What I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Egypt

I thought I knew what to expect from Egypt. I didn’t.

Egypt had been on my list for years, but actually being there felt completely different from the version I had imagined in my head.

BEFORE YOU GO

Egypt is one of those places where a little preparation can completely change your experience. There were things I expected, things that surprised me, and a few things I wish someone had told me before I arrived.

Egypt was the first stop on a three-country birthday trip I took with two of my friends—one of my college friends and another friend I travel with often. We were only there from April 23–26, so this wasn’t one of those trips where we had a week to slowly make our way through Cairo.

We came for two things in particular: to experience the Grand Egyptian Museum and to attend Zamna Egypt. Somehow, in between the two, we managed to fit in the pyramids, a private birthday dinner on the Nile, and a lot more than I expected from such a short trip.

And I loved it.

SEEING THINGS I’D ONLY SEEN IN HISTORY BOOKS

One of my favorite parts of Egypt was the Grand Egyptian Museum.

We arrived early in the morning, which I would absolutely recommend. It wasn’t very crowded when we first got there, and that gave us time to actually look at things instead of feeling like we needed to rush from one display to another.

I spent a lot of time simply standing there.

There was something surreal about staring at hieroglyphs and artifacts I had only ever seen in history books. Instead of immediately moving on to the next thing, I wanted to actually think about what I was looking at—the fact that someone created these things thousands of years ago and somehow I was now standing in front of them.

The boats were especially incredible.

They were enormous, and seeing them in person made me think about the fact that people actually traveled on the water in these things. It’s one thing to understand ancient Egypt historically. It’s another thing entirely to stand beside something people actually used.

We ended up spending essentially the entire day at the museum because our third friend arrived later and we waited for her before continuing together.

By around 2 p.m., though, the difference was dramatic. The museum had become packed.

If I went again, I would still arrive as close to opening as possible. You’ll have more space to take everything in, think, wander around, and get the photos you want before the crowds arrive.

And buy your ticket directly from the official source.

One of my friends tried purchasing her GEM ticket more cheaply through third-party sites. She ended up buying tickets multiple times and ultimately still had to purchase one through the regular site.

Watching that happen was enough for me. Sometimes saving a little money isn’t worth the headache.

THE PYRAMIDS REALLY ARE THAT IMPRESSIVE

I’ve seen pictures of the pyramids my entire life.

That did absolutely nothing to prepare me for seeing them up close.

We took the bus option and explored without a guide. I didn’t go inside the pyramids, and I also skipped the camel ride because, frankly, I didn’t particularly want to get on a camel. We did eventually get our camel photos at the festival anyway.

What mattered to me was simply being there.

The pyramids are so much larger than they appear in photographs. Standing underneath them, looking up, and actually being able to touch them was one of those moments where something you’ve known about your entire life suddenly becomes real.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime feeling.

ZAMNA EGYPT WAS WORTH THE TRIP

Zamna was one of the main reasons we planned Egypt when we did, and I’m glad we went.

The festival was held in the area overlooking the pyramids, which is already a pretty unbelievable setting for a music festival.

We bought VIP tickets, and I was happy we did because we had space to dance without being packed into the larger crowd.

Be prepared to walk, though.

Getting from the buses to the actual festival venue was a long walk. Drinks at the festival were also expensive, so that’s something I would budget for beforehand.

People generally dressed somewhat more modestly than I might expect at a similar festival elsewhere, which made sense considering we were in Egypt.

I had planned on attending both days, but by the second day I was exhausted. We also had a very early flight to Marrakech the following morning, and eventually I had to make the responsible decision and skip night two.

I hated missing it, but trying to do another full festival night and then catch that flight would have been miserable.

One thing I would do differently is the lodging. Zamna offered lodging options connected to the festival, but we chose to stay in an Airbnb because we wanted the flexibility of being closer to the Nile and doing other things around Cairo.

If I were going back specifically for Zamna, I would probably choose the festival lodging instead. Getting from the buses to the venue was a long walk, and after a full day of exploring Cairo, followed by hours at the festival, I was exhausted. By day two, I didn’t have much left in me—especially knowing we had an early flight to Marrakech the next morning.

