Egypt Family Travel Guide
Egypt with Kids
Looking for a destination that offers history kids are actually interested in, and has awesome beaches? Egypt is definitely your best option. Where else can you find mummies, pyramids, hieroglyphs, and some of the best snorkel and diving spots in the world?
On this page you’ll find all the info you need to plan your ultimate Egypt family road trip.
All Egypt Family Travel Blog Posts
Fun Facts About Egypt
Things to Know About Egypt
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Capital: |
Cairo |
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Official language: |
Arabic |
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Currency: |
Egyptian Pound |
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Visa requirements: |
About 75 countries are eligible for an eVisa, valid for a maximum of 3 months. Check iVisa or the official website of the Egyptian Embassy to find out if you need a visa to enter. Apply for a tourist visa online, for instance through iVisa |
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Timezone: |
GMT +2 |
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Power Plug Type: |
Type C and F |
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Voltage: |
220V supply voltage and 50Hz |
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Measurement system: |
Metric (Celsius / kilometer / kilogram / liter) |
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CDC and WHO recommended travel vaccines: |
Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever and rabies. Always call your doctor for pre-travel advice when it comes to vaccinations and medication. |
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Safety ranking: |
Ranked 107 on the Global Peace Index |
Why Traveling Through Egypt with Kids Is a Must
Egypt is a huge country with a population of around 105 million people, 90 million of them live near the Nile.
It’s a country high on many families bucket list as its a cradle of civilization, filled with ancient wonders. Cities like Cairo, Luxor, Sharm-El-Sheikh, and Aswan offers lots to families.
Egypt is a destination you’ll never forget, leaving you wanting more! And for good reason. I speak from experience, because our Egypt family road trip remains one of our family fave’s.
What is Egypt known for
Egypt is known for its rich history and diverse culture. It is home to some of the world’s most iconic historical sites, such as the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings. These Egyptian ancient wonders offer a glimpse into the country’s past and a must-see for people of all ages. What kid doesn’t want to see the pyramids?
Egypt is also known for the great cuisine. Dishes like koshari, falafal, shawarma, kebab are kid friendly. And spreads like hummus and baba ganoush are even better on a fresh baked bread you can get all over Egypt.
Best Age to Visit Egypt
There isn’t an appropriate age or stage to visit Egypt, but it will be more fun for kids if they know a little bit about ancient Egypt. If you wait until your youngest has learned about Egypt at elementary school, they’ll probably engage more.
The pyramids will be more interesting for kids that don’t speak the guide’s language if they’ve heard the stories about the tombs filled with mummies and gold before.
Another thing that’s good to know that if you want to book a tour that some companies have age restrictions. Sometimes as high as 12+, but also 5+. Search for family tours and book the one that best suits your family. This also applies to Nile cruises, so do your research if you’re planning to join a Nile cruise with your family.
If you want to go on a day trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan, note that you’ll be spending 3,5 hours in a car twice. You’ll start your journey in the middle of the night, so do take note of that, before booking a tour.
Also note that Egypt isn’t a stroller friendly country. Be prepared to carry your toddler around most of the time.
What to Wear In Egypt
Egyptians generally wear conservative clothing. Being a guest in another country means that it’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t wear.
It goes without saying that when you’re visiting mosques or churches that you should dress appropriately. With kids you can be a little less strict, but don’t let them wear short shorts and tank tops or sleeveless shirts to places of worship. And keep those knees covered, whether you’re a kid, man or a woman.
When visiting larger cities you’ll see men wearing t-shirts or long sleeves and long trousers. Few women are fully veiled but loose veils and abayas are very common streetwear. Wearing t-shirts in these cities is not frowned upon. As a woman keep your shoulders covered and preferably also your knees.
In places like Edfu or Kom Ombo people are dressed more conservative. We wore long sleeves and long trousers, skirts or dresses in these towns.
At beach towns and cities like Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh you can wear shorts and sleeveless shirts at resorts and on and around the beach. But be respectful and leave your midriff-baring tops at home.
Whenever I’m in doubt before starting a day of exploring I just bring scarfs and cotton button-ups for everyone, just to be on the safe side.
Egypt: A Safe Family Travel Destination
It’s been years since the Arab Spring of 2011. There has been more stability since 2014, but there’s still lots of poverty. Just like anywhere else in the world: don’t walk around with your valuables or flaunt what you have. Be sensible and you’ll be fine!
While the infrastructure in and around Cairo can be compared to Middle Eastern Countries like Jordan, nationwide the safety standards aren’t as good. The current administration is investing in the infrastructure all over the country, but it will take some time to get up to speed.
It’s no surprise that with all the news we’ve seen on our tv screens over the years, tourism took a nose dive. And that is truly unfortunate! The people of Egypt are generally kind and welcoming people and it’s a cultural gem that deserves a visit. We felt perfectly safe.
