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The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, Cairo, Egypt (Wimup travel guide)
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Top 10 Things To Do in Cairo

Country
Egypt
Best months
Oct–Nov · Mar–Apr
Population
~10M
Language
Arabic
Budget / day
$60–110
Quick answer

The best things to do in Cairo are the Giza pyramids at opening time, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the medieval lanes of Khan el-Khalili and Al-Muizz Street, and the view from the Citadel. Give the city four to five days, come between October and April, and move by metro and ride-hailing app rather than by street taxi.

48 Hours in Cairo

▶ Video guide

Cairo holds the last standing wonder of the ancient world, a museum built to show Tutankhamun whole, and a thousand years of Islamic architecture inside one metro network. Below are the ten experiences worth your time (each mapped, with a Wimup video guide), plus the fares, opening hours and dates to sort before you land.

The 10 best things to do in Cairo

Stand under the Great Pyramid at Giza, Cairo, Egypt
1

Stand under the Great Pyramid at Giza

Landmark· Al Haram, Giza Governorate

The plateau opens early in the morning, and that first hour is the only one without coaches. General entry covers the three pyramids, the Sphinx enclosure and the causeway; going inside Khufu is a separate ticket and a hot, stooped climb to an empty granite chamber. Walk out to the panorama point for the view that lines all three up at once.

Time3–4 hrs
CostPlateau ticket
Best atEarly opening
TipInteriors are ticketed separately
Map↗ Website
Give the Grand Egyptian Museum a full morning, Cairo, Egypt
2

Give the Grand Egyptian Museum a full morning

Museum· Alexandria Desert Road, Kafr Nassar, Al Haram, Giza

The GEM opened on 1 November 2025 beside the plateau, and it shows Tutankhamun's burial complete for the first time: more than 5,000 objects in one sequence rather than the highlights reel Tahrir used to run. The grand staircase alone takes an hour. Slots are timed and sold online, so book before you travel.

Time3–4 hrs
CostTimed ticket
Best atFirst slot
TipBook online, the gate no longer sells
Map↗ Website
3

Get lost in Khan el-Khalili

Market· El-Gamaleya, El Gamaliya, Cairo

A trading quarter since the late fourteenth century, and still a working one: coppersmiths and gold dealers behind the lantern stalls the coaches stop at. Shops open around 09:00 and run late; the lanes are calmest before 11:00 and best after dark. Prices open high, so settle in and expect to land near half.

Time2–3 hrs
CostFree to walk
Best atAfter dark
TipSome shops shut for Friday prayers
Map
Walk Al-Muizz Street after sunset, Cairo, Egypt
4

Walk Al-Muizz Street after sunset

Historic street· Al Muizz Li Din Allah St, El-Gamaleya, Cairo

One kilometre of medieval Cairo left largely intact: the Qalawun complex, Sultan Barquq's madrasa, sabils, covered markets and minaret after minaret. The northern stretch is pedestrianised and lit from below in the evening, which is when to walk it. Enter at Bab al-Futuh and go south towards Bab Zuweila.

Time2 hrs
CostFree to walk
Best atEvening
TipIndividual monuments are ticketed
Map↗ Website
Climb to the Citadel for the whole city at once, Cairo, Egypt
5

Climb to the Citadel for the whole city at once

Fortress· Salah Salem St, El-Abageyah, Cairo

Salah al-Din started the fortress into Mokattam hill in 1176 and it stayed the seat of government for seven centuries. One ticket covers the Muhammad Ali Mosque of 1830, the mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad, and the military, police and carriage museums. The terrace looks over the whole of Islamic Cairo to the pyramids on a clear day.

Time2–3 hrs
CostOne ticket, all museums
Best atLate afternoon
TipThe mosque closes to visitors at prayer times
Map↗ Website
Sit in the courtyard of Ibn Tulun, Cairo, Egypt
6

Sit in the courtyard of Ibn Tulun

Mosque· Ibn Tulun, El-Sayeda Zeinab, Cairo

Finished in 879 and the oldest mosque in Egypt surviving in something close to its original form: a vast empty courtyard, arcades of pointed brick arches, and an outer spiral minaret you can climb. Entry is free and a donation is expected. The Gayer-Anderson Museum shares the wall, so do both in one stop.

