Which Currency to Take for Egypt Trip from India

TL;DR:

• Buy US Dollars (USD) in India
• After landing in Egypt, convert just $100–$200 at the airport (for taxi, food, small initial stuff)
• Convert the rest in a currency exchange shop in the city (better rate)
• Keep small EGP notes (10/20/50). You’ll need it for tips (baksheesh), small spends, and even toilets (often 20 EGP)
• Carry a card (Visa card is commonly asked). Tickets at pyramids/museums/archaeological sites are card-only payments
• Don’t come back to India with a lot of leftover EGP. Spend it or convert it back to USD in Egypt

So I recently visited Egypt on 17th Jan 2026 for what would be a 8 day trip. Here is what I learned about carrying currency for Egypt trip from India.

Is Indian Rupee accepted in Egypt?

Nope. INR is not accepted in Egypt.
So don’t go with the idea like “I’ll take some INR and figure it out there”. It won’t work.

Also, buying EGP outside Egypt (like in India) is not really practical. You’ll be hard pressed to find it in currency exchange centres in India, and even if you do, rates are usually terrible.

Best currency to carry from India to Egypt

This is the cleanest way.

• Buy USD in India
• Carry that to Egypt
• Convert it to Egyptian Pounds (EGP) after landing

If you’re buying USD in India, you can use ExTravelMoney.com to compare rates from currency exchange stores near you and even get it home delivered. That part makes life easier.

Also one more thing, in tourist areas in Egypt, a lot of sellers accept USD directly too, because USD is in demand there. But still, you’ll need EGP for everyday stuff.

Where to exchange money in Egypt (Airport vs City vs Hotel)

What I did (and what I’d recommend):

1. Convert a small amount at the airport

Airport exchange is convenient, but rate won’t be great. Still, you need some EGP immediately.

So convert $100–$200 to EGP after landing at the airport in Egypt, keep it strictly for:

• taxi / ride out of airport
• maybe food/water
• first small expenses

2. Convert the rest in the city

Once you’re in Cairo or whichever city you’re staying, convert the rest in a local exchange centre. These shops are not everywhere, you’ll find only a few, but rates are usually much better than the airport.

3. Hotel exchange (optional)

Many hotels will convert USD to EGP for you. It’s convenient, yes. Rates are better than airport-level but not as good as a currency exchange centre.

Avoid scams while exchanging money in Egypt

I didn’t personally face any scam. But Egypt has a slightly dubious reputation, so better to be alert.

When you exchange money:

• Avoid unofficial money changers
• In the exchange shop, count your dollars loudly while handing it over
• When you receive EGP back, count loudly again
• Check notes are good and not damaged
• Only after you’re fully sure, walk out of the shop

Sounds a bit extra, but this is one of those “don’t take a chance” things.

Egyptian Pound notes & coins denominations (why change matters)

These are the most commonly used EGP notes you’ll see:

• 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 EGP
  And smaller ones like 1 and 5 also exist as coins.

Now, why change matters in Egypt:

1. Tips (Baksheesh)

In Egypt, tips are kind of expected in many places. Hotels, service staff, small help here and there, people will expect baksheesh.

So carry smaller notes, mainly:

• 10 EGP
• 20 EGP
• 50 EGP

2. Small spends are mostly cash

Egypt is still a majorly cash economy. For food, drinks, roadside eateries, small shops, it’s mostly cash only.

3. Tourist toilets can cost 20 EGP

This was a surprise for many people. In tourist places, private toilets can be around 20 EGP. So again, small notes save you.

4. Quick INR conversion trick

One Egyptian Pound as of today (09 Feb 2026) is Rs 1.94

So for quick mental math, just do this:
EGP amount × 2 = rough INR

It’s not exact, but it’s good enough when you’re standing in a shop and trying to understand “is this expensive or not”.

And this really helps because souvenir shops near tourist areas usually don’t have price labels. It’s bargaining and whatever you settle on.

Please Note: If you are giving big notes for a transaction, make sure you are getting the correct change back. Don't get confused by the Arabic numerals, the face value of the notes will be written in English on the other side.

Cash or card in Egypt: what works where

This is the reality:

Cash

Cash is the most preferred payment method in Egypt.

• small shops
• street vendors
• taxis
• small restaurants/roadside eateries

Mostly cash only.

Credit/Debit Card

Cards work in places like:

• hotels
• shopping malls
• many restaurants

Forex Card

A prepaid forex card loaded with USD is a safer and more economical alternative to cash.

