Destination Luxor

Practical information

A brief check before you leave:

Border formalities

A valid international passport and a visa are mandatory. The passport must remain valid for at least 6 months following your return from Egypt. You buy the visa at the airport.

Weather

In Luxor the sun shines virtually the whole year round. The temperature is very agreeable, especially from November to the end of February. The temperature can sometimes mount to 40°C in the summer months. It may cool down appreciably in the evening and at night due to the neighbouring desert.

Time difference

Egypt is 1 hour ahead of the Netherlands.

Language

The official language is Arabic but you can manage virtually everywhere with English.

Money

Egyptian pound (£E, pronounced 'bound', and in Egyptian, ginih), is divided into 100 piasters (PT; qirsh). However, they may not be imported or exported. There are cash dispensers. Other means of payment are credit card and traveller's cheques.

Electricity

220V. However, some plug sockets will only take plugs with thin pins, meaning an adapter is required.

Vaccinations

• Vaccination is mandatory if you come FROM a yellow-fever area.
• A DTP vaccination is recommended.
• Protection against Hepatitis A is recommended.

Transport:

• Bus and train: Bus connections are good and the network is much better than that of the railways, although the quality of normal buses is not tremendous. You can also take them to such destinations as Hurghada, the Sinai, Abu Simbel and the oases.
• Express trains: Apart from the slow, packed, dirty and dirt-cheap trains, there are the express trains. These travel reliably by Egyptian standards, are usually air-conditioned and possess very good sleeping cars. You must book in time for the latter.
• Taxi: There are ordinary taxis and the more luxurious kind. The second type, without a meter, generally stand by the tourist hotels and have drivers who speak a couple of words of English, but they are certainly more expensive (considerably so). You can stop ordinary taxis on the street. You can also hire a taxi for the whole day. The hotel manager will be glad to help you find one. Discuss the overall price, duration and route beforehand. Pay only on your return.
• Service taxis: You will also find minibuses everywhere in Egypt ("service taxis"), which for a few Egyptian pounds will take you where you have to be, as long as it is on their normal route. Very easy, fast and super cheap, once you get to know how it all works.

Rules for passengers of transavia.com
Because of the restrictions in the aviation agreement with Egypt, it is alas not possible:

• To book a single journey from the Netherlands to Egypt
• To book a single journey or return departing from Egypt to the Netherlands.

Your journey out and back from Egypt must also take place within 12 weeks.