Travel to Egypt on a budget
Budget food abounds in Egypt: we got this delicious grilled pigeon meal at our hotel in Tunis Village outside of Fayoum. The meal included a grilled pigeon, rice, salad, French fries, and hot bread, and only cost about $4 USD.
Egypt is a great travel destination not just for the breathtaking historical sites, but also because it is possible to travel very affordably. It is feasible to do a week-long trip taking in most of the important sites and visiting a few different cities for under $1000 USD (not counting the flight from the USA to Cairo) if one is willing to take some risks, spend a little more time transiting between destinations, and eschew 5-star expectations and get by with just the basics.
I first came to Egypt as a college student in 2012, so my Egypt journey started on a budget, and doing budget trips is still one of my favorite ways to see the country. I have fond memories of jumping in the backs of pickup trucks to take me to an ancient temple instead of paying an expensive cab fare, eating grilled chicken from a street vendor and getting a complete meal for about $2 USD, and sleeping at comfortable, family-run hotels that made me feel at home.
In this blog post we will talk about traveling on a budget in four different categories: budget eats, budget accommodation, intra-city budget transportation, and budget transportation between cities. Let’s get started!
Eating on a budget
In Egypt it is possible to eat three complete, nutritious, hot, prepared meals for just $10 per day or less. Here’s how:
Breakfast: Many budget hotels offer a free breakfast, or their breakfast is an add-on only costing between 25-50 Egyptian pounds, or about $3 USD. Or, head to the nearest falafel (called “taa-mee-yuh” in Egyptian Arabic) or fuul cart, where you can get a breakfast sandwich that is delicious and filling for only about $0.50 or less per sandwich. I usually only need two of them to fill me up until lunch!
Lunch: For lunch, head to a shawarma (a sandwich like doner kebab or gyro), kebda (liver), or koshary spot. Either one of those options should only set you back about 15-40 LE, or less than $3 USD.
Dinner: Chicken restaurants are where delicious dinners are served at affordable prices. You can get a ¼ grilled chicken, rice, tahini sauce, bread, and a small salad, and sometimes soup for less than $5 USD. These restaurants are ubiquitous but you might need to ask around in order to find the nearest one. Don’t expect utensils though--you may need to eat Egyptian style, using your fingers!
Three budget food options, left to right: shawerma sandwich ($3 USD), koshary ($2 USD), falafel (taamiya) sandwich ($0.50 each)
A note: eating food from street vendors or from local restaurants carries a higher risk of developing an upset stomach than eating from more expensive restaurants or restaurants in hotels. This may be an area where travelers need to think about their sensitivity and adjust accordingly. Some compromises travelers often make are to:
-Splurge on bottled water (it is highly recommended to NEVER drink tap water in Egypt if you are a first-time traveler there)
-Pay more for fresh fruits/veggies from a supermarket, and stick to meat/carbs when visiting cheaper restaurants
Accommodation on a budget
Every city in Egypt has its share of budget places to stay, some better than others. For some good examples, check our blog posts for these major destinations:
...with more to come soon!
Budget hotels that are high-quality are common in Egypt. Here is the terrace at the Amon Hotel in Luxor. A double room is between $30-50 USD per night and it includes a delicious breakfast.
Here is a room at the budget hotel El Gezira Garden in Luxor, which only cost us about $15 USD for a double room per night.
Budget spots will always have a bed and access to a bathroom, but the bathroom may be shared with other people staying at the hotel. In Egypt it is common to ask to see the room, bathroom, and take a tour of a hotel before agreeing to stay the night there, and we would highly recommend this when staying at a budget place.
Check www.booking.com for hotels in the city you would like to visit, and sort by price to find the best budget options. Check out reviews, plan on two or three backup options, and visit each hotel when you get to a new city. Sometimes hotels can have wildly different amenities and levels of quality while still being the same price. The hotel two streets away that is the same price as the hotel you are currently staying at could offer a free breakfast, cleaner rooms, and still be the same price, for example. Once you find a place you like though, bunk down. You want to spend your time experiencing Egypt anyway, not hanging out at your hotel!
When booking a budget hotel, you should expect to pay between $25-50 USD per night for a double room depending on the city, the season, and the level of quality you are looking for.
Intra-city transport on a budget
Disclaimer: many times, solo female travelers do not feel safe taking public transportation. Read our blog post about sexual harassment in Egypt for more information on this.
In Egypt it is possible to get many places taking public transportation for a fraction of the cost it would be to hire a private driver or fly.
For an overview of public transportation options within cities, check out our blog posts on taking public transit in Cairo. The same types of transport (aside from the Metro) are available in every major Egyptian city:
Taking public busses blog post
Also, check out this video on how to take a public bus from the Cairo Airport to downtown Cairo, saving you tons of money and the hassle of using a taxi:
The best way to take public transport is to ask someone at your hotel how to get to a destination you want, use a guidebook like the one from Lonely Planet (they almost always give directions on taking public transportation to different destinations), or ask a friendly looking stranger on the street. There are so many times that I have asked someone how to get to where I needed to go and they ended up helping me find the right bus, taking the bus with me, paying my fare, and telling me where to get off!
If public transportation is not your thing, get a local SIM card (a SIM and a data plan cost about $20 USD at the Cairo Airport) and use Uber to get places. It will be much more expensive, but you do not need to haggle with drivers or worry about carrying around lots of small bills to pay taxi fares.
If you are in a city where you want to visit several sites one after the other and they are spread out (like Luxor), consider hiring a private car just for the day. You can either ask your hotel to arrange a driver for you, or you can talk to someone on the street. There are almost always taxi drivers hanging out at major tourist destinations who are willing to bargain for you to hire them for the day. When hiring a driver though be sure to make clear:
How long you will use them for
What destinations you will go to
How long you will spend at each destination
If getting a driver for later: when and where will they pick you up?
Where/when will the driver drop you off?
Does their vehicle have working AC?
What is the driver’s name and phone number?
(If in Luxor) Does the driver have a license? What is their taxi number?
A fun option in Luxor is to rent a bike during the cooler months (November-April) and bike to the different sites instead of paying for a driver. I did this in December of 2012 and got an amazing workout while taking in the amazing sites on the West and East banks of the Nile.
Renting a bike is an option in several cities. On the left, I rented a bike and rode all over Siwa Oasis. On the right is my bike I rented in Luxor to take me all over the West and East banks of the Nile.
Transportation between cities on a budget
When it is time to do a longer journey, here are some great options besides flying:
-Taking the train: trains in Egypt are very affordable, comfortable, and (for the most part) reliable. Traveling by train is the best method for going between Cairo and Alexandria, and it is a decent option for traveling south to Luxor/Aswan, although the trains going in that direction are less reliable and take a long time, between 8-16 hours depending on your destinations and how many delays and stops there are.
Check out this video on how to take the train from Cairo to Alexandria for around $5 USD!
-Taking a Go Bus: Go Bus is a reputable Egyptian company that offers air-conditioned coach busses that travel from Cairo to most major tourist destinations. The best part about Go Bus is that you can buy your tickets in advance online and their website is in English! This is the preferred method for getting from Cairo to the Sinai Peninsula.
So now you know--it is possible to see Egypt and take in all of its wonders without needing to save a ton of money or break the bank. Once you purchase the flight from the USA (about USD $750-1300 depending on when you go and from which airport), Egypt is ready to welcome you with $1000 or less in your pocket.