Egypt is one of the world’s oldest and greatest civilizations to have ever lived on this earth.
This is clearly shown in the famous tombs and pyramids in Egypt that were built thousands of years ago, and likely the main reason you decided to visit Egypt in the first place.
However, it’s important to be aware that Egypt is also known as a significant tourist trap, with numerous scams lurking around every corner. But fear not, with these simple travel tips, you’ll be able to recognize the most common Egyptian tourist scams from miles away and avoid getting scammed.
Is Egypt Worth Visiting?
Have you read similar Egypt holiday reviews as the ones below?
Articles about visiting Egypt, like the ones above, are what we continuously came across when preparing for our Africa trip – Cairo to Cape Town. Maybe you have probably read similar statements if you are also planning an Egypt trip.
In this article about tourist scams in Egypt, we aim to demonstrate that visiting Egypt is actually a great experience! Drawing from our personal experiences during our trip, we’ll equip you with the knowledge to navigate and avoid any tourist traps you might encounter.
Egypt: The “Worst Place” on Earth
Before we started our Egypt trip we read nothing but horror stories about terrible, fearful, and intimidating tourist scams. Many of the stories even warned to never visit Egypt! A very bold statement in our opinion.
Once we set foot in Egypt, we found the actual situation only a snippet of what we had anticipated. Of course, there will be people trying to scam you out of your money, but all these tourist traps can be avoided if you prepare yourself with some knowledge and common sense.
Most of all, we hope that it lessens any fear and doubts anyone may have incurred about visiting Egypt. Seriously, it is NOT that bad! We found the majority of Egyptians nothing but friendly and welcoming!
These tips don’t only apply to tourist scams in Egypt, You can use the same rules and tips to avoid getting scammed in any country you visit.
1 – Egypt Tourist Scams: Educate Yourself and Be Prepared!!
We want to share our experiences, the real prices of everyday items, and easy tips on how to prevent yourself from falling into an Egypt tourist trap.
Once you have this understanding you will have a massive advantage before you even step foot in Egypt because you will know what is true and what is a scam.
Remember the majority of Egyptians are good people.
Our first travel tip to avoid getting scammed in Egypt is for you to acknowledge that Egypt is not a Western country – embrace this before you even land. Everything in your home country that would be deemed crazy and unusual can be deemed normal life in Egypt.
The biggest cities in Egypt will be a loud, hectic, and chaotic shock to all of your natural senses, making you think WTF is going on here! It’s definitely crazy, but there’s also something really intriguing about it! Go with the flow and embrace the madness!
We totally understand that it can be astounding to people who have never experienced these parts of the world, especially when you see things such as where pollution, dusty streets, chaotic traffic, and numerous stray animals are common, not to mention the presence of extreme poverty.
However, whether you are in a rich area or a poor area the streets are filled mainly with friendly, funny, and resourceful people who all say to you with a smile – Welcome to Egypt.
In fact, most of the locals we encountered were genuinely welcoming and eager to engage in conversation and share a laugh with us.
2 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Just Say: No Thank You!
Our next travel tip when visiting Egypt is to make you aware that everywhere you go, you will be asked if you would like a taxi, a boat, a tour, come into my shop, one minute please, and many more questions……
Just say no thank you politely and walk on, nothing more. We can’t emphasize this enough!!!
We have seen so many people that engage back and end up giving in. It is OK to say no and walk on!
If people follow you, say it again – “No thank you, I am OK“. Now and again you will have one person who becomes a bit overly persistent. Then you must stop and tell them – “Please stop, I am OK” using a bit more assertiveness, and you guessed it, walk on!
There will be no trouble, the person will give up and leave you alone. Treat your fellow humans with respect, and be kind but firm.
Our First Tourist Trap Experience In Egypt
In most takeaway restaurants in Egypt, you will need to pay at the cash register first, after which you will receive two receipts.
One of these receipts you then hand over to the people at the cooking stations who will cook your food. Your second receipt is for you to show at the end when collecting your food. We did not know this at first!
A “friendly” local then came out of nowhere and proceeded to help us and show us how the system works. Good for us, because we would have been standing there for ages waiting for nothing!
We proceeded to chat with the kind stranger for about 10 minutes. Then we started to realize that he was trying to set us up for his tourist trap and get us to go back to his gallery to buy stuff, quite persistent he was!
We told him we had no interest and would be heading back to our hotel with our food. Again he insisted that we must come back with him to have a look at his gallery because he had helped us.
I politely put my hand on his shoulder and said with a smile, “We can guarantee you, the only place we will be walking to is our hotel, but thank you for the chat and your help”.
And that was it! He walked away and left us alone, easy right?! Don’t be afraid to say no and don’t let anyone pressure you into going places you don’t want to be.
3 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Nothing is Free!
You are walking down the street and a lovely man puts a bracelet in your hand, a charming lady hands you a pretty flower, or the cool security guard lets you into the out-of-bounds area in one of Egypt’s best attractions – Nothing is free!!
