20 Things You Need To Know Before Traveling To Egypt

One of the most exciting things about travel lies in getting out of our comfort zone, breaking free from our daily routine, and forgetting about everything back home to get a real feel of the country we are visiting, yet many people fall into the trap of thinking that all destinations are more or less the same, thinking that it’s certainly easy to navigate from one city to the next, to communicate at train stations, that almost everything can be planned on the spot, that this city is walking friendly, that this ferry or flight route operates all year long, etc.

While truth is every country even city, somehow has its own set of rules, and the way things work, so for instance when you are in Paris it’s VERY easy to be spontaneous; hop on the next metro, walk to the next park or bistro, book a daytrip to Versailles, but when you are in Los Angeles almost nothing is within walking distance, metro lines do not cover the entire city which would force you to use taxis/ride-sharing services, relying on a bus to get to another city might be tricky.

As we frequently get questions regarding travel into Egypt, and are keen on sorting out fact from fiction, we have gathered answers to these questions along with important things that we believe every traveler to Egypt must know to avoid, or at least decrease their culture shock.

1. Do Not Solely Rely On Getting Your Info from Media Outlets Or Online

If you are hesitant about something, or there is some info that you are not sure about ask us on our Facebook Group Egypt Travel Tips, or a “trusted” blogger who has actually been to Egypt, and is telling the truth because you have no idea how much crap is spread all over the internet, and how many misleading articles there is. I recently read an article written by a blogger who has been to Egypt for around a month, been almost everywhere, and said that throughout his trip he has never felt unsafe, yet he was warning people of safety in Egypt as he read that it’s not very safe. For God’s sake, he trusts what he read more than his own experience.. See, craaap!!!

2. Unlike What The Media Keeps Portraying; Egypt Is Safe

During the Arab Spring, between 2011-2013 there was some unrest, and Egypt still is victim of random terrorist attacks -YES middle eastern countries are victims of terrorist attacks too- yet it’s safe.

Logically, if we compare the number of shootings causing deaths that happened in the US from 2011 to 2022, it’d definitely exceed the numbers in Egypt, so why being all terrified and hesitant about coming to Egypt while -sadly- the whole world every once in a while falls victim to a mindless shooting, bombing, or attack?

Use your common sense while traveling to Egypt as much as you do in other countries, so don’t walk alone in empty dark streets at night, don’t look like a tourist, but instead give the I am a confident local look and feel even you are asking the simplest of questions, and not speaking the local language. Chances are you’d get robbed at the metro in Paris, or while throwing a coin at Fontana di Trevi, then anywhere in Egypt.

P.S: no offense to any of these cities/countries, I’ve been to them all and love them dearly, just trying to put things into perspective.

3. Harassment in Egypt: Does It Really Exist?

I won’t lie to you and tell you it’s non-existent because it does, it’s more verbal than physical, however there are ways to avoid it; such as dressing modestly -I know there would be the “I will dress how I please” team, but this piece of advice is actually to avoid uncomfortable stares, and cat-callings that personally annoy the hell out of me- so no revealing body hugging clothes unless you are by the beach –this is our complete guide on how to dress in Egypt-, by not showing affection; holding hands is ok, making out is not, and also women being too friendly to men which is not very common in Egyptian culture so when Egyptian men see it they take it as an invitation for more, so set some boundaries and you will be good to go. If you are traveling solo it’s safe to do so, yet it’s VERY important to dress modestly, and be very well informed about the country before hitting the road.

4. Egyptian Culture

Covid-19 made it easier for everyone to avoid the awkwardness of how to greet people from another culture, haha. Well, in Egyptian culture a woman would greet a woman by shaking hands, kissing two times on both cheeks sometimes three, giving a hug or making a combo of at least two, same goes between men, while it’s more of a handshake or a manly hug. DON’T kiss or hug a person from the opposite sex unless s/he initiates it, also DON’T shake hands specially with a woman unless she initiates it, and shaking hands should be gentle.

5. People of Egypt

Call me biased but ask anyone who has been to Egypt and haven’t vowed for its friendly, helpful and super warm people who would almost always walk the extra mile so you’d have the best experience there is. Some would want to take advantage of you and ask for tips “bakshish” whenever they do or even not do anything for you, and you are always free to pay or not to pay, but MANY would offer their services without expecting anything in return but a smile or a “shukran”.  

The more you travel around Egypt the more you will sense how the country is diverse, and its people too, and you will get an understanding of who just wants a “bakshish” and who genuinely wants to help you.

Courtesy of Mohamed Hakem

6. You Get What You Pay For

Unlike wat you hear almost everywhere, being an affordable destination doesn’t mean that it’s dirt cheap, well you actually get what you pay for.

