You will see a wide variety of clothing worn, especially by foreigners. The best standard to follow is to wear clothing that truly covers your body. Your arms and legs need to be covered as well when touring mosques and other holy sites. Wearing loose-fitting, light-colored, cotton clothing is probably the most comfortable. We genuinely discourage you from wearing short shorts/spaghetti straps/tank tops/low-cut/sleeveless/midriff/see-through outfits outside of your hotel complex or at a beach or pool.
Sexual harassment is unfortunately a common occurrence in Egypt. It is usually perpetrated by males towards females. The government is trying to protect its citizens and guests from harassment. Among other measures, they have produced and aired radio and TV ads identifying and denouncing this type of behavior. Our tour guides, drivers, hotel staff and servers will do all that they can to help mitigate encounters of harassment. Our sincere recommendation is for you to be wise in your choices of style and clothing and public behavior.
Wearing expensive jewelry and watches is discouraged. You can of course wear swimsuits and beach-attire along Egypt’s shores and at pools and resort hotels, though you will find that many devout Muslims will most likely be dressed in more modest swimwear. Even in the hotter months of the year, we recommend that females bring (or buy) a lightweight scarf to cover your hair when entering mosques and other holy sites.
Everyone must wear comfortable walking shoes! Some people will prefer sandals while others will prefer sneakers or leather-type casual shoes with good soles. You will be doing a lot of walking out in the desert to the various pyramids, and to other ancient world heritage sites. Sometimes you’ll be walking over rocky dusty terrain and along crowded city streets. It’s up to you to decide what’s best but you’ll definitely want to keep your feet happy! Lastly, don’t forget to bring along hats, sunglasses and sunscreen.