You can:

• use it for payments at restaurants, hotels, malls, musuems and the ancient wonders you’ll visit for entry ticket purchases. Ticket prices can be anywhere between 400 – 1000 Egyptian Pounds.
• withdraw EGP from ATMs in Egypt

Also, if it’s a one currency card, then there won’t be any additional USD→EGP conversion fee when using it in Egypt. The conversion happens at the interbank rate, which is usually close to the Google rate.

You can also use international debit/credit cards to withdraw cash, but be aware withdrawal charges and conversion fees may be more than that of a forex card.

A practical tip: if you’re withdrawing from ATM, withdraw larger amounts so you don’t do multiple withdrawals and keep paying fees again and again.

Please Note: Visa card is more widely accepted as of 2026. I remember being asked whether my card was Visa when paying for tickets at the Pyramids, Musuems and other archaeological sites. So carry an international transactions-enabled credit/debit card or a forex card.

Mobile payments

Apple Pay / Google Pay / PayPal are not common there, so don’t rely on it.

Foreign currency directly accepted

In tourist areas, some places accept USD/EUR/GBP directly. But again, you can’t run your full trip on that. You’ll still need EGP.

How much cash should I carry for Egypt trip (real life example)

This depends on one thing: have you prebooked your big stuff (flight, hotels, cruise, transport) or not? If most things are prebooked, you don’t need to carry a crazy amount of cash.

Because flights + tour + hotels/cruise/trains/tickets were already paid, I only carried $500 in USD notes for extra spends. That was around ₹47,000.

That $500 basically covered the “on-ground” stuff: small food/tea/water, tips (baksheesh), and random shopping.

My trip snapshot (8 days / 8 nights, 9th day exit)

Total trip cost (exact, for 3 people)

• Airfare (to & fro): ₹1,58,360
• Trip cost: ₹4,52,640
• Cash carried to spend there: $500 ~ ₹47,000

So total comes to ₹6,58,000 for 3 people for the above itinerary (including the ₹47k cash spend) which is roughly ₹2.2 lakhs per person.

Taking cash out of India (Indian rules)

From India, you are allowed to take out in currency notes maximum USD 3000 worth of notes in a single travel.

If you want to carry more money than that, you can load it in a forex card.

And ultimately, an Indian resident is allowed a limit of USD 2,50,000 equivalent per financial year. Within this limit you can send money abroad, buy foreign currency and load forex card (all together combined will be taken into account per financial year).

Taking cash into Egypt (Egyptian rules)

• You can bring any amount of foreign currency into Egypt, but you must declare cash worth more than $10,000 USD in value
• As for local currency (EGP), you can only bring a maximum of 5,000 EGP into the country

Most people won’t need to worry about this, but it’s good to know.

What to do with leftover Egyptian Pounds

Very important.

Before coming back to India, make sure you:

• spend leftover EGP, or
• convert it back to USD in Egypt

Because exchanging Egyptian Pound back in India is very difficult. Most exchanges won’t accept them. And even if they do, you can lose about 25% of the value because of the horrible exchange rates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How much cash should I carry to Egypt?

Depends on how much you’ve prebooked. In my case, I had prebooked and carried around $500 in currency notes for extra expenses.

2. Is it better to pay by card in Egypt?

In some places yes. Hotels, malls, many restaurants accept card. But day-to-day spending, cash is still king.

3. Is it better to take cash or card to Egypt?

Both. Cash for small spends, card for big places and especially for tickets at pyramids/museums/archaeological sites.

4. Can I use Indian Rupees (INR) in Egypt?

No, INR is not accepted in Egypt.

5. Should I buy Egyptian Pounds (EGP) in India before travelling?

Not recommended. Hard to get and rates outside Egypt are bad.

6. How much USD should I convert at the Egypt airport after landing?

Around $100–$200, only for immediate airport exit expenses.

7. What are the Egyptian Pound note denominations, and which ones should I carry more?

Notes: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 EGP. Carry more 10/20/50 than the 100s and 200s because change matters a lot.

8. Forex card vs carrying USD cash: what’s better for an Indian traveller in Egypt?

Forex card is safer than carrying too much cash. You can use it for payments at restaurants, hotels, malls, musuems and the ancient wonders you’ll visit for entry ticket purchases and also to withdraw EGP from ATMs.

9. What should I do with leftover Egyptian Pounds before coming back to India?

Spend it or convert it to USD in Egypt. Don’t bring back too much EGP to India. You won’t be able to sell it here or find it too difficult. Plus, the exchange rate you get will be bad.

10. How much cash should I keep per day for tips (baksheesh) + small expenses?

Keep small notes (10/20/50 EGP). Tips are expected often, plus you’ll need cash for small food, water, toilets, taxi-type spends.

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