You might find a full day tour for as low as USD$ 10-20, but it most likely means that;

• your guide is underpaid by an unethical travel agency that s/he works for,
• the quality of the tour is not the best,
• there would be PLENTY of hidden costs,
• the guide is happy about those 20 bucks as s/he will get much more after taking you to all sorts of bazaars to buy papyrus, jewelry, carpets, you name it that you didn’t even anticipate to go to, from which s/he gets a big commission that would pay the difference.

So do not be fooled by those crazy cheap tours, don’t play smart and choose the cheapest tour there is, and get all hyped about how much you’ve saved because you will most likely end up paying more.

You can book your responsible tours around Egypt through us

7. Tour guides follow your lead not the other way round

A lot of people falsely believe that hiring a tour guide means not being in control of their tour, being too rushed, or too bored, which only happens when you choose to go in big groups with an unreliable travel agency or tour guide.

A competent tour guide would always follow your lead yet be the one in charge, s/he would break the ice before the tour in order to understand a bit more about you to be able to deliver information and stories that fit into your interests, and know when it’s best to spend more time in this attraction, and less in the next one. S/he will also stand in the way of any pushy vendor, or random person asking for a tip.

8. Planning Service Is Worth Every Penny

Egypt is huge in size with endless options to discover from crystal clear Mediterranean & Red sea waters to sand dunes at secluded oasis, from Ancient Egyptian artefacts to contemporary art exhibitions, from scuba-diving & kite-surfing to dune-bashing & hiking, which makes it tricky to navigate sometimes even geographically impossible even if a place is marked by google as a possible route, to find out accurate information regarding opening/closing hours of sights, ticket prices, photography permits & accessibility to persons with disabilities, ways to reach certain places not knowing that some would require special permits.

Do yourself a favor and invest in a planning service specially if you want to go to many places in one trip, whether you’ve done your research or not local expertise will come in handy, to validate the feasibility of your itinerary in terms of geographical proximity, accessibility, weather, number of days required in each place according to your travel preferences, suggest off-the-beaten-track destinations, which will save you money, effort, time, and above all make your dream trip come true, even exceed your expectations.

Amanda a.k.a. MarocMama

9. Tipping Etiquette

• When paying in a restaurant you’d find service and taxes charges, the service charge goes to the restaurant, while taxes go to the government, so if you wish to add a tip it’s usually around 10 to 20% of the total bill.
• Tipping guides and drivers is optional, it goes directly to them, they don’t share it with the travel agency or anybody else, it’s usually;
• For guides: USD$ 10 per person per day (doesn’t have to be paid in USD).
• For drivers: there isn’t a fixed fee for that so maybe something around USD$ 5 per person per day.

P.S: Your guide/driver shouldn’t discuss with you your tip before or after paying it, if s/he does then it’s a red flag that you’ve hired a terrible guide.

• If you felt like or were asked to leave a tip to people cleaning toilets, this tip is usually EGP 5 to 10 (0.3-0.5 cents).
• In touristic areas don’t EVER give in to beggars, because once you tip someone you will find a bunch of others asking for money.

10. Cash Versus Credit Cards

While most restaurants, big souvenir shops and shopping venues accept credit cards, however you cannot completely rely on that, having local currency is crucial so you wouldn’t have to get confused by conversion rates, therefore make sure that you exchange money as soon as you get to Egypt, you can also easily withdraw money from ATM machines.

Tip: Do the country a favor, and make your exchange while you are in Egypt to benefit the economy!

11. Bottled Water

• It’s advisable to drink bottled water which is sold EVERYWHERE, and there are countless brands local and international ones; Nestle, Dasani, even Evian.
• A small bottle of water would cost you EGP 3-5 in non-touristic areas, in touristic areas you shouldn’t pay more than EGP 10 (that doesn’t apply to Evian though)
• In Egypt when you say water, we never refer to sparkling water, if you want to have sparkling water then ask for a “Perrier” that’s the commercially known brand or say “Soda”.

12. Toilet Paper

It’s highly recommended to always have toilet paper with you as many public toilets do not provide it, or are almost always out of it, or charge you for it, but hey you don’t have to buy it before you get to Egypt, as you can easily find it sold EVERYWHERE in different shapes and forms. Wet wipes would also come in handy.

In every Egyptian toilet including squatting toilets you’d find this life-changing invention called “bum-washer” a.k.a. shatafa which comes built in in the toilet seat, or separate from it looking like a tiny shower head, it releases a water flow that washes the bum. Shatafas’ inexistence in western countries is seriously Egyptians’ worst nightmare, haha -not even jokking.

