Egypt
Africa · Cairo · EG
Egypt is a land defined almost entirely by the Nile, a river that has sustained civilization along its banks for over five thousand years in one of the harshest desert climates on Earth. The narrow green ribbon of the Nile Valley cuts through the Sahara, widening into the fan-shaped Delta before reaching the Mediterranean, and this contrast between fertile riverbank and barren desert is the foundational fact of Egyptian geography. The country's ancient monuments — pyramids, temples, and rock-cut tombs — are merely the most visible layer of an archaeological record that spans nearly every major civilization of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Beyond the pharaonic heritage, Egypt pulses with the energy of Cairo, a megacity of over twenty million people, and the Red Sea coast offers world-class diving over coral reefs that rival anything in the Indo-Pacific.
Overview
Egypt is a country in Africa. Its capital is Cairo and the international dialling code is +20. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Arabic. Local currency is the Egyptian Pound (EGP). Our guide covers 1 airport, including Cairo International Airport. We also list 1 city in Egypt: Cairo.
The Nile Valley Between Luxor and Aswan
The stretch of the Nile between Luxor and Aswan contains the greatest concentration of ancient Egyptian monuments anywhere on the planet. Luxor, built on the site of ancient Thebes, holds the sprawling temple complex of Karnak on its eastern bank and the Valley of the Kings on the western side, where pharaohs were entombed in elaborately painted underground chambers. Across the river, the Temple of Hatshepsut clings to a cliff face, its colonnaded terraces designed to evoke the original Egyptian landscape of papyrus and lotus. Moving south, the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo stand along the riverbanks, the latter uniquely dedicated to two gods simultaneously and situated directly above a crocodile-shaped island. In Aswan, the Philae Temple was painstakingly relocated to Agilkia Island before the completion of the Aswan High Dam submerged its original home beneath Lake Nasser.
Cairo's Layers of Urban History
Cairo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, and its urban fabric reflects layer upon layer of construction stretching back to the founding of Fustat in 641 CE. The medieval core around Al-Azhar Mosque and Khan el-Khalili bazaar retains its Ottoman and Mamluk-era character, with narrow lanes opening suddenly onto domed mausoleums and minaret-framed courtyards. The downtown district built during the 19th and early 20th centuries features European-style boulevards and Art Deco apartment blocks that hint at a different chapter of the city's past. Meanwhile, new developments in the desert to the east and west represent a twenty-first-century vision of Egypt that contrasts sharply with the organic chaos of the historic center. The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square houses one of the world's premier collections of antiquities, including the golden treasures of Tutankhamun.
Red Sea Diving and Coral Reef Ecosystems
Egypt's Red Sea coastline stretches over a thousand kilometers from the Sinai Peninsula to the Sudanese border, and its warm, crystal-clear waters host some of the most biodiverse coral reef systems in the world. The Strait of Tiran, at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, features dramatic walls of hard coral teeming with pelagic fish, while the offshore reefs of Hurghada and Marsa Alam offer encounters with resident pods of spinner dolphins and the occasional dugong. The Brothers and Daedalus reefs, accessible only by liveaboard vessels, are remote pinnacles rising from deep water that attract large pelagic species including oceanic whitetip sharks and hammerheads. On land, the town of Dahab on the Sinai coast has cultivated a laid-back diving culture centered around the famous Blue Hole, a submerged sinkhole that drops to over 130 meters and challenges even technical divers.
Sinai Peninsula's Desert and Mountain Landscapes
The Sinai Peninsula is a triangular wedge of desert between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, geologically and culturally distinct from the Egyptian mainland. At its southern tip, the granite mountains of Saint Catherine rise to over 2,600 meters, with the monastery at their base — one of the oldest continuously operating Christian monasteries in the world — housing icons, manuscripts, and a garden of ancient plants. The summit of Mount Sinai, traditionally identified as the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments, is reached by a pre-dawn climb that rewards hikers with a sunrise over an endless expanse of reddish peaks. The northeastern coast around Taba and Nuweiba features quieter beaches and Bedouin-run camps that offer a stark contrast to the busier resort areas further down the Red Sea Riviera.
Siwa Oasis and the Western Desert
Deep in the Western Desert near the Libyan border, Siwa Oasis is one of the most isolated and culturally distinctive settlements in Egypt. The Siwi Berber people maintain a unique dialect and traditions that set them apart from the Nile Valley mainstream, and their fortress-like mud-brick architecture, called a shali, once formed a defensible core that dominated the oasis. The ruins of the Temple of the Oracle, where Alexander the Great reportedly consulted the god Amun in 331 BCE, sit on a hillside overlooking palm groves and salt lakes that shimmer with an almost mirage-like quality. Beyond Siwa, the Great Sand Sea offers vast dune fields for four-wheel-drive excursions, while the White Desert to the east features surreal chalk formations eroded into shapes resembling mushrooms, animals, and abstract sculptures by millennia of wind.
Compare hotels, cover your trip and stay connected.
- Capital
- Cairo
- Currency
- Egyptian Pound (EGP)
- Languages
- Arabic
- Calling code
- +20
- Internet TLD
- eg
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Egypt.
Which nationalities can enter Egypt?
Current visa status for tourism for the origins we cover, with links to the detailed requirements.
Airports (1)
All airports →Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit Egypt?
For the origins we track, Egypt requires a visa for tourism (Australia: e-visa, Canada: e-visa, France: e-visa, Germany: e-visa and India: e-visa). Entry rules depend on your passport, so confirm the current requirements for your own nationality with our entry requirements tool.
What is the capital of Egypt?
Cairo is the capital of Egypt, and the country sits in Africa.
What currency is used in Egypt?
You pay with Egyptian Pound (EGP) in Egypt. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Egypt?
The languages we list for Egypt are Arabic. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Egypt?
The dialling code for Egypt is +20 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which airports serve Egypt?
Cairo International Airport (CAI) in Cairo is the airport we cover for Egypt.
Which cities in Egypt do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Egypt: Cairo (capital).