5 Worst Egypt Tourist Traps and How to Avoid Them

Egypt is known for its ancient history and rich culture, but as a place where millions of people travel every year, and they usually travel to the same spots, which are frequented for criminals, so here you have 5 Egypt Tourist Traps to avoid on your trip.

Some bad people try to take advantage by tricking or outright stealing from the tourists. In this post we will teach you about the worst tourist traps in Egypt and how to avoid them.

Top 5 Worst Egypt Tourist Traps

1. Be aware of your surroundings in the entrance to well known museums and monuments.

Cairo Museum

The first Egypt tourist trap happens in crowded areas, a lot of vendors try to sell their stuff to the tourists, and criminals and pickpockets choose these crowded areas to rob you, such as the entrance to museums and temples. As they know that the vast majority of people that visit these places are tourists.

Make sure to follow your guide. You can even ask him/her where the bad spots are, and how to prevent pickpockets. The usual advice is: don’t have any valuable objects in your pockets or in easily accessible places, and if you do not feel secure, wear your backpack in the front.

Don’t feel bad for not trusting people in certain spots, you will not be the first and won’t be the last to get robbed on these sites.

Usually there is only one corridor to enter the museums so these are the perfect spots for pickpockets to come in close contact with the tourists.

2. Don’t give your camera away!

Photo Egypt

Most Egyptians are friendly and good people, but when you are traveling to the main sites in Egypt, the people there are vendors or people trying to gain something from the tourists.

This is not exclusively an Egypt tourist trap, but we encountered it a lot there, specialy in the museums.

As we were advised by our guide, if you want to take photos ask someone in your group or your guide. You will encounter people that ask you if you want them to take a photo of you. Always refuse as they will charge you afterwards. They will expect compensation for taking the photo even though they asked you if you wanted them to take the photo. This tourist trap is very common, and it seems very innocent at first so be aware.

We were approached numerous times, in various museums and monuments across Egypt and luckily we were advised beforehand of this scam. We also witnessed other tourists that fell for the trick, and afterwards it is a bit of a discussion if you don’t want to pay them, because they still have your phone or camera on their hand.

3. Visit only official museums

egypt museum

Egypt is a country that thanks to its rich history and unique culture they have a lot of museums with very interesting objects. But there are also so-called museums whose only aim is to sell you stuff. The most popular are papyrus, carpets, perfumes, and jewelry.

Oftentimes, the products sold in this type of museum/shops are of bad quality, if you want to purchase an expensive item or souvenir always ask your guide first or trusted person in the region.

If you want to check out if your museum is legit check the website of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

4. Always make sure your taxi is legit

Egyptian Taxi

Take an Uber if possible, this way the price is fixed from the APP, and you are sure that the uber driver is taking the pre established route. Also many people feel more secure in transportations with APP’s because the location is known in case everything bad happens.

If you are going to take a taxi be aware the fake taxis exist and they will charge you extra. Also a good practice is to fix the price of the ride beforehand.

If you are not sure the taxi is legit, check the plate of the car. In Egypt the taxis have orange plates just like the one in the photo.

5. Never exchange cash money with “locals”

Cash tourist trap

This is a common Egypt tourist trap in 2023, you will be approached by someone who wants to exchange cash, usually coins for a bill. For example ten 1 € coins for a 10 € bill/banknote.

Check that the coins are real, as they usually try to exchange fake coins. If you are not sure, we recommend not exchanging cash money with locals.

If this situation happens in a tourist site, like a museum or temple, or near them, it is a red flag and you should not exchange the money.

They will explain to you that it is very hard for them to change euros or coins for Egyptian pounds an is easier for them to change banknotes/bills. Trust your gut an always ask your guide in case of doubt.

We were approached numerous times and some people had real coins given as tips from other tourists and some had fake coins, although very real looking. So be alert!

In case of an Emergency

Most major tourist destinations, including the pyramids, Egyptian museums, and temples, have tourist police present. Since the majority of them can communicate in English, you can seek their assistance if you find yourself a victim of fraud.

Additionally, you can call the emergency police at 122 or the tourist police at 126. Concerned about the language barrier? Calls can be translated by interpreters who are available.

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