Aswan

Currency budget Egypt

The pound moves, so change small amounts as you go and check the rate the week you travel. Bank branches on the Corniche give the official rate. Bring clean, unmarked dollar or euro notes, because torn ones are refused, and keep a wad of small pounds for the boatmen and the baksheesh.

ATMs & cards

Banque Misr, NBE and CIB machines along the Corniche, ideally inside a branch. There is little or nothing on Elephantine Island or in the Nubian villages on the west bank, so withdraw before you cross. Ask for small notes.

Use machines inside branches on the Corniche, and withdraw before crossing the river. Ask for small notes — every boatman and guardian expects a tip and none has change.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety all of Egypt

Calm and well policed, with noticeably less hassle than Luxor. What hurts visitors here is the heat: summer highs average 42°C, Abu Simbel is hotter, and the long tours start in the dark for that reason. Agree every boat and taxi fare before you set off, and expect the camel ride to the Monastery of St Simeon to be priced for getting off as well as on. The UK FCDO lists Aswan and Abu Simbel among the places it does not advise against.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa Egypt visa rules

Health & emergencies all of Egypt

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Nubian food is the local thing: stews cooked in clay, flatbread, and hibiscus (karkade) served cold. Eat at a Nubian house on the west bank or Elephantine rather than on a floating restaurant on the Corniche. Drink bottled water only, and a lot more of it than you think.

Getting around

• Public ferry — a few pounds to Elephantine Island and the west bank, and how Aswan itself crosses
• Motorboat — hired by the hour from the Corniche landings for the islands and the Nubian villages; agree the price and the route first
• Felucca — sail only, so slow, quiet and at the mercy of the wind; an hour at sunset round Elephantine is the thing to do
• Taxi — no meters; agree the fare, and hire one by the half-day for the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the boat to Philae
• Train — three hours north to Luxor, and the overnight sleeper to Cairo
• Airport: Aswan (ASW) is 25 min from the Corniche, across the High Dam side of town

eSIM

A data eSIM for Egypt, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:Works hereWorks hereRevolutIn the app

Must-see

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Arabic

• Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
• Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
• Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
• Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la

Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.

Religion

Sunni Muslim, with a Coptic Christian minority

Around 90% Muslim and 10% Coptic Christian, one of the oldest Christian communities on earth. Cover shoulders and knees at mosques and churches alike; women cover their heads at mosques.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Use your right hand for eating, greeting and handing anything over
• Dress modestly away from resorts — shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for women entering mosques
• Agree a price before accepting any service, including a photograph with a camel
• Carry small notes for baksheesh; it is expected constantly and is part of how the economy works

Don't

• Do not photograph military or police installations, bridges or airports — this is taken seriously
• Do not show the sole of your foot to anyone, or point with your feet
• Do not show public affection beyond hand-holding; it is illegal in some readings and always poorly received
• Do not accept an unsolicited guide at the pyramids who then demands a fee — say la, shukran, firmly and keep walking