203 results
The walk Cairenes actually take after dark: Qasr el-Nil bridge on foot, its lions, a glass of tea.
CairoCorniche el-Nil
Rockwork grottoes built under Khedive Ismail, an aquarium opened in 1902, in the shade, in mid-Zamalek.
CairoZamalek
A dry limestone canyon on the edge of Maadi: an old sea floor, now a protected area.
CairoMaadi
Rows of seated Buddhas under parasols, in a Japanese-style garden south of Cairo.
CairoHelwan
The spine of Fatimid Cairo, from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila, and best walked.
CairoGamaliya
An Ottoman house of 1648 in a lane off al-Muizz, courtyard and mashrabiya intact.
A public fountain of 1744 at the fork of al-Muizz, the Quran school above it.
CairoAl-Muizz, Gamaliya
A madrasa and Sufi khanqah of 1386, third façade of the Bayn al-Qasrayn row.
Cairo's flea market: whatever the city threw out, sold again on a Friday morning.
CairoSayyida Aisha
The covered tentmakers' street south of Bab Zuweila: appliqué still sewn by hand.
CairoDarb el-Ahmar
Public transport on the river: crossing Cairo by water, for the price of a bus fare.
The fanous market, a few weeks a year: cut tin, coloured glass, and a street that stays up.
CairoSayyida Zeinab
The royal mummies have been here since 2021, and the story runs right up to Egypt today.
CairoFustat
The ahwa of students, poets and insomniacs, in an alley behind Talaat Harb.
CairoDowntown
A vast room with bare walls where tea and beer have been served at the same tables for decades.
CairoBab el-Louk, Downtown
Two pedestrian lanes entirely covered in chairs: Cairo's largest open-air café.
The counter where Zamalek has taken its cappuccino standing up since 1898.
Buffalo-milk ice cream and oriental pastries, on a Zamalek pavement since 1928.
The air-conditioned stop in the heart of the souk, when the bazaar becomes too much for the legs.
CairoKhan el-Khalili
A neighbourhood bookshop with a few tables, where you stay longer than planned.
A Nile terrace at the southern tip of Zamalek, for a coffee that lasts until dinner.
The Egyptian café chain you find everywhere, and that always does the job.
CairoSeveral addresses across Cairo
The other long-standing Cairo chain, for late breakfasts and informal meetings.
Egyptian specialty coffee, roasted in-house and served by baristas who explain.
