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Cairo

Cairo

Cairo

Trips to Cairo are an energetic whirl of biblical history and medieval streets, ancient monoliths and sailboats drifting on the meandering River Nile. This megacity, the greatest in the Islamic world, centres on Downtown, where regal gold dazzles in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. On Cairo's southern edge, the immense sandstone Sphinx stands guard over the Pyramids at Giza, the only surviving ancient wonder of the world.
Things to do

Things to do

In Downtown, the immense Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is a good place to start, where the huge granite statue of Ramses II greets you at the entrance, and King Tutankhamen's solid gold burial mask dazzles. In ancient Islamic Cairo the haunting call to prayer echoes from dozens of mosques. Take an evening stroll down tranquil Sharia al-Muizz to peer into darkened Mamluke-era madrassas (religious schools) and hamam baths decorated with hand-painted tiles. After a day of sightseeing on holidays to Cairo we like to relax with a sunset ride on a felucca sailboat along the River Nile.
Eating and drinking

Eating and drinking

In Islamic Cairo it's easy to fill up on the staple street food tamayya, falafel in pita bread. Traditional koshari made with rice, lentils and crispy onions is easy to find in Downtown. Trend-setting locals head to stylish bistros in Zamalek serving European cuisine or hip Egyptian dishes with a modern twist. Think tasty over-laden pizzas, or rabbit stew with bitter molokiyya leaves. Enjoy the evening breeze on your Cairo holiday with an ice-cold Sakara beer and sheesha flavoured tobacco pipe at a Nile-side café-bar.
Shopping

Shopping

Medieval street market Khan el-Khalili dominates Islamic Cairo. You'll have to haggle hard to get the best deals from Cairo's savvy shopkeepers for hand-made leather slippers and delicate hand-blown perfume bottles. Just north of ‘the Khan', bold patterned appliqué cotton bedspreads line Tentmaker's Bazaar, great for a souvenir from your holiday to Cairo. Wall-to-wall funky shoe-shops line Sharia Talaat Harb in Downtown, and in swish Zamalek you can find stylish silver filigree and chunky gold necklaces in boutique jewellery shops.
When to go

When to go

Book your Cairo trip for winter, with warm sunny days edging into refreshingly cool evenings. At November's Arab Music Festival, the region's top ensembles and instrumentalists delight audiences at the contemporary Cairo Opera House. In hot, steamy summer, slip into cool cottons and enjoy evening felucca trips along the Nile. During Ramadan, when Cairenes fast during the day, evenings come alive with all-night dining and traditional music in Islamic Cairo.