Time1 hr
CostFree, donation expected
Best atMid-morning
TipPair it with the Gayer-Anderson house next door
Map
Trace Coptic Cairo inside the Roman walls, Cairo, Egypt
7

Trace Coptic Cairo inside the Roman walls

Historic quarter· Mar Girgis, Old Cairo, Cairo

The Hanging Church sits on top of a Roman gate tower, the Ben Ezra synagogue held the Cairo Geniza, and the Coptic Museum keeps the textiles and icons from both traditions. The churches and synagogue are free; the museum is ticketed. Mar Girgis metro station is at the gate, which makes this the easiest quarter to reach.

Time2–3 hrs
CostChurches free
Best atMorning
TipCover shoulders and knees throughout
Map↗ Website
Meet the pharaohs at the Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo, Egypt
8

Meet the pharaohs at the Museum of Egyptian Civilization

Museum· Ain El Sira, Old Cairo, Fustat, Cairo

Twenty-two royal mummies moved here in 2021, Ramses II and Hatshepsut among them, and the hall they lie in is deliberately dark and quiet. The rest of the NMEC does what no other museum here attempts: all of Egypt in one thread, from prehistory through the Coptic and Islamic centuries to now.

Time2–3 hrs
CostMuseum ticket
Best atAfternoon
TipThe Royal Mummies Hall is its own quiet wing
Map↗ Website
See where pyramids were invented, at Saqqara, Cairo, Egypt
9

See where pyramids were invented, at Saqqara

Archaeological site· Saqqara, Badrshein, Giza Governorate

Djoser's Step Pyramid is the first monumental stone building anywhere, and it reopened after a restoration that ran fourteen years. The draw beyond it is the mastaba tombs: the reliefs in Ti and Mereruka are the best preserved near Cairo. Dahshur and Memphis are minutes away, so treat the three as one day.

TimeHalf day
CostSite ticket
Best atMorning
TipDo Dahshur the same day, not on another trip
Map↗ Website
Take the sunset hour in Al-Azhar Park, Cairo, Egypt
10

Take the sunset hour in Al-Azhar Park

Park· Salah Salem St, El-Darb El-Ahmar, Cairo

Thirty hectares built by the Aga Khan Trust on what had been a rubbish mound for five centuries, opened in 2005 and now the green space the city actually uses. The upper terrace faces the Citadel and the minarets of Darb al-Ahmar straight on, which is the reason to come at the end of the day. Entry is a few pounds and it stays open late.

Time1–2 hrs
CostSmall entry fee
Best atSunset
TipLast entry is an hour before closing
Map

All 10, mapped

Cairo · 10 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsFoodFree

Cairo travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Cairo?+
Four to five. Give Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum a day each, Islamic Cairo one, the Coptic quarter and the Museum of Egyptian Civilization one, and keep the last for Saqqara and Dahshur.
When is the best time to visit Cairo?+
October to April. November and March are the sweet spot: warm days, cool evenings and bearable sun on open sites. July and August regularly pass 35°C, and neither the plateau nor the old city offers much shade.
Is Cairo safe for visitors?+
Yes, with ordinary big-city caution. The persistent nuisance is commercial rather than criminal: touts, camel handlers and unmetered taxis around the pyramids. Agree every price first, and use a ride-hailing app instead of hailing off the street.
Do you need a visa for Egypt?+
Most visitors do. A single-entry tourist visa costs $30, bought online before you fly or on arrival at the airport, and the fee rose in March 2026. Check your own nationality before booking.
Can you get around Cairo without a car?+
Yes. The metro handles the north-south spine for LE 10 to LE 20 a ride, ride-hailing covers everything it misses for very little, and each historic quarter is walkable once you are inside it.
Where to eat

Best restaurants in Cairo (2026)

From a koshari counter to the region's most booked dining room, where Cairo actually eats.
All 6 restaurants →
Nazlet El-Semman, Giza

Khufu's

Fine dining · Book weeks ahead

Egyptian tasting menus on a terrace with the floodlit Great Pyramid behind them. Ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026.

Map↗ Website
26th of July St, Zamalek

Abou El Sid

Egyptian · Reserve at weekends

Molokhia, stuffed pigeon and mahshi in a low-lit salon of brass and rugs. The Egyptian sit-down meal at full length.

Map
Downtown, off Talaat Harb

Koshary Abou Tarek

Koshari · Counter service

Several floors dedicated to one dish: rice, lentils, macaroni, chickpeas, fried onion and a hot tomato sauce you add yourself.

