Egypt

by Zora O'Neill (Coordinating Author), Michael Benanav (Writer), Anthony Sattin (Writer)

"Pyramids, ancient temples, camels: everything you've seen on the postcards is true. But the full picture of Egypt includes beautiful beaches, the megacity of Cairo - and the Egyptians themselves" - Zora O'Neill, Lonely Planet Writer

Inside this book...
Inspirational photos,
Clear, easy-to-use maps,
Cruising the Nile feature,
3D plans of iconic sights,
Comprehensive planning tools,
In-depth background

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Egypt, Reference, Africa, Guides, Middle East

550 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

I'm a travel and food writer, with a particular interest in languages and traditional cuisine.

I grew up in New Mexico, and now live in Astoria, Queens, in NYC. I chose the neighborhood because I hear so many different languages spoken in the streets, and I can buy fresh produce 24 hours a day.

For years, my main gig was writing travel guides. It has always been a pleasure to give a great restaurant recommendation, and have someone come back and tell me how much they love it.

My first travel memoir, All Strangers Are Kin, was published in 2016. It took me back to the Middle East, to study Arabic again--a lifetime project.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide book even if your going on a package holiday to read about the Egyptian culture and history.

[Esmé Boom · Rating 4 out of 5]

best goed te doen kaft tot kaft

[Lamadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I use Lonely Planet quite a bit, but I found the Egypt one to have a couple flaws that I don't normally see in the other ones. One, the prices were really wrong. You can expect a few prices to have changed here and there when using an old book, but using a brand new book, we found that all the prices were at least twice what was in the book. It's possible that the writer was getting local prices and didn't realize it.

I also found that the 'Getting There & Away' sections for most places were more lacking than I usually see in Lonely Planet. It's one of the reasons I use the series a lot, because they have a large focus on getting to the places rather than just the sights to see, but it was pretty useless on my trip, and I used the internet to figure out how to get to places.

Additionally, I usually enjoy the long descriptions of the places and find that I often don't need a separate guidebook for a visit, but I definitely needed guidebooks for visiting the sights here (except for the Egyptian Museum which had a great guide in the Lonely Planet). The descriptions seemed to be rather short for most of the temples and tombs.

I still used the book a lot and got some great information. It lists almost everything you could possibly want to see. I am using Google maps more consistently to find places to eat (and it's been stellar for that), but Lonely Planet is still the best for my itinerary planning and use.

[Nosherwan Yasin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would not have survived Egypt without this book.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanna go!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of my armchair travel series.

The authors of this book were clearly struck by Egypt. Its history, culture, people, and food all made a strong impression they very articulately transferred to the page. I had never been much interested in traveling here, but after reading about the glorious culture and history, the delicious-sounding food, and the friendly and humorous people, I want to experience it all for myself. Alexandria in particular sounds quite intriguing, its location on the Med contributing to settling by Greeks, Romans, and the French.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many destinations may not require the study of a travel-guide prior to a visit. Lonely Planet's 'Egypt' really should be in the travel bag. From Alexandria in the north, the Saharan wastes in the west, Sinai and the Red Sea in the east and as far south as Abu Simbel, this book seems to be an essential accompaniment to any visit.
Fully comprehensive with the usual Lonely Planet advise on all the main cities, historical sites, resorts, modes of transport, you name it, this book has it covered.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖋️ Useful and entertaining with colorful photographs. It seems that travelling in Egypt is a watch-your-back proposition. I would only do it as part of a travel group, and never explore solo.
🏮 Kindle Unlimited.
🔲 Excerpt of note:

🔹 Birth of Ramses The 22nd of October is the second date in the year when the sun’s rays penetrate the temple at Abu Simbel.

●▬●🔷●🔷●▬●

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful for my upcoming trip to Egypt.

[Margaret Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful

[Jesse Scobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and expansive guide to all parts of Egyptian life, culture, history and tourists sites. Includes many hotels, bars and restaurants too.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting an informative guide to travel in Egypt.

[Nishelle D’souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read , although not current

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used the 2023 edition for my Jan 2025 trip and found the history pretty useful! Pricing wasn't accurate but there's been a huge devaluation of the Egyptian pound since 2023 so be aware.

It was fun to find out that many places in the guide were actually recommended to us by friends who had been living in Egypt for 2 years! I think this book is a great starting off point to help shape and guide your trip but be flexible, there's so many amazing things you'll discover along the way.

