YaFandem
Saved and trip planner
All cities

The Delta and the north coast

Lakes, monasteries and fishing skiffs, on the road from Cairo to Alexandria.

The Delta is not a destination, it is what you drive through — which is exactly why nobody looks at it. Two stops earn the detour off the desert road: the salt lakes of Wadi El Natrun, ringed by working Coptic monasteries, and Lake Burullus, whose fishing fleet comes back in at sunset. Neither is set up for visitors: you need a driver and half a day.

31 addresses

Share this region

Pyramids, temples, museums, mosques, Coptic churches

Monuments & sites

  • Two stone sphinxes lined up in a dimly lit museum room.

    Kafr el-Sheikh Museum

    Off the beaten track

    The Delta finally told at home, in a museum opened in 2022.

    The Delta and the north coastKafr el-Sheikh, Delta

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Ismailia Museum

    Roman mosaics and sphinxes from the canal road, in a garden pavilion.

    The Delta and the north coastIsmailia, Suez Canal

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • A palm-lined corniche along the Suez Canal, a mosque at the water's edge and a tug moored at the quay.

    The Suez Canal House

    Three green domes at the canal's mouth, the very image of Port Said.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Said

    € 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
  • A painted wooden sarcophagus, covered with hieroglyphs and two wedjat eyes, on its plinth in a museum gallery.

    Port Said National Museum

    From prehistory to the canal, Egypt told facing the Mediterranean.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Said

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Ibn Luqman's house

    Off the beaten track

    The house where Saint Louis was imprisoned after the Seventh Crusade's defeat.

    The Delta and the north coastMansoura

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Tanis

    Off the beaten track

    A field of toppled obelisks in the Delta, and intact royal tombs.

    The Delta and the north coastSan el-Hagar, Sharqia

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Bubastis

    Off the beaten track

    The city of the cat goddess Bastet, and its cemetery of mummified cats.

    The Delta and the north coastZagazig, Sharqia

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Feluccas, desert, diving, markets, cruises

Outings & activities

  • 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

  • Port Fouad

    Off the beaten track

    A town in Asia ten minutes away by ferry, with wooden villas and gardens.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Fouad, Port Said

    € BudgetSea view
  • A wooden jetty running from the sand out into the sea.

    Ras el-Bar

    The spit where the Nile meets the Mediterranean, and the two waters visibly touch.

    The Delta and the north coastDamietta

    € BudgetSea view
  • A mosque strung with lights at night, a dense crowd filling the square in front of it.

    The mawlid of Sayyid al-Badawi

    Off the beaten track

    Egypt's largest Sufi gathering: a week of sleepless nights in Tanta.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • Feluccas under sail on the Nile at sunset, in front of an inhabited bank.

    The Damietta corniche

    The Nile a few kilometres from its mouth, lined with cafés and boatyards.

    The Delta and the north coastDamietta

    € BudgetNile view
  • A loaded container ship seen head-on, cutting through open water.

    The Suez corniche

    Off the beaten track

    The canal's southern entrance, where ships queue for their turn.

    The Delta and the north coastSuez

    € BudgetSea view

  • The Delta's bathhouses

    Off the beaten track

    Neighbourhood hammams still working, far from hotel spas.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta and Mansoura

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Egyptian, street food, fine dining, brunch

Restaurants

  • A whole grilled fish and octopus, lemon and salad

    Port Said's fish tables

    The Delta's best fish, picked off the ice and grilled to order.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Said

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A platter of fried fish, rice and small salads

    The corniche tables of Mansoura

    Nile fish and grills facing the river, in a student town.

    The Delta and the north coastMansoura

    € BudgetNile view
  • Whole fish grilled over charcoal, held in a grilling basket.

    Lake Timsah fish

    Bass, mullet and prawns from the lake, served beside the Suez Canal.

    The Delta and the north coastIsmailia

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Trawlers moored at dusk

    Suez's fish tables

    Off the beaten track

    Red Sea fish at its northern entrance, far from the resorts.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Tewfik, Suez

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A platter of fried seafood: whole prawns, squid and a lemon wedge.

    The tables of Ras el-Bar

    Fish and prawns at the point where the Nile meets the sea.

