Cairo Travel

First time visitors to  Cairo might find it a little overwhelming. Over populated, polluted and congested, Cairo is home to some 18 million people and growing all the time. The streets are dusty, the roads are noisy and the traffic is laughable. But if you stick around long enough to get under the skin of the place, you’ll soon start to appreciate the alluring chaos of Africa ’s largest city.

On arrival at Cairo Airport, most tourists who pass through Cairo make a B-line straight for the Giza plateau. Home to the great Pyramid, not to mention several thousand post card vendors, men touting camels, pizza hut and KFC. The Egyptian museum is next on any classic itinerary. Together perhaps with a brief shopping/toilet stop at one of the many papyrus institutes, this completes the common perception of  Cairo'  s “must see” sights.

But once you’ve visited the afore mentioned, and ticked them off your ‘to do before you die’ list you might want to consider the following. Head down to the Khan el Khalili market for a retail sensory overload. If you want something more authentic, old Islamic Cairo and its market are a short walk away. There's plenty of good food to try downtown in the form of foul, felafel, kosheri, and even Egyptian style pancakes.

You can visit a mosque from the inside, or go for drinks in Zamalek. The  step pyramids of Sakara are not far away and the site has some of the oldest pyramids in the country. A little bit further away, and far less crowded are the Pyramids of Dahshur. 

Whatever you choose to do don’t miss the River Nile, you hardly can. And make sure you take some time out to appreciate it, preferably at sunset when the mighty river is accompanied by the sound clash of prayer calls across the city. Click here for Cairo Itineraries

Distances from Cairo to other Egyptian towns and cities: 

Alexandria : 220km

Luxor : 720km

Hurghada : 500km

Aswan : 980km

Saint Katherines: 425km

Dahab : 540km

Nuweiba : 460km

Taba: 720km

Cairo Travel Links:

• The Giza Pyramids
• Downtown Cairo
• The Saqqara Pyramids
• Where to stay in Cairo
• The Pyramids of Dahshur
• Visiting the Egyptian Museum
• Arriving at Cairo Airport
• Good restaurants in cairo
• Ancient heliopolis and the virgin tree
• Khan el Khalili market