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Lanterns and stalls in a lane of Khan el-Khalili

Egypt

Cairo

The Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and an evening in Khan el-Khalili.

  • Typical stay: 3–4 days

Why ⁨Cairo⁩?

  1. Pyramids and museum

    The Giza pyramids with the Grand Egyptian Museum beside them.

  2. Medieval Cairo on foot

    A walkable medieval city of mosques, gates and the souk.

  3. Khan el-Khalili evenings

    An evening among Khan el-Khalili's shops and al-Azhar Mosque.

Before you go

  • Currency

    Egyptian Pound

  • Language

    Arabic

  • Time difference

    GMT+3

  • Plugs

    Type C, F

  • Getting around

    Metro

  • Driving

    On the right

Where to stay in ⁨Cairo⁩

Areas to base yourself in, and who each one suits.

Best time to visit ⁨Cairo⁩

November to March

  • January

    Average high: 20°C

    Average low 9°C

    Coldest month

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • February

    Average high: 21°C

    Average low 9°C

    2 days of rain

    Wettest month

    Best time to go

  • March

    Average high: 25°C

    Average low 12°C

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

  • April

    Average high: 30°C

    Average low 15°C

    1 day of rain

    Good time to go

  • May

    Average high: 35°C

    Average low 19°C

    0 days of rain

  • June

    Average high: 38°C

    Average low 22°C

    0 days of rain

  • July

    Average high: 39°C

    Average low 23°C

    Warmest month

    0 days of rain

  • August

    Average high: 39°C

    Average low 24°C

    0 days of rain

  • September

    Average high: 37°C

    Average low 23°C

    0 days of rain

  • October

    Average high: 32°C

    Average low 19°C

    1 day of rain

    Good time to go

  • November

    Average high: 27°C

    Average low 15°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • December

    Average high: 22°C

    Average low 11°C

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

Places in ⁨Cairo⁩

Compare flight tickets to ⁨Cairo⁩

Trip plans for ⁨Cairo⁩

Local tips

  • Insider tips

    1. Be at the pyramids at opening. The plateau has no shade, and by late morning it is hot and full.

    2. Use the metro to cross the city: twenty minutes underground can be an hour on the same route above.

    3. Walk the old city north from al-Azhar and let the route wander: the street is the point, not the buildings.

  • Money

    1. Prices in Khan el-Khalili are asked, not fixed; settling one is expected and unhurried. Never buy in the first minute.

  • Customs and safety

    1. Historic mosques are working mosques: shoulders, knees and women's hair covered, shoes off, and visitors step aside at prayers.

    2. Traffic does not stop for pedestrians and crossings are advisory. Cross steadily beside someone already crossing; never dart.

  • Food and prayer

    1. Halal is the ordinary case across the city. Pork appears only in a few places for visitors, labelled where served.

    2. Mosques are never far; the airport, shopping centres and larger hotels have prayer rooms, and al-Azhar is a working mosque.

Getting around ⁨Cairo⁩

  • Metro

    A network whose first line opened in 1987, crossing the city and passing under the Nile. The only way across Cairo that traffic cannot slow.

    Recommended

  • Taxi

    Everywhere, and the usual way to reach anything the metro does not. Agree how you are paying before setting off.

  • Ride-hailing

    Ride-hailing apps work across the city and settle the fare in advance, which is why many visitors use them instead of a street taxi.

  • Walking

    Downtown, Zamalek and the old city are each walkable end to end; between them is not.

Cairo Metro ticket

Transit card

The metro is paid for with a ticket or a rechargeable card bought at the station, valid across all its lines.

From the airport

  • CAI

    Cairo International Airport

    Taxi, Ride-hailing, and Bus

Things to do in ⁨Cairo⁩

Tours, tickets and experiences.

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eSIM plans in ⁨Egypt⁩

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Continue your ⁨Egypt⁩ trip

About ⁨Cairo⁩

Cairo is really two cities either side of the Nile. The pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum are on the Giza side; the medieval city, the Citadel and the souk are on the east bank, and Downtown with its nineteenth-century grid sits between them on the river.

The layers do not replace one another here, they sit side by side. A Fatimid mosque of the tenth century, a Mamluk madrasa, an Ottoman fountain and an Art Deco apartment block can be on the same walk, and often are.

It is a very large city and the distances are real. Three days is enough for Giza, the museums and the old city if each is given a whole half-day and the crossing between them is planned rather than improvised.

Photo credits

Photographs on this page, with their licences.

Data sources