Yes, most nationalities need a visa, but for many Western passport holders it is about as easy as visas get.
You have two main options. The e-visa is applied for online through Egypt's official portal before you travel and costs $30 USD for a single entry (raised from $25 in April 2026). The visa on arrival is bought at the airport on landing and also costs $30 USD, payable in cash. Both allow a stay of up to 30 days.
We generally recommend the e-visa, which saves a queue on arrival. Your passport needs at least six months' validity from your date of entry.
Is Egypt safe to travel in 2026?
For the places tourists actually go, yes. Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, the Red Sea resorts and the White Desert route all fall outside the areas where Western governments advise against travel, and they receive millions of visitors every year.
The UK Foreign Office does advise against all travel to North Sinai and to within 20km of the Libyan border, and against all but essential travel to parts of the Western Desert and northern South Sinai. Our itineraries stay clear of those areas.
The more everyday issues are petty scams, persistent touts and the traffic, which is chaotic even by regional standards. You will see police checkpoints and, on some routes, police escorts. Travelling with an experienced guide removes most of the friction.
When is the best time to visit Egypt?
October to April is the classic window. Cairo sits in the low to mid 20s Celsius for much of the winter, and Luxor and Aswan are warm and sunny without being punishing. December and January are the busiest months.
Summers are seriously hot, especially in Upper Egypt, where temperatures regularly pass 40 degrees Celsius. The shoulder months of October, November, March and April give you the best balance of weather and crowds. If you are heading into the Western Desert to camp, bring layers: desert nights in winter can drop close to freezing.
How do I get to Egypt?
Most visitors fly into Cairo International Airport, which has direct connections across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The new Sphinx International Airport, west of Cairo, is closer to Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh also have international airports.
Your Koryo Tours itinerary will tell you exactly which airport to target, and our pre-departure documentation covers flight booking guidance in full.
Can I visit Egypt independently, or do I have to join a tour?
You can absolutely travel Egypt independently. Unlike some of the other places we go, there is no requirement to join a tour.
That said, Egypt is a country where an expert guide adds an enormous amount. The sites are vast and largely unlabelled, the logistics between them can be tiring, and a good Egyptologist will bring a tomb wall to life in a way no guidebook can. Travelling as a group also takes care of the touts, transport and police convoy arrangements, and gets you to the places that independent travellers often skip.