'm amazed to hear pps talking so negatively about the city, there were so many amazing things to see.

Obviously the pyramids and the Egyptian museum, but also the Coptic quarter, the Mosques, the markets - absolutely loads!

Only once we've been to Egypt (pre dc) and I loved it...for the 9 days out of 14 I wasn't throwing my guts up. The most horrendous, painful food/water poisoning ever and everyone in our group was hit - even though we were scrupulously careful and in a 5* resort with glowing reviews.

I might try it again with a group of adults and keep fingers crossed but I'd never go there with dc.

I wouldn't hesitate to go to Cairo and at that age, your children will love it. Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan are wonderful cities and we've always felt really safe each time we've been. So safe that my daughter lived in Cairo on her own for two years in her mid 20s. Yes you get hassled when you're out, but I've never found it at all intimidating - if you're polite, firm, and not rude, people are fine. As far as upset stomachs are concerned, in six holiday trips and my daughter living in Cairo for two years, my husband and I have never had an upset stomach and my daughter only had one bout of diarrhoea on our first visit. We've always been really meticulous about using antibacterial gel EVERY time we touch any money, as well as the usual sensible precautions like avoiding salads, no ice in drinks unless it's made from bottled water, and making sure that bottles of water are sealed when we buy them. I was always told that money, especially notes, tends to be crawling in bacteria, and when you see most Egyptian notes, I can understand why!

I don't think you will ever see anything very much more memorable than the pyramids or Tutankhamen's gold mask, and your children will love going inside one of the big pyramids.

I wouldn't, not with my kids. I didn't particularly enjoy Cairo the first time, and definitely wouldn't go now. The region is too unstable, and Egypt with the only open Gaza border is directly involved. It's not like Israel hasn't bombed the shit out of them before.

If your 10yo is a girl I'd be worried about sexual harassment too. I lost count of the times I was groped, even when I had a baby strapped to my front.

Cairo is an absolute shit hole. Yes pyramids blah blah but otherwise it's a really dirty, hot place with men who think nothing of groping you, no matter your age.

10 and 7 are the perfect ages for your kids to be kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery, regardless if they’re boys or girls. Have you seen these videos of kidnappers grabbing kids who are 2 feet away from their parents? I would not bring a 7 and 10 year old to Egypt. You might never see them again. Go to New Zealand.

Cairo is absolutely safe to go! So many scaremongers who have probably never been to Egypt themselves! If you are worried, I recommend doing a private tour which we did a couple of years ago - we had our own driver, car and guide for the 10 days we were in Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan) and the private tour company arranged everything, escorting us everywhere and made sure we were safe (even providing a local mobile phone)! I highly recommend it!

We loved Egypt and the private tour really enhanced our experience with the detailed explanations (we had no harassment what so ever with our guide always with us and even helping us bargain) and it wasn’t that expensive actually. We dressed modestly and didn’t experience any groping or issues

In all of our trips, my daughter and I have never ever been groped. I think she was 11 or 12 the first time we went and yes, we did get a lot of comments, and some light hearted banter with people offering various numbers of camels for her, but it really was very light hearted and was not serious. I've never met anyone who has actually been groped in Egypt, and have only read scare stories on the internet. I think it's really important to dress modestly with loose fitting clothes, and keep legs, shoulders, and tummies covered when you're outside your hotel. Egyptian people are some of the kindest and warmest I've ever met.

As for suggestions that people's children are kidnapped into sexual slavery, I would be very interested to see a link to any instance that this has happened to a British family, or tourists of any other nationality because I don't believe it's something that wouldn't make front page news here.

Every time we've been to Luxor, I've felt safe enough to walk round the backstreets late at night, whereas I wouldn't walk to the local shops 200m down my road in south London after dark. My daughter says exactly the same about the two years she lived alone in Cairo.

I wouldn’t travel as a woman on my own to Egypt. I went with DH and our DS a few years ago on a guided Nile cruise and 3 days in Cairo. One day DH was unwell (dodgy stomach), even as part of a tour group with DS, without DH there I was groped a couple of times in full view of others whilst visiting a couple of temples.

Also threatened by a soldier whilst passing through locks on Nile - he waived his gun at us from the river side, I was on balcony of boat smoking and he wanted me to throw a packet of cigarettes down to him. Also amount of severe poverty on the streets is very distressing for DC to see. One of our tour group (male) was mugged by a soldier/guard at the pyramids, when our tour guide intervened and reported to the person in charge of said guard, the thieving soldier was beaten up in full view of us (as an example).

I had a badly infected finger on part of the trip, our tour guide was reluctant to allow me to visit a hospital/doctor - said I wouldn’t be safe. He arranged for a doctor to visit us on the boat and said my DH must stay with me whilst he examined my finger.

A very eventful 7 days, it’s a scary foul place, with fascinating history!

As the last two replies have implied otherwise I'd like to add that I was very modestly dressed (accompanied by a large husband and a tiny baby) and was still relentlessly touched and harassed in Cairo. It was not jokey. I was living in the region and speaking enough Arabic to tell them to go away did not help. I resent the implication that I could have done something to prevent it or that I'm participating in a scare campaign.

"I went there once and I'm OK = it's a safe place" is terrible logic up there with not putting your kids in a car seat because you got away with it in the 70s.

And yes I was modestly dressed too. Our guide said that having blonde hair made me a more obvious target!

I'm certainly not someone who's been there once - we've had six holidays to Egypt, staying mostly in Luxor, but travelling to Cairo, Aswan, and Abu Simbel on our own, and as I've already said, our daughter lived in Cairo on her own for two years. It's a wonderful country. The only thing that we haven't ever considered doing in Egypt is hiring a car, partly because of the state of the roads and cars, and also because taxis are so cheap.

If you stay in a five star resort - a proper one, not one that’s just advertised as such - you will not get food poisoning or hassled. The Four Seasons in Sharm for example, simply would not allow their staff to hassle or scam guests. Ditto for food poisoning. You can be extra cautious - some of the adults we went with didn’t have ice in drinks or eat salad as that could be washed in water. Nobody in our party got ill, and we went with children, who aren’t known for great hand hygiene!

Do a day trip to Cairo if you want to see it, but no way would I stay there for a holiday. Agree with the poster who called it a shit hole!

I've been to Egypt twice. Once pre-dc and once with dd as she'd been learning about Ancient Egypt at primary school so we thought she'd like it.

Each trip was part of a month away, travelling around and also visiting a couple of other countries.

We went to Cairo (pyramids and Egyptian museum), Luxor (Valley of the Kings), Dahab (diving) and Abu Simbel (I've forgotten the town we stayed at to do a day trip there). Years ago so I can't remember where else.

For both holidays, we stayed in budget hotels and ate in small, local restaurants. We didn't get hassled and none of us had food poisoning or stomach upsets.

We were in Cairo at the time of the Arab Spring. We walked through Tahrir Square and chatted to some of the people who were occupying it. Sadly, we were still in Cairo a few days later when the occupation was broken up.

Despite being there at a fairly volatile time, we never felt unsafe.

I'd recommend Egypt with children if you're reasonably well travelled and like history and experiencing different cultures.

No idea what AI resorts are like because we didn't stay at them.

I have been with children and lots of people do go with children. Stomach bugs are a risk but I have got those in France and Spain as well. You get more hassle than in most other countries but having children doesn’t make that worse. Never been to the resorts, just Cairo and Nile valley.