Map
Hoda Shaarawy St, Downtown

Felfela

Egyptian · Downtown institution

Open since 1959 and still the gentlest introduction to Egyptian mezze on the first evening, taameya and all.

Map
26th of July St, Zamalek

Zooba

Street food · Counter service

Street food rebuilt for a bright modern kitchen: taameya, hawawshi and koshari, ordered at a counter and eaten fast.

Map
Swan Lake, New Cairo

Kazoku

Japanese · New Cairo

Japanese cooking in Swan Lake, and twenty-fifth in the region in 2026. The night off from Egyptian food.

Map
Where to sit

Best cafes and coffeehouses in Cairo (2026)

Cairo runs on tea, coffee and a chair on the pavement. These four have been at it longest.
All 4 cafes and coffeehouses →
Khan el-Khalili

El Fishawy

Coffeehouse · Open 24 hours

Mint tea, Turkish coffee and shisha in the same Khan el-Khalili alley since the late 1700s, run by the same family and open around the clock.

Map
Café Riche Talaat Harb St, Downtown

Café Riche

Café · Since 1908

Downtown's literary café, pouring since 1908. Naguib Mahfouz sat here often enough to write its regulars into a novel.

Map
Naguib Mahfouz Café El-Badestan Lane, Khan el-Khalili

Naguib Mahfouz Café

Café · Khan el-Khalili

The air-conditioned version of the bazaar, opened in 1989 and named for the Nobel laureate. Useful when the alleys get too much.

Map
All Saints Cathedral, Zamalek

Granita

Café · Garden seating

A courtyard café in the grounds of All Saints Cathedral, and the quietest coffee on the island.

Map
What to see indoors

Best museums in Cairo (2026)

Beyond the Grand Egyptian Museum, six collections that reward an afternoon each.
All 6 museums →
The Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Tahrir Square, Downtown

The Egyptian Museum, Tahrir

Antiquities · Tahrir Square

The 1902 original. Tutankhamun has moved to Giza, but the Narmer Palette, the Tanis gold and the crowded old cases are still here, and it is quieter for it.

Map↗ Website
Museum of Islamic Art Bab al-Khalq, Downtown

Museum of Islamic Art

Islamic art · Bab al-Khalq

One of the world's great Islamic collections, restored after the 2014 bombing next door. Opens in the afternoon on Fridays.

Map↗ Website
Coptic Museum Mar Girgis, Old Cairo

Coptic Museum

Coptic art · Old Cairo

Textiles, icons, stonework and manuscripts from Egypt's Christian centuries, held inside the walls of the Roman fortress.

Map↗ Website
Gayer-Anderson Museum El-Sayeda Zeinab

Gayer-Anderson Museum

House museum · Beside Ibn Tulun

Two seventeenth-century houses knocked together and furnished by a British officer who left the lot to Egypt. The best domestic interior in the city.

Map↗ Website
Manial Palace Al Manial, Rhoda

Manial Palace

Palace · Rhoda island

Prince Mohamed Ali's estate on Rhoda island, where Ottoman, Moorish and Persian rooms sit in one garden without agreeing on anything.

Map↗ Website
Abdeen Palace Museum Abdeen, Downtown

Abdeen Palace Museum

Palace · Closed Fridays

The royal palace of the khedives, now showing the arms, silver and diplomatic gifts of the monarchy. Closed on Fridays and public holidays.

Map
The city of a thousand minarets

Best mosques and madrasas in Cairo (2026)

Five that are worth planning around, all open to visitors outside prayer times.
All 5 mosques and madrasas →
Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan Salah El-Din Square

Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan

Mamluk · Combined ticket with Al-Rifa'i

Finished in 1363 and still the most imposing interior in Cairo: a courtyard with four vaulted halls, almost bare, and walls that swallow the noise of the square.

Map
Al-Rifa'i Mosque Salah El-Din Square

Al-Rifa'i Mosque

Royal tombs · Same ticket

The nineteenth-century reply directly across the square, built to match its neighbour. Egypt's last kings and the last Shah of Iran are buried inside.

Map
Al-Azhar Mosque El-Darb El-Ahmar

Al-Azhar Mosque

Founded 970 · Free entry

Founded in 970 and the seat of Sunni learning ever since. Free to enter outside prayer times, and the courtyard is the coolest place in the quarter at midday.

Map
Mosque of Al-Hakim Al-Gamaleya

Mosque of Al-Hakim

Fatimid · By Bab al-Futuh

A Fatimid mosque against the northern wall, restored by the Bohra community, with the emptiest courtyard in Islamic Cairo.

