Can Egypt be a nice holiday ?!

[3smallpups]

Thinking of going in November, had pretty much decided but then realised that on mumsnet the consensus is very much avoid at all costs and if you do go expect to get dysentery.
was thinking of three nights in Cairo and 5 nights in dahab .
anyone acobeen and enjoyed it ?

I visited Cairo and seeing all the history was amazing but it was a shit hole and wouldn’t go again

I did a guided tour with Exodus. It was brilliant. We went about 2 weeks after 9/11 and everyone we met was so pleased we’d still gone as so many tourists had cancelled. One of the tour leaders introduced us to his sister and she took us round the market in Cairo. It was fascinating - she also got hassled by the sellers but said it was all part of the game and you just had to ignore and move on. Didn’t get ill either but was strict about bottled water. The other thing is ‘Tour Guide’ and ‘Tour Leader’ are really well respected jobs often requiring university degrees so don’t try and don’t try and do it independently - use the local expertise.

I went to Dahab for ? 10 nights in December 2 yrs ago. Solo female traveller. Plus 2 nights in Sharm.

I am "old" which must reduce harrassment. I wasn't harrassed by hard sell or sexually. The Sinai peninsula is roadblocked from rest Egypt, which means they keep the riffraff out: I saw no or virtually no beggars. I rented bicycles, rented kayaks, bought & enjoyed street food, went swimming, went running up a local mountain... I didnt' ride ponies or camels or go shopping or to restaurants. Because the locals let their their 6yr olds run around outside for hours unsupervised, that seems like a wildly much safer place than the UK. I loved the traffic speed bumps, lol.

Everywhere smells like urine. Be ready for that.

If I went again I might try to organise a custom excursion... the overnight long bus journey + dawn walk to Sinai monastery didn't appeal, though.

The seawater was amazingly clean.
The feral kittens made me sad :(
Food was ok. I did avoid salads.
Technically I did have about 36 hrs of unsettled digestion but not painful or limiting in any way.
I dunno what Cairo is like.
There are extensive cycle paths in Sharm el Sheikh.
Red Sea is a diver's mecca.
The mountains of Saudi were only "just over there."

I would like to go to Egypt again, to see places like pyramids.

When I went to Cairo in 2013 we got very harassed at the pyramids, it was very dirty extra ( but still loved it) . We had to cover our heads too to stop being stared at.
i went back in 2024 and couldn’t believe it was the same place! You have to go through a specific entrance now and it cut out the majority of crap. No longer needed to cover our heads anymore either.
the roads from the airport to the pyramids were massively improved and no longer saw the poor living along the streets.

I’ve been to Egypt 3 times , Hurghada and sharm el Sheikh.
we had fantastic family holidays in 2012/13 amazing hotels with rivers of swimming pools and activities for kids.
yes we had a bit of Egyptian tummy but it was not food poisoning or the ice but as a result of the contrast of very hot weather , complete change in food etc. we got some local meds and all was well!
I went back with new partner in 2024 to Hurghada for 16 nights and had a two day trip to Cairo and Luxor and it was the most incredible trip!
Luxor was beautiful in comparison to Cairo ( quite lush ), clean too - my sister went in the 1990’s and said whilst the hotel was stunning it was surrounded by slums… I can honestly say say I didn’t see anything like that!
I took Optibac travel ( research based pro biotics ) and tummy was fine .

The new GEM museum in Cairo is amazing - I only had a couple of hours there and only scratched the surface of what there was to see. I loved the atmosphere in Cairo and would love to go back. I was there for work and was in Alexandria too - it's a very Egyptian resort and I saw very few if any tourists. Sharm on the other hand is nothing to write home about, but depends on what you're after. I did come back with a bad stomach but I think I let my guard down a bit as I'd been fine for the time I was there. I agree re the money and use copious hand sanitiser!

I went in my early 20s,. Fascinating place, loved the pyramids, Luxor, Dahab, but got constantly harassed, groped and the worst case of food poisoning I've ever had after eating a dodgy salad before my return flight. I ended up losing about 6 kilos I was so ill. I would love to back with my kids but would not risk my 8 year old getting unwell and not convinced it's the safest so will have to be content with my memories.

Egypt has the death penalty so it is likely I will never go. (I am very strong on human rights abuses and visiting a country with the death penalty is a line I will not cross.)

My brother had a great time recently though with his 9 year old. And none of them were ill.

Definitely stay in Luxor and then visit Aswan and Abu Simbel if you can. The ancient temples are absolutely spectacular.

I have found that people are respectful and any attempts to sell you things are good natured. But then I am old - it might be different if you’re young and pretty.

I stayed in the Hilton and ate normally without problems. Read reviews of hotels and restaurants carefully. I have not been to Cairo - it’s on my list.

If you like snorkelling or diving it is so worth spending time at the beach. There are some quieter resorts south of Hurgarda and there are some lovely hotels there if you choose carefully.

We stayed in the Luxor Hilton last time we went, and I think it has got to to be one of the best hotels we’ve ever been to. It was really quiet when we were there, and on one night, we were the only guests. They still laid out the entire dinner buffet, just for us. We felt obliged to eat a huge amount that night! I don’t think I’ve ever had better hotel food than at the Luxor Hilton.

Come back to say thanks for all the comments
think I have a plan
fly to Luxor , 3 nights there to do temple stuff
then fly to Cairo for three nights , pyramids etc
then fly to Sharm for last 3 nights , home from there

would prefer to start in Cairo but no direct flights from Gatwick

Dahab is actually amazing, I’ve been a couple of times but we’re talking a looong time ago! That area is considered unsafe in general and if I went again it wouldn’t be with kids. I’m not sure why you’d want to go to Egypt at the moment considering how they’ve treated the Gazans the past couple of years. Anyway Dahab is worth it but check regarding current guidelines for travel there. Sharm is more tourist friendly and probably safer, although most of Sinai is fraught with tribal issues.

I don’t think there is an increased level of threat in the tourist corridor , no foreign office guidance and plane loads of package holidays going every day ..

My old boss put me off Egypt. He was from Cairo and when I asked him about it he told me it was a shit hole and then showed me some of his photos which kinda proved his point.

DH and I did a Nike cruise , with a guide, which was incredible, the guide helped reduce hassle and also brought the whole thing alive. We then spent a few days in Cairo on our own and loved it, no hassle, s9 interesting, and as suggested above the Ubers are fab.

I did a Nile Cruise and it was great, food hygiene standards were really high so no issues with food poisoning.

There’s so much I love about Egypt. Took my first trip there as a solo traveller in my early 20s, that was almost 30 years ago.
No sexual harassment, on the contrary I’ve always found Egyptians to be incredibly hospitable people.
I was last in Cairo about 4 years ago, and am desperate to go back to see GEM.
We were back this summer diving in the Red Sea and went to Dahab for the first time, and I have to say that - unless you’re there for the diving - I’d give it a miss, I couldn’t believe how littered the beaches are there. I’d never seen that anywhere else in the Red Sea resorts.
Yes, to taking plenty of Imodium and dirolyte… I always get an upset stomach, but never out me off.

In Cairo and Luxor, get a good taxi driver to be your driver for the day. Most are very happy to do this.

Pharmacists are brilliant in Egypt I found… always tell the hotel reception if you feel unwell as they can get medicine couriered over.

We did a Nile Cruise for our silver wedding anniversary and it was a fabulous experience. No stomach issues and very little hassle from street vendors. I have lovely memories of the country. It’s very very hot though, depending on what time of year you go, so a sunny beach holiday might not work.