EGYPTIAN CURRENCY

The Egyptian currency is the Egyptian Pound (LE) and it is comprised of colorful paper bills, no coins. When I traveled to Egypt at the end of 2010, the exchange rate of the US Dollar ($) to the LE was approximately $1 to 5.8 LE. On this recent trip, January 2018, the exchange rate was $1 to about 17.6 LE. The major devaluation of the currency is mainly attributed to the revolution of 2011 and subsequent decline in tourism.

For my first trip to Egypt, I was able to exchange my $ for LE at Miami International Airport; however, as of 2018, this is not an option. The gentleman at the currency exchange booth explained that there is no demand for LE at the moment. This was also the case at Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. I was a bit weary about arriving to Egypt without any LE but there are plenty of opportunities to exchange currency once there, both at the airport and hotels. My Trafalgar/Spring Tours airport transfer representative explained that one gets a better rate exchanging currency at hotels instead of the airport. 

The two hotels I stayed in - Le Meridean Pyramids and Ramses Hilton - had an ATM and bank near the lobby front desk. At Le Meridean, I used the ATM to get LE and then, I went to the bank to exchange the larger denominations for smaller bills. When in Egypt, you will need a lot of 1 LE, 5 LE, and 10 LE for tips and for purchasing small souvenirs at the sites. I mainly used the 50 LE, 100 LE, and 200 LE to pay for optional activities such as the admission ticket to the Solar Boat Museum and the photo pass for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 

NOTE From personal experience, you will rely more on cash instead of credit while in Egypt. During this recent trip, I only used my credit card three times with those three instances being to pay for the following: optional excursion to Abu Simbel, dinner at Le Meridien, and several books purchased from the American University of Cairo bookstore in Aswan. If planning on using a credit card in Egypt, I suggest selecting one that does not charge international fees.