Direct charters to Sharm and Hurghada
Direct flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Kazan. Charters — S7 and Pobeda. Regular services — Egyptair and Aeroflot via Cairo.
More affordable than Turkey, richer in history
Best fares
Hotels Egypt, from budget to exclusive
Sharm el-Sheikh — premium and diving. Hurghada — families and AI. Cairo — history. Luxor — expeditions. Dahab — for divers and backpackers.
Resorts, for different tastes
When to fly to Egypt
Red Sea — year-round. Pyramids and Cairo — October–April. Summer in Cairo reaches +42°C.
Ready-made tours to Egypt
What you need to know before you go
Egypt visa
E-visa online — $25, processed in 3–7 days at evisa.gov.eg. Visa-on-arrival — $25 at Sharm and Hurghada airports. For Cairo, better to arrange online in advance.
Money and cards
EGP (Egyptian pound). Mir card — at 4–5★ hotels. Dollars and euros — everywhere (hotels, taxis, excursions). Airport exchanges give poor rates — better in town.
Transport and transfer
Taxis without meters — negotiate upfront. Uber works in Cairo. Hotel-airport transfer — book via Sales.Travel (from 1,200 ₽). Along the Nile — felucca or ferry.
Connectivity and eSIM
Roaming in Egypt is expensive. Sales.Travel eSIM — 5 GB Egypt from 690 ₽, instant activation. Vodafone Egypt 4G — best coverage at resorts.
Must-try experiences
Pyramid of Khufu (Great Pyramid, 146 m) — the only one of the 7 wonders of the world to survive. Inside — separate ticket 900 EGP (≈18 USD), narrow corridor of the Grand Gallery, burial chamber. Standard ticket to the grounds 300 EGP. Arrive by 8:00 — no heat, no crowds. Camera + Sphinx on one ticket. From Cairo — 30 min by Uber taxi, negotiate return on site.
Sphinx (XXVI c. BC) — world's largest monolithic sculpture (73 m length, 20 m height). Carved from a single rock when building the pyramid of Khafre. Face damaged (legend — Napoleon fired cannons, in reality — 14th c. Mamluks for practice). Best angle — from the viewing platform behind (through the Sphinx gates, no additional charge).
Sharm el-Sheikh — try-dive 50 USD without certification. Tiran with currents and pelagic sharks — for Advanced. Ras Mohammed National Park — world's best shore dive (Yolanda Reef, Anemone City). Blue Hole in Dahab (130 m depth) — tech-divers only, claims 1–2 lives per year. Visibility 30–40 m year-round.
Karnak (XVI–XI c. BC) — world's largest ancient Egyptian temple complex, 33 hectares. Main feature — Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns 23 m high (Luxor). Ticket 450 EGP. Guide essential — difficult to grasp 4,000 years of history alone. Sound & Light show at 19:00 and 20:00 in different languages (Russian — Mon & Wed, 50 USD).
Valley of the Kings — necropolis of New Kingdom pharaohs (1,539–1,075 BC) on Luxor's west bank. 8 of 63 tombs open, standard ticket — 3 of your choice (600 EGP). Tutankhamun's tomb — separate ticket 700 EGP (with mummy of the child pharaoh). Seti I — most beautiful, 2,000 EGP. Photography forbidden (violation — camera confiscated).
Nile cruise — the main way to see Upper Egypt. Luxor → Esna → Edfu → Kom Ombo → Aswan, 4 nights, stops at temples. Felucca (sail) — affordable (30–50 USD/day), Bedouin atmosphere, no internet. 5★ steamer (Mövenpick, Sonesta St George, Oberoi) — 200–400 USD/night, rooftop pool, sunrises over water. Book through concierge 2 months ahead.
Khan el-Khalili (from XIV c.) — Cairo's main bazaar in the Islamic quarter. Silver, copper, perfume, spices (cumin, cinnamon, ras el hanout). El-Fishawy café operating since 1771 without a break — prime spot for Arabic coffee and shisha. Main rule — haggle down to 40% of starting price. Tourist police always nearby. Open daily till 23:00.
Abu Simbel (XIII c. BC) — 2 temples of Ramesses II near the Sudanese border. 4 colossal statues of the pharaoh 20 m high. UNESCO. Twice yearly (22 February and 22 October) the sun illuminates the altar deep inside the temple for exactly 20 minutes. Flight from Aswan on EgyptAir — 45 min, 130 USD round-trip. Temple ticket 600 EGP. Bus tours from Aswan with convoy — 25 USD, departure at 4:00.
Quad safari into the desert — standard tourist activity in Sharm and Hurghada. 2–4 hours, with stop at Bedouin camp: dinner (milk-fed rabbit on coals), camel ride, shisha, stargazing. Price 40–80 USD. Best operators — Sun Quad (Sharm), Hurghada Sahara (Hurghada). Day tour available, but night tour — far superior due to sky with no light pollution.