Egypt: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Egypt feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 204 written places.
Five thousand years of hosting visitors; baksheesh oils every hinge and bargaining is theatre.
✓ Considered polite
- Carry small notes constantly - baksheesh for small services is the custom, not a scam
- Bargain everywhere with humour - start near a third of the first price
- Dress modestly - both sexes, especially at mosques and in Cairo
- Agree taxi fares before getting in, or insist on the meter, or use apps
✗ Better avoided
- Accept 'free' gifts or unrequested help - payment will be expected
- Photograph bridges, stations or anything military
- Enter mosques in shoes or shorts
- Drink tap water
Worth knowing
- Cash rules; ATMs are plentiful in cities
- Tipping 10-12% in restaurants on top of any service charge
- Trains link Cairo-Luxor-Aswan; the sleeper is the classic
- Friday midday prayer pauses much; Sunday is a working day
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.