Egypt Travel from Canada: The Complete Guide

Egypt takes more planning than a beach getaway, and it pays you back many times over. Canadian citizens need a tourist visa: an e-visa of about 30 USD purchased online before departure, or a visa on arrival at the same price, payable in US cash. From Toronto, EgyptAir flies nonstop to Cairo daily in about 10 hours 30 minutes; from Montréal there is no direct flight, so count on 13 to 16 hours with one stop in Paris, Frankfurt or Istanbul. The best season runs from October to April, when the Nile Valley is pleasant rather than punishing. As a guideline, budget 3,000 to 5,500 CAD per person for a 10-to-14-day trip including flights and a Nile cruise.

The essentials at a glance

Why Egypt

Few countries pack this much history into such a legible route: nearly every major site lines up along the Nile, so one well-built loop covers the Giza pyramids, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel. The timing is good, too. The Grand Egyptian Museum, two decades in the making beside the pyramids, fully opened on November 1, 2025, and now displays the complete Tutankhamun collection in one place for the first time.

The other argument is what your money buys on the ground. The Egyptian pound has lost much of its value since 2022, so a full dinner at a good local restaurant often costs under 20 CAD and a solid hotel room under 100 CAD. Flights and the cruise are the bulk of the budget; once you land, Egypt is one of the most affordable major destinations anywhere.

Egypt also combines well: a cultural week in the Nile Valley followed by a few days of beach and diving on the Red Sea, in Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, makes a complete trip without changing countries.

When to go

Getting there from Canada

Toronto has the country's only nonstop link: EgyptAir flight MS996 departs Pearson daily and reaches Cairo in about 10 hours 30 minutes. From Montréal-Trudeau, the smoothest routings involve a single European stop, with Air France via Paris, Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, for a total of 13 to 16 hours. Many Montrealers simply add a short YUL-YYZ hop to catch the Toronto nonstop.

Within Egypt, EgyptAir's domestic network connects Cairo to Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada in about an hour at reasonable fares, which saves long road days. Book four to six months ahead for the winter high season, especially if your Nile cruise dates are already locked in.

The essential stops, from Cairo to the Red Sea

Cairo and Giza

Plan two or three days. Visit the Giza plateau early, before the tour groups: the three great pyramids, the Sphinx, and the option of entering the Great Pyramid with a supplementary ticket. The Grand Egyptian Museum, minutes from the plateau, deserves a half day on its own. Downtown, the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, Coptic Cairo and the Citadel of Saladin round out the picture. Cairo is dense and loud; a guide or private driver transforms the experience.

Luxor

Ancient Thebes holds more listed sites than many entire countries. On the east bank, Karnak temple and its forest of giant columns; on the west bank, the Valley of the Kings, where you descend into the painted tombs of the pharaohs, and Hatshepsut's temple set against the cliff. A sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the west bank is one of the great moments of any Egypt trip, for roughly 100 to 150 CAD.

The Nile cruise, Luxor to Aswan

This is the classic, and honestly the most pleasant, way to link the temples. Cruises usually run three or four nights, calling at Edfu and Kom Ombo before reaching Aswan and the island temple of Philae, relocated stone by stone when Lake Nasser rose. Boats range from simple three-star vessels to boutique ships with rooftop pools. In Aswan, a sunset felucca sail costs a few dollars and is worth every Egyptian pound.

Abu Simbel

Far south near the Sudanese border, the two temples of Ramses II were cut apart and moved block by block by UNESCO in the 1960s to escape the rising waters of the Aswan dam. From Aswan you can fly (30 minutes) or drive (about 3.5 hours, dawn departures in convoy). It makes for a long day that very few travellers regret.

The Red Sea: Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh

After the temples, the beach. Hurghada and neighbouring El Gouna line up all-inclusive resorts on some of the clearest water in the world, with diving and snorkelling on coral reefs minutes away by boat. Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai, serves Ras Mohammed National Park, a favourite among divers. The sea stays swimmable year-round, around 22 C in winter and 28 C in summer.

Budget in Canadian dollars

These figures are a guideline only: prices move with the season, the exchange rate and the level of service. A well-built 10-to-14-day itinerary with flights, cruise and private guides generally lands between 3,000 and 5,500 CAD per person at a mid-range level.

Entry requirements and health for Canadian citizens

• Visa required. E-visa of about 30 USD (single entry) or 65 USD (multiple entry) through the official portal visa2egypt.gov.eg, or a 30-day visa on arrival for about 30 USD, payable in US cash. Fees were raised in 2026; confirm current amounts on travel.gc.ca before departure.
• Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your expected departure date from Egypt.
• Official Canadian advisory: travel.gc.ca advises exercising a high degree of caution in Egypt, and to avoid all travel to North Sinai, the area within 50 km of the Libyan border and the Western Desert beyond the Giza-Luxor-Aswan-Abu Simbel corridor, plus all non-essential travel to the northern part of South Sinai. The classic tourist circuits (Cairo, the Nile Valley, the Red Sea resorts) fall outside these zones, but read the full advisory before booking.
• Vaccines: routine immunizations up to date, hepatitis A and B recommended, typhoid depending on your itinerary. See a travel health clinic six to eight weeks before departure.
• Food and water: drink bottled water and be cautious with raw produce; stomach upsets are the most common traveller complaint.
• Money: you may not bring more than 5,000 Egyptian pounds into or out of the country; carry small US bills for the visa and tipping.
• Travel insurance with full medical, evacuation and cancellation coverage is strongly recommended.

One last tip: in Egypt, tipping (the famous baksheesh) is part of daily life and haggling is part of the game in the souks. Carry small bills, keep your sense of humour, and assume the first price quoted is never the final one. Good local guidance turns these customs into a pleasure instead of a stress.

Ready to see the pyramids with your own eyes? Our advisors build custom Egypt itineraries with flights from Montréal or Toronto, Nile cruises, licensed guides and Red Sea extensions, always factoring in official advisories. 450-628-6241 | 1-866-628-6241 | info@voyagesaquaterra.com

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