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Read this first: this is a Safety Mode guide. Egypt has no law that names homosexuality, yet it prosecutes gay men and trans women more systematically than almost anywhere in the region, using a 1961 prostitution law against "debauchery", police stings on dating apps, phone searches and, in documented cases, forced anal examinations. There are no gay bars, clubs, saunas or Pride in Alexandria, and we deliberately name no venues, hotels, cafés, beaches or meeting places: any such list can lead the police to the people who go there. This guide is about visiting Alexandria as any traveller does, and keeping yourself out of a police cell.

Alexandria faces the sea. The Corniche curves for kilometres along the Eastern Harbour, where wooden fishing boats bob in front of faded Belle Époque façades, old trams clank through the centre, and the evening air smells of salt, grilled fish and the charcoal of street-corner corn sellers. At one tip of the bay stands the stone bulk of the Qaitbay Citadel; at the other the tilted disc of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina catches the light. It's a warm, sociable, unhurried city, and most visitors enjoy it without incident. But it is not an LGBTQ+ destination. There is no scene a visitor can safely find, the police actively hunt gay and trans people online and on the street, and a single chat on an app can end in a prison sentence. Here's what the law says, how it's used, and how to travel calmly.

Legal in one line: no Egyptian law criminalises homosexuality by name, but Law No. 10 of 1961 on Combating Prostitution ("habitual debauchery", i'tiyad mumarasat al-fujur) is used against gay men and trans women, with three months to three years in prison per offence; the 2018 Cybercrime Law and public-morality charges are used against online content; foreigners can be deported; there is no recognition of couples, no protection from discrimination and no legal gender change.

Emergency contacts – save these before you travel

• Local emergency numbers: police 122; ambulance 123; fire 180; tourist police 126, the number the UK gives for reporting a crime (gov.uk).
• Your embassy: most embassies are in Cairo, a few hours away by train. Look up your own embassy's 24-hour emergency number on your foreign ministry's website before you fly and save it on your phone and on paper.
• United Kingdom: the British Embassy is in Garden City, Cairo, and takes emergency contact through the Foreign Office's online form (gov.uk); by phone, the Foreign Office in London answers 24 hours a day on +44 20 7008 5000.
• United States: the US Embassy in Cairo (Garden City) lists +20 2 2797 3300 as both its main and its after-hours emergency number (travel.state.gov).
• Canada: Global Affairs Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre answers at any hour on +1 613 996 8885 (collect calls where available), SOS@international.gc.ca, or WhatsApp +1 613 909 8881 (travel.gc.ca).
• A lawyer: if you are detained, ask your embassy for its list of local lawyers. Egyptian human rights groups such as the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) have defended people in "debauchery" cases for years.
• If you're detained: ask straight away for your embassy to be informed, ask for a lawyer and an interpreter, don't sign anything in Arabic you can't read, and don't unlock your phone voluntarily.

Your phone can be checked on the street

Phone searches don't only happen in a police station. In autumn 2019 and again in January 2020, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights documented police arbitrarily stopping people in the street and forcing them to unlock their phones so officers could read their messages and social media (EIPR). Human Rights Watch has documented police making LGBT people they detain open their phones, then treating whatever they find as evidence of "debauchery". Assume that any police stop can include a look at your phone, and travel with a phone that has nothing to find.

Digital-security protocol: do this before you fly

1. Delete every gay dating app before you enter Egypt, and sign out of or unlink any accounts tied to them (the Facebook, Google or Apple sign-in, and any linked Instagram). Don't reinstall them during your stay.
2. Move intimate photos, videos and chats off the phone, including the media folders and backups of messaging apps, and out of any cloud album that syncs to it.
3. Turn off fingerprint and face unlock, set a strong passcode, and hide message previews on the lock screen.
4. Don't photograph military property, police or officials, or government buildings, embassies and infrastructure; the UK says it is illegal to take photos of, or near, military property, and advises asking permission if in doubt.
5. Leave the drone at home: using or bringing in a drone without prior permission from the Ministry of Defence can mean up to seven years in prison or a fine of EGP 5,000 to 50,000, according to the UK Foreign Office.
6. If police ask for your phone, stay calm, don't unlock it voluntarily, and ask for your embassy.