Map
Aqsunqur, the Blue Mosque Bab El-Wazir St

Aqsunqur, the Blue Mosque

Mamluk · Darb al-Ahmar

Named for the Damascene tiles added in the 1650s to a Mamluk mosque three centuries older. Rarely more than a handful of visitors.

Map
What to bring home

Best bazaars and shopping in Cairo (2026)

Four places to buy something made in Egypt rather than imported for the coaches.
All 4 bazaars and shopping →
Souq al-Fustat Mar Girgis, Old Cairo

Souq al-Fustat

Crafts · Old Cairo

Around fifty artisan workshops in one courtyard by the Coptic quarter, set up with UNESCO so the crafts had somewhere to sell. Watch the work, then buy it.

Map
Souk al-Khayamiya Al-Khayamiya St, Bab Zuweila

Souk al-Khayamiya

Textiles · Bab Zuweila

The Street of the Tentmakers, Cairo's last covered market, and the only place the appliqué khayamiya panels are still stitched by hand.

Map
Fair Trade Egypt Yehia Ibrahim St, Zamalek

Fair Trade Egypt

Crafts · Fixed prices

A thousand-odd pieces from workshops across the country, priced on the label and certified fair trade, so the haggling is somebody else's problem.

Map
City Stars Omar Ibn El-Khattab St, Heliopolis

City Stars

Mall · Heliopolis

The mall Cairo actually shops in: Egyptian labels, a cinema, a food hall and reliable air conditioning in August.

Map
Where to spend a day

Best neighborhoods in Cairo (2026)

Six quarters that each read as a different city, and all six are worth an afternoon.
All 6 neighborhoods →
Gezira island

Zamalek

Nile island · Galleries

An island of embassies, galleries and bookshops, quiet by Cairo standards and walkable end to end. The easiest first base.

Map
Downtown (Wust el-Balad) Talaat Harb to Tahrir

Downtown (Wust el-Balad)

Khedivial core · Cafés

Khedive Ismail's Paris on the Nile: belle époque facades above shopfronts, Talaat Harb Square at the centre, and the loudest street life in Egypt.

Map
Al-Darb al-Ahmar Bab Zuweila to the Citadel

Al-Darb al-Ahmar

Islamic Cairo · Workshops

The medieval quarter between Bab Zuweila and the Citadel, still full of working workshops rather than souvenir stalls.

Map
Old Cairo (Misr al-Qadima) Mar Girgis

Old Cairo (Misr al-Qadima)

Coptic quarter · Line 1 metro

Coptic churches, the Ben Ezra synagogue and the Amr ibn al-As mosque within a few hundred metres, with a metro stop at the gate.

Map
South of the centre

Maadi

Garden suburb · Line 1 metro

Leafy streets and Nile promenades a few metro stops south, with the Wadi Degla trailhead ten minutes further out.

Map
Northeast, towards the airport

Heliopolis

Belle époque · Al-Korba

Baron Empain's desert suburb of 1905, where Moorish arcades and Art Deco blocks line Al-Korba. The palace itself reopened as a museum.

Map
Out of the city

Best day trips from Cairo (2026)

Five that work in a day from Cairo, in rough order of how little effort they take.
All 5 day trips →
Dahshur, Giza Governorate

Dahshur

40 km south · Half day

The Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, the two attempts that made Giza possible, and almost nobody standing in front of them.

Map
Memphis and Mit Rahina Mit Rahina, Badrshein

Memphis and Mit Rahina

30 km south · 1 hr on site

Egypt's first capital, now an open-air museum built around a fallen colossus of Ramses II. An hour on site, and it slots between Saqqara and Dahshur.

Map
Fayoum Governorate

Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan

100 km southwest · Full day

Waterfalls, dunes and the pottery workshops of Tunis village, an easy drive southwest. The oasis is farmland, not desert, which surprises most people.

Map
Fayoum Governorate

Wadi al-Hitan

150 km southwest · Full day

The Valley of the Whales: skeletons of 40-million-year-old whales lying in open desert, on the UNESCO list since 2005. Go with a driver who has done it.

Map
Alexandria Mediterranean coast

Alexandria

220 km north · Overnight is better

Three hours by train each way, which makes it a long day and a better overnight. The Corniche, the catacombs and the library are the case for staying.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Cairo (2026)

The dates worth planning a Cairo trip around.
7 January

Coptic Christmas

Midnight liturgies fill the Coptic churches. A public holiday, so museums run holiday hours.

