Weather in Egypt:

December   C 11°/20°                F 52°/68°

Currency:

•  The currency of Egypt is the pound; the Egyptian pound is divided into 100 piasters.
•  Egyptian pound exchange rate (approximate): USD 1 = L.E 5.69

Fast Facts

• Businesses days: Sunday to Thursday 9am to 4pm. Banks are open 9am to 5pm Sunday to Thursday. Most banks and other outlets offer 24-hour access to automated teller machines (ATMs).

• Stores/Shops: Monday to Thursday 9am to 10pm and some Friday mornings.

• Electricity:  Cairo uses 110 volts AC (60 cycles). North Americans will need to bring a converter and plug adaptor.

• Emergencies: Call tel. 122 for emergencies.

• Cellphones: Check with your provider in advance to see if your cellphone works in Egypt. A convenient and economical choice is to buy a local prepaid SIM card for your cellphone. Or you can rent a cellphone, sometimes even from your hotel, for a reasonable price.

• Internet Access: Internet access is available in almost all the main tourist destinations, with Internet cafes sprouting up everywhere and hotels providing computers for guests to use. The charge for access at Internet cafes is usually £E5-10 an hour; hotels may charge up to £E50 an hour.

• Police: Call tel. 122. The tourist police headquarters is at 5 Adli St., Downtown Cairo.

• Taxes: Egypt has no value-added tax. Meal taxes in Cairo can be as high as 26%. Hotel taxes in Cairo are 19%.

• Time Zone: Cairo observes Eastern European Time (GMT +2), which makes it 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (and thus London), and 7 hours ahead of New York.

• Tipping: Tipping is not only acceptable in Egypt, it's expected. It's customary to leave a 10% tip (before taxes) at a restaurant. (The bill already has a 12% service charge, a 5% government tax, and a 2% city tax included in the total.) A similar tip is expected for bartenders.
   

Places you should see in Cairo:   

• The Pyramids of Giza & the Sphinx
• The Step Pyramid at Sakkara
• The Open Air Museum of Memphis 
• The Egyptian Museum
• The Citadel of Saladin 
• The Old Market "Khan El-Khalili"
• The Hanging Church
• Santa Barbara Church 
• St. Sergious Church