The capital of the world's oldest civilisation: the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Tutankhamun's treasure at the Grand Egyptian Museum (fully open since 2025), the Royal Mummies Hall, the minarets of Islamic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili bazaar and feluccas on the Nile. No direct flight from Ulaanbaatar — one stop via Istanbul or Beijing, ~18–26 hours. Mongolian citizens get a 30-day visa on arrival at Cairo airport ($30). Best October–April; June–August reaches 35°C.
🛂 Visa: Visa on arrival · 30 days✈ Flight: 20h☀ Best months: October, November, December, January
#pyramids#ancient Egypt#museums#Nile#bazaar#visa on arrival
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: October, November, December, January, February, March.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx★ 4.7 (150,000)
CultureEGP 700 (students 350); inside the Great Pyramid extra EGP 1,5008:00–16:00
The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx — the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. Tickets are card-only. Wave off camel, horse and 'guide' touts, and agree any price up front.
CultureEGP 1,450 (ages 6–12 and students EGP 730; under 6 free)
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe visa is issued at the airport, but sort out three things at home: the airline, your card and your clothes.+
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Visa: 30 days on arrival in Cairo
According to Mongolia's consular department, Mongolian citizens get an Egyptian visa on arrival at the airport: single entry, 30 days, $30 (since 1 March 2026). Mongolia is not on Egypt's e-visa list, so you cannot apply online in advance. Passport valid 6+ months; print your return ticket and hotel booking.
Tip: Some airline systems show 'embassy visa' for Mongolians — before buying, ask the airline in writing whether they will board you on a visa on arrival.
Get travel insurance with evacuation cover. Bring clothes that cover knees and shoulders for mosques and churches, a headscarf for women, and a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for the desert sun and dust.
Tip: Drones are banned in Egypt and confiscated at customs — leave yours at home.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityCairo Airport (CAI) is in the north-east of the city; Giza is at the opposite end.+
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Visa and passport control
Get your visa before passport control: since 1 August 2026 use the arrival-hall kiosks or apps.visaonarrival.gov.eg to pay $30 + $6 service by card for a QR code, or buy the paper sticker visa at the bank counters. Then show your passport and QR/sticker to the officer.
Uber and Careem work from the airport: roughly EGP 150–250 to the centre and EGP 350–450 to Giza, 30–90 minutes depending on traffic. Ignore people following you outside offering 'taxi?'.
Landing late at night, with children or lots of luggage, a hotel pick-up is the calmest option. Hotels near the Giza pyramids usually offer it.
📶Phone and internetEgyptian SIMs are registered with your passport, and foreign phones get a 90-day grace period.+
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Tourist SIM at the airport
Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat and WE counters are just outside baggage claim. Vodafone tourist bundles: 5 GB/10 days ~$22.5, 20 GB/30 days ~$47. Passport required.
Tip: A regular SIM plus bundle at a Vodafone shop in town is much cheaper — use an eSIM on day one and buy in the city.
Since 21 January 2026 phones brought from abroad are taxed, but tourists keep a 90-day exemption: once you insert an Egyptian SIM, your phone's IMEI is registered and works for 90 days. Foreign SIMs and eSIMs (Airalo etc.) need no registration.
Three metro lines reach downtown (Tahrir/Sadat), Coptic Cairo (Mar Girgis) and towards Giza — no traffic and cheap. Buy tokens at the window; there are women-only carriages. Very crowded at rush hour.
Public transport to Saqqara and Dahshur is almost non-existent — hire a car with driver for the day. For Luxor and Aswan take the overnight sleeper: from $110 per person in a shared two-berth cabin, departing between 19:45 and 22:36 and reaching Luxor in 10–12 hours.
💳MoneyThe Egyptian pound (EGP) was floated in 2024; bank and street rates are now about the same.+
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ATMs and cards
CIB, National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr ATMs are reliable. Museums, sites, larger restaurants and Uber take cards; bazaars, small cafés, taxis and tips need cash pounds.
Sleeper trains, some tour companies and Nile cruise boats price in dollars or euros. For everything else pounds are cheaper — paying in dollars gets you a poor rate.
A cheap meal is ~EGP 250 per person, a mid-range dinner for two ~EGP 1,500. Small tips (baksheesh) for toilet attendants, porters, guides and drivers are customary — keep small notes handy.
