Summer Showdown: Egypt vs. Turkey – Where Does Your Ruble Go Further?

If you’re planning a family vacation this summer, get ready to do some math. According to Dmitry Arutyunov, head of tour operator Art-Tour, Turkey and Egypt will start the season neck-and-neck, with a week’s stay for a family of three costing around 200,000 rubles. But by August, Turkish hotels are expected to hike their minimum price to 300,000 rubles, while Egypt holds steady.Arutyunov pushed back on recent reports from the Russian Tour Operators Association that tourists are flocking to Egypt as an alternative to the Middle East. “The reality is more complicated,” he said. “European travelers consider Egypt part of the Middle East, and their numbers there are dropping. Meanwhile, Dubai’s airport is buzzing like the old days. People fly there easily, even though summer heat is brutal.”Egypt, he noted, traditionally draws more Russian tourists than the UAE in summer, but he wouldn’t call it a boom. The real peak for Egypt comes in late August and September, when Turkey gets significantly more expensive. For now, a decent all-inclusive hotel in Egypt will set a family of three back about 200,000 rubles for a week.Turkey, by contrast, starts at a similar price but climbs to 250,000–300,000 rubles by August. Its milder climate keeps it the more popular choice, Arutyunov explained. So if your budget is tight, Egypt may be the smarter bet—just book before the Turkish prices spike.