How safe is Egypt for travelers?

Where not to go

• The FCDO advises against all travel to some parts of Egypt and against all but essential travel to others, including North Sinai and border regions.
• Check the regional risks page before you book anything off the standard tourist route. Travel insurance is void in an area your government advises against.
• The standard tourist circuit is not affected: Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh and Dahab.
• Terrorist attacks have targeted security forces, religious sites, public gatherings and places foreigners visit. Tourist sites have visible armed security, which is reassuring rather than alarming.

The hassle, and how to handle it

Egypt has more persistent commercial attention than almost anywhere. It is not danger, and it is exhausting if you do not have a strategy.

• The camel or horse at the pyramids. A ride offered as free or cheap for a photograph, and then a large sum demanded to get down, or to be brought back.
• The "temple is closed" line, delivered by a stranger outside a site that is open, who has a better idea.
• The unrequested guide who attaches himself, talks for ten minutes and then bills you.
• The papyrus, perfume and alabaster "factory" your driver detours to, on commission.
• The gift pressed into your hand, then payment demanded. Do not accept anything.
• The shoe shine, the photo taken on your own camera, the door opened for you. All small, all a few pounds, all fine if you have small notes.
• A firm, smiling "la, shukran" and continuing to walk is the answer to nearly all of it. Do not stop, do not engage, do not explain.

The things that actually hurt people

• Roads. Poor conditions, limited enforcement, fast coaches. Do not travel outside main cities at night. Serious crashes involving tourists happen regularly.
• Red Sea diving. The FCDO records multiple fatalities on diving operations, with safety standards varying considerably and some operators lacking adequate insurance. Check the operator's certification, its safety record and its insurance, not its price. Ask to see the boat's safety equipment.
• Watersports. Book through reputable vendors who can give assurance about safety standards.
• Shark attacks in the Red Sea are rare and have happened. Follow local beach guidance and do not swim where fish are being fed or waste discarded.
• Heat. In Upper Egypt in summer it is genuinely dangerous. Dawn starts, midday indoors.

Women travellers

• Verbal harassment is common and physical harassment happens, including in crowds.
• Dress modestly outside resorts, covering shoulders and knees. It reduces attention noticeably.
• The FCDO advises female travellers not to allow hotel staff into the room when alone.
• Women-only metro carriages in Cairo are marked and worth using.
• A confident, loud, public response to harassment usually works, because bystanders intervene.