Just like any other country that’s depended on tourism there are scammers here, but that’s definitely not a reason to avoid traveling to Egypt with your family.
Top Tours In Egypt with Kids
Best Time to Travel
The best time of year to travel to Egypt with kids is during the winter months or the shoulder seasons. Avoid summers if you can, because temperatures can reach more than 40 degrees Celsius. November to April are the busiest months there. Expect large crowds at the popular sights. My overall tip is to check out the sights during the early morning or near the end of the day. Check the closing times if you choose to visit the sights around the end of the day. Always make sure that you don’t have to rush while there, or worse, don’t have enough time to check out the sight of your choice.
Egypt in the Summer Months
As I mentioned, I advise you to avoid traveling to Egypt during the summer, because of the intense heat. At most sights, like the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Abu Simbel near the border with Sudan or the pyramids of Giza near Cairo, there’s little to no shade. If you have no other choice but to visit Egypt during summer, please make sure you visit all the sights as early in the morning as possible. And bring enough sunscreen, hats, umbrella’s and water as you can.
Visit the indoor sights, like museums, during the hotter parts of the day (or better yet, spend those in a pool).
In the table below you can find the average temperatures per month, note that it’s much hotter down south in Aswan, and Abu Simbel, than it is in the north near Cairo, Port Said, and Alexandria
Family Safety In Egypt
Must have Egypt emergency numbers for traveling families
Egypt has 3 different emergency numbers for police, fire department, and ambulance. For emergency police assistance call 122. For emergency fire assistence call 180, and for emergency ambulance assistence call 123.
When using a foreign eSIM these number should work, but if they don’t simply add +20 before all 3 emergency numbers.
Some other helpful phone numbers:
- Tourist police: +20 126 (also for non-urgent police assistence)
- Medical assistance: +20 2 2670 3275
Travel First Aid Kit
Having the best first aid kit for travel abroad offers you peace of mind! A good travel first aid kit contains items equipped to deal with cuts, bruises, sprains and breaks. And should also be filled with over the counter medicine for insect bites, fever, pain and nausea.
There are plenty of first aid travel bags on the market that are pre-made. But these won’t contain over the counter medicines so add these items to the kit yourself:
- paracetamol for kids and adults
- nausea and vomiting medicine
- ORS for kids and adults
- coughs and colds medicine
- allergies tablets (anti-histamine for bites, stings, hay fever and sudden allergic reactions)
Traveling with prescribed medication
When traveling with prescribed medication you should:
- Bring your medication passport
- Take your pills and medical equipment with you in their original and correctly labelled packages
- Carry your medicine in your hand luggage with a copy of your prescription
- If you or any of your family members take medication that falls under the Opium Law (aka Opium Act), you should take appropriate action well before embarking on your trip.
Vaccinations
Travelers to Egypt are advised to get vaccinated for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever and rabies. This is in addition to the childhood vaccinations that are part of your countries vaccination program.
Always call your doctor as soon as you know where you’re traveling to, because some vaccines need to be repeated once or even twice before your departure. You should only take pre-travel advice about vaccinations from your doctor.
Travel Insurance
Don’t forget a travel insurance for your trip! Heymondo covers medical emergencies, theft, delays, cancellations, lost luggage, and more, with 24/7 worldwide assistance and medical chat. All Sas Crossing Countries readers, get 5% off Heymondo travel insurance! Other travel insurance companies worth checking out are World Nomads, and Safety Wing.
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Egypt Posts on the Blog
Background Info About Egypt
Egypt is home to the first ancient world wonder of the world: the pyramids of Giza! But there’s so much more to explore and ancient history is found around every corner. Cairo is a great city to visit with kids. Aswan is also family friendly and Luxor has lots of things to offer for families as well.
Check out temples like Karnak, Luxor, Philae, and Abu Simbel. And visit tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Learn about Egyptian history in Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum.
And don’t skip gorgeous beaches and coral reefs at the Red Sea. Or a Nile river cruise from Luxor to Aswan.
Egypt is one of the many ideal family travel destinations in Africa, don’t just focus on the safari destinations, because lots of countries in North Africa are worth your while as well. A bucket list destination that is on wish lists of many adults and children.
Planning a Trip to Egypt? Check out These Companies:
Find Accommodation via Booking.com, Vrbo and TripAdvisor
Find Hostels via Hostelworld
Book Tours & Attractions via Viator, Get Your Guide or Klook
Find a Rental Car via Discover Cars
Book Bus, Train and Transfer via 12Go
Book Ferry Tickets via Ferryhopper
Get Travel Insurance via World Nomads, Heymondo, Safety Wing or Travelex
Get a Visa via iVisa
Get a VPN via NordVPN
How to plan your family road trip – our tips