CAIRO AIRPORT

Cairo airport is located 22 Km to the south east of the centre of Cairo. The trip to, or From, The airport should take around 30 - 45 Minutes. There are 3 Terminals at Cairo airport. There is no need to confirm E-tickets. Egypt air call centre 1717 from any mobile or land line.

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FOOD

All over Egypt, and especially in Cairo, you will find an enormous range of high-class Restaurants serving international cuisine including Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican,

Indian, French and Lebanese. There are also branches of international chains such as TGI Fridays, or J.W. Steakhouse. Fruits, vegetables and seafood are all excellent.

Note: Most of teh Resturants mentioned above are a vilable at home , but what i recomend , while in Egypt you must Try the Egyptian food at least as an experince , you will like it  Either it was vigi food such as Koshari , Falafel or Non-Vigi such as Kofta & kabab.

Egyptian food is generally similar to many other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisines, including stuffed vine leaves, grilled meats, and numerous "dips" traditionally Eaten with Pitta-style bread. Rice with vegetables in tomato sauce, and pasta dishes Baked in a similar way to lasagna, are both common. Specialties include stuffed or spit Broiled pigeons, shish kebabs made of marinated chunks of lamb and spices, then Grilled over hot charcoal and small ground lamb kebabs called kofta.

Seafood is a good choice with prawns from the Red Sea, sea bass from the Mediterranean and a wonderful fish dish, tilapia, from the Nile.The national dish of Egypt may be considered to be Foul Mudhammas. Ful or Fava Beans are cooked in Olive oil and garlic, flavoured with lemon, cumin and parsley and often served with an egg for breakfast.

 

Egyptian food is often flavoured with mint, dill, parsley, garlic and cumin. A nice way to Sample different recipes is to have a mezze,or selection of little dishes washed down With the local Zibib or aniseed flavoured aperitif .

Dishes might include Babaghanoug (baked mashed eggplant Flavoured with Taheena - sesame seed paste), Falafal or Taameyya (small round Patties made of ground ful beans, seasoned and deep fried), Waraq Anab (vine leaves Stuffed with rice and meat), Bickley or Turshi (spicy mixed pickled vegetables), Leban Zabadi (thick creamy yoghurt and very good for the digestion) and Mish, a mature Cheese made into a paste and flavoured with spices.

 

Desserts range from regional specialties such as honey-soaked pastries like Kunafa,which looks like shredded wheat, made with rose water, nuts and sugar, and Basbousa Made from fine semolina and flavoured with almonds, lemon and vanilla to the famous and uniquely Egyptian "Om Ali", a baked dish of layered pastry cooked with milk, nuts, Raisins and spices. Most visitors to Egypt will have at least one chance to try traditional Local cuisine as part of their Nile cruise, when one night is usually themed as an Egyptian night including a buffet of local delicacies. Egypt has a wealth of fresh fruits Such as mangoes, pomegranates, dates, figs, apricots,melons and citrus.

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DRINKS

Tap water should never be drunk in Egypt. We recommend that you use bottled water,ensuring that the seal has not been broken on the bottle. Use it for cleaning teeth and remember not to have ice in your drinks.

NON-ALCHOHOLIC

Traditional drinks abound, ranging from chilled carob juice or hot licorice infusion, to thick milky concoctions filled with nuts and spices ("sahleb"). Some of the tastiest for

visitors to try would include "karkady" - a rich, sweet infusion of the dark red hibiscus flower, usually drunk cold but also sometimes served hot - and "limoon" - fresh lemonade made from the small local yellow limes, served frothy, tangy and sweet.

ALCOHOLIC

Alcohol is available in all hotels in Egypt, and most restaurants are licensed. Bars and other drinking establishments are commonplace, and are popular with many locals as

well as foreigners. In addition to the usual range of international brands, visitors can try Egyptian-made wine and beer, both of which are pleasantly drinkable.

WINE

The "Oblisque" range is made in Egypt but with imported Italian grapes. The range comes in a tannin-rich red (Rouge des Pharaons), a light ros (Rosetta)

and a fresh, dry white (Blanc d'Alexandrie). The "Gianaclis" range is made with grapes from Egyptian vineyards, and has a fruity red Cabernet Sauvignon (Omar Khayyam), a delicate ros (Rubisd'Egypte), and a fresh white Pinot Blanc (Cru des Ptolem).The "Chateau Grand Marquis" is Egypt's premium range of wines, made out of the best Egyptian grapes and produced in association with French experts.The range contains a crisp, light white, an aromatic ros and a rich red.

BEER

Even more so than wine, the Egyptian brewing industry has recently transformed itself into an overnight success story, with many new local brands as well as big foreign names brewed under license in Egypt. Beer is mainly lager-style - try asking for some of these:Stella Local (regular lager), Stella Export (stronger lager), Stella Premium Meister (regular lager), Meister Max (stronger lager) ,Sakara Gold (regular lager), Sakara Premium (stronger lager)Löwenbräu - the famous German beer, locally brewed under license , Heineken (dark Belgian-style lager)

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HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, lasts for 28 days each year with the dates moving forward compared to the western calendar by around 11 days per year.

Nightlife blossoms during this period, despite it being a "dry" time for Egyptians, and special temporary entertainment tents spring up all around Cairo serving huge quantities of oriental food, aromatic water pipes or "Sheesha", and loud Arabic music in equal abundance from sunset till 4am.

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TOURIST WELCOME

Between March and May each year, depending on the Coptic Easter, a national holiday called "Sham El-Nessim" - "Smelling the Blossoms Day" - celebrates the fragrant blossoms that grace Egypt's many flowering trees at the beginning of spring. Families often spend the day with a picnic in a local green area - sometimes simply on grassy roadside verges  and traditionally enjoy a pickled fish dish called "fesikh". (Not recommended for the faint- hearted - fesikh is famously pungent!) Most other festivals in Egypt are religious in nature and very localized, generally celebrating the birth or death of a neighborhood saint. Most are not of great interest to tourists, being aimed at pilgrims rather than the casual observer

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WEATHER
Egypt has year-round sun, and almost no rain except in Alexandria, which has a more Mediterranean climate than the rest of the country. Daytime temperatures range from
pleasantly warm in the winter to very hot in the summer. Northerly cities such as Cairo and Alexandria are generally about 5ºC cooler than southerly areas such as Aswan and Abu Simbel. Nights in the desert can be extremely cold.

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TIME DIFFERENCE
Time zone is GMT + 2 hours in winter; clocks move forward 1 hour in summer.

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DOCUMENTATION
Travelers to Egypt must carry a valid passport, with validity no less than six months beyond the period of their stay. The passport must contain at least two blank pages.
Travelers should refer to their closest Egyptian Embassy or consulate to check on exact visa requirements at their time of travel. However, it is worth noting that for most North America and Western European nationalities, tourist visa may be purchased upon arrival at any Egyptian international airport.

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SECURITY
You should keep all travel documents, travelers' checks, cash, passports and other valuables in your hotel or cruise boats 'safety deposit boxes. Although street crime is
at a minimum, as in any other country, travelers are encouraged to use common sense and not wear ostentatious jewelry. It is also advisable to carry only small amounts of
money.
In general you will find people hospitable and friendly. Personal security in Egypt is rarely an issue at all, and Cairo is considered one of the safest cities in the world.
Visitors can comfortably walk at night along main city streets. However, it is recommended that a tighter hold on purses and wallets is kept when wandering round
bazaars; and it is advisable for women in particular to dress more conservatively out of respect for local customs when in more traditional areas or small towns.

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