Last verified: October 18, 2026. Ramadan opening hours were read from the official ticket site that day. The 2027 dates are projections until Egypt’s religious authority sights the moon, so I re-check this page monthly.
In 2027, Ramadan is expected to fall almost exactly on the best month to see Egypt. Most advice about Egypt during Ramadan splits two ways: avoid it, or nothing changes. Neither is right. The official ticket site publishes Ramadan hours for most major sites, and they tell a clearer story than the guides do.
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Up the Nile, the temples don’t move. In Cairo, last entry comes a little earlier. And after sunset, the whole country changes gear. This page covers what changes and what doesn’t, site by site and hour by hour. For the faith and customs behind the month, see my guide to Egyptian culture.
Key Takeaways
- Nothing I checked closes. On the official ticket site, every temple and tomb from Luxor to Abu Simbel keeps its winter hours in Ramadan.
- Cairo’s sites take their last visitors 30 minutes to 2 hours early. Giza moves to 8am, last entry 3:30pm.
- Ramadan 2027 is expected to start around February 8. Your touring day ends before the fast does.
- Book trains and flights for the days before Eid early.
Table of Contents
When Is Ramadan 2027 in Egypt?
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin in Egypt on or around Monday, February 8, and to end with Eid al-Fitr around March 9 or 10 (timeanddate, checked October 2026). Some calendars put the first day on February 9 (Wego, checked October 2026). Dar al-Ifta, Egypt’s official religious authority, holds a moon-sighting session on the evening of the 29th of the month before, and announces the start that night.
The astronomy points to February 8. Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics calculates Monday, February 8 as the first day of Ramadan. It expects a month of 29 or 30 days (Elwatan News, September 2026). Its figures are calculations, though, not the official start. In 2026, Dar al-Ifta announced Thursday, February 19 as the first day, after its sighting session on the evening of February 17 (CairoScene, February 2026).
Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier every year, because it follows the lunar calendar. That’s why 2027’s falls in the middle of high season, when the weather is at its best and the temples are at their busiest. If you’re weighing February against other months, my month-by-month guide compares them on heat, crowds and price.
Are Tourist Sites Open in Egypt During Ramadan?
Yes. None of the sites I checked closes for the month. On October 18, 2026, I read the Ramadan hours for 22 sites from the official ticket site, egymonuments.com, which lists summer, winter and Ramadan hours side by side. From Luxor to Abu Simbel, Ramadan hours match the winter hours. In Cairo, last entry comes 30 minutes to 2 hours early.
| Site | Winter hours (last entry) | Ramadan hours (last entry) | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giza Pyramids | 7am to 4pm | 8am to 3:30pm | Opens an hour later, last entry 30 minutes earlier |
| Saqqara | 8am to 4pm | 8am to 3:30pm | Last entry 30 minutes earlier |
| Dahshur and Memphis | 8am to 4pm | 9am to 3pm | An hour off each end |
| Egyptian Museum, Tahrir | 9am to 4pm | 9am to 3pm | Last entry an hour earlier |
| Coptic Museum | 9am to 4pm | 9am to 2pm | Last entry two hours earlier |
| Citadel of Saladin | 8am to 4pm | 8am to 3:30pm | Last entry 30 minutes earlier |
| Karnak | 6am to 4pm | 6am to 4pm | No change |
| Luxor Temple | 6am to 7pm | 6am to 7pm | No change |
| Valley of the Kings | 6am to 4pm | 6am to 4pm | No change |
| Edfu | 7am to 4pm | 7am to 4pm | No change |
| Kom Ombo | 7am to 8pm | 7am to 8pm | No change |
| Philae | 7am to 3pm | 7am to 3pm | No change |
| Abu Simbel | 6am to 4pm | 6am to 4pm | No change |
The times are opening and last entry, not closing. Hatshepsut’s temple, Medinet Habu, the Valley of the Queens, the Ramesseum and Esna also keep their winter hours. The Alexandria National Museum and Kom el-Shoqafa lose an hour of last entry. One more detail: Luxor Museum’s evening last entry moves an hour earlier, to 7pm.
So the split runs north to south. A Cairo day loses 30 minutes to two hours, which matters most at Giza: the later 8am start costs you the quiet first hour. Plan it as an 8am-to-3:30pm day and you won’t feel the cut. A Luxor or Aswan day doesn’t change at all. For the Giza ticket rules, see my Giza tickets guide, and my Saqqara day trip for the sites south of the plateau.
Two big museums aren’t on that ticket site. The Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization published no Ramadan schedule when I checked on October 18. Their regular hours are on their own sites: the GEM’s galleries open 9am to 6pm most days (tickets.gem.eg), and NMEC opens 9am to 5pm (NMEC). Both have cut hours in past Ramadans, so check again the week before you go.
What Does a Ramadan Day Look Like for a Visitor?
Your sightseeing day barely changes. In February, most sites take their last visitors by 3pm or 4pm. The fast ends at sunset, about 5:40pm in Cairo on February 8 and about 6pm by March 9. I calculated those times with the NOAA solar equations; Egypt’s official prayer timetable can differ by a few minutes. For a visitor to Egypt during Ramadan, the month really starts at sunset.
