Is Egypt worth visiting? An honest answer

The short answer

Egypt is worth visiting if you want to see ancient sites. The Giza pyramids are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Saqqara and Dahshur are in the same site. UNESCO says that the Great Pyramid of Khufu is the only wonder of the ancient world that still exists.

A trip to Egypt is hard for some visitors. Hassle at the sites, prices that change and traffic are the usual complaints. Many of these problems become smaller with a good plan.

What visitors say

On Reddit, visitors often disagree about Egypt. We examined Egypt posts in r/travel from 30 October 2025 to 27 October 2026. The four largest threads that we found had 639 to 821 comments each:

These are visitor opinions, not official data. The fourth thread gives one fix: use a tour company. Its top comment has a score of 3,989. The comment agrees with the fix, but it says that this is not the usual view in r/travel.

Reasons to go

• The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx. You can see them in half a day or one day from Cairo.
• Saqqara and Dahshur. They have pyramids that are older than the Great Pyramid. For what to see there, see Saqqara tour.
• The Grand Egyptian Museum. It is near the Giza pyramids. You can visit the museum and the pyramids on the same day.
• More of Egypt. You can add Luxor, Aswan, a Nile cruise or the Red Sea.

Reasons that some visitors do not enjoy Egypt

• Hassle and scams. The US advice tells tourists to beware of overcharging and scams in tourist areas. The UK advice says that scammers and touts sometimes target foreign visitors at tourist sites.
• Harassment of women. The US advice says that harassment of women, including foreigners, is a problem in Egypt.
• Roads and traffic. The Canadian advice says that road conditions are often poor. It says that the rate of car accidents is one of the highest in the world.
• Heat. Summer is very hot. For how to plan for the heat, see Egypt in summer.

The US advice level for Egypt is Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Some areas of Egypt have higher levels. The UK advice says that most visits are trouble-free. For what the advice says about the pyramids, see Is it safe to visit the pyramids?.

Who will probably enjoy Egypt

How to make the trip easier

1. Book a guide or a tour before you arrive. The Irish advice tells visitors to book recommended guides or tours in advance.
2. Buy tickets only from an official seller. For the tricks that visitors report, see Egypt scams at the pyramids.
3. Agree each price before you accept a service. Services include rides, photos and "help" at the sites.
4. Travel in the cooler months. You can then walk more and stay longer at the sites.
5. Give each site enough time. A plan that is too full gives you no time for traffic delays.

For the tour options at Giza, see Pyramids of Giza tours.