Staying closer to the festival would have made the entire experience easier and probably would have made me much more likely to attend both days.

I WOULD HAVE DRESSED A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY

This is probably one of the things I would change if I did the trip again.

I don’t think I fully considered how I would feel in some of the clothes I packed. There were moments when I felt a little uncomfortable because I wished I had dressed more modestly.

I ended up wearing a shawl much of the time, which helped.

I wouldn’t say you need to completely change your personal style to visit Egypt, but I would personally pack with modesty more in mind next time. I think I would have felt more comfortable and spent less time thinking about what I was wearing.

I FELT VERY SAFE

This was actually one of the nicest surprises of the trip.

I felt very safe in Egypt.

Our interactions with locals were overwhelmingly positive. At one point, we met an Uber driver who was so kind to us that he was willing to continue driving us around without taking any more money. We literally had to insist that he let us pay him.

Transportation in general felt inexpensive compared with what I’m accustomed to, and we primarily used Uber to get around.

Ironically, the few interactions that felt somewhat rude happened with other foreigners at the festival rather than with Egyptians.

Obviously, my experience isn’t a guarantee of what every traveler will experience, but I personally left Egypt feeling very positively about the way we had been treated.

MY BIRTHDAY DINNER ON THE NILE

If one of my friends told me tomorrow that she was going to Cairo and asked me for one recommendation, this might actually be it:

Have dinner on the Nile.

For my birthday, we booked a Nile River dinner experience through GetYourGuide, and somehow we ended up having the boat to ourselves.

It was incredible.

There was something about being on the Nile, in Egypt, celebrating my birthday with my friends that made the entire experience feel iconic. It’s one of the clearest memories I have from the trip.

My only regret is that I didn’t get all of the photos I wanted that night.

But maybe that’s also a sign that I was actually enjoying myself.

FOOD, DRINKS & GETTING AROUND

We weren’t in Egypt long enough for food to become a major focus of this particular trip. We ate at the GEM, around our Airbnb, and near the shops by the pyramids.

We stayed in an Airbnb because we wanted the flexibility and wanted to position ourselves conveniently for the Nile and the festival.

We used Uber for most of our transportation and found getting around relatively inexpensive.

Alcohol also wasn’t something we encountered very often. We drank at Zamna, and I believe we may have had drinks during the Nile experience, but we weren’t seeking out bars or liquor stores during such a short stay.

So if nightlife and drinking are an important part of your trip, that’s something I would research before arriving rather than assuming it will work exactly the way it does at home.

WOULD I GO BACK?

Maybe.

And strangely, I don’t mean that negatively at all.

I loved Egypt. I’m incredibly happy I went, and there are moments from those few days that I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.

But I also left feeling satisfied.

I saw the pyramids. I stood in front of artifacts I had previously only seen in books. I danced with the pyramids in the distance. I celebrated my birthday on the Nile. I met kind people. And then I got on a plane with my friends and continued on to Marrakech.

For me, Egypt felt less like somewhere I immediately needed to return to and more like somewhere I was incredibly grateful to have experienced.

And sometimes that’s exactly what I want from travel.

WHAT I’D TELL YOU BEFORE YOU GO

Then give readers a very quick summary:

Go to the GEM when it opens. The difference in crowds by afternoon was significant during my visit.
Buy major attraction tickets from official sources. My friend’s attempt to save money on third-party GEM tickets became an expensive headache.
Use Uber. It was our primary transportation and worked well for us.
Think about modesty while packing. I personally would dress somewhat more conservatively if I returned.
Budget extra for festival drinks if you’re attending an event like Zamna.
Do something on the Nile. My private birthday dinner was one of my favorite experiences.
Don’t underestimate exhaustion. A packed itinerary + a two-day festival + an early international flight was ambitious.
Give yourself time to actually look at things. Some of my favorite moments happened because I stopped taking pictures and simply stood there.
Consider the festival lodging if Zamna is the main purpose of your trip. We chose an Airbnb for flexibility, but if I went specifically for the festival again, I’d stay closer to the event.