Cairo Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Cairo

Africa's largest city with a population of over 18 million and home to the most valuable artifact in the world, the mask of Tutankhamun (Cairo Museum), Cairo is a chaotic mixture of sights, sounds and smells. It is heaving with life, volatile, polluted and boisterous, with an intensity that both exhausts and invigorates the visitor.

It is also distinctive with its ancient monuments in juxtaposition to the modern and cosmopolitan. The congested streets of Islamic Cairo are full of donkey carts, traders and mosques, while camels weave their way haughtily between the crumbling pyramids on the outskirts. Taxis clamour for attention and pedestrians elbow their way past busy coffee houses, where those seeking a brief escape from the hustle and bustle.

The hub of the city centres on Tahrir Square, on the E bank of the Nile, where many of the big hotels and foreign embassies are located. To the E of this central point is the medieval Islamic quarter with an array of mosques, the Citadel and the twisting streets of the Khan el Khalili bazaar. To the S lies Old Cairo, site of a Roman tower as well as the city's oldest mosque, church and synagogue. Gezira Island in the middle of the Nile offers a little respite from the city traffic, with a more residential, less frenetic atmosphere. The outlying district of Heliopolis, near the airport, is quieter still, even relaxing by Cairo standards, having been designed originally as a garden suburb for wealthier Egyptians and expatriates.

If you do not mind the long journey to and from the centre, the quietest and most pleasant place to stay is near the Pyramids at Giza, on the W side of the river.
Visitors can also practice the age-old art of bargaining for trinkets, spices and perfume in one of the world's largest bazaars, or pay a visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which houses treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb and is one of the country's main attractions.

Locality:

Situated in N Egypt, 140 mls SE of Alexandria and the Mediterranean, 14 mls SW of its international airport near Heliopolis, Cairo is bisected by the broad River Nile, the city is bounded by the fertile fields and date palms of the Nile Delta to the N and Nile Valley to the S, with desert to the SW beyond Giza.

Accommodation - Hotels are at their most dense around the business district of Tahrir Square and Opera Square. There are further concentrations across the river in the dull but still noisy and traffic-laden W suburbs of Mohandessin and Dokki, around the airport and at Giza. If choosing a central base, it is advisable to ensure it is well soundproofed unless you are insensitive to a 24-hr cacophony of car horns. The majority of hotels have security guards and electronic alarm gates at the entrance.

Shopping - The main shopping streets are near the Egyptian Museum, although most of the available goods are pretty shoddy; a visit to the giant Khan el Khalili bazaar is of more interest as far as souvenir and "atmosphere" shopping are concerned. A few modern shopping centres including Arkadia on the Corniche and an elegant mall in the Four Seasons hotel complex. Other street markets worth visiting: Wekala al Balaq for fabrics including Egyptian cotton, the tentmakers' bazaar for applique work and the camel market ? for local colour rather than serious shopping!

Attractions - Popular attractions include various city and museum tours (an English-speaking guide or good guide book is essential) taking in the Egyptian Museum (including Hall of Mummies), 590-ft-high Cairo Tower for panoramic city views, Islamic Arts Museum, 18th-century Seheimy House and the Blue Mosque, founded in 1347; Pharaonic Village, a recreation of everyday life in ancient Egypt; swimming pools, health clubs and tennis at the smarter hotels; more tennis and horse racing at Gezira Sporting Club; 9-hole golf course; Nile trips, particularly in a traditional felucca; horse riding at the Pyramids.

Nightlife - By night there is a broad selection of discos, piano bars and a few hotel casinos; plenty of exotic shows, live bands and belly-dancers; thrice-nightly sound-and-light show at the foot of the Sphinx (check for times of English-language performances); theatre, dance and concert performances at the Opera House.

Restaurants/Bars - There are a range of restaurants, but you have to hunt for the quality establishments if you dine outside the hotels. Varied cuisine including Lebanese, Moroccan, French, Italian, Indian, Japanese and Chinese along with traditional Egyptian. Dinner cruises along the Nile are very popular. Levels of hygiene are often poor, however, even in hotels, and it is not unusual for tourists to get stomach upsets; be wary about what and where you eat and use bottled water, even for brushing teeth.

Getting around - Getting around Cairo can be difficult. Buses are not recommended because of overcrowding, hair-raising boarding practices and few printed schedules. The French-built underground (Metro) is a cheap, efficient and cleaner alternative. Taxis are metered, although the meters are rarely used, so ensure you agree the fare before setting off. It is helpful to have the name of your hotel or destination written down in Arabic. Beware: drivers tend to have a "kamikaze" streak to cope with the chaotic traffic conditions. Trains go to Luxor and Aswan and long-distance buses are also available but internal flights are the quickest and most efficient way to cover long distances.

Excursions - Popular excursions include a trip to the village of Harraneya for locally made tapestries and carpets. Full day tours to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, 10 mls from the city centre, including camel rides around the Pyramids, antiquities at Memphis and Sakkara; Fayoum Oasis; Suez, by car or bus; port of Alexandria.

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Population: 77.505.800
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely under
Currency: Egyptian pound
Currency code: EGP
Local Times:
Egypt - Cairo

Country Dialling Code: +20
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 Parallel circular prongs

Egypt is perhaps best known as the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization, with its temples, hieroglyphs, mummies, and - visible above all - its pyramids. Less well-known is Egypt's medieval heritage, courtesy of Coptic Christianity and Islam - ancient churches, monasteries and mosques punctuate the Egyptian landscape. Egypt stimulates the imagination of western tourists like few other countries and is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations world-wide.

Near Cairo you'll find the Great Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and the ancient capital at Memphis, while in Upper Egypt there's the Valley of the Kings; the temples at Luxor, Karnak, Deir el-Bahri (Hatshepsut), Edfu, Dendera, Kom Ombo and Philae; the awesome twin temples of Abu Simbel, and a wealth of vast statues, temples and monuments in between.

In fact, just when you think you've seen everything, the sands and seas give up some new wonder: a valley of golden mummies, Cleopatra's palace, a new cache of statues, or yet another tomb.

There's the promise of new man-made attractions, too - the foundation stone has just been laid for a huge new Egyptian museum near the Pyramids and a re-creation of the great library of ancient Alexandria is about to open.

Luxurious new resorts are being built alongside established tourist areas, ever-expanding the choice for holidaymakers.

For watersports, fantastic beaches and some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world, head for the Red Sea resorts - Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada, Nuweiba, Taba, Dahab and Marsa Alam.

Looking for adventure? The Sinai Peninsula offers the remote St Katherine's Monastery, site of Moses' Burning Bush, the Coloured Canyon, camel and jeep safaris and camping out in Bedouin-style tents. And if you really want to get off the beaten track, there are the oases of the Western Desert to explore.

But perhaps the country's best asset is its people: you'll find the Egyptians warm and welcoming whichever area you visit, and always keen to share their culture and incredible heritage.

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