What the law says

• No explicit ban. The UK Foreign Office puts it simply: "Same-sex sexual activity is not explicitly criminalised in Egypt", but "the Egyptian authorities have prosecuted LGBT+ people under 'debauchery' laws". Outright International says vague public-morality and debauchery laws "are commonly used to arrest individuals".
• Law No. 10 of 1961, the "debauchery" law. Written to combat prostitution, its articles on "habitual debauchery" (fujur) and "incitement to debauchery" (Articles 9 and 14, as cited by Human Rights Watch) are the main charges against gay men and trans women. The Egyptian group Bedayaa says each offence carries a minimum of three months and a maximum of three years in prison, and Outright reports combined sentences of up to twelve years. Prison terms can be followed by a further period of police supervision: in 2017, Amnesty International reported a 19-year-old sentenced to six years in prison followed by six years of probation.
• "Habitual" doesn't mean what you'd think. Rights groups report that convictions have rested on very little: a chat, a photo on a phone, condoms or small amounts of cash.
• The 2018 Cybercrime Law. Law No. 175 of 2018 has, in Outright's words, been "used to monitor and punish online content" that the government says threatens family values. Its Article 25 punishes violating "family principles or values" with at least six months in prison and a fine of EGP 50,000 to 100,000.
• Foreigners. Foreign nationals have been arrested, charged with debauchery and deported after a conversation on Grindr, according to a 2023 Daily Telegraph report.
• Trans travellers. There is no legal gender-change process, and the UK warns that you "may be denied entry if your gender expression or physical appearance does not match the sex marker" in your passport. Among the cases Human Rights Watch published in 2020 was a trans woman arrested for her "abnormal appearance".
• A harsher law was proposed. In late 2017, after the concert arrests, more than 60 MPs backed a bill to punish homosexuality and its "promotion" explicitly with up to five years in prison. It did not become law, but the climate it reflected hasn't changed: in 2022 the government ordered school campaigns against "abnormal" sexual behaviour, and in 2024 a German school in Cairo faced losing its licence over textbooks accused of promoting homosexuality.

How the law is used: entrapment, phones and examinations

• Online stings by the vice police. Human Rights Watch reports that Egyptian police, including the Morality Police (shurtat al-adab) and the National Security Sector, create fake profiles on gay dating apps, chat until a meeting is arranged, then arrest the person who turns up. In its 2020 investigation, seven of the men in the 13 cases it reviewed had been entrapped on Grindr, Facebook or WhatsApp.
• Grindr's own warning. In March 2023 Grindr sent Egyptian users in-app alerts that "Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi and trans people on digital platforms", that "they are using fake accounts", and that they had taken over the accounts of people already arrested, as The New Arab reported. The same week, Mada Masr reported lawyers saying dozens of gay men had been arrested in three months.
• Street arrests. HRW says security forces "routinely pick people off the streets based solely on their gender expression": five men in its 2020 cases were arrested for "feminine and gay gestures". Outright adds that hotel staff and neighbours often report people they perceive as LGBTQ+ to the police.
• Phone searches. Police search phones, often forcing people to unlock them with violence or threats, and use screenshots of chats and photos as evidence, according to HRW's 2023 report "All This Terror Because of a Photo", which documented 29 arrests and prosecutions in Egypt, foreigners among them.
• Forced anal examinations. The state Forensic Medical Authority has carried out anal examinations on detainees to seek "proof" of same-sex conduct: at least five after the 2017 concert, according to Amnesty International, which calls them "tantamount to torture", and on three men, a trans girl and a trans woman in the cases HRW documented in 2020.
• Abuse in custody. Of the 15 people HRW interviewed in 2020, eight described forced confessions and eight sexual violence in detention. One man told HRW in 2023 that police beat him until he signed papers admitting to "debauchery".

