Monufia Governorate · Egypt
Tanta travel guide
Tanta is a city in Monufia Governorate, Egypt, home to about 430,000 people.
- Best months
- November to April
- Nearest airport
- SPX76 km · Sphinx International Airport
- Currency
- EGPEgyptian pound
- Time zone
- Africa/Cairo
- Language
- Arabic
About
About Tanta
Tanta is a city in Egypt. It had a population of 530,000 in 2024, making it the seventh most populous city in Egypt.
The city is one of the oldest cultural and religious settlements in Egypt, and also home to a large and prestigious university, Tanta University.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Tanta
See
The Ahmad Al-Badawi mosque and Al Azher schools were founded hundreds of years back. The sayed al-Badawi mosque is spectacular and can get very very crowded during the festival seasons. Gold and crystal chandeliers, impressive tile work, painted wood, and stained glass decorate this holy place in Tanta's downtown. You can certainly walk there from the train station, it's probably less than 1 km. There are custodians at the mosque to hold onto your bag or backpack while you are making the prayers or touring the mosque.
- Ahmad Al-Badawi Mosque
- Tanta Museum
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Tanta
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Tanta are November to April. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; January is the wettest, with about 9 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Tanta: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sphinx International Airport (SPX), about 76 km from the city centre in a straight line; Cairo International Airport (CAI, 84 km) and Capital International Airport (CCE, 114 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
There are frequent daily connections from Alexandria, Cairo, and Port Said. Tanta railway station is centrally located, just south of the city centre. Minibuses and Peugeot shared taxis abound in other cities.
Getting around
The easiest way to get around is by taxi. Another option is to take one of the public minibuses.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SPX · Sphinx International Airport
CAI · Cairo International Airport
CCE · Capital International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Tanta
Eat
Near the Mosque of Sayed al-Badawi, on one of the streets to the right side if you're facing the mosque, is a fuul and ta'amiya restaurant called Abu Sina. It's packed with locals eating the delicious fuul. For LE 10 LE, you get two plates of fuul, gargeer, babghanoush, tahini, ta'miyas, salad, tomatoes, potato salad, pickles, and one can of pop. Plus it was absolutely delicious! You can also buy some delicious sweets from hallawyat masr or if you want to get some other eastern sweets go to adly sweets.
Drink
Rural conservatism is apparently on the decline, as one sees women and men in coffee shops, including near the main mosque. Enjoy a drink of karkadee or yansoon, in addition to the traditional tea or coffee.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Tanta: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Tanta?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Tanta are November to April. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; January is the wettest, with about 9 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Tanta?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sphinx International Airport (SPX), about 76 km from the city centre in a straight line; Cairo International Airport (CAI, 84 km) and Capital International Airport (CCE, 114 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Tanta?
Egyptian pound (EGP).
Nearby
Destinations near Tanta
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.