Egypt
Egypt is a transcontinental country spanning northeast Africa and the Sinai Peninsula, anchored by the Nile and home to the Pyramids of Giza — the last surviving Ancient Wonder — the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and 5,000 years of continuous civilisation. Cairo, the capital, is Africa's largest city and the cultural capital of the Arab world. The 2024 opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) adjacent to the pyramids, the long-running restoration programme in Luxor and Aswan, and the steady reopening of South Sinai and Red Sea resorts after the post-2011 dip have made 2026 one of the strongest moments for an Egypt trip in a generation. Visitors are drawn to the Pyramids and the GEM at Giza, Luxor's Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and the Aswan dam temples, Nile cruise routes between Luxor and Aswan, Red Sea diving in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, the Sinai interior, Coptic and Islamic Cairo, the Siwa Oasis at the edge of the Great Sand Sea, and the White Desert's chalk formations. Egypt offers a depth and density of ancient history without parallel in the modern world.
Visa Requirements for Egypt
All foreign nationals require entry permission for Egypt. An e-visa is available to many eligible nationalities (including United States, United Kingdom, EU member states, Canada, Australia and Gulf passports) online through the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with typical processing within seven days; the single-entry e-visa is currently issued at USD 30 (raised from USD 25 in April 2026) and is valid for three months from issue for a 30-day stay, while a multi-entry option (USD 65, raised from USD 60) exists for travellers who plan to enter Egypt more than once. Visa on arrival is offered to many of the same nationalities at Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh, Luxor and other major international airports against payment in cash USD before passport control (currently USD 30, raised from USD 25 in March 2026); Cairo airport is scheduled to move to a digital, electronically-paid visa-on-arrival system (kiosk, app or online, up to 48 hours ahead) from August 2026, with other airports continuing the paper-sticker process during the rollout. Some nationalities are restricted to advance applications through Egyptian embassies and consulates abroad. All travellers must carry a passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry and with at least one blank page for the entry stamp. A separate Sinai-Only entry permit (currently issued free at Sharm El-Sheikh airport for a 15-day stay) allows visits limited to the South Sinai resorts of Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba and St Catherine's without a full Egyptian visa, but does not permit travel to Cairo, the Pyramids, Luxor or anywhere on the mainland. Fees, validity windows and the list of eligible nationalities are updated by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from time to time — verify current rules before booking flights.
Visa types
For tourism for citizens of eligible countries (US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and many others) online through the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Guides
Egypt is pure overwhelm — no other country on Earth combines 5,000 years of monumental history with tropical coral reefs, Saharan desert adventures and a megacity that pulses with the energy of 22 million people. Standing before the Pyramids of Giza — the last surviving Ancient Wonder — recalibrates your sense of scale permanently: 2.3 million stone blocks, 4,500 years old, and the sprawl of Cairo begins at their feet. Next door, the new Grand Egyptian Museum opened in 2024 with 100,000+ artefacts under one roof, including the complete Tutankhamun collection — most of it on display for the first time since Howard Carter found the tomb in 1922 — and has fundamentally changed what a Cairo visit feels like. A Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan is travel at its most classical: gliding on Egypt's lifeline while temples and palm groves drift past on the banks, feluccas sailing under the same wind that filled pharaonic sails, sunsets over ancient Thebes. The Valley of the Kings in Luxor hides 63 pharaonic tombs in the rock face, their paintings as vivid as the day they were sealed — Seti I's tomb (KV17) and Ramesses VI's (KV9) ceiling alone justify the flight. Abu Simbel's colossal rock temples in the extreme south, rescued in 1968 from the rising Lake Nasser in one of the 20th century's greatest engineering feats, still stun with their four 20-metre seated Ramesses II figures. Then the Red Sea: Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam offer some of the world's best diving — coral reefs in surreal colours, the Blue Hole of Dahab, the SS Thistlegorm wreck with its sunken motorcycles and railway carriages. Islamic Cairo is its own world: over 800 listed mosques, the Khan El-Khalili bazaar trading since 1382, Al-Azhar Mosque as one of humanity's oldest universities. The White Desert's chalk formations under a blanket of stars, the Siwa Oasis at the edge of the Great Sand Sea. And the food — ful medames for breakfast, koshari as the national dish layering lentils, rice, pasta and fried onions, freshly grilled fish on the Nile, basbousa and kunafa for dessert, strong Turkish coffee and hibiscus karkade tea on every corner.
Egypt travel guide →
The full guide — the Nile cruise mechanics, the Western Desert, café culture and the floating-middle route.
Money in Egypt →
Pounds, cash culture and baksheesh — the practical money guide.
Eating in Egypt →
Koshari logic, ful for breakfast and the café as an institution — how Egypt actually eats.
Getting around Egypt →
Sleeper trains on the Nile corridor, domestic flights that earn their fare, and the honest read on driving.
Health & safety in Egypt →
Heat discipline, dress-code practicality, tout-handling and the security picture stated plainly.
Cities & planning
Regions
Embassies & missions
Europe · 14
Americas · 8
Oceania · 2
Africa · 1
Asia · 1
Cultural institutes — Egypt
Language courses, exams, libraries and cultural programmes with a local branch.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — nearly all foreign nationals need entry permission, though it's straightforward for many nationalities: an e-visa applied for online in advance, or visa on arrival at major airports for eligible passport holders, both currently priced at USD 30 for a single-entry 30-day stay.
The e-visa is generally smoother — apply online at least a week before departure, print the approval, and present it at immigration, avoiding the visa-on-arrival queue, which requires exact cash USD at the airport bank windows before passport control.
It's a free 15-day permit issued at Sharm El-Sheikh airport for eligible nationalities, but it restricts travel to the South Sinai resorts of Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba and St Catherine's only — it does not allow travel to Cairo, the Pyramids, Luxor or anywhere else on the mainland.
Planning a trip to Egypt? Check what you need to enter and apply online in minutes.
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.