What currency should i take??

[sampar71]

Heading out to Sharm soon & was wondering about taking EUROS? should i take some egyptian dollars with or wait till i get there to change? Also can anyone tell me about getting a visa to visit cairo can my rep arrange this? at what cost? Thanks a million

[Finnsmummy]

Suggest you read the Tips for First timers thread as loads of helpful hints but in short I'd take sterling and change a small amount of egyptian over there (better exchnage rate) and shop around for a trip to Cairo as can get everywhere but holiday company are probably the dearest!

You can research your trip on above thread if you feel brave enough to organise yourself and use a company such as reallifeegypt or use an independent company like Longwood or local operator

Enjoy!

[andrena]

you can get your visa at the airport when you land put there could be a long line of peeps waiting aswell and i allways take english money or euro if you look about you can get some good exchange rate but some good hotels give a good rate . anyway hope you have really good holiday

[kazl]

I don't know where you live but I live in England and always take sterling. You will get roughly 10% more over there than the UK when changing money.
Visa costs $15USD or equivalent in other currencies. You can get this when you land. Don't let your rep herd you to a desk as they will probably levy a charge on your visa. Go to one of the other desks and get your visa from there. The visa is just basically a stamp with the amount ($15) on it.
If you want to get some egyptian pounds you can also get this at the bank booths where the visa booths are!
I usually book Cairo by getting a flight via www.egyptair.com (put egypt as your home country) which i normally pay around �35 return for. Then I book a private guide with transport online who meets me at Cairo airport. I also highly recommend www.reallifeegypt.com. I have used them lots of times and always had great guides. You could of course book locally or with your rep too. Bear in mind you might be with others .....so if you want a private tour then say so upfront when asking for a price.

[sampar71]

Thanks for all the helpful info!!! I live in Ireland hence the question about the Euro's. The 1st Timer guide was very useful also! I'm really looking forward to going we are staying in the Radisson & i have read some really good reviews on it. As we have been to Tunisia i'm presuming it's going to be like that, and we really enjoyed the culture there. Just one more thing can anyone tell me how much i shooul expect to pay for the day trip by plane to cairo with my own guide Thanks once again

[HW iaintwoeyes]

In that case, take Euros. You'll be able to exchange them or spend them anywhere. But it is better to exchange them at your hotel or bank in Egypt as you will get a better rate than the shops as they just round them up.

[kazl]

You can book your own Cairo trip a few ways.
I book my flight using www.egyptair.com putting egypt as my home country. Friday is a good day to go as the traffic is a lot less. I paid last time �35 return. Be flexible with dates and times to find the best prices. I normally arrive by 9am and depart around 9pm. Try to arrive early as it works best for sightseeing.
Then I book a guide online. I always recommend www.reallifeegypt.com as I have used them for lots of trips but of course there are others.
You also can book locally but you would have to ask them to quote you for a private tour as most prices involve being in a group. Your rep will also do this trip however when I was last in Sharm they wouldn't do a private one, so you would be with others.
Hope this helps.

[kazl]

Although I repeated some of my other posting on here I meant to add in rough prices ... sorry!
Reps prices to Cairo are roughly �150 upwards
Local agent prices are �110 upwards
As stated these prices are not private tours but with others.