Unless you want the bracelet, the flower, or see the restricted area, then don’t expect it to be free and you will have to pay for it.
Another common tourist trap in Egypt is the friendly local walking alongside you telling you the history of the pyramids or whatever tourist sight you are visiting, he is now your guide!
Inside your brain, you may think fxxk off, but again politely say: no thank you, I am okay! Don’t be guilt-tripped into “I am just trying to make a living” Unless you want the service, say no!
4 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Have Lots of Small Notes
One of our favorite travel tips for avoiding tourist scams in Egypt is to always try and break up the bigger notes like 100 and 200. Often people will “never have the correct change to give back.”
By having lots of small denominations, this can be avoided. Even at popular attractions in Egypt like the Great Pyramids of Giza, where hundreds of visitors are present each day, the unfortunate staff often find themselves unable to provide change…… despite having a cash drawer full of bills right in front of them!!
5 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Scammed in Restaurants
The only time we got caught in a tourist scam in Egypt was when we went for dinner one evening.
We ordered two sandwiches for 50 EGP each and a side dish that was 30 EGP, a total price of 130 EGP. When we went to pay the bill we were quoted 280 EGP.
We argued about the price only to be told 15% service fee and 15% government tax were included on to the bill.
Again, we argued that even if that was the case our bill should be around the 170 EGP mark and not the price given. At this stage, all staff lost the capability to speak English all of a sudden.
They knew, that we knew they were trying to scam us. In the end, we gave an agreed-upon 200 EGP and walked out the door.
One of our travel guidelines is to pay at the beginning of each meal. This time, we forgot and got caught by a tourist scam. It was a valuable lesson learned.
Sometimes you need these refreshers to remind yourself. Luckily this was the only time we fell into a tourist trap in Egypt, and to be fair 95% of restaurants will be honest and charge correctly.
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6 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Taxis
There’s nothing more welcoming than getting off a 10-hour bus drive tired and cranky only to be surrounded by taxi drivers all shouting at you to use their service. Always great craic that is eh!
This is a common tourist scam all over the world. Try not to be unnerved by all of this and do not go with the first driver if you are unsure.
As always, be firm but polite and show that friendly smile. You can even have a bit of a laugh and ask them with a calm voice – Why are you shouting? Often they will laugh at themselves.
At the end of the day, Egypt is a poor country and all workers compete with each other to get any possible fair.
To avoid falling into another tourist trap in Egypt, make sure to agree on the fare before getting into the taxi and pay at the end of your ride.
An alternative option is using Uber, which is available in most major Egyptian cities. You can even use Uber’s fare as a bargaining tool with taxi drivers by showing them the price.
Not all major cities in Egypt offer Uber, so there may be times when you’ll need to take a taxi.
In that case, we have a simple formula that will help you get the approximate fare – 10 EGP per kilometer + 25 %. So for example, a 5 KM ride should cost 5×10=50 +25% (1.25) equals 60.25 EGP.
Tip – Do your homework before you arrive. Use Google Maps to see the distance from the bus/train station to your hotel. That way you will have an estimate of how much the fare will cost you.
As of 2022, this was approximately 2.50 euros, but the Egyptian pound has dramatically decreased in value over the past few years. Therefore, while the price in euros should remain relatively constant, the cost in Egyptian currency may have increased.
7 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Negotiating
The following is not necessarily a tourist scam or tourist trap in Egypt. Negotiating prices is an integral aspect of Egyptian life and culture.
When haggling with street vendors or shopkeepers selling souvenirs, sunglasses, clothing, etc. you should not settle for the first price given to you.
Often you can bring that price down by at least 33%. Were you to be an excellent haggler you may even get that price down 50% or even more. One day I bought a pair of sunglasses for 100 EGP down from 280 EGP.
However, some vendors are very honest and the prices are so cheap you just pay for the asked amount.
This happened when I bought another pair of sunglasses for 60EGP and an NY cap for 50EGP. Go on, convert that to your own currency, and tell me how good of a deal that was!
Like in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, many vendors in Egypt have calculators that will show you the asking price. You then type in your price and go back and forth until you reach an agreed price.
The vendor will start very high, so that means you start very low, but have a price in your head of what you are willing to pay.
It’s a game of chess and can be a bit of craic as well. If you are unhappy with the final price quoted say no thank you and walk away. Remember #2 travel tip: Egypt Tourist Scams – Just Say: No Thank You and walk away!
Unless it is a crazy price that you are demanding the vendor will say okay and give it to you for your price.
*Tip – If the vendor asks you, What do you like? Charm the socks of the seller and reply that you like Egypt! They love it!!
8 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Day Tours
We learned during our stay that it is important to negotiate for day tours as well when visiting the best attractions in Egypt. We were quoted many different prices for a day trip to the Bent Pyramid and the Step Pyramid outside of Cairo.
One tour agency wanted us to pay 3000 EGP/90 USD per person which is insane money in Egypt.
