Table of Contents
1 Experience Egypt 6
18 Ultimate Experiences 8
What's Where 16
What to Eat and Drink in Egypt 18
Egypt's Top Outdoor Adventures 20
Egypt's Best Historical Sights 22
What to Watch and Read 24
Egypt Today 26
Kids and Families 27
2 Travel Smart 37
Know Before You Go 38
Getting Here and Around 40
Essentials 47
Helpful Arabic Phrases 54
Contacts 56
Great Itineraries 58
3 Cairo 63
Welcome to Cairo 64
Street Food in Cairo 66
Planning 69
Islamic Cairo North 76
Islamic Cairo South 85
The Citadel 99
Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo) 106
Downtown Cairo 112
Rod ah Island and Garden City 119
Gezira Island and Zamalek 126
Giza 133
Heliopolis 149
New Cairo 153
Side Trips from Cairo 156
4 Alexandria 171
Welcome to Alexandria 172
Cafe Culture 174
Planning 177
Downtown and Raml Station 182
El Anfushi 194
Eastern Shoreline 200
5 Luxor and the Nile Valley 203
Welcome to Luxor and the Nile Valley 204
Planning 206
Luxor 209
Dendera 247
Abydos 250
Esna 252
El-Kab 254
Edfu 255
6 Aswan and Lake Nasser 257
Welcome to Aswan and Lake Nasser 258
Planning 260
Aswan 264
Kom Ombo 274
Daraw Camel Market 275
Philae 286
Lake Nasser 289
Abu Simbel 299
7 Sharm El-Sheikh and the Red Sea Coast 301
Welcome to Sharm el-Sheikh and the Red Sea Coast 302
Diving in Egypt 304
Egypt's Best Beaches 306
Planning 309
Sharm el-Sheikh 312
Ain Sukhna 322
Monasteries of St Anthony and St. Paul 322
Hurghada 325
El Gouna 329
Bur Safaga (Port Safaga) 341
El-Quseir 341
Marsa Alam 342
8 Cruising the Nile and Lake Nasser 343
Choosing a Nile Cruise 344
Nile Cruise Lines 354
Lake Nasser Cruise Lines 358
Index 359
About Our Writers 368
Maps
Islamic Cairo North 80
Islamic Cairo South 94
The Citadel 100
Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo) 107
Downtown Cairo 113
Rodah Island and Garden City 120
Gezira Island and Zamalek 128
Giza 134
Heliopolis 148
New Cairo 155
Side Trips from Cairo: Abu Sir, Memphis, Saqqara, and Dashur 158
Side Trips from Cairo: The Fayyum 167
Downtown and Raml Station 183
El Anfushi 196
Eastern Shoreline 201
Luxor 209
Karnak Temples 213
Luxor's East Bank 214
Luxor's West Bank 230
The Tombs of Nefertari and Ramose 234
North of Luxor: Dendera to Abydos 248
Temple of Seti I at Abydos 250
South of Luxor: Esna to Edfu 253
Aswan's East Bank and Nile Islands 266
Aswan's West Bank 271
Kom Ombo 275
North of Aswan 286
Philae 288
South of Aswan 294
Abu Simbel 298
Sharm El-Sheikh 314
Red Sea Coast 324
Hurghada 326
Culture Written on the Temple Walls 28
Shopping in Cairo 86
The Pyramids of Giza 136
Valley of the Kings 237
The Kingdoms of Egypt 277
The Copts: Egypt's Christians 330
The Nile: Egypt's Lifeline 345