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downtown cairo

Downtown Cairo

Downtown Cairo is the name given to area between Talaat Harb and Tahrir Square. From a sightseeing point of view it is home to the Egyptian Museum, housed in the striking red brick building on its outskirts. More significantly perhaps, Downtown Cairo is where you’ll find the vast majority of the city’s budget accommodation.

Though there are bargains to be found here, this part of town is not for everyone. For a start, it’s insanely busy at all times but particularly at night when Cairoveans window shop on mass along the Sharia Talaat Harb, Downtown’s main shopping street.

The pollution is also as bad as anywhere in the city, and a few days here will leave you feeling as though you’ve smoked half a dozen shisha pipes. If you’re particularly sensitive steer clear, or at least don’t spend too much time outside the room.

Similarly noise levels are above the national average. Try and get a room at the back of your building if you can (these rooms are often available for a higher tariff), or else pack some industrial strength ear plugs to see you through the night.

Downtown Cairo is also home to some shady goings-on. Through poorly lit doorways in backstreet alleys, smiling ladies beckon the solo male to come inside. Please note the authors exploration ceased at this point so any readers with further insight please feel free to share.

But Downtown Cairo isn’t all bad. As well as being able to find a decent hotel room for under 10€, you may want to stay here because it’s insanely practical. It’s close to the metro, a number of banks, ATM machines and plenty of taxis. And its central location gives good access to most of the city’s popular sites.

But most of all it’s an unrelenting hive of life. Jam packed with shops, markets, restaurants, people, cafes and cars, the thriving epicentre of Africa’s largest city.

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