Here’s how the day runs. The fast begins at the dawn prayer, around 5:15am at the start of the month. Mid-morning is calm, with half-empty streets and slower service. The afternoon gets slower still. In the last hour before sunset, Cairo’s traffic is at its worst as everyone races home, and the FCDO notes that driving gets erratic (FCDO).
Then the call to prayer sounds, and the streets go quiet for about twenty minutes while the whole city eats. I find it one of the best moments to be in Cairo. Afterwards the evening prayers fill the mosques. Families, coffee shops and lantern-lit streets stay busy past midnight. Before dawn, people eat again at suhoor, the meal before the fast.
The same day is a little longer by the end of the month. On March 9, dawn comes at about 4:45am and sunset at about 6pm, so the fast stretches to about 13 hours.
Can Tourists Eat and Drink in Public During Ramadan?
Nobody expects visitors to fast. But eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight is culturally insensitive, in the FCDO’s words, and it also advises against loud music in public (FCDO). Hotels, tourist restaurants and cafes in the main tourist areas keep serving through the day.
In practice, eating in Egypt during Ramadan is easy. Carry water in a bag and drink on site or in your car, not while walking down a busy street. Eat lunch inside a restaurant rather than on the pavement. Many local restaurants outside hotels shut until sunset, so a street-food lunch is harder to find. Pack a snack for long site days, since food near the sites is thin.
Iftar is the meal to plan around. Hotels run iftar buffets, and restaurants fill fast right after sunset, so book or go early. After dark the bakeries stay busy until dawn, selling konafa and qatayef, two of the classic sweets of Ramadan nights. My Egyptian food guide covers what to order and what it costs.
Alcohol is still served to foreign guests in licensed hotels and restaurants, often on request rather than on display. It isn’t served to Egyptians during the month, under a ban that had already stood for more than 30 years by 2012 (Ahram Online, July 2012). My culture guide explains how that works, with the sources.
Will Your Guide and Driver Be Fasting?
Probably, so plan each day in Egypt during Ramadan around sunset. In 2027 that’s about 5:40pm early in the month, so start early, finish your sightseeing by mid-afternoon, and avoid a long drive across iftar. If you’re on the road at sunset, expect a short stop so your driver can break the fast with dates and water. That stop is normal, and it’s polite to suggest it yourself.
Tipping customs don’t change. A little patience goes further than a bigger tip, because your guide has been working all day without food or water. Charity runs high during the month, which you’ll see in the free iftar tables set up on the street. My tipping guide has the amounts.
One phrase is worth learning. “Ramadan Kareem” (generous Ramadan) is the greeting you’ll hear all month, and the reply is “Allahu akram” (God is more generous). For the rest of the words you will need, here are the Egyptian Arabic phrases that actually get used.
How Does Ramadan Change Getting Around?
Getting around Egypt during Ramadan mostly means adjusting to cities that run late. In Ramadan 2026, the Cairo Metro ran its last trains between about 12:06am and 12:40am, depending on the line. In the rush before iftar, trains came every 4.5 minutes (Egyptian Streets, February 2026). Expect a similar timetable in 2027, announced shortly before the month.
Roads jam in the hour before iftar and empty during it, so taxis and ride-hailing are hard to find just before sunset. If you have a train or flight in the early evening, leave earlier than usual.
Banks keep short hours. In Ramadan 2026, the Central Bank set branch hours for customers at 9:30am to 1:30pm, while ATMs and online banking kept running (Egypt Independent, February 2026). Government offices also work shorter days. If you need to change money or sort out paperwork, do it in the morning. My guide to getting around Egypt covers trains, flights and drivers.
What Happens at Eid al-Fitr, and Should You Avoid It?
Eid al-Fitr ends Ramadan with a public holiday of about three days, listed for March 9 to 11, 2027 (Office Holidays, checked October 2026). If the moon sighting pushes Eid back a day, the holiday moves with it, and the cabinet sets the final days off. Eid itself is fun. The hard part is the days just before it, when much of the country travels home, and trains and domestic flights sell out. The other 2027 holiday dates, and the Thursdays they usually move to, are in the full 2027 holiday calendar.
In March 2025, Egyptian National Railways ran extra Eid trains, including an extra Talgo service from Cairo to Aswan (CairoScene, March 2025). Even with extra trains, Eid tickets have run out in past years (CairoScene). If your trip to Egypt during Ramadan crosses the end of the month, book your internal train or flight for that week before you fly.
During Eid, families crowd the parks, the Nile Corniche, Giza and the Red Sea resorts, and some shops close on the first day. If you want a beach for Eid, book it well ahead.
| Phase | 2027 dates (projected) | What to expect | What I’d do |
|---|---|---|---|
| First days | About February 8 to 10 | Everyone adjusting, short tempers before iftar | Keep plans simple, avoid driving near sunset |
| Middle weeks | About February 11 to 27 | Settled rhythm, lively nights | The easiest stretch for sightseeing |
| Last ten nights | About February 28 to March 8 | Mosques busiest, late nights, travel builds | Book onward transport early |
| Eid al-Fitr | About March 9 to 11 | Public holiday, families out, transport full | Stay put and enjoy it |
In 2027, Ramadan and Great Lent are expected to overlap by a day or two. The Coptic Church’s 55-day fast begins on March 8, counted back from Coptic Easter on May 2. For those days, much of Cairo is either fasting until sunset or eating no meat. The fasts and feasts of Egypt’s Christian calendar are on my Coptic Cairo page.
