Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is one of the biggest and most crowded cities globally, “the city that doesn’t sleep,” as the locals describe it. Once you step in, you’ll fall in love with everything in this city, the endless charms you feel while walking around the old town in “Khan El-Kalili” and “Al-Moez street.” And the hospitality of the local people.
The Egyptian Museum and King Tutankhamun’s Burial Mask
As soon as our guide Youssef picked us up from our Airbnb
, we headed to “The Egyptian Museum” or “The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.” The museum is located near Al-Tahrir square. This museum is famous because it’s one of the largest museums in Cairo and holds around 120,000 artifacts from ancient Egyptian civilization. Furthermore, it has one of the most valuable items of ancient Egyptian antiquities, which is the mask of King Tutankhamun and his Ark. The museum is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tickets prices are 200 EGP($13) and for students is 100 EGP($7). I had a little trouble because my older son is tall for his age, and they thought he was an adult. The security guard wasn’t trying to let him enter the museum initially, telling us we needed to pay more.
Taking a tour of this museum is definitely worth it. In the museum, you can see the legendary golden burial mask of King Tut, mummified corpses, the rosetta stone, and other historical items. Take note, when visiting the museum, you’ll need to pay extra if you want to carry a camera other than the one on your smartphone. If you pay for the privilege to use your camera, you won’t be allowed to take photos or videos of King Tut’s mask.
Khan El-Khalili Bazaar
The next stop in Cairo was “Khan El-Khalili Bazaar.” Khan El-Khalili is a very famous bazaar or “Souq” in the old town section of Cairo. Khan El-Khalili was once a trade center in the “El-Mamluk Era” of the “Fatimid empire.” We encountered all kinds of trinkets, spices, etc., for sale. Many people warned me that I’d be bombarded with pushy shopkeepers trying to sell stuff. However, I didn’t experience pushy shopkeepers at all.
Yahweh El-Fishawy
When you walk through the narrow streets of Yahweh El-Fishawy, you’ll notice old buildings all around. You will literally feel like you’ve traveled 100 years back in time. In this section of Cairo, you’ll find hundreds of small shops that sell souvenirs, antiques, jewelry, and many other items such as clothes and books. The locals describe Yahweh El-Fishawy as “A place where you can find anything from sewing needles to a rockets,” due to the wide variety of shops.
After roaming around, you’ll definitely want to take a rest, so there are some really nice coffee shops to chill at. In Yahweh El-Fishawy, you will find some of the oldest coffee shops in Cairo. The locals call them “Maqahi,” which translates to “Coffee house,” in English.
The oldest and the most famous coffee house in Yah El-Fishawy is called “Qahwet El-Fishawy.” Qahwet El-Fishawy is famous because several historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Simone de Beauvoir, and other Arab writers and leaders have visited. There are many other excellent coffee shops in the area, according to my guide Youssef. Regardless of the coffee shop, you’ll most likely enjoy yourself and experience typical Egyptian hospitality. I’d recommend choosing the least crowded place in the area, to have the best experience. If you’re a shisha smoker, all the coffee shops serve shisha. I didn’t try the shisha, so I can’t comment much more, other than you won’t have trouble finding it.
The Nile River
Moving on to see the “great” Nile as described by the locals. This river was vital to the Egyptians in the past. Even until recently, the Nile was considered a lifeline to Egyptians.
The best way to learn about something is to experience it yourself. Our Airbnb was on a small island called Peacock island, so we had to ride a small felucca back and forth, and we also took a diner cruise on the Nile on a ferry. Feluccas are wooden boats that are either powered by paddles or sails. To be honest, the dinner cruise was..”mehh.” The food wasn’t great, and the entertainment was standard if you’ve ever been on a desert excursion in any Arab country, Dervish dancer, belly dancer, etc.
Feluccas are wooden boats that are either powered by paddles or sails. The small felucca we took back and forth to our Airbnb was a great experience. My sons and I had an opportunity to row ourselves across a couple of times.
