• Khan el-Khalili

    Our favourite

    A caravanserai from 1382 turned into a labyrinth of trades. On foot, and without a watch.

    CairoGamaliya

    BudgetHandmade
  • Wekalet el-Ghouri

    Off the beaten track

    An early sixteenth-century Mamluk wikala, now a courtyard of craftspeople and musicians.

    CairoAl-Azhar, Gamaliya

    BudgetUNESCO
  • Giza Zoo

    An 1891 khedivial garden, closed since 2023 for a complete overhaul. Reopening announced for late 2026.

    GizaGiza

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Aquarium Grotto Garden

    Off the beaten track

    Rockwork grottoes built under Khedive Ismail, an aquarium opened in 1902, in the shade, in mid-Zamalek.

    CairoZamalek

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Al-Muizz Street

    The spine of Fatimid Cairo, from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila, and best walked.

    CairoGamaliya

    BudgetOpen late
  • The Nile river bus

    Public transport on the river: crossing Cairo by water, for the price of a bus fare.

    CairoCorniche el-Nil

    BudgetNile view
  • Crystal Mountain

    A calcite outcrop beside the Farafra road: a rock arch, and crystal splinters all over the ground.

    The oases and the Western DesertFarafra road

    BudgetBest in the morning
  • Cleopatra's Spring

    A stone pool fed by a spring, lit after dark, on the Aghurmi road out of Siwa.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    BudgetOpen late
  • Fatnas Island

    A spit of palms in Siwa's salt lake, where people sit down for the sunset.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    BudgetSunset
  • A monumental sand sculpture, a bearded face standing out against the sky.

    Sand City

    Monumental sand sculptures, signed by carvers from all over the world.

    HurghadaNear Senzo Mall, Hurghada

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • Ras Shitan

    Palm huts at the water's edge, facing the Saudi mountains.

    SinaiNuweiba, South Sinai

    BudgetSea view
  • The Qulaan mangroves

    Mangroves standing in salt water, flamingos and a Bedouin village.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaWadi el-Gemal, southern Red Sea

    BudgetBest in the morning
  • Tower cranes above unfinished high-rise buildings, backlit.

    The New Capital's business district

    Off the beaten track

    Twenty towers in the desert, including Africa's tallest: a skyline out of nowhere.

    CairoNew Administrative Capital

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • El Alamein military museum

    The 1942 battle told on the ground, among tanks, maps and cemeteries.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaEl Alamein, north coast

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • The Nile bank laid out in planted terraces, bougainvillea in flower in front of the river.

    The renovated Nile corniche

    Kilometres of riverbank given back to walkers, with benches, lighting and cafés.

    CairoFrom Qasr el-Nil bridge to Maadi

    BudgetNile view
  • The Cairo monorail

    An elevated line above Greater Cairo — the ride is worth it for the view.

    CairoEast and west of Greater Cairo

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • A white dome and stone minarets of Islamic Cairo, above the city's rooftops.

    The City of the Dead

    Off the beaten track

    A necropolis kilometres long where people have lived among the tombs for centuries.

    CairoQarafa, Islamic Cairo

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • The red driving wheels of an old steam locomotive, with its coupling rod.

    The Railway Museum

    Off the beaten track

    The khedives' locomotives, including Ismail Pasha's gilded saloon carriage.

    CairoRamses station

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • One of the museum's pavilions and its fountain, among the palms of the grounds.

    The Agricultural Museum

    Off the beaten track

    A 1938 museum left exactly as it was, between faded dioramas and ancient grain.

    GizaDokki

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Aisha Fahmy Palace

    A 1907 palace on the Nile, now an art centre — painted ceilings and original parquet.

    CairoZamalek

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • A whole tree trunk turned to stone, lying on desert gravel.

    The Petrified Forest of Maadi

    Off the beaten track

    Tree trunks turned to stone thirty million years ago, on Cairo's doorstep.

    CairoSouth-east of Maadi

    BudgetBest in the morning
  • The Bibliotheca's museums

    Three museums and a planetarium tucked beneath the great reading room.

    AlexandriaChatby, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Kom el-Dikka

    Egypt's only Roman theatre, with its baths and ancient lecture halls.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • A chequerboard brick façade in black and white, pierced by wooden mashrabiya screens.

    The Ottoman houses of Rosetta

    Off the beaten track

    Some twenty houses in red and black brick, unique in Egypt.

    The Delta and the north coastRosetta (Rashid)

    BudgetHistoric venue