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| General Information
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Cairo, Egypt is one of the world’s largest urban areas and with 18 million inhabitants has the biggest population of any city in Africa. It is located in northern Egypt on the Nile, stretching along the river for 40 km. Egyptians refer to Cairo as “the mother of all cities” because of its grand scale and its important history. The city is made up of a number of sections, rather like cities or villages in their own right, such as Heliopolis, Nasser City, Maadi and Giza. Cairo is near to all of the ancient pyramids and home to many other monuments of ancient Egypt. It is a city of striking and exotic natural beauty, though by contrast also a noisy, chaotic and polluted one. Above all it is a fascinating city full of activity and a centre of culture, both modern and ancient.
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| Weather
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The weather in Cairo is generally mild in winter, but scorchingly hot in the summer. Winter temperatures average between 10-20°C/50-68°F and in summer, temperatures of 35-38°C/95-100°F are common. The low humidity makes the heat more bearable, however. Summer and fall tend to be the dry seasons, and January and February have only occasional rain. Spring has more rainfall and sandstorms are also common, usually occurring in March and April.
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| Language
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The official language of Egypt is Arabic, and Egyptians speak a dialect that differs somewhat from other Middle Eastern countries. A significant number of people in Cairo can also speak English as well as French and/or Italian.
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| Religion
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Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, and this religion includes between 90-94% of the population. Most Egyptian Muslims are Sunni. Most of the other religious people follow Coptic Christianity, the form of Christianity indiginous to Egypt. There is also small number of Protestants and an even smaller community of Catholics.
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| Currency
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The currency used in Egypt is the Egyptian pound, made up of 100 piastres.
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| Tipping
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Baksheesh is the name given to the tradition of tipping in Cairo, and while its customs are second nature to Egyptians, the system can be very confusing for travellers. In airports, train stations and many other locations, porters will take your luggage for you or begin assisting you in some way. If the service is unwanted, it is necessary to state this clearly at the beginning. Otherwise, you need to tip them even if you did not ask for their help. For services such as carrying bags, between E£2-5 is appropriate. One thing to be aware of is that if more than one person assists you, you need to give each of them their own tip. Money given to one will usually not be shared with the other.
In restaurants, a service charge of 12% is already added to the bill, but in sit-down restaurants with waiters, a small additional tip is expected. Make sure you have enough small bills with you to give as tips, because change for baksheesh will usually not be given.
Also be aware that many people will ask tourists for tips for their services when in fact none is necessary. For example, you do not need to tip taxi drivers because the tip is already included in the fare, and it is not the custom to tip people who give you directions.
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| Taxes
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The standard rate of "The Sales Tax" in Cairo is 10%. However some goods are exempted and others in turn have higher tax rates. For commodities there is a service tax of 3% and for subjects with customs duties from 5 to 30%.
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| Telephone
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The country code for Egypt is 20, and Cairo’s area code is (0)2. Almost everyone in Cairo has their own phone, and payphones are somewhat rare. There are PTT offices (Post, Telephone and Telegraph), however, where you can make cheap long distance calls as well as local calls. Do not call internationally from hotel rooms as there is a high charge added to the bill.
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| Internet
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Cairo has a number of internet cafés that usually remain open until 11 pm or midnight. Some of them are real cafés where you can order refreshments and others simply offer the internet connection. Prices typically range from E£8-10 per hour.
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| Emergency Numbers
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Ambulance Tel.: 123
Tourist Police Tel.: 126, Traffic Police Tel.: 128, Emergency Police Tel.: 122
Fire Department Tel.: 180
Information (of current numbers) Tel.: 140 - Pharmacies and Health and Medical Services
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| Opening Times
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Stores in Cairo are generally open from 9 am until 7 or 8 pm, though differ from shop to shop. Friday is the main day off in Cairo, and most businesses are closed. Some close on Saturday as well, and a few shops choose to close on Sunday instead of Friday. During the fasting period of Ramadan in October and November, opening times change. Attractions usually have shortened hours, while shops and restaurants often stay open until around 2 am.
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| Public Holidays
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The following days are public holidays in Cairo. On these days, most businesses are closed and transportation may be more limited.
· January 7th, Coptic Christmas
· February 22nd, Union Day
· April 25th, Sinai Liberation Day
· May 1st, Labour Day
· June 18th, Evacuation Day
· July 1st, Bank Holiday
· July 23rd, Revolution Day
· September 11th, Coptic New Year
· October 6th, Armed Forces Day
· October 23rd, National Liberation Day
· October 24th, Suez Victory Day
· December 23rd, Victory Day
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| Safety
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In general, Cairo is a relatively safe city and has a low crime rate. But like most cities, petty crimes and thefts are not uncommon, and care should be taken with personal belongings. Cairo has also been a target for terrorist attacks in the past as well as recently, which is something tourists should be aware of, though it need not deter anyone from visiting the city. Precautions to take are to always be aware of the surroundings and to avoid the tourist areas most densely packed with people, or to only visit the ones that have known security measures in place.
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