We will be in Egypt for 14 days, 9 of which will be on a Nile cruise. How much Egyptian currency is needed for our Insight trip?

Are short sleeves for women acceptable at most places or is it better to wear long sleeves?

Dear Chuck

It's very hard to say how much as, naturally, it depends on what sort of spending you intend to do. On the Nile Cruise you can charge drinks, laundry etc to your room and at the end of the cruise pay by credit card. The exception is the boat's shop where you need to pay, but again you can pay by credit card. If you want to buy souvenirs from the street vendors you will need cash, apparently they take different currencies but, I only used Egyptian pounds (LE). I did the Splendors of Egypt tour which is 12 days and used about LE600 cash (this does not include the cash tip we gave to our guide).

Regarding dress - we were told it was advisable for both men and women not to wear shorts above the knees and ladies shouldn't wear singlet tops. Short sleeves are fine, I wore tshirts. On the boat you can wear what you want. Men were asked to wear long pants for dinner. Hope this helps.

Happy travelling

Hi Chuck,
I know you will love Egypt and the Nile cruise. I cannot tell you how much money you will need, kinda depends on how much you like the extra shopping. I remember though (from 2000) that the Egyptian money was very interesting in that it was almost impossible to read and was actually greasy to the touch...from usage by 20 million ppl I guess. Maybe they've issued some new bills since then.
Bon Voyage and.....

Hi Chuck

Definitely depends on how much shopping you want to do in the markets... although they will quote the equivalent in any currency, they will happily help you spend you money in any way possible!!

It is very easy to exchange your currency for Egyptian currency in the hotels particularly in Cairo as they have 24 hour banks and the rate is a set rate. I just exchanged 200 or so US dollars whenever I was getting low on currency. There are ATMs everywhere also.

As to how much I definitely spent more than Yon Yon... but I paid cash for most meals etc and didn't put too much on my credit card except the larger purchases like jewellery and I didn't skimp on anything. So I would have spent more like about 5000 egyptian pounds which is only roughly 1000 US and I was there for the Grand Tour so that was 16 days.

Hope that helps!

Hi, Chuck!

I am not sure from your post if you have already gone or not. There is a bank in the Cairo airport as well as several in the Cairo Marriott. You will need 1 LE each time you wish to visit the WC. We started out with around 700 LE and simply got more at the ATM as needed. We only used ATM's in secure places like the major hotels. At the Cairo Marriott, we were able to purchase a roll of 25 1LE coins and that was so much easier to use for WC's and backsheesh. Then, we kept 5, 10 and 20 LE bills in another pocket in case of a purchase. When negotiating, keep your money under wraps until a price has been decided upon. BTW, the exchange rates are determined by the government, so it does not matter where you change money. I found it to be very fair and would suggest that if you buy LE at home, that you be conservative and plan on getting more in Egypt. You will need it immediately in the airport and to tip the Insight person and driver who transport you to the hotel. Of course they are pleased to receive US$ & Euros just as much. We are just back as of Nov. 8. Other questions?