Can You Drink Alcohol in Egypt? Hotels, Cruises and Ramadan

Yes. Alcohol in Egypt is legal for visitors in licensed places: hotels, licensed restaurants and bars, and Nile cruise ships, and local beer and wine are not hard to find in tourist-oriented restaurants and hotels. Drinking anywhere else in public is illegal and can lead to arrest. During Ramadan, sales are reported to be limited to holders of foreign passports, and some venues stop serving for the month.

Where you can drink alcohol in Egypt

Egypt's Constitution names Islam as the religion of the State (Article 2), and the law draws a clear line around alcohol. Law No. 63 of 1976 prohibits serving or consuming spirits, alcoholic or fermented drinks in public places or public establishments, and exempts hotels and tourist establishments designated under a 1973 law.

In practice that makes drinking legal for visitors in licensed venues. The UK government's travel advice (updated 4 August 2026) puts it plainly: drinking alcohol anywhere other than licensed restaurants, bars, private homes or certain tourist resorts is illegal and can lead to arrest. Locally made beers and wines are not hard to find in tourist-oriented restaurants and hotels.

The hotels proposed on the journeys have their own bars: Benben by Dhara Hotels in Aswan has the Philae Bar & Terrace, and the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza lists 10 restaurants and bars.

Egyptian beer and wine

The local beers a visitor will see are Stella, which is not Stella Artois, and Sakkara, both common lager beers in Egypt. Domestic wines are on offer as well, Omar Khayyam among them.

For a local drink without alcohol, karkadeh, a tea of dried hibiscus, is particularly popular and is generally served very sweet and cold. What to eat alongside is in our guide to food in Egypt.

Drinks on a Nile cruise

Nile cruise ships serve alcohol on board, and the vessels proposed on this site's journeys have their own bars: The Oberoi Philae has The Bar and Library Lounge, and The Oberoi Zahra has poolside dining with a cocktail bar. Abercrombie & Kent's Sanctuary Sun Boat IV, for comparison, offers bar service on its upper sun deck.

Whether drinks are included depends on the vessel and the fare. Viking's Pharaohs & Pyramids cruisetour includes beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on board, and Uniworld's Splendors of Egypt and the Nile includes house wine, local beer, soft drinks, tea and coffee at lunch and dinner on board. On the luxury Nile cruises on this site the ship runs on full board, and the written proposal states what is included and what is not, so ask about drinks when you request it.

Alcohol during Ramadan

Ramadan changes the picture, though how much depends on the place. Travel guides report that during Ramadan only holders of foreign passports are allowed to buy alcohol, by Egyptian law, and that enforcement is by no means consistent. Alcohol is then often sold only in Western-style hotels and in pubs and restaurants catering to foreigners.

Hotels continue to serve foreign guests in their restaurants and bars, as the sources report, but some venues catering to foreigners stop serving for the month, so ask ahead if a particular bar matters to you. In public during daylight hours, the UK government advises that eating, drinking or smoking is culturally insensitive throughout Ramadan; non-Muslims do not have to fast.

Ramadan follows the moon. Sources differ on the exact first day of Ramadan in 2027, but Eid al-Fitr, which ends it, is expected on March 9 or March 10, 2027, subject to official moon sighting. Our guide to Egypt in March covers what the month means for a trip.

Drinking in public and other local rules

Outside licensed venues, drinking is not a gray area: the UK advice says it is illegal and can lead to arrest. Keep alcohol to hotels, licensed restaurants and bars, cruise ships and private homes, and not to streets, public gardens or monuments.

The same UK advice asks visitors to dress modestly, especially in rural areas, mosques and souqs, and warns that photographs considered damaging to the country's image are illegal. Our guide on what to wear in Egypt covers dress setting by setting.

Duty-free alcohol after you land

Egypt's customs rules cover goods bought for personal use from the duty-free shops inside the customs area within 48 hours of arrival. The limit for alcohol is set out exactly: the passenger may buy 3 liters of alcoholic beverages at most, together with 2 cartons of cigarettes, and may substitute only 1 liter of alcoholic beverages for one carton of beer.

Alcohol you bring with you from abroad is a separate allowance. Sources differ on it, so this guide quotes no figure; check with Egyptian customs or your airline before you pack bottles.