Cairo scams: what to watch for

Almost every Cairo scam runs on the same engine: someone approaches you first, creates urgency, and asks for money before you can compare. If you only remember one rule, make it this — you choose who helps you, not the other way round.

At the pyramids and the museum entrances the classic is the fake official. A friendly man says the ticket window is closed, or that you need a guide to enter, and offers to sort it. Walk to the real window or buy online in advance. The second is the 'free' gift: a scarf, a stone, a papyrus sheet pressed into your hand, followed by a demand for payment. Hand it back and keep walking.

There is no official price list for being scammed, but there is a useful benchmark band. A short taxi ride inside central Cairo should sit in the low tens of pounds; a full day with a licensed guide costs real money and should be booked through a hotel or a known operator, not agreed on a pavement. Tipping is normal and expected — the country facts put baksheesh at EGP 20–50 for small services and 10–15% in restaurants — so paying for a genuine service is not a scam. Paying twice, or paying for nothing, is.

Sites keep normal daytime hours and the Giza plateau and museums are busiest in the morning; scam approaches peak exactly then, when crowds and queues give a stranger an excuse to 'help'. Late afternoon at Khan el-Khalili brings the hard-selling push, so go earlier if you want a calmer browse. Check current opening times before you go, since they shift with seasons and holidays.

The airport taxi rank is the first place most visitors meet the inflated fare. Use a ride-hailing app, a pre-paid airport taxi desk, or a hotel transfer if you land late; if you take a street taxi, agree the total before you get in and confirm it is for the car, not per person. The same applies at the railway station and around Tahrir.

On foot, the pressure is concentrated in a few zones: the road up to the pyramids, the lanes of Khan el-Khalili, and the blocks around the Egyptian Museum and the GEM. Outside those, Cairo is mostly an ordinary big city and you can walk without being approached. For the metro, buy your ticket at the window and keep it until you exit; anyone offering to 'validate' it for a fee is inventing a job.