• Cairo's Nile after dark

    The walk Cairenes actually take after dark: Qasr el-Nil bridge on foot, its lions, a glass of tea.

    CairoCorniche el-Nil

    € BudgetNile view
  • The Ramadan lanterns

    The fanous market, a few weeks a year: cut tin, coloured glass, and a street that stays up.

    CairoSayyida Zeinab

    € BudgetHandmade
  • A wooden king and pawns on a chessboard, a game under way.

    El Horreya

    A vast room with bare walls where tea and beer have been served at the same tables for decades.

    CairoBab el-Louk, Downtown

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • El Sawy Culturewheel

    A cultural centre under a bridge, where young Cairo goes to gigs without alcohol.

    CairoZamalek

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • A brass darbuka drum alone against a black background.

    Makan — Egyptian Center for Culture and Arts

    Our favourite

    Zar and Nubian music nights, in a small Downtown room.

    CairoDowntown

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • Zawya

    Cairo's arthouse cinema, in a historic Downtown auditorium.

    CairoDowntown

    € BudgetPaid entry
  • A folk dance troupe in colourful costumes on a lit stage.

    The Balloon Theatre

    The national folk troupes — tanoura, Upper Egyptian dances, Nubian songs.

    CairoAgouza

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • A rattan table and armchairs on a rooftop terrace, lanterns lit at dusk.

    The Odeon rooftop

    A Downtown rooftop that serves at any hour, including when everything else is shut.

    CairoDowntown

    € BudgetRooftop
  • Summer open-air cinemas

    Screenings on rooftops and in gardens, from June to September.

    CairoCairo and the coast

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • A hand plucks the strings of an oud, above the carved rosettes of its soundboard.

    The ahwas of Mohamed Ali street

    Off the beaten track

    The street of instrument makers and wedding musicians, and its waiting cafés.

    CairoMohamed Ali street, Cairo

    € BudgetWhere locals go