# cheaper with residency



## bat (Dec 1, 2010)

hi as new member looking through some old posts not sure if many people are aware, that being resident does not give you egyptian rates of entrance anymore.
found this out the hard way after refusing to pay foreign rates at ,the pyramids,museum and citadel.so spent my time sitting outside with police,street cleaners,shoe polishers, unofficial guides ( do i have a sister, friend , at home looking for a husband) and had a much better time than if id traipsed around yet again for the umpteenth time


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Yep know that.. they stopped it a good few years ago, on a brighter note they no longer have on the price list Egyptians..... Arabs...... Tourists.... but this is just official places and we do still all get charged different prices according to the colour of our skin, the clothes we are wearing and how stupid we look.


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## SHendra (Oct 18, 2010)

Ya I found that last summer I couldn't get a way with it with mine. Paid 60LE to get into the Cairo Museum while my friend paid a couple of LE. Had to use our ID's to get in. For it to turn out to be for nothing.. as I was unaware I'd need more money for books, guides etc to understand what I am looking at! My Egyptian friend was hopeless 'and this is a statue' all he could tell me! (For example ofc!)


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

Just to have a look around and have a taster you need at least a week in Cairo there is lots to do however and experience without forking out 

Royal Mummies are an added expense if you want to see them but AMAZING

Pharaonic Village is a *MUST SEE* and an entire day just to itself

I also found some of the best falafel places in Cairo (Giza) some of it I was convinced was chicken - but it's not and some delicious roast sweet potato from a street trader and sweet Egyptian bananas, ugly but delicious

Crossing the streets is very much inshallah however

OH yes don't forget the world famous papyrus museum entrance is always FREE and of course no obligation to buy I remember being hassled after being forcibly dropped off by the tour guiide, the guy in the shop said to me which one of his vile wall hangings I wanted I said none. He asked why and I told him they looked like crap he did not understand so I simply said they were all haarah I think he got the point


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## SHendra (Oct 18, 2010)

I really do agree on the Pharaonic Village!! That place I could happily go to over and over again. Was very impressive! I can't remember how much it was but it was value for what you see/do etc compared to the other places. You just pay one time which includes the boat etc and tour! Out of all the tourist stuff in Cairo that is my fav!

Spent a lot of time in Giza, have a fair amount of friends there and beneath it's rough surface I actually like it. I do however refuse to ever venture onto a horse there again! The sound and light show is good for a one off also.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Horus please tell me what there is to do without forking out?
I am not being smart here I would really like to know what does not cost money here


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Pharonic village is a nice day out... and the prices have come down!! sadly it is a bit tired looking but still good fun for kids.


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Horus please tell me what there is to do without forking out?
> I am not being smart here I would really like to know what does not cost money here


I think I should have worded it different and put in " fork out lots" 

Khan el-Khalili, Egypt's Most Famous Market (and some other markets) costs nothing except food and drinks outside my favourite cafe' (next to the pharmacy) and you get hassled, also a visit to the mosques.

I was also amused going on a boat on the nile for about £1.25

You can see the pyramids without paying to go past the gates, but silly really not going in.

I am a really easy to please guy - in the red sea however it's easier I just ramble about and make my own entertainment.

I don't find Cairo that expensive - it's once (or a few times) in a life time experience, minimum you need about £200 per person spending money for the week and your accommodation on top


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Horus said:


> I think I should have worded it different and put in " fork out lots"
> 
> Khan el-Khalili, Egypt's Most Famous Market (and some other markets) costs nothing except food and drinks outside my favourite cafe' (next to the pharmacy) and you get hassled, also a visit to the mosques.
> 
> ...



Ok.. and how do you suppose you get to the Khan?.. walk?
Food and drink ar rip off prices in the Khan.. 
How do you get to the pyramids? Walk?
What boat did you get on for 1.25?
It is not a once time or a few times... living here is expensive...
Minimum 200 pounds a week... is a lot of money here in Egypt.. many people don't earn that a month!! 
I had a vegetarian sandwich, one coffee, one bottle of stella beer for the huge sum of 147LE yesterday.