The record since 2017

• September 2017, the rainbow flag. On 22 September 2017 fans raised a rainbow flag at a Mashrou' Leila concert in Cairo. In the weeks that followed, according to EIPR, at least 75 people were arrested, only ten of them linked to the flag; most of the rest were entrapped through dating apps. In November 2017 a Cairo court sentenced sixteen men to three years in prison for "inciting debauchery" and "abnormal sexual relations". The activist Sarah Hegazy, detained for holding the flag, was held for three months.
• A case from Alexandria. Human Rights Watch documented the case of a 28-year-old it called Murad, stopped by a police officer in 2017 as he walked to his university in Alexandria, later held at Borg El Arab prison outside the city and sentenced to a year for "inciting debauchery".
• The scale. Bedayaa estimates an average of 66 cases a year since 2013. Most are never reported in the press, so treat any count as a minimum.
• 2023. A spike in arrests in March led to Grindr's warning, and HRW's February 2023 report concluded that the pattern of arrests suggests a coordinated policy directed or accepted by senior officials.
• 2025–2026. Human Rights Watch's World Report 2026, covering 2025, says the authorities "continued to use vague, abusive penal code provisions, such as on 'debauchery', to criminalize consensual same sex conduct and imprison LGBT people". Arabic-language media in Alexandria regularly report vice-police arrests for "debauchery" arranged through phone apps; most involve sex work, but they show how closely the city's police watch online contacts.

Why we don't list venues

Older directories and forums have, over the years, labelled particular Alexandria cafés, bars and hotels as "gay" or "gay-friendly". Those labels are unverified, the businesses don't present themselves that way, and Outright notes that hotel staff and neighbours report people to the police. Don't go anywhere in Alexandria expecting a gay crowd, and don't rely on old listings. Cafés and restaurants are mainstream places where two men sitting together over tea is completely ordinary; keep it at that. Any public place carries the risk of arrest, blackmail and violence; we never list cruising places in hostile countries, and in Alexandria there is no safe version of it.

Apps, phones and your data

• Dating apps: Grindr hasn't been reported blocked in Egypt; that's the problem. It is used by the police as a hunting ground. Our advice: don't use gay dating apps in Egypt at all, delete them before you land (see the protocol near the top), and don't reply to anyone who contacts you on Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp out of the blue.
• Your phone: before you travel, move intimate photos, chats and dating-app history off the device and out of any synced cloud album, turn off lock-screen message previews, and replace fingerprint or face unlock with a strong passcode. Police can stop you in the street and ask to see it.
• What you post: the UK says "be cautious about sharing content or having discussions of a sexual nature on social media" and that "some travellers have been arrested and imprisoned for this". It's also illegal to take or share photos that could be considered damaging to Egypt's image. Post nothing LGBTQ+-related while you're there, and don't bring Pride flags, badges or rainbow items.
• Blackmail: HRW names organised gangs among those who extort LGBTQ+ people in Egypt. If someone threatens to expose you, stop replying, keep screenshots, and call your embassy before paying anyone or going to the police.

Travel advice in 2026

• UK Foreign Office (Egypt safety and security page, updated October 2026): police check ID regularly and may detain you if you can't show your passport and visa; it's illegal to photograph military property; using or importing a drone without the Ministry of Defence's permission can lead to up to seven years in prison or a fine of EGP 5,000 to 50,000. It also records that two Israeli tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed in a shooting attack in Alexandria in 2023, and an Israeli-Canadian national in another in 2024 (gov.uk). Some parts of Egypt carry stricter advice; check the regional risks map on gov.uk.
• Other governments: check the current US, Canadian or your own government's Egypt advisory the week you travel, along with any regional security warnings, and your airline.

What to enjoy in Alexandria

Start with the sea. Walk a stretch of the Corniche in the late afternoon, when the light turns gold and families come out for ice cream and roasted corn, and head west to the Qaitbay Citadel, the fifteenth-century fort built where the ancient Pharos lighthouse once stood. In the other direction rises the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern library built as a successor to the city's ancient one, with its tilted granite wall carved with scripts from around the world, a reading hall stepping down towards the sea, and museums inside; check visiting hours and tickets before you go.

Alexandria's past is close to the surface. The Roman theatre at Kom el-Dikka sits in the middle of the modern city; the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa mix Egyptian, Greek and Roman imagery underground; and the Graeco-Roman Museum holds the city's classical treasures. Cafés with marble tables and old waiters are part of the city's character, and the café culture of the old centre is a reminder of Alexandria's cosmopolitan Greek, Italian and Levantine past.

Eat fish: choose it by weight at a seafood restaurant and have it grilled or fried, with sayadeya, rice cooked dark and sweet with caramelised onion. Try a kebda iskandarani, Alexandrian-style spiced liver in a crusty roll, from a busy street counter, and finish with a layered feteer pastry or a glass of sugarcane juice.