Our hotel told us he could arrange a tour for 1200 EGP in total, but in fairness, he informed us that there were cheaper options.
We ended up paying 800 EGP/25 USD in total for a private driver who drove us around from 9 to 5 to some of the best attractions in Egypt. Shop around, it will be worth your while.
Discover the affordable price of a 1-week Egyptian adventure, featuring all the top attractions in Egypt, by clicking on the link below!
9 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Scammers, Beggars and Street Kids
When you are walking on the street during your Egypt holiday it is going to be inevitable that someone will ask you:
- Excuse me one minute please.
- Come this way.
- Can I ask you a question?
- I am from Syria.
- Where are you from?
- You look Egyptian.
Again don’t be afraid and intimidated, it’s very simple. Again apply #2 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Just Say: No Thank You. Reject with confidence and walk on. Do not follow somebody back to their gallery because they will try and bully you into buying goods you don’t want for high prices. Egypt is a safe country to visit and is not known for violent robberies. The only thing that will happen is you will get pestered.
Our experiences with actual real homeless people were that they would say hello and “Welcome to Egypt” and wouldn’t even ask for a penny.
Guaranteed at some stage street kids and even ordinary citizens will try and stop you on the street and ask you for money….Same routine again – No thank you, keep walking, stay firm yet polite and they will stop following you. The majority of the kids were simply curious and wanted to say “Hello” and “What’s your name?”
If you’d like to give a gift, keep some candies on hand.
10 – Egypt Tourist Scams – Real Prices
During your trip, having some knowledge of everyday item prices you already have an upper hand and less of a chance to get scammed in Egypt. Below are four travel tips to avoid getting scammed in Egypt.
- Know the value of the currency and convert it to your own.
- Make a note of the prices for everyday items when you first purchase them.
- While shopping, try to monitor the estimated total cost. This should roughly be the same at check out.
- Most stores provide calculators. If you’re uncertain about the price quoted, ask to see it on the calculator. If there isn’t one available, you can always use the calculator on your phone.
- If you know the precise amount, then pay that exact figure.
Don’t let this freak you out too much though. We would estimate that around 90% of shopkeepers did ask for the correct price.
The only destinations in Egypt where we found where shopkeepers were overcharging were in Giza and Luxor. Below is a list of items and the correct price. Keep in mind that this Egypt travel article was composed in 2022.
| A 0.5 litre of water | 5 EGP |
| a 1.5 litre of water | 7 EGP |
| Snacks like nonbrand chocolate, cake, biscuits | 8 EGP |
| A coffee | 15 – 25 EGP |
| Kosheri (which is the national dish of pasta, rice, lentils, meat and sauce) | 25 – 30 EGP |
| A shawarma | 30 – 50 EGP |
| Snacks like non-brand chocolate, cake, biscuits | 5 EGP per item |
| a kilo of bananas | 20 EGP Per KG. |
Understandably there will be people who disagree with what we are saying. “Sure it’s only a small bit more they are overcharging.”
Fair enough, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Personally, we do not like getting overcharged, even if it is small amounts, it is the principle of honesty that we value highly.
Before we go into a summary of how to prevent tourist scams and traps in Egypt, why not find out how much a flight to Egypt will cost you?
Egypt Tourist Scams: Summary
What insights have you gained regarding tourist scams during your trip to Egypt? Let’s summarize them for you.
- The majority of Egyptian people you will encounter will be honest, friendly, and kind people.
- Say no thank you with confidence, a smile and a tap on the shoulder go a long way.
- If you are feeling hassled – be firm but polite, and don’t be afraid to have a laugh, often they will laugh with you!
- Choose your battles when haggling with street vendors, is it really worth all that hassle for 5 EGP? For shopkeepers overcharging, however, if the price is 5 EGP then I am paying 5 EGP!
- When haggling tell people you love Egypt (which was true for us) and immediately they warm to you. Egyptians are very proud of their country.
- Shop around for tours, do not pay Western prices in Egypt.
- Have lots of small denominations.
- Pay for meals straight away, don’t give the chance to receive a higher bill.
- Most important one of all, stay friendly – don’t be a dick!
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Repeatedly people say “I would never go to such and such country because someone told me or I read online that such and such”……Be your own judge, experience it for yourself.
Especially when the person giving that advice has never even been to that country. Often the online news is far from reality as well. Yes, I know the irony, you are reading this online now!
Should You Consider Visiting Egypt?
Is Egypt worth visiting? We would 100% recommend a visit to Egypt.
Don’t let any of the above deter you from visiting Egypt, they are just tools, tips, and advice for dealing with tourist scams and traps in Egypt that can be applied anywhere in the world.
In our opinion, Egypt has some of the world’s best attractions, plenty of friendly locals, and some great budget friendly prices and we loved our visit!
Put Egypt on your bucket list!
We would love to hear your thoughts. Have you visited or planning to visit Egypt? Please feel free to leave us a message below or contact us through our socials.
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