Hello all I'm an Egyptian & wanna say to anyone need a great trip to Cairo..U must have a local friend there coz the Cruises with companies or something couldn'y show u the heart of cairo,the heart of people not necessarily to go to all the tourist destinations there are aslo allot of places which u ll have great fun & feel more magnificence when u see or stay in it...believe me look for a friend there from cairo before u decide to go there

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Adeek

you r right , a friend will be very helpful. u just have to find a good one


xxx

Hi ES. When we come to Cairo we will stay at Hotel Amarante, Abou Hazem St.Not far from were you lived when you were a child I think.We need to find out when we have free time and I will let you know.

Ian

Hi Rik,

Please let me know and i will make sure we see each other when you are here.

xxx

You are so right. I think it would be so much better to have someone that knows the right places to visit and the best things to see and do. Especially if you are on a limited amount of time or money.

a friend is really important , but believe me all Egyptian are really very friendly people. can not say all all , but sure every country has good and bad people. but at then end of the day u will really feel safe .

since u arrive to egypt you will find everyone is ur friend from the taxi driver to the ..................... everyone u will meet.

xxx

ohhhhhhhhhh im coming to cairo ..........and i dont have a friend besides the obvious of being treated like a idiot and being over charged, by taxi drivers, shop keepers etc what else do i have to look out for??? completly ignorant n worried

hmm it is worth saying - but dont worry too much about it. But you often read in travel guides that you may encounter some erm over friendly males over there who have a somewhat misconception (partly due to watching hollywood movies and the internet) of female western tourists.

Some guides even advise that wearing large sunglasses attracts less unwanted attention. And not to be too freindly straight away as some may take the wrong signals. One guide even advised that wearing a ring on the weddingring finger also helps get rid of unwanted attention too.

But other than what you said about overcharging and taxi fares, there shouldnt be anything to worry about too much - of course you have to be vigilant with your belongings that you carry with you too.

great so now i got to ditch my designer glasses lol, no seriously yes thanks for that , points taken

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will have a great time in Cairo, don't worry too much, it's just a large busy city, I have been few times and not had any problems, other than people trying to overcharge you here and there

Just try to relax and go with the flow, but remember the prices are in Egyptian pounds, so don't get too excited as 10 EGY pounds only equal 1 GB pound.

Just do a quick divide by 10 and see if you are being ripped off, if you are tell them to bugger off, it helps to try to negotiate a price for a service before you start as you will have more leverage to be able to walk away.

If you need a contact in Cairo, I know a good lady guide there who is really good and can look after you there, let me know if you want her number.

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CrescentHomes real estate, TurkishLiving & EgyptianLiving forums.