Language

The official language is Arabic. However other foreign languages such as English, French, German, Italian and Spanish can be widely spoken as well.

PERSONAL SAFETY

Crime in Egypt nearly does not exist. Security is good and specially trained Tourist Police, who can speak English, is always nearby if needed.

TIME DIFFERENCE & VOLTAGE

Standard Time is 2 hours ahead Greenwich Mean Time (GMT 2). Egypt operates Daylight-Saving Time (Summer time) between the last Friday in April and the last Thursday in September when the clocks are 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT 3).
The electrical current is 220 volt AC.

COMMUNICATION

An extensive network of public phones with prepaid cards can be used for local, national and international calls in affordable cost. Special cellular lines' offers for tourists is easily attainable but if you are keen to have your own cellular number, roaming agreements exist with almost all national and international operators.
You can buy stamps and post your letter at post offices or from your hotel. A letter usually takes about a week to reach its destination. Post offices are closed on Fridays.
Internet service is widely expanded in Egypt. You can also find many cyber cafes through the country. "Wi Fi" (wireless Internet) is available in big cafes in main cities and now you can connect everywhere in Sharm El Sheikh and Luxor.

CLOTHING

Light cotton clothes, a hat, sun cream and sunglasses are suitable for summer months. A sweater can be useful in the winter. Whilst there is no specific dress code in the cities, women will feel more comfortable if they do not wear shorts or have their shoulders uncovered. This is particularly relevant when visiting churches and mosques.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Visitors can take photos freely except in some restricted areas e.g airports and ports, military areas. Some museums and historic sites restrict photography to protect artefacts and may charge a fee. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask.

BUSINESS HOURS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Government, administrative offices and banks are generally open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, except for Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays. Most shops are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Sunday. Please note that all these opening hours may vary in shopping centres and during Ramadan.

Public holidays

• Fixed dates:
o 7th January: Coptic Christmas Day
o 25th April: Sinai Liberation Day
o 1st May: Labour Day
o 23rd July: Revolution Day (commemorating the abolition of the monarchy in
1952)
o 6th October: Armed Forces Day
• Dates that change according to the Muslim calendar:
o Eid al-Fitr: marks the end of Ramadan
o Eid al-Adha: Feast of Sacrifice ( around 70 days after the end of Ramadan)
o Ras El Sana Hijriya: Islamic New Year
o Mawlid al-Nabi: Birthday of the Prophet Mohammed