Egypt from the USA & Canada

Key takeaways

Getting there

EgyptAir flies nonstop to Cairo from New York (JFK), Newark and Washington Dulles, and from Toronto in Canada — roughly ten to twelve hours in the air. It has also announced routes from Los Angeles and Chicago, so check the current schedule when you book. From any other North American city, one stop through Europe, Istanbul or the Gulf gets you to Cairo the next day.

Our journeys can start at Cairo airport: we meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel. If you would rather not queue at all, our VIP arrival service meets you inside the terminal and walks you through the formalities.

The visa

US and Canadian passport holders can apply for Egypt's tourist e-visa online before they fly, on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg — or buy a visa on arrival at the bank counters in the Cairo arrivals hall, before passport control. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after the day you arrive.

The fees changed during 2026, so check the current amount on the official portal, and pay only there: look-alike sites charge a service fee for the same form. Canadian travellers should also read Global Affairs Canada's Egypt page before booking — the rules for Canadians changed recently. With your itinerary we send the up-to-date steps for your passport.

Important: Pay for an e-visa only on visa2egypt.gov.eg. Other sites that look official add their own fee.

Time difference and the first day

Cairo is seven hours ahead of New York and Toronto for most of the year, eight ahead of Chicago and ten ahead of Los Angeles. Egypt keeps summer time on its own dates, so the gap moves by an hour for a few weeks in spring and autumn.

That is why we keep the first day light: a late breakfast, perhaps a walk by the Nile, and the pyramids the next morning, when you will actually enjoy them.

When to come

October to April is the season: warm, dry days and cool evenings, the right weather for temples and for the deck of a Nile boat. Thanksgiving week, Christmas and New Year sit in the middle of it — the best weather of the year and the busiest weeks, when the best Nile cabins and hotel rooms go three to four months ahead. Spring break in March is one of the very best times to come.

From June to August Upper Egypt is hot, often past 40°C (104°F) in Luxor and Aswan by midday. It can still be done — early mornings, a rest at noon — and the Red Sea and Alexandria are at their best then.

Money, cards and tipping

Egypt's currency is the Egyptian pound. Cards work in hotels and most restaurants; keep some pounds for small purchases. Our own prices are set in euros — on this site you will see an approximate dollar figure beside each one — and you can pay us by PayPal from a US or Canadian account, by card or by bank transfer.

Tipping is part of daily life in Egypt, as it is at home, but the amounts are smaller and more frequent. We send you a short tipping guide with your itinerary, so you never have to guess.

Safety

Before any trip abroad, read your government's advice — the US State Department and Global Affairs Canada both publish a page on Egypt. The places our journeys go — Cairo and Giza, Luxor, Aswan, the Nile, the Red Sea resorts — are where visitors travel every day, and you are never on your own: your guide and your driver are with you throughout.

How a private journey works

Everything is private: your own licensed Egyptologist, your own vehicle and driver, and hotels chosen for the room rather than the star rating. Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling; we reply within one working day with a real itinerary and a clear price, with no obligation.