According to Google, the question people ask most often about travelling to Egypt is still, “Is Egypt safe?”
The simple and truthful answer is yes.
I’ve lived and worked in Egypt for more than 25 years and, during that time, I have never had to cancel a single guest’s trip, tour or hotel booking because Egypt was unsafe for tourists. Not even during 2011.
What usually causes concern is not what is happening on the ground in Egypt itself. More often it is headlines, politics, international events and media coverage. Meanwhile, visitors continue to arrive, enjoy their holidays and return home with wonderful memories. If Egypt were genuinely unsafe for tourists, the endless stream of world leaders, celebrities, athletes, business people and public figures visiting every year would have dried up long ago. Follow me on Facebook if you want to keep up with them – I sometimes share their arrival whenever I remember to check who’s in town today.
Rather than spending too much time worrying about safety, I think it is far more useful to talk about how to plan a trip to Egypt because, honestly, most people make it far more complicated than it needs to be.
After helping travelers visit Egypt for decades, I’ve come to the conclusion that you really only need to think about five things.
1. Your Entry Visa
Most visitors need a tourist visa, which currently costs $30. You can obtain it online before you travel or buy it on arrival at Cairo, Luxor and most Red Sea international airports.
That’s one item on your list sorted.
2. Your Spending Money
Bring a bank card, bring cash, have access to more, and you’re fine. Egypt has become much easier for travelers over the years and most people spend far too much time worrying about the practicalities.
3. Your Suitcase
Pack sensible clothes, comfortable shoes and whatever personal items you can’t live without.
Beyond that, don’t overthink it. Egypt has shops. If you forget something, it can almost certainly be bought here.
All questions you might have in your head regarding a visit to Egypt are answered here in my Travel Tips
4. Your Itinerary
This is where many travelers disappear down an internet rabbit hole.
Instead of trying to work out every possible place you could visit in Egypt, start with a much simpler question:
How many days do I actually have?
Once you know that, planning becomes remarkably easy.
If you have three nights, look at Luxor or Cairo only.
If you have a week, look at a classic first-time Egypt itinerary for first-timers.
If you have nine nights or more, consider adding a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan.
I’ve put together several sample itineraries that I regularly recommend to guests:
- Luxor – 3 Nights
- Luxor & Aswan
- Egypt 7-Day Itinerary for First-Timers
- Egypt 9 Nights Including a Nile Cruise
Those itineraries also link to information about the sites you’ll visit and stories that help bring them to life. Understanding what you’re looking at is often just as important as seeing it. You can build on any of these itineraries.
5. Choose a Tour Company You Trust
This is the one that matters most.
Your visa is easy.
Packing is easy.
Even deciding where to go is relatively easy.
The quality of your experience will depend far more on the people looking after you than on the exact order in which you visit temples and tombs.
A good company will save you time, reduce stress, help you avoid common tourist traps and ensure that your trip runs smoothly from beginning to end.
A poor company can turn even the best itinerary into an expensive disappointment.
One of the simplest tests is transparency.
- Take a look at one of the itineraries on my website.
- Notice how easy it is to find out what is included and what isn’t.
- Then compare that with a few other Egypt tour websites.
- How many links on how many pages do you have to click through before you discover extra charges, optional excursions, hidden supplements or exclusions that weren’t obvious when you first looked at the price?
Not all companies operate this way, but enough do that it is worth paying attention.
And if you are booking through a large overseas travel company, it is important to understand what is actually happening behind the scenes. In most cases, they are not running your trip in Egypt at all. They are outsourcing it to a local destination management company (DMC). The person selling you the trip may have never been to Egypt, and they have no real visibility of what your experience will actually feel like once you arrive and are handed over on the ground.
And that is where the disconnect often begins.
For unwitting travelers, this gap can be the source of a lot of frustration later on. And in my experience, it is often the most high-end travellers who are affected the most – without realising it. Simply because there is an assumption that a higher price automatically means a higher level of care, access, and attention.
In Egypt, that is not always the case.
And how do I know this? I see it regularly. Travelers arrive or are due to arrive, having already paid once for a fully “curated” luxury itinerary, only to find themselves trying to piece together the reality of it on the ground. They start reading reviews, asking questions, and, more often than not, struggling to get clear answers from the company they booked with in the first place.
And that is usually the moment they see the gaps.
Increasingly, those same travelers end up coming back to me – sometimes even after they have already paid elsewhere – simply because they realise there is a difference between a packaged itinerary and someone who is actually on the ground, shaping what happens in real time.
If you find a company that is genuinely transparent, communicates clearly and makes you feel confident, then you’ve probably found a good one. Does the company have a face? Who can you call when something goes wrong?
For Those with More Time & More Cash to Spend
The basics of planning your trip have just been covered. But if you fall into the lucky percent who have the luxury of more time and more money then forget about looking for luxury in a high end hotel – focus on the real luxury of an exclusive experience that only more cash can buy. Add these into your itinerary. Check out how I can open those closed doors for you.
That’s Really All There Is To It
People often spend months worrying about Egypt before they arrive.
They worry about safety.
They worry about visas.
They worry about what to pack.
They worry about whether they should spend seven days or nine days here.
In reality, if you have your visa, some spending money, a suitcase, a sensible itinerary and a trustworthy company looking after you, you’ve already solved most of the important questions.
Egypt has been welcoming travelers for thousands of years. You don’t need to turn planning your trip into a second job.
And Finally…
If you take my advice about seeing the core sites on your first trip – then put Cairo on your list for repeat visits – somewhere exciting and different to go on a long week-end or short break when you need it. And, again, don’t cram it. Pick an exclusive experience for that week-end with someone special or extended family.
The key is simply to start in the right place, with the right support, and build from there.
That’s where I come in. Check out my itineraries and then take the easy way out – email me with your dates and how many traveling with you – maraegypt@gmail.com
Last updated on 15/06/2026 by Marie Vaughan