Destination: Egypt

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: City Life

ONE WEEK / CAIRO

Our City Life trip will introduce you to Cairo for a week of rich culture, where you’ll enjoy museums, monuments, coffeehouses and felucca rides.



Organised tours are increasingly skipping Cairo in favour of the antiquities of Upper Egypt and the beaches of the Red Sea and Sinai, but for anybody interested in living culture, the capital of the Arab world is a blast. Spend a week here and you won’t regret a minute.

Dive in at the deep end by exploring the Khan al-Khalili and the northern part of Islamic Cairo, perhaps following the walking tour of Mahfouz’s Cairo, then winding down at Fishawi’s Coffeehouse.

On day two roam Downtown, lunching at At-Tabie ad-Dumyati or one of the other budget eateries, later taxiing to Zamalek for boutique hopping and an afternoon drink at the Cairo Marriott’s Garden Café. Enjoy some belly-dancing in the evening.

Day three, hit the Pyramids of Giza in the morning and the Egyptian Museum in the afternoon.
On day four travel back to Islamic Cairo for the Citadel, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and the marvellous Gayer-Anderson Museum. Relax in the late afternoon with a felucca cruise.

On your fifth day take the metro down to Old Cairo and the Nilometer, returning to central Cairo for lunch. Cross the Nile on the Qasr el-Nil (Tahrir) Bridge and walk down to the Mr & Mrs Mahmoud Khalil Museum.
Any extra time can be invested in a day trip or even an overnight stay in Alexandria.