Le EgyptCairo governorate
🏙️ Cairo
Africa's biggest city: pharaohs' treasures, a thousand minarets, the Nile and nights that never seem to end.
📍 Districts & areas
Downtown (Wust El Balad)
Belle-époque streets, Tahrir Square, the Egyptian Museum, old cafés and cheap eats.
Belle-époque streets, Tahrir Square, the Egyptian Museum, old cafés and cheap eats.
Islamic Cairo
Al-Muizz Street, Khan el-Khalili, Al-Azhar, the Citadel and centuries of mosques and gates.
Al-Muizz Street, Khan el-Khalili, Al-Azhar, the Citadel and centuries of mosques and gates.
Old (Coptic) Cairo
The Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Coptic Museum and the Amr ibn al-As Mosque.
The Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Coptic Museum and the Amr ibn al-As Mosque.
Zamalek
A leafy Nile island of cafés, galleries, bookshops, the Cairo Tower and the Opera House.
A leafy Nile island of cafés, galleries, bookshops, the Cairo Tower and the Opera House.
Garden City
Quiet villas and embassies on the corniche, with big Nile-view hotels.
Quiet villas and embassies on the corniche, with big Nile-view hotels.
Maadi
A green, expat-friendly suburb with Road 9 cafés and restaurants and Wadi Degla on its edge.
A green, expat-friendly suburb with Road 9 cafés and restaurants and Wadi Degla on its edge.
Heliopolis (Masr El Gedida)
The Baron Palace, arcaded Korba streets and early-20th-century architecture.
The Baron Palace, arcaded Korba streets and early-20th-century architecture.
Nasr City
Big malls including City Stars, the Cairo International Stadium and lots of family restaurants.
Big malls including City Stars, the Cairo International Stadium and lots of family restaurants.
New Cairo & Fifth Settlement
Modern compounds, Cairo Festival City, Point 90 and the American University campus.
Modern compounds, Cairo Festival City, Point 90 and the American University campus.
Mokattam
Clifftop views over the city and the Cave Church in Manshiyat Naser.
Clifftop views over the city and the Cave Church in Manshiyat Naser.
🏛️ Places to visit
- Egyptian Museum (Tahrir)
- Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
- Al-Muizz Street
- Citadel of Saladin
- Coptic Cairo & the Hanging Church
- National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
- Cairo Tower
- Al-Azhar Park
- Museum of Islamic Art
🍽️ What & where to eat
- Koshary at a famous koshary house
- Ful and taameya for breakfast
- Stuffed pigeon and molokhia in an old-style restaurant
- Mint tea and shisha at an ahwa (street café)
- Sugar cane juice from a street stall
🛍️ What to buy
- Brass lanterns and copperware
- Spices, karkadeh (hibiscus) and dates
- Inlaid wooden boxes and backgammon boards
- Silver cartouche pendants
- Egyptian cotton linen
🏬 Where to shop
- Khan el-Khalili bazaar for crafts and souvenirs
- The Tentmakers' Market (Khayamiya) for appliqué textiles
- City Stars and Cairo Festival City for malls and brands
- Fustat craft workshops for glass and pottery