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I have always wanted to visit Egypt because of the history and my job, Egyptology will eventually bring me there! I was just wondering.. Is it safe for a person from England to move or stay at all in that manner in Cairo, Egypt?

2007-01-15 08:43:47 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel Africa & Middle East Egypt

11 answers

Of course it's safe! Don't worry!
We, too, have cars, restaurants, clubs, hotels... everything. In that perspective, we're very "westernised".
With regard to clothing etc. we wear the same as in Europe. Some women wear veil, others don't. Men wear the same clothes as anywhere in Europe. The ones in the villages don't, but we're talking city here!
We watch American movies, listen to European songs... we have international schools.
As for restaurants we have everything! Fast food (McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Hardee's.....) and normal restaurants (Chili's, Apple Bee's) as well as other Egyptian ones that are just as good, even better (Cortigiano, Spectra....) In addition to all the fancy restaurants in all hotels.
I dunno of this covers all your questions. If they don't, feel free to contact me.
Best of luck :)

2007-01-15 09:37:58 · answer #1 · answered by Stratomanssy 5 · 6 0

You have nothing to worry about. But I beg to differ with the rest of the panel so far as to the westernised part of the Q. Modern Egypt is definitely not westernized. It does have some superficial "western" features like KFC Pizza Hut etc. All movies are censored and so are magazines. No kissing no passionate scenes allowed. No Playboy or Cosmo, no bars discos or what not. There are places in Cairo that cater to the west. The big hotel area across from Zamalek (Hilton, Sheraton etc) outside that it's a very different world. No public kissing or holding hands. No short skirts or shorts for the ladies. No bare arms for the ladies. You are in an Islamic culture and western culture does not mix well with Islam. they tend to be contradictory. I'm Greek but have spent 17 years in the middle east and having traveling to Egypt twice a year for 45 days each time since 1999 . You will have a wonderful time. Advice: take it as it is do not run comparisons. enjoy the differences.

2007-01-15 19:44:31 · answer #2 · answered by The Stainless Steel Rat 5 · 2 0

first of all, i'm from the uk, to give the answer some perspective. yes, egypt is safe. i lived there 3 years and i always feel safer there than i do in the uk! it is westernised and it isn't. the bureaucracy will make u crazy, the traffic, the pollution; these are the worst aspects. good things are, lots of fast food outlets (if you feel the local food is unsafe, which it isn't!). There are plenty of bars to visit, and some clubs to visit if you know where they are! it is difficult to find non hotel bars and clubs, it's a question of word of mouth. black cabs are perfectly safe wrt being foreign, though the vehicle itself mightened be! cairo recently got a yellow taxi service which is slightly more expensive than black cabs, but they are new and clean; for westerners, they are still really cheap.

films are censored; even the program friends is on tv! cairo has many cinemas, some in malls, others in smaller venues showing egyptian films.

i hope that helps!

chris

2007-01-16 07:25:33 · answer #3 · answered by faithless1973 2 · 1 0

before answering, you shall type Cairo in http://images.google.com to shape out at least how the capital looks like.

Transportation :
we have taxies, buses and underground for the local transportation (inside the city)...Taxies are either black & white, or yellow ones, the former are very old mostly, but they're reasonably cheap..the farthest trip inside cairo would cost you (give or take 3$!) ~8$...they don't use meters, you just bargain with them until you both reach a compromise..
the yellow ones are more "modernized" and neat, but they cost more as well..also they use digital meters and you pay according to them...comparing the fair to west, it wouldn't be really expensive.
and no we're not living in deserts !...it's asphalt and our main cities are very civilized...
the buses are very cheap, they follow fixed routes but I don't recommend them, totally uncomfortable and very unsafe driving.
the underground covers most of Cairo, very fast and cheap also..you can also rent your car but this is not advisable at all, driving in Egypt needs practice !!

Telecommunication :
so far we have 2 cell networks in egypt, Mobinil (a joint venture with Orascom Telecom) and the british Vodafone, the network coverage is very good and the communication is pretty satisfying.

We have all types of hotels, Egypt is a target for many tourists you know so you will find the "most westernised" hotels ever around Egypt.

for the shopping we have bazars, which aren't very "modern", and you'll also find huge modern-style shopping malls everywhere...

in brief, Egypt is very westernised, as mentioned, people wear european fashion and they're mostly very stylish...
Egypt is VERY safe, you will feel at home and people are so kind..

