Cairo Travel Risk — Elevated Risk (51/100)
Is Cairo safe right now? Checked 21 October 2026
Cairo scores 51/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Egypt Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 15 Jul 2025); the UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of the country (updated 4 Aug 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Natural disasters (score 28)
Environmental quality (score 70)
September 27, 2026
Cairo, Egypt has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 51 out of 100 (elevated risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is environmental quality at 70/100; the lowest-rated category is natural disasters at 28/100; last updated September 27, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Egypt travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Cairo to visit in 2026?
Cairo currently sits at 51/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the elevated-risk tier. Travelers should plan more carefully than the global average — read the Actions section below before booking. The highest-rated risk category for Cairo is environmental quality (70/100), and the lowest is natural disasters (28/100). This page was last updated on September 27, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: security (69/100) and crime and scams (44/100).
A score of 51 is higher than 66% of the cities we score.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 18, 2026
Cairo, Egypt maintains an elevated risk level with a baseline composite score of 51 out of 100 and a US State Department advisory level of 2. Travelers should also note a Level 1 global measles health notice from the CDC. Meanwhile, recent headlines highlight tourism growth alongside airport expansions and disruptions affecting travelers.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 21, 2026 07:32 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Environmental quality (score 70/100): Check air-quality forecasts. If sensitive, pack a mask and adjust outdoor activity. Hydration is critical in heat.
- Transport safety (score 50/100): Use the safest available transit. For high-risk routes, prefer reputable carriers and avoid late-night driving.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in Cairo
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Daytime conditions are generally secure along major corridors and commercial districts. Keep bags zipped and avoid displaying high-value items openly.
Risk levels elevate noticeably after dark outside main central zones. Avoid walking alone through unlit parks, alleys, or quiet transit stations; favor pre-booked door-to-door transport.
Safety by Traveler Type in Cairo
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Older travelers
Health/transport risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, plan rest between transfers, and locate English-capable medical care on arrival.
No group-specific warning is triggered in Cairo for solo travelers (Crime 45/100 · Transport 50/100), women traveling solo (Crime 45/100), families with children (Health 38/100 · Natural disaster 28/100), business travelers (Digital 40/100 · Money 42/100 · Transport 50/100) and lgbtq+ travelers (Advisory 32/100 · Political 38/100): these scores sit in the low-to-moderate range, so standard precautions apply. Local laws affecting LGBTQ+ travelers and gender-specific incident rates are not captured in our scores; check your government's travel guidance.
View complete category score breakdown & baseline metrics
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Editorial baseline 2026-05-14 (round 2: Numbeo + WHO + State Dept + GPI + EPI references)
Quick facts
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | medium |
| Road safety | medium |
| Public transport | medium |
| Tourist scam risk | high |
| Night safety | medium |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 |
Live conditions in Cairo
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Egypt - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Natural hazard calendar & history
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Most flood events within 100 km of Cairo happened in December (1 of 1 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Egypt travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Egypt entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-21 07:32:35 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Cairo
The most weather-stable two-month window for Cairo is November–December, when typical daily temperatures run from about 9°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 3 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include extreme heat in June–August. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Aug 3, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Practical safety map
Safety infrastructure nearby in Cairo
Cairo has 10 hospitals, 10 police stations, 5 embassies, 8 pharmacies and 5 fire stations within 7 km of the city center in the latest OpenStreetMap extract.
The interactive map loads when it approaches the viewport.
Facility list (works without JavaScript)
- Hospital: Al Galaa Teaching Hospital
- Hospital: Al-Moallemeen Hospital
- Hospital: Anglo-American Hospital
- Hospital: El-Gomhoria Teaching Hospital
- Hospital: Monira Public Hospital
- Hospital: عيادة أمراض الدم
- Hospital: عيادة الرمد
- Hospital: عيادة السكر و عيادة الغدد و عيادة السمنة و التغذية
- Hospital: ليزر الجلدية
- Hospital: مستشفى هيئة النقل العام
- Police: Abdin Police Station
- Police: Agouza Police Departement
- Police: Agouza Police Department
- Police: Al Azbakiya Police Station
- Police: Al-Sayeda Zeinab Police Station
- Police: Dokki Police Station
- Police: El Mousky Police Station
- Police: Kasr El Nil Police Station
- Police: قسم شرطة الدرب الاحمر
- Police: وحدة تراخيص مرور العتبة
- Embassy: British Embassy
- Embassy: Consulate of France
- Embassy: Embassy of Belgium
- Embassy: Embassy of the United States
- Embassy: Turkish Embassy
- Pharmacy: Al Azaby
- Pharmacy: Dr George Anwar ferig
- Pharmacy: El Esaaf Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: El Esaaf Pharmacy-Ramsis
- Pharmacy: صيدلية الخليج
- Pharmacy: صيدلية حسنين
- Pharmacy: صيدلية د. طارق العلكي (عوني سابقا)
- Pharmacy: فضل
- Fire station: Kasr El Ainy Fire Station
- Fire station: مطافي الجيزة
- Fire station: مطافي القاهرة
- Fire station: مطافي عين الصيرة
- Fire station: نقطة إطفاء همدان
Map and facility data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Locations can be incomplete or outdated; confirm before relying on them. See this destination’s numbers or browse emergency numbers by country.
