72 hours to savour in Cairo
A decade after the uprisings of 2011-13, the Egyptian capital echoes a more stable and secure environment, and with a breathtaking new museum finally open, this ancient metropolis is again a must-see.
Friday afternoon: get a handle on Cairo’s surface and undercurrent
Land, decompress, and resist the impulse to sprint toward the pyramids. Cairo isn't best consumed all at once. Walk the Nile Corniche downtown; not for serenity, but for scale. The river is wide and brown and busy, flanked by colonial-era towers, Soviet-style concrete, and the thrum of bleating, stalled traffic.
If you're not yet museum-ready, and who would be at this early stage, take a wander through the Opera House grounds on Gezira Island or find a bench in the nearby Al-Andalus Garden. It’s one of the rare pockets where Cairo feels like it breathes.
Along the way, find a cafe and settle in for a traditional ahwa (coffee) or mint tea. In this way you can watch the afternoon unfold as locals do their daily rounds, and it also gives you a chance to observe the flow of Cairo from a comfortable vantage point.
Evening and Zamalek’s quieter frequency
Zamalek feels both slightly removed and entirely Cairo. Embassies and art galleries sit behind quiet walls. Start with a casual dinner at Abou El Sid (signature dish is stuffed pigeon), or for something more contemporary, head to Mezcal for modern Egyptian-Mexican fusion. For drinks, stunning rooftop views or a nightcap (opens until 2am), Crimson is lively but not overwhelming.
Alternatively, Sufi Bookstore offers a quiet, reflective start to your weekend. It’s a teahouse and bookshop that doubles as a sanctuary. You’ll see students, expats, and older Cairenes reading under soft light. The space is divided into intimate rooms, each with its own character, filled with vintage decor, art, and shelves of books, especially on Sufism and spirituality, but also English and Arabic literature
Saturday morning: antiquity writ large
In the morning, head to Giza early, ideally by 7:30 a.m. You’ll find fewer crowds and softer light. While the pyramids are iconic, they’re also difficult to process amid the hawkers, camel rides, and snack stalls. Accept the imperfections and walk past the main areas toward the back dunes. There, the desert stretches, and the skyline recedes.
Nearby, the Grand Egyptian Museum, slowly opening since 2022, now offers more structured access, including highlights like the reconstructed solar boat (from July 2025) and updated King Tutankhamun galleries. It’s more curated, less chaotic — and likely where many first-timers will begin their understanding of ancient Egypt in future years.
There are 90-minute guided tours if time is limited, but the place deserves more than this. Allow 3 to 4 hours at least as this provides enough time to see the Grand Hall, Grand Staircase, and the main galleries currently open, as well as to appreciate the scale and detail of the exhibits.
Optional inclusion and/or detour: If you’d rather avoid the Giza crowds entirely, consider a half-day trip to Saqqara and Dahshur, home to the Step Pyramid and the Red and Bent Pyramids. Fewer tourists, more mystery. The former is Egypt’s largest archeological site, which once served as the necropolis for the ancient capital Memphis for over 3,000 years. And the multiple monuments of Dahshur comprise the ‘Pyramid Fields of Memphis’. They are accessible and uncrowded, with a serene ‘Indiana Jones’ vibe for the more adventurous.
Combined, for me, they offered a deeper, less commercialised look at these ancient wonders.
Saturday afternoon: a walking tour of Islamic Cairo
Back in the old city, head to Al-Azhar Mosque, a millennium-old site that still hosts scholars and students. From there, walk Al-Muizz Street, a stretch that feels suspended between centuries. Architecture here isn't background; it's foreground. Medresas, minarets, Ottoman-era houses with mashrabiya windows are all still in use, often patched and painted by hand.
When food looms, eat light and local. Koshary Abou Tarek near Tahrir offers Egypt’s national comfort dish: layers of lentils, rice, pasta, chickpeas, fried onions, and tomato-garlic sauce. It’s humble, hearty, and impossible to finish without a rest. Don’t let the phalanx of bright neon lights deter you from venturing inside and sampling this national gastronomic treasure.
Optional pause: Visit the Museum of Islamic Art downtown for a moment of cool, curated calm. With exquisite geometry and calligraphy on display, it’s not only a repository of artistic treasures but also a testament to the city’s role as a centre of Islamic culture and scholarship for over a millennium.
