Cheap Holidays in Egypt - Many Historical Attractions
Find a cheap holiday to Egypt, a destination that combines history and culture, with lively entertainment. All of Egypt is so ludicrously steeped in history, from its biblical connections (a young Jesus was taken to Egypt by his family when he was but a lad, not a holidAay exactly, they were trying to escape naughty Herod’s death sentence on Jewish children) to the might of King Ramesses II whose mummified remains are still displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo some 3500 years after his death, there’s wonder and mystery everywhere. The massive city of Cairo with its 15 million plus population, Minarets, bazaars, and unbridled luxury rubbing shoulders with utter poverty is an incredible place, but a surprising order and relatively low crime rate prevails. Holidays to Cairo are an excellent choice for those who like the hussle and bussle of a lively, but safe, city.
There are few places to visit in the world that have been receiving tourists as long as Egypt has. Over 2000 years ago Romans were cruising up the Nile and visiting the pyramids, long before the early explorers from the UK came back with tails of amazing structures in the desert. We’ve more than just pointy buildings to thank ancient Egypt for – there’s the calendar, clocks, paper, and, unfortunately, cats. They weren’t that clever then, we think they should have domesticated otters, which are far more intelligent, and could live in the bath.
Cheap Egypt Holidays - The Pyramids
The pyramids are hardly surrounded just by desert anymore, the most famous pyramids we mean, as there are over 100 pyramids in Egypt, but some are falling to bits more so than the most famous ones – the pyramids of Giza. The massive urban sprawl of Cairo reaches almost to the foot of the great Giza pyramids, where the largest pyramid ever built dominates the skyline. The Cheops pyramid is a great wonder of the world, and in the middle of the three main pyramids that make up the Giza pyramids. They are mausoleums really, for the mummified remains of King Cheops (and a few wives) and are pyramid shaped because anything in a pyramid is supposed to live forever. Cheops was the possibly first fellow to be mummified. The surface of the pyramids was once perfectly smooth with all the entrances invisible, but this surface was eventually hacked away and a long process of plundering began in about 820 AD.
Cheap Egypt Holidays - A Great Place to Relax
However, you can go to Egypt and never see a pyramid should you be settling down for a few weeks and enjoying your summer holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh, as it’s a good 335 miles from Cairo and the Giza pyramids. You can spend weeks in Sharm el-Sheikh doing nothing other than sitting on the private beaches, enjoying some of the best diving in the world in the Red Sea, having a go in the casino, and generally enjoying the nightlife of the Red Sea Riviera. The pyramids and Cairo itself aren’t completely out of the question from Sharm el-Sheikh – a long and fairly gruelling way in a coach, but not impossible, much easier by air of course. There’s Mount Sinai to explore, and you can hunt for bits of the tablet with the 5 commandments on it that Moses dropped on his way down with the 15 commandments.
Or how about spending your holidays in Taba. Taba is a relatively newly reachable town, on the border of Israel, its airport only opened in 2000. You can get a bus to Eilat across the border in Israel quite easily, but there’s plenty to do here, as long as being cosseted in cheap five star all-inclusive luxury in Egypt and enjoying the hospitality of the wonderful Egyptian people is alright with you. It’s a resort still in development, but that doesn’t mean it’s a building site. There are strict local rules and laws that developers have to comply with that help protect the natural environment and delicate ecological balance of the red sea, and the Sinai desert, which is one of the most stunning deserts in the world.
Hurghada is fairly new too, not quite as new as Taba as a resort, as it’s been growing and spreading out along the Red Sea for nearly 30 years now and currently stretches for about 26 miles along the coast. Holidays to Hurghada offer nightlife, diving, great weather, and hospitality – what else could you want on holiday?
Low Cost Holidays in Egypt – Plenty of Attractions
The massive city of Cairo or smaller Luxor, where you might visit should you go on a Valley of the Kings trip to see the mummy of Tutankhamun, are everything you’d expect – huge sprawling masses of humanity, most of whom seem intent on extracting cash from you for various reasons. Keep your wits about you and you’ll be okay though. And do be careful crossing the road! Expect lots of people to be ‘guarding’ the main attractions, such as the pyramids, and try not to let being led slightly astray spoil your visit, just focus on what you need to do and brush aside any offers to go on other impromptu tours that you haven’t planned.
Women should dress conservatively in this mainly Muslim country of course, which means arms and legs covered incidentally, especially if you’re visiting a Mosque or other place of worship. There are posh hotels galore both in the cities and the Red Sea Riviera resorts. However, even in the posh bits you don’t have to stray too far to find many people desperate to get you into their taxi, on their tour, or otherwise parting with your money. None of this is dangerous or intimidating enough to make it a massive problem, security is high in Egypt, so don’t miss Egypt off your list of ‘must visit’ places. Far from it in fact, Egypt belongs right at the top of that list as it never disappoints.
The pyramids and sphinx are not the only historic monuments in Egypt of course, but they are the only remaining examples of the Seven Wonders of the World, It’s stunning to be there, in the heat on the edge of the desert, locals vying for your attention, what was the tallest building in the world for thousands of years dominating the skyline. Like the rest of Egypt, the pyramids don’t disappoint. If you go inside, to which there’s a limit of 300 people per day at the moment, don’t expect it to be a particularly comfortable experience, especially if you’re anything over about 5’6 tall. They weren’t built for us lot to clamber round in!
Security issues and concerns are as paramount in Egypt as they are anywhere else in the world these days, but the Egyptian authorities have more experience than most at handling things and are generally well thought of internationally.