Start in Downtown Cairo For a walkable comparison, use the streets around Tahrir Square, Al Bustan and Abdel Khaleq Tharwat. Banks and exchange bureaux sit close enough to quote the same notes without a cross-city trip. Heliopolis is a practical alternative only if you are already staying near it. Egyptian Exchange Co. at 6 Al Bustan Street showed 4.1 from 250 Google reviews on 31 August 2026. Current reviewers described quick service, useful rates and a passport requirement. Lower reviews reported rejected USD notes and repeated difficulty changing leftover EGP back into euros or dollars. El Helal Exchange at 23 Abdel Khaleq Tharwat Street showed 3.1 from 121 reviews. One recent visitor reported a better EUR-to-EGP result than an ATM. The broader current pattern is mixed: rude service, queues, rejected old or stamped notes, and offices buying foreign cash but refusing to sell it back. Cairo Exchange's Heliopolis branch at 29 El Hegaz Street showed 4.8 from 266 reviews. Helpful staff dominate its topics, but low-rated reviews describe late opening, understaffing, long waits and poor treatment. Many newest five-star ratings have no text, so the score is weak rate evidence. The useful counter test Carry your passport and clean, unmarked notes. Ask two offices: “For these five US$100 notes, exactly how many EGP will I receive?” Confirm any fee and the treatment of each denomination before handing over cash. Count the pounds and keep the receipt. Do not convert the entire trip budget on day one. Repeated reviews show that buying foreign cash back with EGP may be unavailable even when a board displays both directions. Exchange in stages, use EGP for local spending, and keep only the cash you expect to use. Airport or city? Recent traveller reports conflict: some found Cairo airport bank counters competitive, while others preferred city banks or ATMs. Compare the airport's exact payout with your card's withdrawal cost. If uncertain, obtain only an arrival amount and run the same $500 test Downtown. USDT is not a cash shortcut The Central Bank of Egypt says it has issued no licences for cryptocurrency trading in the Egyptian market and describes such activity as legally criminalised. Do not use a Cairo cash desk, courier, Telegram broker or personal wallet to turn USDT into EGP.