Saturday evening: bazaar dinners and twilight quiet
Wander into Khan El-Khalili, Cairo’s sprawling old market. Skip the souvenir sections near the entrances and head deeper into the alleys. Dine at Naguib Mahfouz Café, where the food is better than expected and the setting is heavy with narrative, including live music, and a literary ambiance celebrating the legacy of Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz.
If you’re after something more grounded, the tiny restaurant El-Fishawy, open since the 1700s, and continuously operated by the same family for over 7 generations, still serves mint tea and shisha amid gold-painted mirrors and gossiping regulars.
For those craving more modern flair, Zooba in Zamalek serves street food reimagined: think duck liver hawawshi or beetroot pickled turnip.
Sunday morning: stillness in Coptic Cairo
Begin in Coptic Cairo, a quieter district in the southern part of the city. This area offers a different rhythm — shaded courtyards, stone churches, and subdued colour. Visit the Hanging Church, the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, and the Coptic Museum, which provides context often missing elsewhere.
Pause at Ben Ezra Synagogue, long associated with the Cairo Geniza, where a hidden cache of medieval Jewish manuscripts was discovered in its attic. The site’s story is less visible than the monuments, but no less revealing.
Optional detour: Nearby Fustat Pottery Village offers an open-air workshop come museum cluster where artists fire ceramics on-site. It's a slower, handmade kind of Cairo, making it a pleasant and culturally rich place to explore.
Sunday afternoon: cafés, books, and downtown drift
Return to central Cairo. Walk along Hoda Shaarawi Street and explore bookshops, stationery stores, or even vintage record stalls. This notable thoroughfare is named after the pioneering Egyptian feminist, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union, Huda Sha’arawi (1879–1947). The street’s name honours her legacy as a leader in Egypt’s women’s rights movement and her role in the country’s modern history.
Café Riche remains a cultural landmark, even if the coffee is no longer the draw. It’s been an intellectual hub and gathering place for artists, writers, and political figures since the early 20th century.
For a cooler, modern contrast, Eish & Malh offers sourdough pizza and local salads, frequented by Cairo’s younger art crowd and remote workers.
If you’re still up for walking, nearby Abdeen Palace Museum has ornate 19th-century interiors and a trove of diplomatic oddities, like swords from foreign heads of state, military medals, and ceremonial uniforms. Originally built as a royal residence for Khedive Ismail Pasha in the 19th century, it now serves as a museum complex offering a rare glimpse into Egypt’s royal, political, and cultural history.
Sunday evening: light, layering, and local fare
Drive (or Uber) up to the Citadel of Saladin, where the Mosque of Muhammad Ali dominates the skyline. The views stretch endlessly if the haze is low. As night falls, the light bleeds through windows cut centuries ago.
Finish your evening at El Prince in Imbaba, where liver tagine and grilled meats arrive sizzling in foil. It’s boisterous, open-late, and entirely without pretence. Tables often spill out onto the street, and the restaurant is almost always crowded, with long queues and a fast-paced service style. It’s considered a quintessential Egyptian dining experience: unpretentious, communal, and full of local flavour.
For something quieter but still local, Sobhy Kaber serves celebrated Egyptian food (especially grilled meats and molokhia) in a slightly more subdued environment. Signage can be an issue, but you can always ask a local for directions; or just keep an eye out for longish queues waiting for tables during peak times.
Monday morning: mementoes for moving on
If time allows before your flight, head back to the river. Walk near the Gezira Club gates, or just take 5 minutes to stand still beside the Nile — not for romance, but for scale. Dating from the late 19th century, the Khedivial Sporting Club’s gates (as it was originally known) became a symbol of British imperial presence in Cairo, reflecting the club’s origins as a British military and social enclave. Even after Egyptians became the majority of the membership, the gates still signified social privilege and separation from the broader population.
As for mementoes, pick up hibiscus tea, duqqa spice blend, or handmade beeswax candles from a local cooperative shop like Fair Trade Egypt. You’re not likely to forget Cairo: memories will be as layered and dynamic as the city itself . But small, functional mementos make the memory tactile.
That said, above all else, Cairo’s energy stays with you: the call to prayer at sunrise, the golden haze over the Nile, the relentless movement and resilience of a city that’s seen it’s fair share of history.
Conscious about security
Cairo in 2025 is largely safe for travellers, but vigilance is wise. Avoid large gatherings, especially near government buildings or public squares. Taxis are being phased out by ride-sharing apps like Uber and Careem, which are reliable. Dress modestly. Avoid photographing people without consent. And trust your instincts: Cairo may not always be smooth, but it rarely hides its signals.