All of the legal stuff here is right on but I want to give some up to date info and something to think about. I was in Kherson, Ukraine in September. I thought it would be a good idea to do something with my lady in a neutral place. Get to know each other better without the whole town observing her (me I couldn't care less about). So I explored the idea of a trip to either Turkey or Egypt for a short vacation. It was a no go with Turkey in November because it is off-season and everything is shut in fact there are no flights. However Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt was a go. It was cheap too, only $350 each for a week including airfare from Odessa, hotel and meals.
I do have a couple of problems with this though. Sharm El Sheikh is a seaside resort on the Red Sea. Beautiful place with all the conventional tourist stuff. In my own case though I live in South Florida I have that 12 months a year and she will too should we marry.
So why go to Egypt?
Only one reason if you ask me to go and see the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings.
INTERESTING!!
So I enquired. It is possible but it is a nightmare trip. To do that properly you really need to stay in Cairo.
Sharm El Sheikh is a specifically built tourist resort somewhat isolated from the rest of the country. Just like Agadir in Morocco.
Besides Neon and myself has anybody been to an Arab country?
Let me tell you my heart goes out to those poor soldiers in Iraq right now. It isn't just because they are being shot at.
I went to Tangiers in Morocco and it was one of the nastiest experiences of my life. Cairo is the same type dump. It is for the hardy, foolish or determined!
Even the Ukrainian tour operator said don't do it. Much better to go to Sharm El Sheikh and do the overnight trip.
You are correct. I spent a summer in Cario back in....OMG...1979(so long time ago) when Americans were relatively well liked there and our friend Sadat was in power. The place was a DUMP then, and I am sure it has not gotten much better. And you know how they feel about Americans now! GREAT history, but....
Red sea does seem to be a popular resort spot for many Russians.
Didn't a group of terrorists blow up a hotel there a few months ago? Need I say more?
Now you are talking!!
That would be great!!
It has the med climate, beauty AND history with tons of nightlife. Wonder what the weather is like in Nov and how far your money stretches.
VNVNation - problem with Cyprus is that Russians require a visa now. Since Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 it is one of the condtions of membership.Having said that, the visa should be granted without any problems. It is just an added hassle that I wanted to avoid as Cyprus was my first choice and in the end I opted for Turkey.
Before Cyprus joined the EU, visas were not required between both countries. But now they are required since the beginning of 2004. As a result, Cyprus has seen a large downturn in tourism from visiting Russians. That is not to say that meeting your lady in Cyprus is not an option - it just means a visa application has to be made beforehand and with that proofs of flight and hotel bookings when applying. Whereas with Turkey, you simply obtain the visa at point of entry with no questions asked. We both did not encounter any problems getting into Turkey, but on a separate note our relationship went down the plughole!!
For any nationality, any country, any transitting country visa requirement then here is the magic website information, the same information that the travel agents and airlines use, hope it helps: