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Egypt

6 destinations & festivals · 4 etiquette rules

Photo: Basma · CC BY-SA 4.0

Before you go

Read before you go

Red lineRestaurants & bars

Egypt: drink only at licensed venues

  • Drink in licensed restaurants, bars or within resorts
  • Drinking in the street or other public places

Drinking outside licensed premises is illegal and can lead to arrest.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice

Red lineEntry

Egypt: no drones without a permit

  • Leave your drone at home
  • Bringing in or using a drone without Ministry of Defence permission

Up to 7 years in prison, or a fine of EGP 5,000 to 50,000.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice

Red linePhotos & drones

Egypt: ask before photographing people, and don't photograph children

  • Ask local people before photographing them
  • If in doubt, ask before taking a photo
  • Photographing children
  • Photographing military installations (including the Suez Canal)
  • Taking or sharing photos that could harm the country's image

Tourism ministry rules require written permission to photograph Egyptian citizens, and photographing children is banned; photographing military installations is illegal.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice

TabooDress

Egypt: dress modestly and avoid public displays of affection

  • Dress conservatively in villages, mosques and markets
  • Kissing or hugging in public (holding hands is usually fine)

Behaviour accepted in resorts may be seen as offensive elsewhere.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Egypt travel advice

Places & local life

Landmarks, hidden gems & local life

Koshari

FoodCairo, Egypt

Koshari

Rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas topped with tomato sauce and fried onions — Egypt's national dish.

The colonnade at Philae

Classic landmarkNile islands near Aswan, Egypt

Aswan and the Temple of Philae

The Temple of Isis on a Nile island — ancient Egypt's last temple, on the border of Egyptian and Nubian culture.

Arcades and shops in the bazaar

Classic landmarkHistoric Cairo, Egypt

Old Cairo: Khan el-Khalili bazaar

One of the oldest markets in the Middle East, dating from 1382, where spice and copper workshops continue the commercial fabric of the Mamluk er…

The four colossi of Ramesses II on the façade of the Great Temple

Classic landmarkSouthern Aswan Governorate, on Lake Nasser, Egypt

Abu Simbel

Four 20-m statues of Ramesses II guard the lakeshore; in the 1960s UNESCO cut up and moved the whole temple to save it from the rising reservoir…

The forest of columns in Karnak's Hypostyle Hall

Classic landmarkLuxor Governorate, Egypt

Luxor: Karnak and the Valley of the Kings

Karnak's hypostyle hall of 134 columns and the pharaohs' tombs in the Valley of the Kings across the Nile — the complete story of ancient Egypt'…

Panorama of the Giza pyramids

Classic landmarkGiza Governorate, Egypt

The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx

The three Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Sphinx — humanity's first great state project, 4,500 years ago.