Enjoy your time, and goodluck ! :)

2007-01-15 12:08:54 · answer #4 · answered by Psycho 3 · 1 0

I have recently moved to egypt and have been seriously surprised by just how modern Cairo is...I love it here! In some ways its got better products that we do iN Cape Town, South Africa. they have loads of imported grocery items, all the modern conveniences like wireless internet in the coffee shops, individual taxi's which take u anywhere u want to go with the added bonus of being realy cheap. I live in an area called Heliopolis which has a distinctly french feel to it in some of the archetecture of the older buildings, pastry shops and chemists and lovely little gardens. our apartment is opposite a beautifull garden with roses and huge trees. and safe!! dont get me started...i havea 10month old baby girl and we go for walks all the time as my husband works and i have never felt safer. do you have children? egyptians are the most baby crazy nation i have ever encountered...the all stop and smile and always want to play with the baby..all the staff of the shops and restaurants..sometimes they take her and play with her while we finish our meal. ok im gushing now.

sorry for all that :)

hope u consider it...leave your "normal" life and visit a new place which will seriouly make you have different perspective.

peace

2007-01-17 07:35:56 · answer #5 · answered by nomadneesa 2 · 1 0

hey there, Egypt is completely safe, we have everything in here...
we have clubs, pubs, restaurant, places to visit, movies, malls everything that u have in England...
it's a normal country but with some restrictions cuz it's an Islamic country but as for a foreigner...feel free to do whatever u want...people here r very friendly, smiley and helpful...
if you wanna visit touristic places you have the pyramids, the Egyptian museum, Cairo tower, the citadel and so many...if you wanna go to pubs pr clubs u will find in each hotel in here + other ones like sangria, latex, club 35, L'obergine etc....
everyone is free to wear whatever he or she wants but it depends on the places they go...for example if it's in a club or a pub u will find girls with mini skirt n shorts, but these clothes r not allowed in the street or in public places....also u will find veild and normal women...
as for food u will find everything in here, all the international food + the egyptian delicious food, i suggest u should try the Koshary...it's a well known egyptian food...
well i was talking about cairo, but if u wanna really feel completley free i advice u to go and visit Sharm el Sheikh, ohhhh man it's awesome n u will have fun to the extent...it's fun there..

contact me for any more details

2007-01-15 21:22:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Egypt is a very "cool" country for most non-Egyptian people.

But as for us poor Egyptians, we are suffering (The National party is controlling everything, Mubarak Jr. is gonna be "crowned" president of Egypt, and on top of that Zamalek is probably getting a third consecutive trophyless season).

I hate this country.

2007-01-18 14:46:21 · answer #7 · answered by som3a14 2 · 0 0

first of all, as you are British you shouldn't be afraid of anything,so if the police talk to you just request someone from the British embassy and the police will do anything for you to be happy and in order not to bring someone from the embassy,,,this was just to give you some confidance....cairo is a busy city that never sleeps,,,so if you want to eat pizza at 2:00 am it is open don't worry...if you want to go shopping at 4:00 am you will find super markets that are open for you 24 H like(Ragab sons, Metro), american films are in cinemas the same day they are in america, also their is few british films there....streets are very busy and you are going to hear and sound the horn every minute...you are going to find driving in egypt difficult...do not look for places to pass the streets from because there isn't any....

places to stay in:
New or Old Maadi...they are very quiet....if you are going to stay for long periods....

always try to call a taxi and not to take the black taxi from the streets..

listen i have got something better for you i am now in manchester so if you wanna e-mail me to get my phone number for a short chat their is no problem,,,you can even call me now..... amrsaleh13@yahoo.com

2007-01-15 09:44:22 · answer #8 · answered by Amr S 2 · 0 1

I have never been to Egypt, but try Virtualtourist.com. They always have great information for tourist by tourist. They have always been dead on when I use them as a reference. Asking people from the country is good, but they usually can't see their home as a tourist sees it. It's good to ask people who have visited there as a tourist or short-term resident.

2007-01-15 14:20:39 · answer #9 · answered by Midoria 3 · 0 0

It's very safe, but it's noisy, roads have bumps, and stuff, and if your going to cairo, it's as if your sayng in a desert i mean, it's so messy with the sand because it's right next to a desert

2007-01-16 03:11:57 · answer #10 · answered by Alice :) 2 · 0 0

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