Photo : Faris knight — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cairo · Corniche el-Nil
Cairo's Nile after dark
The walk Cairenes actually take after dark: Qasr el-Nil bridge on foot, its lions, a glass of tea.
Qasr el-Nil bridge is the one part not to miss: four bronze lions by the French sculptor Alfred Jacquemart guard its ends, and from the middle of the deck the river, the Cairo Tower and the downtown blocks line up in a single view. Below it the corniche fills up once the light has gone: sellers of tea and roasted seeds, newlyweds being photographed, and out on the water neon-covered party boats going past at full volume. A felucca is hired by the hour at the Garden City and Maspero landings — under sail, no engine, and the only place from which you actually hear the Nile. From Garden City to Zamalek you follow the corniche, then cross the bridge on foot.
The extra bit
Cross Qasr el-Nil bridge to Gezira on foot rather than by taxi: the pavement is wide, the traffic stays jammed beside you, and it is the only way to see the lions close up.
Know before you go
The big neon boats are not feluccas: very loud music, dinner in shifts, and you get off at the end. The busy stretches stay busy until late; the dark stretches between bridges much less so, and they are not worth the detour. The pavement does not run unbroken the whole way: works, bridge slip roads, and crossings you negotiate with the traffic. Apart from the boat and the tea, nothing here costs anything.
