Hi,
Hard to say how much to take to spend depends on the trips you do, but if you average them out at approx 40 euros each person should be close enough I think. Some may be a little cheaper or dearer. We only take sterling, they have no probs with taking it, and as i said in my previous post i got 10 egyptian pounds to 1 sterling. Hotels tend to give you a lower rate. Lot of people on here say use the ATM's. I cant be doing running round changing money so take sterling. So cant help with the best place to exchange. Word of warning if your hotel bills you at the end of your hols (like spas you may have had etc,) they only take up to £200 and the notes must be perfect, no writing no rips etc.Eating out is relatively cheap depending on the standard of eaterie.
Hope this helps abit, have a great holiday and when you return can you let me know what the weather was like, as I was thinking of going at the end of march to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Regards

cocknee wrote:

Hi,
Hard to say how much to take to spend depends on the trips you do, but if you average them out at approx 40 euros each person should be close enough I think. Some may be a little cheaper or dearer. We only take sterling, they have no probs with taking it, and as i said in my previous post i got 10 egyptian pounds to 1 sterling. Hotels tend to give you a lower rate. Lot of people on here say use the ATM's. I cant be doing running round changing money so take sterling. So cant help with the best place to exchange. Word of warning if your hotel bills you at the end of your hols (like spas you may have had etc,) they only take up to £200 and the notes must be perfect, no writing no rips etc.Eating out is relatively cheap depending on the standard of eaterie.
Hope this helps abit, have a great holiday and when you return can you let me know what the weather was like, as I was thinking of going at the end of march to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Regards

hey thanks for the reply

will let you know what the weathers like when i get back - as long as its warmer and sunnier than here i will be happy!!

Kim

We are going on a 7 day, all inc, full excursion package Nile Cruise. Have been told that £30 per person will be collected to pay tips to the crew and the Egyptologist. Have read that we can buy LE at the bank which issues the Visas on arrival. Any extra trips will be paid on credit card. Can anyone please suggest how much we need to exchange for extras? Also who else do we tip and how much? Many thanks.

Its been a while since anybody posted here; i just wondered what the best ratio of English sterling/ Egyptian Pounds / US Dollar was?

Is it OK to tip with pound coins etc??

Thanks

They're quite happy with pound coins. It's best to change your money out there, but if you're AI you really won't want much, unless you're planning on doing a few trips.

They are happy to take pound coins but be ready to have them keep coming back to you to ask if you can change ALL their pound coins into notes as they are not allowed to change coins in the banks, Iended up carrying £50 worth home!!!

The same happened to us as well

Thanks for the replies. We are A.I so agree we won't need that much. I don't think I'll take any Egyptian with me.

Yes as a last resort you could tip the staff in $ or £, however banks don't accept £ coins and that then means that the person you tipped will then have to come around asking tourists to exchange the £ back again in to LE (Egyptian pounds), it is definitely not the best way to tip (plenty info already in this topic regarding tipping in LE only), a better solution would be to exchange your £ at one of the banks in the the airport (where you purchase your visa) when you arrive in Egypt, you will get a better rate when exchanging in Egypt as compared to exchanging here in the UK.

We gave them English pounds (usually 20's ) when we changed the coins up for them, they can spend them just as easy as Egyptian money, in fact they get more for their money that way!

Happy holidays anyway, we are not doing Egypt this summer having a change, been going there twice a year for the last 3 years lol going to Turkey in 25 days cant wait

We gave them English pounds (usually 20's )

By that I presume you mean you gave £20 notes?

Yes Egyptians can use and bank £Sterling notes however they can not use £1 coins and have to try and change them with other visitors from the UK.

Yes Mod that is what I meant LOL £20 pound notes) and they usually dont have any problems with people changing their coins up for them, as i said earlier I came home with more than £50 worth of £1 coins that I had exchanged with some of the waiters. It seems it doesnt bother them what currency they are tipped with, its all money at the end of the day

Yes they will take pounds coins (better than nothing if people cant be bothered to give them their own money) but I think it is better to tip with LE.

Lots of Brit tourists don't want to come home rattling with pound coins because other tourists cant be bothered to tip in local currency.

For the locals it's a real pain and it means if they can't get tourists to change up they can't go to their banks and cash the money. Banks the world over will not change up Foreign coinage. I can understand giving a maid a ten pound note for a fortnights room cleaning as he can change it in an Egyptian bank, but I wouldn't give waiters pounds sterling.

I also noticed some people would only give a ten pound note to the Egyptians for 11 one pound coins and didn't think that was great either, but the locals are so worried about being lumbered with useless coinage from Brits that they don't have much choice, as people cant be bothered to give them LE. I think its just lazyness really

Yeah your probably right I am lazy in that I cant be bothered to go the bother of exchanging money at ridiculous rates when £1 coins are very welcome, well they have been wherever we have gone, as for coming home laden with coins lol bit OTT, 50 quids worth isnt so bad and of course they are there for the next holiday...all in all no bother, and no waiter or cleaner has ever refused to take coinage as a tip, well they wouldnt they ? nice holidaymakers are always more than happy to exchange them again for notes as we do and I have never seen a waiter done by any holidaymaker when exchanging their coins for notes, in fact quite the opposite, a waiter asked me to change coins for a note i gave him £20 pound note and he gave me 15 £1 coins saying he would give me the other 5 tomorrow never saw him again. LOL so 6 of one half dozen of another. Off next Friday to Turkey and THEY dont mind £1 coins either!!!

We tip in £1 coins too. only take sterling. As its a problem getting small LE notes. Always change coins for notes at the end of the holiday for the staff

Yep BJ same here and we tip pool/beach waiters every day at least £2 and then on the last day £10, when you work that out thats 342 egyptian pounds, now thats a lot of money to them and considering if everyone else does roughly the same thats not a bad fortnightly amount to take home on top of their wages

Hey folks .. ive been reading the comments on this thread with interest as im going to Sharm on Monday for a week ?

Firstly were hoping to go to Cleopark with the kids and then into Naama Bayto the HRC one night.... its more of week away of relaxing than going trips etcetc so Were thinking of taking £300/350 with us ? do you think that will be enough?

I was going to take £100 in Egyptian to get us started and exchange the rest over there ... is that a good idea or take more/less egyptian ?

From looking at other threads a bag of £1 coins is a good idea to tip bus driver/bell boy/pool boy etc etc ? is that the case ??

Thanks for you help .....

Kev

Hi Kev

I would suggest that if you can you only take £50 in £ Sterling to start you off and exchange the rest there, you can exchange money in the small banks at the airport or from ATM's in the airport or at your hotel, the rate is generally the same wherever you change it.

From looking at other threads a bag of £1 coins is a good idea to tip bus driver/bell boy/pool boy etc etc ? is that the case ??

If you take a read through previous posts on this thread you will se the compelling reasons NOT to tip in £ Sterling if you can help it, personally I wouldn't tip in £ coins.

Graham

cheers graham ... ill just take the £50 in egyptian .... daft question but we dont land over there til about 0130 hours .. will their exchange desks still be open at that time ?

are they all commission free too ??