If you choose to take a cruise tour on the Nile, then catch a felucca. The best time to take a Felucca ride is in the evening. Feluccas usually carry around 50 to 70 passengers and take you on a 10 to 15 minute trip on the Nile and play local Egyptian music. On the ride, you’ll have an opportunity to take pictures of the city and capture some of its evening time charms.
The ticket for such a felucca ride will cost you 50 EGP($3). If you want to ride a felucca, you can head down to the “Qasr El-Nile Bridge” and go to “the Nile boat station under the bridge. I’d also recommend walking around Qasr El-Nile bridge, taking pictures with the Lions statues.
Talaat Harb Square
Talaat Harb Square is another touristy location in the city. In Talaat Harb Square, it won’t be hard to notice the European cultural influence. The Greek Club in Cairo located in Talaat Harb Square in the downtown was recommended to me. In the Greek Club, you’ll find inexpensive and delicious Greek food. If you’re looking to socialize, you’ll come across a variety of people to chat with or simply enjoy time with your family and friends while on vacation.
Roxy, Al-Korba
Heading to the east of the city, you’ll come across an area called Roxy. Roxy is an old town in Al-Korba. In Al-Korba, you’ll find old historic Islamic buildings. The best time to visit Roxy is in the evening, to see the charming lights and do some people watching.
In Roxy, you’ll find an amazing, if not the best, Shawarma restaurant in the city, called Abu Haidar. You’ll know you’ve found Abu Haidar because there’ll be a long line of people trying to get shawarma. The restaurant offers shawarma in a kaiser bun for 16 EGP($1), which is was absolutely delicious. You’ll also find the best ice cream in Cairo at a cafe called Quider; try the Mistiqa with Pistachio flavor; it’s delicious.
Salah El-Din Castle
Salah El-Din Castle, or “Cairo Citadel,” is considered one of the iconic castles of Islamic Egypt. The castle was built by Salah El-Din in the 13th century to defend Cairo from the Crusaders. The castle is located in Al-Muqattam Hills. On the castle grounds, you’ll find 4 mosques and 4 museums. You’ll have an opportunity to learn about the history of Islamic Egypt from the 13th century all the way to the ottoman empire in the 19th century.
Cairo Tower
Heading back to downtown, you can visit one of the most iconic towers of Cairo, which is the Cairo Tower. Cairo Tower is located in an area called Zamalek island, on the Nile River. It was built in 1961, and for 50 years, it was the tallest tower in Africa. Cairo Tower stands around 187 meters/614 feet tall. Cairo Towers offers visitors an incredible panoramic view of Cairo.
The building was constructed to look like a Pharaonic Lotus Plant, an iconic ancient Egyptian symbol. Cairo Tower is open daily from 08:00 am till midnight. There is a restaurant and a coffee shop at the top of the tower, so you can enjoy a meal while enjoying panoramic views of Cairo. After spending time on Cairo Tower, you can take a stroll around Zamalek island. In Zamalek, you’ll find villas and palaces of many Egyptian actors, singers, politicians, and a vast number of foreign embassies.
Eating Koshari
While in Cairo, we had an opportunity to try Koshari. Koshari is probably the most famous dish in Egypt. I was told, “You can’t visit Egypt without trying a bowl of koshari” hahaha.Koshari is Egypt’s national dish and a widely popular street food. Koshari ingredients consist of fried onions, lentils, rice, macaroni, lemon juice, and Daqqa sauce.
Koshari El-Tahrir came highly recommend, because they only serve Koshari, and seem to have mastered it. The restaurant is located in an area called AL-Dokki. After eating Koshari, the locals like to eat Ros Be-Laban or Rice pudding in English. Egyptian rice pudding ingredients include rice mixed with milk and other flavors like cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins.
Cairo was a beautiful chaos, my sons and I enjoyed our time. I hope this guide of our experience helps you and would love to hear your experience if you’ve been or are planning a trip yourself.
Pictures of Cairo and Giza
