Tips for Egypt - 2026

Destinations Egypt
1

I’ve recently got back from Egypt and wanted to share a few tips that I wish I had known before I went!

:money_bag: Money

  • I took USD cash from the UK to pay for entrance fees + tips etc
  • The only USD I needed was the entry visa on arrival $25 pp
  • Other than that, it would have been better for me to either take GBP and exchange to EGP, or just use the ATM’s
  • There was an ATM in the baggage area at Cairo airport, to get cash before I left the building for any small purchases/tips
  • It was much simpler for me to pay everything in local currency, and seemed better rates v GBP too - and saved converting different currencies in my head!
  • This being said, cash is king in Egypt so don’t rely on your card (accepted in main places but cash makes things simpler)

:atm_sign: ATMs

  • ATMs are everywhere, very easy to find - but some charge fees some don’t
  • (I have a Revolut account > so created a EGP account, exchanged money via Revolut to that account, and used my card to withdraw EGFP for the EGP account > best exchange rates)
  • Bank Muir (red and white) and National bank of Egypt (green red white), did not charge me any fees - so look for these
  • Various other ATMs (can’t remember all there names), charged me 330 EGP to withdraw - but there was NO warning a fee would be charged
  • It is not a huge amount - but i would rather give this as extra tips than to a bank!

:heavy_dollar_sign: Tipping

  • Egyptian culture is tip heavy - evreyone tups each other for everything, so expect this to be the case, and expect people to wait for tips - Egyptians tip each other too.
  • Go and get money changed as soon as you get there into small notes, often ATMS give you 200’s.
  • There are banks everyone, go and get a mix of 20s, 50’s, 100’s - and keep them somewhere with easy access
  • To use toilets you need to pay, I had to pay 200 once for lack of change!
  • I was trying to figure out average tip amounts, but its hard, generally 20 for using the toilets, 50 for a porter or quick but necessary assistance, more for longer services depending on how you feel id the best guide i can give.
  • Overall, if you can afford it, tip what feels fair to you, tourism is a big part of the local economy and small amounts can go a long way.

:shopping: Shopping

  • Prices vary wildly from corner stores to big tourist sites - this is expected so don;t worry too much in these cases if prices are high (coffee cost more than the UK in the valley of the kings for example)
  • Most prices are not written down or labelled
  • Try to get an idea of what things generally cost, like a bottle of water (the cheapest I found was 15LE, but some places tried to charge over 100), snacks etc, so you know when to haggle
  • Don’t pick things up and take them to the till and wait for a price - ask for the price of everything before you commit to buy it.
  • When going through markets - don’t stand around and browse if you are not interested in potential buying anything - this is when you will get ‘hassled’ or followed through a market
  • Look from a distance, if you like something go over - definitely haggle, but don’t go in too string, think about what the item is worth to you and if you overpay then it’s not a bg deal - just factor this into your expectations
  • Remember, there are ‘Egyptian prices’ and Tourist prices everywhere in Egypt, this is done at all tourist sites too, so you will pay more than locals and thats fine

:taxi: Ubers

  • There is a local app Careem, which is like Uber - but I only used Uber, and only 3 times
  • Twice - I booked an Uber and was then messaged by the driver saying it was double to price of what the app said. I declined, and found another, who stuck to the price. So, there are Ubers out there for the orrcet price, but expect to be bartered with
  • Another told us after we got in and took off it was an extra $20USD - we haggled down to 10usd (as it was super busy afterall) - so he bought is some chocolates and drinks :sweat_smile:
  • My point being - always check when you enter that the price on the app stands - and if not agree in advance what any extra cost might be

Overall I loved Egypt and found Egyptian people to be super friendly. The ‘hassling’ was really not as bad as everyone makes out, these tips just give you a baseline to know what to expect - hopefully!

If anyone is planning to go soon and has any questions feel free to ask!

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@ck_explorer1000 I’ve just been to Egypt as well and agree with most of this — especially about cash and tipping.

In my experience, it’s much easier to use local currency (EGP) for almost everything. ATMs are easy to find, and having small notes makes life so much simpler, especially for tips and toilets. Tipping is definitely part of the culture — not aggressive, just expected — so it’s better to be prepared rather than surprised.

For shopping, I’d also say: always ask the price first. Don’t show too much excitement, and don’t feel pressured. There are local prices and tourist prices everywhere, and that’s just how it works. If you overpay a little but feel happy with what you bought, it’s not the end of the world.

With Uber, I had similar experiences — always confirm the price before starting the ride. If they try to renegotiate, you can cancel and find another driver. There are honest drivers out there.

Overall, I really enjoyed Egypt. Yes, you need to be a bit alert and street-smart, but I found people friendly and welcoming. If you go prepared, it’s an incredible experience.