Practical tips

• Getting there: Alexandria is a few hours from Cairo by train or road, and its airport, Borg El Arab, lies well outside the city.
• Getting around: taxis and ride-hailing apps are the easiest options, day and night; agree a fare before you get into a street taxi. The old trams are slow but atmospheric.
• Carry ID: keep your passport (or a copy, with the original in the hotel safe only if your hotel insists) and visa with you; the UK says police check ID regularly.
• Affection: men greeting each other with kisses on the cheek or walking arm in arm is ordinary friendship in Egypt. Romantic affection in public is something else for any couple: avoid it completely.
• Hotels: large international hotels are the most predictable choice. If two men are travelling together, state your bed preference when you book; you don't need to explain. Never bring someone you've just met back to your room.
• Health: carry prescription medicines, including PrEP or HIV medication, in their original packaging with a copy of the prescription, and talk to a travel clinic about PEP before you go.
• Money: the currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP). Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants; carry cash for taxis, street food and tips.
• Ramadan (dates shift each year): expect quieter days and lively evenings, and avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight.

Pride

There's no Pride and no public LGBTQ+ event anywhere in Egypt, in 2026 or announced for 2027. The single rainbow flag raised at a concert in 2017 led to dozens of arrests and prison sentences; don't wear or carry rainbow symbols.

If something goes wrong

• Before you go: save your embassy's emergency number, sign up for your government's travel alerts, and share your itinerary with someone at home.
• If you're stopped or detained: stay calm and polite, show your ID, and follow the emergency box. Ask for your embassy at once, ask for a lawyer and an interpreter, and say nothing about your private life. HRW's cases show that statements signed under pressure become the core of the prosecution, so don't sign anything you can't read.
• Your phone: don't unlock it voluntarily; ask for your embassy and a lawyer first.
• If you're at risk as a resident: international groups such as Rainbow Railroad help LGBTQ+ people facing danger. Contact them from a safe device.

Want an open LGBTQ+ scene? Go here instead

If you want a Mediterranean trip where you can be yourself, Athens and Greek islands such as Rhodes are a short flight away, and same-sex marriage is legal in Greece. Check each country's laws and your government's advice before booking.

A few words of Arabic

Alexandrians speak Egyptian Arabic, and English is common in hotels and tourist sites.

• Ahlan or as-salamu alaykum – hello (the reply to the second is wa alaykum as-salam)
• Shukran – thank you
• Izzayak? – how are you? (to a man)
• Bikam? – how much?
• Ma'lesh – never mind, sorry; you'll hear it constantly
• Yalla – come on, let's go; inshallah – God willing
• Habibi – my dear. Men use it with friends, waiters and taxi drivers all day long; it's ordinary warmth, not flirting.
• 'Ayez as-sifara – I want the embassy; 'ayez muhami – I want a lawyer

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to be gay in Egypt?

No law names homosexuality, but police and prosecutors charge gay men and trans women with 'habitual debauchery' under Law No. 10 of 1961, a prostitution law. Each offence can bring three months to three years in prison, and Human Rights Watch says the authorities still used it to imprison LGBT people in 2025.

Are there gay bars or clubs in Alexandria?

No. Nothing operates openly as a gay bar, club or sauna in Alexandria, and there is no Pride. We deliberately don't name venues described elsewhere as 'gay-friendly', because that can expose the people who go there to the police.

Is it safe to use Grindr in Egypt?

No. In March 2023 Grindr itself warned Egyptian users that police were making arrests through digital platforms with fake accounts, and Human Rights Watch has documented the vice police doing exactly that. We advise not using any gay dating app in Egypt.

Can the police search my phone in Egypt?

In practice, yes. Human Rights Watch has documented police forcing people to unlock their phones and using chats and photos as evidence of 'debauchery'. Move intimate photos and chats off your phone before you travel and turn off lock-screen previews.

What should I do if I'm arrested in Alexandria?

Stay calm and polite, ask at once for your embassy to be told, and ask for a lawyer and an interpreter. Do not sign anything in Arabic you cannot read, do not unlock your phone voluntarily, and say nothing about your private life.

Part of the GayOut city guides. See the Egypt country page for the national overview. This guide is general information, not legal advice; laws and their enforcement can change quickly.