Umrah and Egypt: adding Cairo after your pilgrimage

Key takeaways

What we arrange, and what we do not

From Britain, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Nigeria, Singapore or Australia, the end of your Umrah leaves you a short flight from Cairo: a few days in Egypt without a second long-haul journey.

We arrange the Egypt part: meeting you at the airport, hotels, your own licensed Egyptologist, your vehicle and driver, entrance tickets and domestic flights within Egypt. We do not organise the Umrah or the Saudi visa; that is your Umrah operator's work. We fit the Egypt days to the dates you already hold.

Flights from Jeddah and Madinah

Saudia, EgyptAir, flynas, flyadeal and others fly nonstop from Jeddah to Cairo in about two hours; Saudia, EgyptAir and flynas fly from Madinah in about the same. Saudi Arabia is one hour ahead of Cairo in winter and on the same time in summer, so there is no jet lag.

Book a multi-city ticket: home to Jeddah or Madinah, then Cairo back home. From Cairo, British Airways and EgyptAir fly nonstop to London Heathrow, and EgyptAir to Manchester, Johannesburg, Lagos, New York, Washington and Toronto — check the current schedules. To Singapore or Australia it is one stop. We meet you on arrival at Cairo airport.

The visa depends on your passport

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have separate entry rules, and the Egypt visa follows your passport. British, American, Singaporean and Australian passport holders can apply for Egypt's tourist e-visa on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, or buy a visa on arrival. South African passport holders can use the e-visa. Canadians should also read Global Affairs Canada's Egypt page, as the rules for Canadians changed recently. Nigerian passport holders cannot use either: get a visa from an Egyptian embassy before you leave for Saudi Arabia.

An Umrah visa is not a residence permit, so the visa on arrival that many Gulf residents can use does not apply to pilgrims. If your passport allows it, apply for the e-visa before you leave home. The fee changed during 2026 and a further rise has been announced for January 2027: check the current amount on the official portal. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your stay.

Important: Pay for an e-visa only on visa2egypt.gov.eg. Other sites that look official add their own fee. Living in the Gulf? Egypt for Gulf residents →

Islamic Cairo, in a full day

Cairo holds a thousand years of Islamic history within a few kilometres. It deserves a day of its own, not an hour after the pyramids, and your guide orders it by geography and prayer times:

Tip: We keep Ibn Tulun for late afternoon, when its courtyard is almost empty and the light is low. Religious Cairo & the Citadel, as a private day →

Prayer, halal food and dress

Prayer times shape the day rather than interrupt it. There are mosques near almost every major site and a prayer room at the Grand Egyptian Museum; in Islamic Cairo you pray in the mosques you are visiting. On a Friday the morning is kept light so you can pray Jumu'ah, and visits move to the afternoon.

Egypt is a Muslim-majority country, and meat in its restaurants and hotels is generally halal. There are no halal stickers, because halal is the norm. We check the exceptions in advance: international hotel restaurants that serve alcohol, foreign menus on Nile boats, and desserts made with alcohol-based flavourings.

In mosques, everyone covers shoulders and knees, and women cover their hair. Bring your own scarf, and socks, since shoes come off at the door.

A gentle pace, for families too

Umrah asks a great deal of body and mind, which is why Egypt works best after it: late starts, shorter days, an afternoon rest, and nothing that cannot be dropped. If your flights force the other order, we keep the Egypt days light, so you do not reach Makkah tired.

With children or older parents, the private vehicle waits where you need it and the day bends around rests. Tell us ages and any mobility needs. Groups travelling together from one Umrah operator are welcome: give us the exact number early, because it decides the vehicles and the guides.

How many days, and a rest by the sea

Three nights is the shortest stay that makes sense: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum one day, Islamic Cairo the next. Five gives Cairo at an easy pace, with Saqqara or a free afternoon. Six or seven lets you end with a rest — on the Red Sea, 22–23°C by day even in January, or in Alexandria, two and a half to three hours from Cairo by road — or add Luxor by a short domestic flight.

October to April suits sightseeing. From June to August Cairo reaches 34–37°C, so we start early and rest at noon. If your Umrah falls in Ramadan, Egypt's sites stay open, many with shorter afternoon hours, and we schedule nothing across the hour before iftar, the worst traffic of the day.

How a private journey works

Everything is private: your own licensed Egyptologist, in English, Arabic or any of our other guiding languages, your own vehicle and driver, and hotels chosen for the room rather than the star rating. Tell us your dates in and out of Saudi Arabia and how many of you are travelling; we reply within one working day with a real itinerary and a clear price, with no obligation.

If your Umrah dates are not fixed yet, we plan with provisional ones, and nothing is paid until they are. Our prices are set in euros, and you can pay by PayPal, card or bank transfer.