[Yuan Siang]

17, 37, 45, 91-95, 105, 120-121, 126-128, 132-141, 144, 150, 184-187, 209, 214, 217, 227-228, 378-380,410-413,419, 480, 483, 493-494, 499

(2015 edition)

[Ferio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voy a repetir lo que he dicho en otras guías, porque la reflexión es la misma y la estructura también:

Las guías de viaje de este estilo ya solo tienen sentido en el siglo XXI por la conveniencia de tener casi toda la información necesaria en un único sitio porque, por lo demás, carecen de la fluidez y la velocidad de actualización (particularmente en lo hostelero) que nos pueden ofrecer nuestro portal favorito de hoteles o TripAdvisor. Evidentemente, el modelo está cambiando y, por muy actualizada que esté una guía, los países son conjuntos que evolucionan cada día más y lo que ayer molaba puede que hoy no: la única forma de saberlo es a través de Internet.

Pero a mí me gustan mucho las guías Lonely Planet porque te dejan bien claro cuáles son las cosas que no debes perderte a nivel cultural en cada sitio y, siendo cosas que muchas veces tienen siglos, es difícil que su importancia cambie de un día para otro; también me gusta mucho que te dicen en qué atracciones compensa comprar la entrada previamente para evitar horas de cola, los trasfondos artístico-históricos de todas y cada una de ellas, sus precios... De otra manera, es muy complicado que todo estos datos se ofrezcan en una única página.

También hay que tener en cuenta que una guía de estas características no se lee de cabo a rabo como un libro cualquiera, sino que se usa para organizar un viaje pero no para aprenderlo y, llegado el momento de estar allí, leer con mucho más detenimiento las descripciones de cada lugar. Lo bueno que tienen estas es que también tienen un acercamiento histórico y artístico completo de cada región que sirve como introducción a todas las especificidades que se desarrollan. ¡Es material valioso!

Supongo que, con el paso del tiempo, este tipo de guías desaparecerán completamente en beneficio de páginas web que ofrecerán lo mismo a través de GPS, incluyendo audioguías y otra serie de cosas muy beneficiosas. El progreso es imparable pero, mientras tanto, cada vez que salgo de viaje me llevo mi Lonely Planet, que tampoco está de más.

En cuanto a esta edición en particular, he encontrado que la clasificación de los hitos visitables en El Cairo es confusa (como la propia ciudad a ojos de un extranjero), incluyendo informaciones en mitad de los barrios que se correspondían con otros, o metiendo información sobre viajar sola siendo mujer en mitad de los eventos políticos de los últimos años.

[Aliya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first purchase of an LP travel guide, picking it over DK, The budget hotel recommendations, the pyramids, the Egyptian museum and the tombs in Luxor seem well explained but the maps are poor and the organization of info is lopsided. This guide book needs to be supplemented with more research from the internet. We need a good city map, and more things-to-do in the various cities and some more tips on eateries and budget places.

I will add that I was put off by the orientalist tone of the guidebook. On page 223-224 it refers to a hotel and says: "An Alexandrian institution and a memorial to the city's belle epoque, when guests included the likes of Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward and Winston Churchill, and the British secret service operated out of a suite on the first floor."

There are numerous similar references to the good old days (colonial days). The arrival of the Arabs (happening in 642 AD) is consistently treated as a disturbance to the good old graeco-roman rule. Western travelers arrival from the nineteenth century onwards, is made to sound like the advent of civilization itself, which is beyond absurd.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what I needed, ancient, and modern history with a dollop of the current situation and things to see and do.
Egyptian history can be overwhelming, so I recommend a quick read to help you sort things out before you there!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish there was more consistency in their use of "CE" vs "AD" when referencing years. "BCE" is consistently used, but for some reason there are still random uses of "AD" which the author and publisher must not have caught for editing. It really annoyed me.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livre extrêmement complet sur l'Égypte et vous aide à vous préparer un magnifique voyage !
Vous y trouverez une carte et de très bons conseils. Il y a aussi l'histoire du pays et quelques mots importants à savoir.

[Nara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído de arriba abajo. Muy útil, actual, era de 2008.
Hacen falta más restaurantes por El Cairo.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found amazing authentic hotel in Luxor thanks to LP

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, by far, the book I turned to for my traveling advice while I lived in Egypt for 2 years.

[Anne Boardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guidebook that provides lots and lots of information I will need for an upcoming trip.

[Hermine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite the same as Egyptologist with decades of experience guiding you through the country, but still pretty good.

[Lydia Maertens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed pictures. Good for the rest. Priced didn't always seem correct.

[Vincenzo G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfetta per il mio viaggio! 4/5