Egypt
Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula.
It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan and the Sahara to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital, largest city, and leading cultural centre, while Alexandria is the second-largest city and an important hub of industry and tourism. With over 107 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world, third-most populous country in Africa, and 15th-most populated in the world.
Getting to Egypt
Egypt's economy depends a great deal on tourism; therefore, most people can enter the country without a visa. Unlike neighbouring Libya and Sudan, Egypt allows Israeli citizens to visit Egypt. As a major tourist destination whose economy is dependent upon tourist money, Egypt is relatively easy to enter and obtain visas for.
Worth seeing
Highlights of any visit to Egypt include famous archaeological sites from both Lower (North) and Upper (South) Egypt. The most famous are: Greater Cairo: Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx Egyptian Museum Red, Bent and Black Pyramids of Dahshur, neglected but a great alternative to Giza with the oldest known pyramid Citadel of Salah El Din and Mosque of Mohamed Ali Khan al Khalili bazaar and al Hussein Mosque Pyramids…
Things to do
Cairo, for instance has so much to do and see. Besides the ancient Egyptian history, there is the history of Romans, Greeks, Byzantine Empire, Islamic empire, Ottomans, and finally modern Egyptian history. Jewish and Christian history To see more about Egypt's Christian and Jewish history, go to a local tourist office and ask them to give you names of local churches and synagogues.
Where to eat
Egypt can be a fantastic place to sample a unique range of food: not too spicy and well-flavoured with herbs and aromatic spices like parsley, cilantro, dill, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom. For a convenient selection of Egyptian cuisine and staple foods try the Felfela chain of restaurants in Cairo.
Getting around Egypt the local way
- Get inVisitors on organized tours can often have their visas issued at the border, but should verify in advance with their travel agent or tour operator that this option is available.
- Get inFurther up the Nile, Luxor International Airport receives international scheduled flights, mostly from Europe, and charter flights.
- Get inFerries run regularly from Aqaba across to Nuweiba on the Sinai peninsula, bypassing Israel and the sometimes complicated border arrangements.
- Get inA weekly ferry ran between Wadi Halfa, Sudan and Aswan, connecting with the train from Khartoum, although this route is no longer open due to the civil war in Sudan.
- Get inThere are no scheduled passenger ferries between Europe and Egypt.
- Get aroundThe ferry across the Red Sea between Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh was suspended in 2010, and no re-start is in sight.
- Get aroundWhile bikes aren't common in Egypt, the draw of sustainable slow travel has got some tour operators to offer tours by boat and bike, featuring some less visited landscapes between the common big destinations.
From Wikivoyage: Egypt, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: لا روسا (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.