Is Ramadan Different on the Red Sea and on a Nile Cruise?
Barely. The coast is where Egypt during Ramadan feels least different. Resorts in Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh and Marsa Alam run as normal, the dive day doesn’t change, and resort bars keep serving foreign guests. My Marsa Alam guide puts it simply: on that coast, Ramadan barely registers.
Nile cruises keep their timetables too, since the temples they stop at keep their winter hours. Expect the crew to be fasting, and be patient around sunset.
Away from the resorts it shows more. In Siwa or Aswan’s Nubian villages, local life slows in daytime and wakes up after dark. Cairo’s old city changes most of all. Al-Muizz Street and the area around al-Hussein Mosque are quiet in the afternoon and packed until the early hours.
Is It a Good Idea to Visit Egypt During Ramadan?
Yes, for most trips, with two adjustments: be at Cairo’s gates at opening, and stay put in the days around Eid. You get winter weather, the same temple hours up the Nile, and the country’s best nights. Ramadan didn’t empty the country in 2026 either. In the first quarter of 2026, which held the whole month, international arrivals rose 15.6 percent on a year earlier, the tourism minister said (Egyptian Streets, May 2026).
Who should think twice? Anyone on a tight Cairo schedule with three museums a day. Anyone who has to cross the country in the Eid week. And anyone who wants busy bars. Everyone else just needs to change the schedule a little, not the trip. If it’s your first visit, my first-timer’s guide covers the rest of the basics.
Egypt During Ramadan: FAQs
When is Ramadan 2027 in Egypt?
Ramadan 2027 is expected to run from about February 8 to March 8 or 9, with Eid al-Fitr around March 9 or 10. Egypt’s astronomy institute calculates February 8 as the first day. Dar al-Ifta, Egypt’s religious authority, holds its moon-sighting session on the evening of the 29th of Sha’ban. Treat every date as a projection until it announces the result.
Are tourist sites open in Egypt during Ramadan?
Yes. None of the 22 sites I checked closes. Every temple from Luxor to Abu Simbel keeps its winter hours, per the official ticket site on October 18, 2026. In Cairo, last entry comes 30 minutes to 2 hours early. Giza runs 8am to 3:30pm, the Egyptian Museum 9am to 3pm and the Coptic Museum 9am to 2pm.
Can tourists eat in public during Ramadan in Egypt?
Visitors aren’t expected to fast, but the UK Foreign Office calls eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight culturally insensitive. Eat and drink discreetly: inside restaurants, in your car or on site. Hotels and tourist restaurants keep serving all day, while many local restaurants close until sunset, about 5:40pm early in the month.
Can you drink alcohol in Egypt during Ramadan?
Yes, if you’re a foreign visitor. Licensed hotels, bars and restaurants keep serving foreigners, often on request rather than on display. Egyptian citizens aren’t served during Ramadan, under a ban that dates back more than four decades. All year round, the UK Foreign Office says drinking outside licensed venues and private homes is illegal.
Should I avoid Eid al-Fitr?
Avoid traveling between cities in the days before it, not Eid itself. Trains and domestic flights fill as families travel home, and even with extra Eid trains, tickets have sold out in past years. The holiday runs about three days, listed for March 9 to 11 in 2027 and shifting a day if the moon sighting does. Book internal transport early and stay put for it.
Is the Red Sea affected by Ramadan?
Hardly at all. Resorts in Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh and Marsa Alam run normally, bars serve foreign guests, and dive boats keep their usual schedules. Expect busier resorts during Eid al-Fitr, about March 9 to 11 in 2027, when Egyptian families take their holidays.
The Bottom Line
Egypt during Ramadan is still Egypt, with longer nights. The sites stay open, the temples keep their hours up the Nile, and the evenings are the best of the year.
- Nothing I checked closes. Upper Egypt’s sites keep their winter hours.
- Cairo opens later and takes its last visitors earlier. Giza runs 8am to 3:30pm.
- Plan the day around sunset, about 5:40pm to 6pm in 2027.
- Book transport for the Eid week early, and stay put for the holiday.
If you’re planning Egypt during Ramadan, check the month-by-month guide next to settle your dates, my guide to Egyptian culture for the rules, and the food guide for what to eat after sunset.
I’m Marco Delgado, and I write every guide on Egypt Travel Vibe. On October 18, 2026, I read the Ramadan hours for every site on this page from the official ticket site. I also checked the Grand Egyptian Museum’s and NMEC’s own pages. The 2027 dates are projections, and last year’s metro and bank hours are labelled as last year’s. I’ll update this page when Dar al-Ifta announces the start, and re-check it monthly.