Emergency numbers (Egypt)
| Police | 122 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 123 |
| Fire | 180 |
| General | 122 |
See nearby hospitals, police, pharmacies, embassies, and fire stations on the safety map.
Essential local emergency phrases
Show this screen to first responders, hotel staff, or passersby if you cannot speak the local language during an emergency.
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | medium |
| English-speaking care | medium |
| Evacuation complexity | medium |
Quality varies sharply between private and public facilities.
Common scam patterns
- Pyramids/Giza guide, camel & photo scams. Unofficial "guides" attach themselves and demand payment; camel/horse operators quote one price then demand multiples; people demand money for stepping into your photo; "Sphinx backdoor" detours add unofficial fees. Tip: Book through your hotel or a licensed operator; agree all prices before mounting any animal; refuse unofficial guides.
- Unsolicited "help" tip demand. Friendly strangers give directions, "explain" a site, carry a bag or take your photo, then demand a large tip (baksheesh), sometimes aggressively. Tip: Politely decline unsolicited help; agree any price or tip in advance and carry small notes.
- Taxi overcharging / "broken meter". Drivers claim the meter is broken and quote inflated fixed prices, especially from the airport and hotels. Tip: Agree the fare before getting in, or use a ride-hailing app where it works; carry small change.
- "Site closed" diversion. A "guard" or "official" says a site is closed for prayer/holiday/renovation and steers you to a shop or paid alternative. Tip: Verify at the official ticket office; ignore unsolicited "it is closed" claims.
Major transport hubs
| Hub | Type | Risk | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo International Airport (CAI) | airport | 40/100 | Pre-arrange a hotel transfer or use the official taxi desk; agree fares up front; keep small notes for tips. |
Area notes
- Giza Pyramids & Sphinx. Heavy touts, camel/photo and unofficial-guide scams - book a licensed guide and agree every price in advance.
- Khan el-Khalili & tourist districts. Persistent touts and overcharging; haggle and keep valuables secure. Solo women may face more persistent attention.
- Overall. Most scams in Cairo are non-violent, opportunistic and avoidable; the main hassles are tipping pressure, overcharging and touts rather than serious crime.
Nearest embassies & consulates
Find your home country's diplomatic mission in Egypt for consular support, lost passports, or citizen emergencies:
Frequently asked questions about Cairo
Is Cairo safe to visit?
Cairo currently scores 51/100 on our composite travel risk index (elevated risk; lower is safer). It already includes the current US State Department advisory for Egypt (Level 2 of 4). Official advice can change quickly, so check it again shortly before you travel.
Sources: Travel Risk Calculator — Cairo · Methodology
How bad is crime in Cairo?
Our crime score for Cairo is 45/100 (moderate). Documented scams here: pyramids/giza guide, camel & photo scams and unsolicited "help" tip demand.
Sources: Travel Risk Calculator — Cairo
Is it safe to travel to Egypt Cairo right now?
As of 21 October 2026, official travel advice for Egypt is Level 2 (US State Department). No natural hazard events were recorded within roughly 100 km in the last 14 days. Live weather, alerts, and news refresh throughout the day on this page.
Sources: US State Department · UK FCDO (OGL v3.0) · Global Affairs Canada · GDACS
Run a personalized assessment for Cairo
Get a tailored briefing in ~15 seconds, with live weather, advisories, and recent news.
Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2026 | 42 → 51 | moderate → elevated | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| May 15, 2026 | — → 42 | moderate | Data update Editorial baseline 2026-05-14 (round 2: Numbeo + WHO + State Dept + GPI + EPI references) |
Every editorial change to Cairo's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
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Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
View full data sources, coverage scope, and registry notes
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Cairo
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Cairo, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
Coverage looks complete for this city.
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.