Late Jan to early Feb

Cairo International Book Fair

The largest cultural gathering in the Arab world, at the exhibition centre in New Cairo.

Moves 11 days earlier each year

Ramadan

Lanterns over the lanes, kitchens closed by day, and the old city awake until dawn.

Monday after Coptic Easter

Sham el-Nessim

A spring holiday older than either church. Families picnic in every park and eat salted fish.

Spring, over three weeks

D-CAF, Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival

Theatre, dance and installations staged in Downtown's arcades and empty buildings.

Rabi' al-Thani, Islamic calendar

Moulid of al-Hussein

Cairo's biggest saint's festival closes the streets around the al-Hussein mosque for days.

Late October

Cairo International Jazz Festival

Egyptian and international sets over a long weekend, mostly around Downtown and Zamalek.

November

Cairo International Film Festival

The oldest competitive festival in the Arab world, screening at the Opera House on Gezira.

Getting around

Cairo transport & airports

How to arrive, and how to cross a city of 23 million.
CAI

Cairo International

Three terminals, 22 km northeast of Downtown and 30 to 45 minutes in without traffic. There is no direct rail link from the terminals, so take a ride-hailing car or a pre-booked transfer.

Map
3 lines

Metro

Three lines, air-conditioned and immune to the traffic above. Fares go by station count, from LE 10 up to LE 20 for the longest trips. The first two carriages of every train are reserved for women.

Map↗ Website
Ramses

Rail

Egyptian National Railways runs from Ramses station to Alexandria in about three hours, and south to Luxor and Aswan overnight. Book the air-conditioned classes ahead; the sleeper sells out.

Map↗ Website
Uber & Careem

Ride-hailing

Both work across Greater Cairo and quote the fare before you accept it, which street taxis will not. Cheaper than a hotel car by a wide margin, and it removes the argument at the end of the ride.

↗ Website
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Cairo, Egypt

The dishes to order before you leave, and where they belong.
Koshari, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Koshari

Rice, lentils, macaroni, chickpeas and fried onion under a hot tomato sauce. Vegan by accident.

Ful medames, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Ful medames

Fava beans stewed overnight with cumin, oil and lemon. Breakfast, from a cart, with flat bread.

Taameya, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Taameya

Egypt's falafel, made with fava beans instead of chickpeas, so it is green inside and lighter.

Molokhia, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Molokhia

Jute leaves cooked down with garlic and coriander into a green soup, usually over rice with chicken or rabbit.

Hawawshi, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Hawawshi

Spiced minced meat sealed inside baladi bread and blasted in a wood oven until the crust cracks.

Mahshi, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Mahshi

Vine leaves, courgettes and peppers stuffed with herbed rice. Every family claims the better version.

Feteer meshaltet, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Feteer meshaltet

Layered pastry pulled paper-thin and folded dozens of times, served sweet or savoury.

Om Ali, Cairo (Wimup travel guide)

Om Ali

Warm bread pudding with milk, nuts and raisins, and the only dessert worth ordering twice.

Cairo fact sheet

Cairo at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Egypt
Region
Greater Cairo, on the Nile
Population
About 10 million in the governorate, 23 million across Greater Cairo
Founded
969, as al-Qahira, by the Fatimids
Nickname
The City of a Thousand Minarets
Language
Arabic. English is widely used in tourism
Currency
Egyptian pound (EGP)
Time zone
EET, UTC+2 (UTC+3 from late April to late October)
Calling code
+20 2
Airports
Cairo International (CAI), 22 km northeast
Power
220V, type C and F plugs
Emergency
122 police, 123 ambulance, 180 fire
Ideal length
4–5 days
Getting around
Metro & ride-hailing
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure on earth for roughly 3,800 years, until a cathedral spire passed it in the fourteenth century.
  • Al-Qahira means the Vanquisher. The Fatimids founded it in 969 as a walled royal city, and the walls still stand at Bab al-Futuh.
  • Egypt's ministries have moved 45 km east to the New Capital, built from scratch since 2015. Cairo is still the capital.
  • The first two carriages of every metro train are reserved for women, and the platforms are marked for them.
  • The Cairo Geniza, a storeroom found in the Ben Ezra synagogue, held hundreds of thousands of medieval manuscripts.

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