Ramadan in Egypt

A date announced the evening before

Ramadan is the month of fasting in the Muslim calendar, which follows the moon. Its start depends on sighting the first crescent. In Egypt it is announced by Dar al-Ifta, the institution responsible for official religious rulings, on the evening of 29 Sha'ban, after reviewing sighting reports and with input from the astronomers of the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics. The announcement is made on television, on the radio and on its official channels.

For 2027, astronomical calculations put the start of Ramadan around Monday 8 February and Eid al-Fitr, the festival that ends it, on 9 or 10 March. The actual date may differ by one day: Sabaro recommends not planning anything to the exact day around the start and end of the month.

The rhythm of a day

From sunrise to sunset, practising Muslims neither eat nor drink. The day takes on a different pace: activity is concentrated in the morning and slows in the afternoon, until iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, at sunset. In the half-hour before, traffic in Cairo is very heavy: better not to plan a car journey at that time.

In Cairo, an old cannon on the esplanade of Saladin's Citadel fires at sunset to announce iftar, a tradition traced back to the Mamluk era. Then the city wakes up. Ramadan lanterns, fanous, hang from balconies and shopfronts. The Khan el-Khalili district, in Historic Cairo, stays open late: you find lantern stalls, spice sellers and cafés such as El Fishawy, full after the evening prayer. Before dawn, in the old neighbourhoods, the mesaharaty still walks the alleys with his small drum to wake residents for suhoor, the last meal before the fast.

In 2026, the Ministry of Local Development set a 2 am closing time for shops, restaurants and cafés throughout Ramadan and Eid, with delivery still allowed day and night.

Visiting Egypt during Ramadan

The country stays open, and it is a fine time to travel: the high season is in full swing, the weather is mild, and the evenings are very lively.

Site hours change. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Giza Plateau opens at 8 am with last entry at 3:30 pm during Ramadan, instead of 7 am and 4 pm; at the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, last entry moves to 3 pm. In Luxor and at Abu Simbel, sites still open at 6 am, last entry 4 pm. Sabaro's guide to the 2027 religious holidays gives the details, Grand Egyptian Museum included.

Eating and drinking. Eating, drinking or smoking in public during the day is not punished, but discretion is expected; many restaurants set aside a screened area for those who are not fasting.

Dress. Clothes covering shoulders and knees are fine everywhere, and required in mosques.

With a guide or driver who is fasting, Sabaro recommends scheduling visits in the morning, leaving them time for iftar, and accepting an invitation to share the meal if one comes your way.

During Ramadan 2027, Egypt is on winter time, and the country is 2 hours ahead of London.

Eid al-Fitr

The end of Ramadan is celebrated over several days: morning prayers in the great mosques and on open-air prayer grounds, family visits, kahk, small festive biscuits, and gifts of money for children. The government usually grants three days of public holiday, when schools, government offices and most businesses close. Sabaro recommends booking hotels, trains and domestic flights early for these dates.