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Ok.. and how do you suppose you get to the Khan?.. walk?
> Food and drink ar rip off prices in the Khan..
> How do you get to the pyramids? Walk?
> What boat did you get on for 1.25?
> ...


Hey I suppose your right; women win all the time 

147 is very expensive  
They probably expected a tip with that as well.

Don't know where you went however I am used to about 350 LE for 3 people proper lunch (local food) with non-alcoholic drinks


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## SHendra (Oct 18, 2010)

At first when compared to home going out for a meal seams cheap. Until you've lived here for a while and get use to the real costs of things. All of the sudden 60LE for a drink and a cake seams shocking! And in Egypt it actually is! 

I took my sis-in-law out 2 weeks ago for her birthday. We first went just for a drink somewhere and a bit of cake.. (So I could sing to her etc as I'm nice!) That was 80LE!

After a while later in the night we went to a resturant I really like here in Alexandria, nice surroundings and so on plus the service is good. The menu was very international with a lot of choices! The food was great, both sat unable to really do much after. We were stuffed! That came to 125LE. Which I felt was very good! And alot nicer and better value for money than the coffee shop we was in earlier for something 'small'!


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## Maggot (Dec 4, 2010)

SHendra said:


> Ya I found that last summer I couldn't get a way with it with mine. Paid 60LE to get into the Cairo Museum while my friend paid a couple of LE. Had to use our ID's to get in. For it to turn out to be for nothing.. as I was unaware I'd need more money for books, guides etc to understand what I am looking at! My Egyptian friend was hopeless 'and this is a statue' all he could tell me! (For example ofc!)


True, tourists pay 60LE to get into the Cairo Museum but i pay 1LE only to get into the museum since I'm an Egyptian and a university student. Non-student Egyptians pay 5LE to get into the museum.


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## Maggot (Dec 4, 2010)

Horus said:


> Just to have a look around and have a taster you need at least a week in Cairo there is lots to do however and experience without forking out
> 
> Royal Mummies are an added expense if you want to see them but AMAZING
> 
> ...


"Pharaonic Village is a *MUST SEE* and an entire day just to itself" not really, i went there once a long time ago and i never went back there, it sucks xD but yea people have different tastes.

"I also found some of the best falafel places in Cairo (Giza) some of it I was convinced was chicken - but it's not and some delicious roast sweet potato from a street trader and sweet Egyptian bananas, ugly but delicious" those are nice and cheap 

"the guy in the shop said to me which one of his vile wall hangings I wanted I said none. He asked why and I told him they looked like crap he did not understand so I simply said they were all haarah I think he got the point" happens alot and it's so annoying, i had to run fast once to get rid of those lol


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## Maggot (Dec 4, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Ok.. and how do you suppose you get to the Khan?.. walk?
> Food and drink ar rip off prices in the Khan..
> How do you get to the pyramids? Walk?
> What boat did you get on for 1.25?
> ...


"It is not a once time or a few times... living here is expensive..." True, living here is expensive especially for foreigners. Most of the places you visit they try to get as much money as they could from you, like I'd pay 2LE for a cup of tea at some cafe and you'd pay 10 ~ 15LE for a cup of tea at the same cafe. They call this tourist prices/rates but i call it abusing and scamming.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Horus said:


> Hey I suppose your right; women win all the time
> 
> 147 is very expensive
> They probably expected a tip with that as well.
> ...






You are talking about 12 pound sterling for each person for lunch!... you can get a great meal for that back in the U.K. where there is a minimum wage to pay, high rates, etc... If you think 120 each for lunch of local food is cheap you will soon wake up and smell the coffee... didnt you say in another thread you got so fed up with local you went to mcdonalds?


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