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Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo

Stockholm, Sweden
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1,080 posts
12 reviews
4 helpful votes
Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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Hi,

Planning for future trip to Egypt, i want so see the pyramids in Kairo and Petra in Jordania.

How is it in Sharm el Sheikh right now, is it empty with tourists?

If not empty, is there anything to do, or are most hotels and restaruants closed?

Is is safe to take a day trip to Petra?

Thanks in advance

West Kelowna, Canada
Destination Expert
for Egypt
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4,685 posts
65 reviews
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1. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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I cannot comment on Sharm as I have not been there for a while. I will leave that to some others on the forum to do.

You can not see Petra doing a day trip from Sharm. By land you need to take bus or taxi to the Taba border 4hrs, cross over into Israel maybe 45min to 1 hr., take a bus or taxi to the Israel/Jordan border 30 minutes, cross the border to Jordan 30 mins., and then get to Petra 2.5 hrs from the border. A full day just to get there.

Or you could catch the ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba. You would have to get from Sharm to Nuweiba maybe 3hrs by Road and then take the ferry. Then when you get to Aqaba drive 2.5 hrs to Petra.

Petra is a massive big site. You really need 2 or 3 days to see it. Lots of hiking. So to see Petra from Sharm you need a Min of 4 or 5 days.

Cairo, Egypt
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4 reviews
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2. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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You can do Petra in a day from Sharm - there are tours still being organised for that - but it is definitely not recommended as it is a very long day and you get only a couple of hours in Petra. It is also very expensive because the Jordanians have set their pricing strategy to penalise day trippers and try and get people to stay longer.

I would definitely recommend staying two nights there and one in Aqaba or three nights in Petra and also take in Wadi Rum.

Sharm itself is fairly busy with some hotels still closed. Not many Scandinavians at the moment and in the summer very few anyway but the packages holidays from Scandinavia will be back in full swing this coming winter.

However, if you are planning Cairo and Jordan, ( noticeably Petra and Wadi Rum ), then your tour will depend on your flights. I would suggest flying with Royal Jordanian, or Egyptair or Turkish Airlines, into one country and out from the other. ( I.e. Stockholm - Amman - Cairo and then Amman - Stockholm, or Stockholm - Cairo and then Amman - Cairo - Stockholm with Egyptair ). I do not know off hand which airlines operate to Stockholm but I am sure that Turkish do, so maybe you will have to do Stockholm - Istanbul - Cairo and then Amman - Istanbul - Stockholm. Very good airline and you can book through the multi destination option on their website.

If you do not want to include Sinai then you could fly between Cairo and Amman. But if you do want to explore a bit of Sinai then skip Sharm, ( or fly to Sharm ), and then head to Dahab, Nuweiba and St Catherine to explore that area and also to relax on the beaches and do diving and snorkeling there before heading over to Aqaba on the ferry from Nuweiba and then up to Petra.

This thread has more details on that area...

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g297556-i10139-k11384534-Aqaba_to_Sharm_El_Sheikh_and_St_Catherine_s-South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html#90498708

Stockholm, Sweden
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1,080 posts
12 reviews
4 helpful votes
3. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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Ok, day trips to Petra from Sharm El Sheikh cost around $270 USD/£190 GBP, and its a 8-9h trip to Petra one-way, so its really a full day back and forth, departing around 04:00 and arrives back at 23:00.

Is Ammam airport the closest to Petra?

Its a 3h drive from the Ammam airport to Petra.

I maybe should take the flight to Jordan to visit Petra, and then flight to Egypt for the beach, and then flight to Cairo, and from Cairo to Stockholm.

I know there will be some stopover with the flight.

So which airport can I fly into, if I want to visit Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab or Nuweiba?

Thanks in advance

Cairo, Egypt
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4. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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Aqaba airport in Jordan. They have an increasing number of flights direct from Europe. And would be slightly less distance than Amman. Sharm Airport serves Sharm, Dahab ( 60 mins away ) and Nuweiba ( 100 mins away ).

Even Ovda across the border in Israel.

There are so many different possibilities and combinations. Having checked now, I see that, Egyptair and RJ do not fly to Stockholm but you are either routed through Copenhagen or London or Franfurt or whatever. How close are you to Copenhagen. I can see the logic starting with Petra and maybe Wadi Rum, and then heading to a beach for relaxation, snorkeling or diving. On the other hand, you could fly into Amman, and then go back to Amman and then fly to Cairo, and then fly to Sharm and then out via Cairo back to Europe.

Or, you could fly to Cairo, stay a couple of nights, and then fly to Amman, and then head back to Cairo and then on a separate ticket fly to and from Sham, ( but in which case you could choose Hurghada instead of Sharm.

It depends on how much time you have - because options that include overland journeys, i.e. ferry to Nuweiba etc need more time. And are not necessarily cheaper.

Very interesting...

London, United...
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for Hurghada
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5. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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Very good information swiss 👌🏽

Stockholm, Sweden
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6. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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Thanks so much for the help.

Norwich, United...
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7. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo
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Why not split into two trips? Holiday 1- fly to Cairo for a few days to see the sights & assimilate the atmosphere in the interesting city, then fly Cairo to Sharm for an unwind & relax. Trip 2 Fly to Amman see the sights of Jordan of which there are many plus Petra for two days minimum, go on to Aqaba for the sea relaxation & snorkelling/diving. We have done trips to all these places which are fascinating & to see them properly taks time. Petra is a huge site, Cairo has many interesting places,museums & souks which warrant time to really enjoy them. We are off to Sharm in a few weeks!

12barbluesman

8. Re: Sharm el sheikh + Petra + Kairo

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