You can find out more about shatafas in this article.  

13. Your packing list MUST have

• Mosquito Repellent: in some parts of Cairo it’s ESSENTIAL, specially in summer time
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, and lip balm with sun protection: with almost 365 days of sunshine you must apply sunscreen at all time
• A hat: to avoid heat strokes
• A jacket: specially if you are heading to the desert, and will be there after sunset

Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash 

14. Photography: Is It Allowed?

• Photography is usually for free if you are using your phone, but isn’t if you have a camera, so make sure to ask about that when entering any sites.
• It’s common to find random people asking you to take photos with you (which frequently happens in some parts of Asia as well), I advise you not to because once you accept that, you will find a bunch of others asking you for more photos.
• It’s strictly forbidden to take photos of military sites, of policemen, or army forces. 

15. Egyptian food has plenty of vegetarian options

No, you won’t starve to death, you’d more likely overeat 😀

Besides being home to a mouthwatering Egyptian cuisine influenced by Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Ottomans, and the whole Mediterranean region, with a big variety of vegetarian options as staples. You’d easily find sushi, Italian pizza and pasta, burgers, stews, you name it!

The good news is that we don’t have such a thing as a midday siesta for restaurants, they work around the clock, well McDonald’s operates and delivers 24/7, yaaay!

P.S: Being vegan or having gluten or lactose intolerance might be tricky though. At local venues/food stalls they won’t really understand these concepts, therefore it’s better to pack some snacks from home, and eat at bigger restaurants where dietary requirements would likely be taken into consideration.

Photo by Passainte Assem

16. Traveling during the month of Ramadan Is Actually Fun Well Different

Check out this detailed post about Ramadan in Egypt: a guide to understanding the culture.

17. Important Info Regarding Visiting The Pyramids Of Giza & Saqqara

It goes without saying that your visit to Egypt would be incomplete without the Pyramids of Giza a.k.a. Giza Plateau, which makes it an overpacked destination all year round.

The best way to enjoy your visit -specially if you are going without a guide;

• Be there EARLY, start your visit at 8 AM to avoid crowds and pushy vendors
• Do not smile to ANYONE or respond to any “Hello”/ “Hello my friend” and the like, because it won’t just mean that you are nice and friendly, but that you are happy to receive offers -sigh
• If you do not wish to ride a camel/ horse/ horse-carriage either do not answer offers or say “LA’A” firmly without shouting and still not smiling
• If you have time, make sure that you spend a couple of hours at 9 Pyramids Lounge where you can enjoy an Egyptian hearty meal while enjoying the sight of 9 pyramids, not just 3 -reservation is required with 2 slots available one from 9 AM till 12 PM -last access is at 10:30 AM but you can stay till 12 PM- & 12 PM till 4 PM -latest access at 2:30 PM but you can stay till 4:00 PM

As for Saqqara Plateau, you must have a car at all times not just a taxi to drop you off as the place is huge, and definitely requires a car to take you from one sight to the next, so either rent a car for a day or book a half day tour with a guide which would be even better.

Photo by Andrés Dallimonti on Unsplash 

18. Egypt Is A LOT More Than What You Learned In History Class

It’s uncommon to meet someone who hasn’t read or learned at school about Ancient Egypt’s civilization that still amazes us till that day, therefore Egypt is on everybody’s bucket list namely the Pyramids of Giza, & Luxor, not knowing that what the country has to offer is way more than that, if we are just talking about Ancient Egyptian artifacts with a bit of research you’d be surprised to find out that they are scattered everywhere around Egypt; in the Sinai Peninsula, in the Western desert, in Upper Egypt, in Cairo, in Alexandria, even underwater. So our piece of advice is to go beyond what you have learned a school, and dig much deeper into what Egypt has to offer.  

19. We Have Hyper-Markets, International Restaurants & Shopping Centers

Unlike what some still believe, but we don’t ride camels to work, or live in tents. We live in flats and/or houses, we have facilities just like all other countries such as; shopping malls, world famous hotel chains, international restaurants, land and air transports, amusement parks, hyper markets, mini-markets, and small kiosks where you would find lots of brands that you are familiar with.

20. Buying souvenirs

Besides practicing the art of haggling at the old market of Khan El Khalili while buying souvenirs, we will dedicate another article to souvenirs in Egypt, what to buy and where to find them.

In this post we have tried to cover as many concerns as we possibly could, yet we are sure there are some left offs, so anything else you noticed during your trip to Egypt and think it’s essential to add it to this list, please share it with us in the comments below.