Anyone visited Cairo with kids

[noenergy]

Went and booked flights to Cairo on a slight whim as I would love to see the pyramids. Has anyone visited Cairo with kids? My 3 are 3,5 and 7. Thinking it may be too boring for them but it's booked now.

Would like to hear if anyone's experience of visiting there.

I went with DD to Cairo and did not feel unsafe at all. It was our first 'big' holiday after DH died and I was not in a great place but I am glad we went. I had booked cheap flights to Hurgharda (no return) and DD was desperate to see the pyramids so we then flew internally to Cairo and stayed in an amazing guest house with a room looking directly at the sphinx! Cairo is an vibrant city and DD loved it. We then got the sleeper train to Luxor and stayed very cheaply at the Maritime Jolie Resort on Kings Island. The hotel is amazing and due to the dearth of tourists we only paid about £25 a night for the room half-board. It would have been cheaper to fly rather than take the train but DD was insistent!

I would not go back to Egypt but not because I felt unsafe in anyway, it is just not a place that I feel a pull to go back to. DD was only 8 at the time and we travelled safely including a lengthy wait on a train platform . Tourism has disappeared, there were only 2 other small groups at the pyramids when we visited. This means there is more hassle but our guest house in cairo and hotel in Luxor arranged cheap guides on requeat which I would recmomend.

Finally we went in August (crazy I know but our heritage means we can cope with some heat). If you want to see some sites and are travelling when it is very hot you will need to be heading out at around 6 in the morning so have somewhere you can go and relax in the heat of the day. Choose your hotel carefully.

I found trip advisor forum very helpful when planning. I did not post on them and there are a lot of pompous 'experts' however reading through I picked up great advice.

Have a great trip. I am not sure how long you have booked to go for but you can get very cheap internal flights on Egypt Air if you want to venture out of Cairo. Make sure you set your home country to Egypt when booking though, it is considerably cheaper.

Sorry just read your post again and see you are staying in Hurgharda. Got more hassle (from staff and hawkers) trying to relax around the pool in a 5* resort there than I did in Cairo or Luxor! Luckily I am quite assertive and DD loved it.

Thank you , to the previous 2 posters, happy to hear u found it safe.

Will be flying internally to Cairo after 5 days in Hurghada. Have yet to book. Hotel in Cairo as still researching which area to stay in. Will keep an eye on tripadvisor forum.

We stayed near the pyramids in a hotel with a pool, but wished we’d booked a central Cairo hotel as the traffic is awful and we spent all our time travelling in or out of Cairo...

My niece is married to an Egyptian who was brought up in Cairo.
He won’t take his kids to Egypt as he considers it much too dangerous ATM.
I’m desperate to take DD to see the pyramids, museum etc but wouldn’t dream of it until it’s a lot safer.
Personally, I think you must be a teeny bit mad to even consider dragging three small children round ancient monuments and museums in a hot unsafe country when there’s so many other places to choose from but, each to their own.
My advice- make sure you have excellent medical insurance for you all. Make sure your other insurances are sufficient for your needs. Take mucho fluid replacement drink sachets and lots of Imodium. I have never known anybody come back from Egypt without having the shits. Take enough suntan lotion and then some extra. Make sure you have a credit card with plenty of spare spending power on it- hospitals will not treat without payment. Make sure you have suitable respectful clothing to wear in Cairo. It’s a Muslim country and women should not show shoulders etc as it’s just plain rude and singles you out. Good luck and I hope it goes well.....

@CrabappleBiscuit, did you go with kids, if so how old are they?

I do realise I may have made a mistake but will wait and see what it's like closer to the time and may not go to Cairo and just stay in Hurghada.

I have IBS and still manage in Egypt! You just need to be sensible. Don't get hammered, use anti-bac regularly, wash hands or anti-bac after touching money, stay hydrated, don't put the air-con lower than 21 no matter how much you want to, take lots of sun breaks and wear a hat! Do NOT use immodium, that's a terrible idea. If any of your party does get sick go for Antinal, DoSpa and Falgel in combination and you will be back on form in 48 hrs. Go direct to a pharmacy and let them treat you.

I do agree that Cairo isn't going to be much fun with the kids though, and maybe you'd be better off staying in Hurghada - there is still plenty to do and plenty of opportunity to get out. The Dolphin House trip is great (it's a sea cruise looking for wild dolphins), camel rides, snorkelling and so on.

Luxor is less hectic than Cairo and just as interesting but if you do Cairo then the flights from Hurghada are quick and easy.

I've asked friends about Serenity Fun City and they were all in agreement that it's a good hotel, lots to do and excellent staff. You may well find you don't want to go anywhere else!

In response to a previous poster neither of us were ill during our trip taking basic precautions around hand washing/ ice/ salads and staying out of direct sun at its strongest. Just the usual stuff however the money is filthy so this is why hand gel is advised.

I agree that Luxor is probably worth more time than Cairo with kids. Do you just want to see the Pyramids? If so spend a night in a hotel nearby then get on a plane to Luxor if you have the time. The museum in Cairo will be dull for your younger two although if they are unfased by travel the general hussle Cairo is fantastic. It really depends on what you are used to as a family and how long you have.

We traveled Hurgharda -Cairo-Luxor then back to Hurgharda for a cheap flight home via Geneva. The hotel we stayed in in Luxor used a set taxi rate at a least 50% lower than the quotes looking independently. We a used them to get to the sites in Luxor then back to Hurgharda.

Before you go be certain of the cost of things. There is little tourism and those who depend on it are poor and desperate. You will be considered rich and fair game. For example at the Valley of the Kings every guard wanted to push us past security barriers for photos for a consierable tip. Get used to saying no thank you and be assertive. If you find a good taxi driver you trust arrange to use them again for an agreed price and tip accordingly. Tipping is something you defiantly have to be au fait with before you go!

If you do go to Luxor I'd recommend getting a guide. Not sure I would recommend it with children that young as there can be a lot of walking and it will be hot. We went mid April and it was extremely hot. One of the most fascinating places we have visited.