Camels, horses, 'free gifts' and 'this way is closed' detours are everywhere. Buy official tickets only at the ticket office, by card; if you ride a camel, agree the price (per person, including getting off) first. Entry is EGP 700.
The UK FCDO advises against travel to North Sinai, the Libyan border zone and most of the Western Desert; Cairo, Giza, Luxor and Aswan are not in those areas. Middle East conflict can disrupt flights, so keep an eye on the news.
🙏MannersA Muslim, traditional society — dress modestly and show respect.+
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Mosques and dress
Take off your shoes in mosques and cover knees and shoulders; women may cover their hair with a scarf (gowns are lent at the Muhammad Ali Mosque). Tourists do not enter mosques during Friday noon prayers.
The first price at a bazaar is always high — bargain with a smile, and don't pick things up unless you mean to buy. If someone attaches themselves to 'help', expect them to ask for money later.
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Photography
Don't photograph people, especially women, without permission. Photographing soldiers, police, bridges and government buildings is forbidden. Give and take things with your right hand.
📱Useful appsDelivery, rides, translation — three apps are enough.+
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Uber, Careem
The best way to avoid unmetered taxis and haggling; the price is shown up front.
🛫LeavingTraffic to Cairo Airport is unpredictable — leave early.+
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Getting to the airport
It takes 30–90 minutes from the centre, longer from Giza; arrive 3 hours before an international flight. Bags are X-rayed right at the terminal entrance, so queues build up.
Spend or change your pounds before leaving Egypt — they can't be exchanged in Mongolia. Exporting genuine antiquities is illegal; buy papyrus, alabaster and spices with a receipt from the shop.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Galleries 9:00–18:00 (to 21:00 Wed and Sat)
The world's largest archaeological museum, fully opened in November 2025: Tutankhamun's complete tomb treasure of 5,000+ objects, the colossal Ramesses II statue, the solar boat. Book on visit-gem.com in advance and allow half a day.
CultureEGP 550 (students 275)9:00–17:00 (ticket office until 16:00)
The classic 1902 pink museum: the tomb of Yuya and Tuya, Amarna art and old-fashioned display halls. Tutankhamun's treasures have moved to the GEM, but it is still the best taste of old Cairo.
The Royal Mummies Hall: some 20 pharaohs, including Ramesses II and Hatshepsut, in a dim, hushed gallery. Egypt's whole story from prehistory to today in one place. By Fustat lake, close to Coptic Cairo.
The world's oldest stone pyramid (27th century BC), painted nobles' tombs and the Serapeum. About 25 km south of Giza and far less crowded — combine with Dahshur in one day.
Pharaoh Sneferu's two pyramids: you can go inside the Red Pyramid (a crouching descent), and the Bent Pyramid changes angle halfway up. Out in the desert, with hardly any tourists.
ShoppingFreeShops ≈10:00–midnight; mosque between prayers
The heart of Islamic Cairo, a bazaar dating from the 14th century: lanterns, spices, silver, the El Fishawy café. Always bargain. Next door is Al-Azhar Mosque, founded in 970 — cover knees and shoulders and take off your shoes.
Citadel of Saladin and Muhammad Ali Mosque★ 4.6 (50,000)
CultureEGP 5508:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00)
A 12th-century fortress holding the Muhammad Ali 'Alabaster' Mosque; the terrace looks over all of Cairo and, on a clear day, the pyramids. The Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifai mosques sit just below — see them together.
CultureChurch free; Coptic Museum EGP 280≈9:00–16:00
A church 'suspended' over the walls of the Roman Babylon fortress, the Coptic Museum, Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Holy Family's refuge cave — all on one walk. Right by Mar Girgis metro station.
A 30-hectare former rubbish mound turned garden: fountains, a children's playground, restaurants. Sunset over the minarets of Islamic Cairo — the place for families to unwind.
Relax≈EGP 400–800 per boat per hour (negotiable)Daily, best just before sunset
An hour on the Nile in a traditional sailing boat, leaving from the Garden City and Corniche banks. Agree the price per boat, not per person, before boarding. Big dinner-cruise boats run in the evening too.
CultureKarnak EGP 600; Valley of the Kings EGP 750≈6:00–17:30
About 650 km south of Cairo — Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings. A 2–3 day trip by overnight sleeper train (~10 h, from $110) or a 1-hour flight; continue to Aswan if time allows.
