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Egypt is a very safe place, and the Egyptian people are very friendly and helpful. You should not encounter any forms of violence or robbery, especially to the tourist.
You have to barter a lot to get a good bargain on most things. This concept has to be understood, I have heard people say things like "Don't go to xxx shop, they rip you off there". They did not get ripped off, they just did not barter for the items. Bartering (once you get used to it) is FUN, its compedition between you and the seller. You will come across some "Expert sellers", just listen to their chat, use the same techniques back to them. They will tell you they are just "a poor shop keeper" etc, you can reply something like "Oh that price is too high, I'm just a poor tourist, just trying to buy some gifts for my 6 children" !!! You can make buying goods a lot of FUN !. I treat bartering as a form of entertainment.
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 Egyptian Souk (Market) |
TAXIs, now this is where you have to have your wits about you. Make sure you have a fixed price for the journey before getting in or letting the driver load your cases. Also make it clear the number of passengers, otherwise its quite possible that the taxi driver will try and get extra money at the end of the journey by charging you the price quoted multiplied by the number of passengers. If this happens DO NOT PAY the inflated price, one way I have found to get the driver to take the original quoted price, is to tell him you want to speak to the Tourist Police .... he will very quickly accept the original price, as he will not want the tourist police involved. After all, the Tourist Police are there to protect the tourist !!.
Prices for taxi´s can vary widely, I have travelled from Hurghada to Makadi bay (35 km) for 50 EGP (about £6), but you can also be quoted by a driver 50 EGP just to travel across Hurghada, again barter on the price. Taxi prices can be cheap compared to UK prices when you barter well.
There are two types of Police in tourist areas, the normal Egyptian police (usually dressed in Black uniforms), and there are the tourist police (usually dressed in White uniforms).
One good tip is always carry some money in small notes, i.e. 5, 10, 20 EGP, as taxi drivers and shop keepers never seem to have change ... strange that !!.
Do I need a Visa ?
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 Egyptian Taxi |
A visa is required to enter Egypt. Dont get put off by this, it is a very simple process. A visa can be purchased opon arrival at your Egyptian airport. You will be given a form to fill in on the flight. Before you reach passport control, there is an area for you to purchase a visa. These visa´s are purchased at a desk at a cost of 15 USD per person. (prices may vary). If you are travelling on a package holiday then your tour company should arrange the visa for you, check with your tour agent / company rep. | 