    The Delta and the north coastRas el-Bar, Damietta

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A whole fish with lemon, served on a platter

    Rosetta's fish

    Off the beaten track

    At the Nile's mouth, river and sea fish on the same table.

    The Delta and the north coastRosetta (Rashid)

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • White fishing boats along the quay

    The eateries of Lake Burullus

    Off the beaten track

    Lagoon fish cooked by the people who just caught it.

    The Delta and the north coastBurullus, Kafr el-Sheikh

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • Skewers over the coals, in the smoke

    Tanta's grills

    Kebab, kofta and pigeon in the Delta's liveliest town.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • Half a roast chicken served with spiced rice on a white plate.

    The tables of Zagazig

    Off the beaten track

    The farming Delta's cooking: poultry, rice, cheeses and vegetables of the day.

    The Delta and the north coastZagazig, Sharqia

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Parks, gardens, beaches, reefs, walks

Nature & downtime

  • Lake Burullus

    Off the beaten track

    A fishermen's lagoon between the Delta and the sea, with next to nothing laid on for visitors.

    The Delta and the north coastKafr el-Sheikh

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset

  • Wadi el-Natrun

    Off the beaten track

    A depression of salt lakes on the desert road, and four monasteries still lived in.

    The Delta and the north coastWadi el-Natrun

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • A wooden jetty running from the sand out into the sea.

    Ras el-Bar

    The spit where the Nile meets the Mediterranean, and the two waters visibly touch.

    The Delta and the north coastDamietta

    € BudgetSea view

Specialty coffee, historic ahwas, rooftops

Cafés & tea houses

  • A sheltered table, alone in the desert

    The rest stops of Wadi Natrun

    The roadside cafés between Cairo and Alexandria, an institution of Egyptian travel.

    The Delta and the north coastWadi Natrun

    € BudgetBudget
  • A palm-lined corniche along the Suez Canal, a tug in the distance.

    The corniche cafés of Ismailia

    Tea beside the Suez Canal, watching 400-metre container ships go by.

    The Delta and the north coastIsmailia, Suez Canal

    € BudgetBudget
  • A tray of syrup pastries behind the display glass

    Tanta's sweet shops

    Roasted chickpeas and mawlid halva, made here for generations.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • Feluccas under sail on the Nile at sunset, in front of an inhabited bank.

    The Damietta corniche

    The Nile a few kilometres from its mouth, lined with cafés and boatyards.

    The Delta and the north coastDamietta

    € BudgetNile view
  • A loaded container ship seen head-on, cutting through open water.

    The Suez corniche

    Off the beaten track

    The canal's southern entrance, where ships queue for their turn.

    The Delta and the north coastSuez

    € BudgetSea view

Souks, fair-trade crafts, concept stores

Shopping

  • A pencil line on the board, shavings and chisel

    The furniture workshops of Damietta

    Off the beaten track

    Egypt's furniture capital: whole streets of cabinetmakers and wood carvers.

    The Delta and the north coastDamietta

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade

  • The fish market of Lake Burullus

    Lagoon fish sold straight from the boats, in the northern Delta.

    The Delta and the north coastBurullus

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • A tray of syrup pastries behind the display glass

    Tanta's sweet shops

    Roasted chickpeas and mawlid halva, made here for generations.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • A stall loaded with brassware, trays and trinkets

    The shops of Port Said

    The canal's old free zone: Egyptians still come to buy cheaper here.

    The Delta and the north coastPort Said

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Recent openings, new concepts, addresses that have just arrived

What's new

  • Two stone sphinxes lined up in a dimly lit museum room.

    Kafr el-Sheikh Museum

    Off the beaten track

    The Delta finally told at home, in a museum opened in 2022.

    The Delta and the north coastKafr el-Sheikh, Delta

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Bars, pubs, clubs, lounges — local rules flagged

Nightlife

  • A mosque strung with lights at night, a dense crowd filling the square in front of it.

    The mawlid of Sayyid al-Badawi

    Off the beaten track

    Egypt's largest Sufi gathering: a week of sleepless nights in Tanta.

    The Delta and the north coastTanta

    € BudgetWhere locals go