• Kharga market

    Dates, baskets and pottery from the oasis, in the Western Desert's largest town.

    The oases and the Western DesertKharga

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A pointed brick archway and old wooden doors in a narrow street.

    Esna souk

    A restored souk street around the temple, between old shops and a caravanserai.

    LuxorEsna, south of Luxor

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • The shops of Marsa Alam

    Few shops, plenty of dive gear: the bare necessities of the southern Red Sea.

    Marsa Alam & the Red SeaMarsa Alam

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade
  • A crowd in silhouette, arms raised in front of a stage flooded with orange light.

    Cairo Jazz Club 610

    West Cairo's big room for concerts and DJ sets.

    Sheikh Zayed & 6th OctoberSheikh Zayed

    €€€ High endAlcohol served
  • El Sawy Culturewheel

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

    CairoZamalek

    BudgetFamily-friendly
  • An exhibition wall: twelve framed prints and a bench, in black and white.

    Darb 1718

    Off the beaten track

    A contemporary art centre in Old Cairo, with evening concerts and exhibitions.

    CairoFustat

    €€ Mid-rangePaid entry
  • 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
  • The Windsor Hotel bar

    A 1900s lounge bar with leather armchairs, left exactly as it was.

    CairoDowntown

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • A mezze plate: hummus with olives, flatbread, falafel and salad.

    Estoril

    A Downtown tavern where journalists, artists and regulars have met since 1969.

    CairoDowntown

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • A singer's silhouette at a microphone under purple stage light.

    After Eight

    Downtown's live music club, in an alley behind Talaat Harb.

    CairoDowntown

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • A row of high stools along a white-tiled bar counter.

    Cairo Cellar

    A basement bar in Zamalek, discreet and full of long-standing regulars.

    CairoZamalek

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • A multi-deck cruise boat moving up the river at sunset.

    Nile dinner cruises

    Two hours of cruising with dinner, band and belly dance.

    CairoZamalek and the Nile Corniche

    €€€ High endNile view
  • A white boat moored on the Nile, its upper deck under an awning, against a palm-lined bank.

    Le Pacha 1901

    A moored boat turned into several restaurants and bars, at Zamalek.

    CairoZamalek

    €€€ High endNile view
  • 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
  • Le Grillon

    A hidden courtyard terrace behind a busy street, a refuge for writers and journalists.

    CairoDowntown

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • Grilled squid and a prawn, with a roasted lemon wedge.

    Cap d'Or

    Our favourite

    An Art Nouveau tavern serving beer and prawns for a century.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Spitfire Bar

    Alexandria's sailors' bar, walls covered in stickers and badges from all over the world.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Alexandria Opera — Sayed Darwish Theatre

    A 1921 Italian-style auditorium, the city's finest stage.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • The taverns of central Alexandria

    The city's last Greek and Italian bars, within three streets of each other.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • Soho Square

    A whole pedestrian square given over to going out: bars, ice rink, bowling and a fountain.

    Sharm el-SheikhNabq Bay, Sharm el-Sheikh

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • Naama Bay at night

    Sharm's historic promenade, its terraces, its neon and its touts.

    Sharm el-SheikhNaama Bay, Sharm el-Sheikh

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • A wood fire on the sand at night, hands held out to the flames.

    Assalah evenings

    Campfires, acoustic music and cushions by the water: night in Dahab.

    SinaiAssalah, Dahab

    BudgetSea view