Cultural Cairo: 8 reasons to linger in the Egyptian capital

Ian Packham

Ian Packham

Holiday in Egypt* and there's a very good chance you'll end up in Cairo*. Although international airports in Hurghada* and Sharm el Sheikh* have redirected travellers heading for Egypt's Red Sea resorts, its capital remains the gateway to the treasures of the Nile Valley.

The unmissable Pyramids of Giza
The unmissable Pyramids of Giza © Dan Breckwoldt - Adobe Stock Image

Often travellers are whisked away from this intriguing city having experienced nothing more than the majestic Pyramids of Giza, the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, missing a mixed orchestration of sights, sounds and smells spanning not just centuries but millennia.

From the call of the muezzin in Old Cairo to the uber-cool vibes of the city's contemporary art galleries, here are the very best reasons to linger in the Egyptian capital.

Getting to Cairo: find great value deals on city breaks to Egypt with easyJet holidays*.

Step inside the Grand Egyptian Museum

The much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum has now partially opened in the capital. Some 20 years in the making and around 12 years late owing to, among other things, cost (totalling $1 billion) and the pandemic, this mammoth 120-acre attraction is the caretaker of the world's largest collection of Egyptian artefacts and objects.

Inside the magnificent new Grand Egyptian Museum
Inside the magnificent new Grand Egyptian Museum © Tamer - Adobe Stock Image

Located close to the Pyramids of Giza, exhibits include treasures from inside King Tutankhamun's tomb, numerous sarcophagi and mummies, gold and metalwork, hieroglyphics and paintings.

Even though the official open date for the entire museum is yet to be announced, this long-awaited cultural hub is absolutely worth a visit, especially as its displays are sure to make headlines for years to come.

Discover Islamic Cairo

The Citadel of Saladin (also called Cairo Citadel) has defended the city's eastern flank since the 12th century. Its position atop Mokattam Hill offers spectacular vistas across the so-called 'City of a Thousand Minarets', especially from the courtyard of the Muhammad Ali Mosque.

It also has some of the best examples of medieval Islamic architecture in North Africa or the Middle East. Dating from 1318, the Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque lies at the citadel's heart. A fine example of Mamluk-era architecture, its prayer hall can host an estimated 5,000 worshippers.

That said, the 19th-century Muhammad Ali Mosque steals much of the glory, with its pencil-thin 82-metre-high minarets and interiors flecked with colour from 136 stained-glass windows.

Get lost in the bazaar

The merchants of Kahn el-Khalili have been at work for nearly as long as the Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque has stood on Cairo Citadel. And it shows, with stalls as alluring as jam is to a wasp and a haggling style straight out of the Old Testament.

Haggle hard in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar
Haggle hard in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar © Salvador Aznar - Shutterstock.com

A little sanitised around the edges (it even has its own website), at its heart Khan el-Khalili continues its centuries-old function as a bazaar par excellence.

Bypass the plaster of Paris pyramids and 'I love Egypt' soft toy camels, and you'll find a seam of authentic hammered metalwork, elegant leatherwork and carved alabaster.

Grab a coffee in Heliopolis

The upmarket neighbourhood of Heliopolis (or 'Sun City') might not be top of many people's list of Cairo attractions. However, there's nowhere better to get a sense of modern Cairo.

Classy and cosmopolitan, the wide boulevards of Heliopolis date back only a century, but have still managed to develop their very own architectural style.

As laid-back as Cairo gets, Heliopolis is short of big attractions, but second-to-none when it comes to atmosphere. Start on triangular El Korba Square from where it's a pleasant stroll to the Heliopolis Hotel, now a presidential palace, and the utterly bonkers Baron Empain Palace, modelled after a Hindu temple.

Around and about the area there's a plethora of trendy hangouts for relaxing with a flat white as good as any you'll find in Italy.

Delve into Cairo's Roman origins

The region around Cairo has been inhabited in one form or another since the time of the pharaohs. However, it was the Romans who first built a settlement on the site after the famous serpent-induced death of Cleopatra.

Venture into the Coptic Museum
Venture into the Coptic Museum © Francisco Anzola - Flickr CC BY 2.0

Then known as Babylon, the Roman city survives as a three-storey circular tower. It forms an incongruous image beside the Mar Girgis metro station and a small supermarket.

Today, its grounds feature the Coptic Museum and six Coptic (Egyptian Orthodox) churches. They include the Hanging Church, whose origins date back to the 3rd century, and Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, said to be where the Holy family rested on their flight from King Herod and the Holy Land.

Admire Cairo's contemporary art

Cairo may be primarily known for its ancient sites. Yet the city's cultural output didn't end with the Romans so much as evolve. Know where to look, and Cairo continues to make a name for itself in the art world.

Centring on the Zamalek neighbourhood, Cairo's contemporary art scene has exploded in recent years. Offering travellers a very different take on a culture often seen as conservative and traditional, galleries and artists are pushing the envelope of what's permissible.

Sometimes deliberately controversial, and always packed with talent, the unpromising almost dilapidated exterior of Townhouse Gallery is just one example of Cairo's clutch of independent contemporary galleries. Ask around and you'll soon conclude Zamalek's apparently ordinary side streets are littered with them.

Play royalty at Abdeen Palace

Part functioning presidential palace, part museum complex, Cairo's Abdeen Palace has more than a passing resemblance to Buckingham Palace.

Yet, it's there the similarities probably end. One of several palaces used by the Egyptian royal family in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it replaced the Citadel of Saladin as the seat of the Egyptian government.

Boasting 500 rooms (to Buckingham Palace's 775), the former royal living quarters are reserved for visiting heads of state.

Abdeen Palace beyond the gates
Abdeen Palace beyond the gates © David Pillow - Dreamstime.com

However, substantial portions of the lower floors are accessible through museums including the Silver Museum and Presidential Gifts Museum.

My favourite? The Historic Documents Museum. The only dry thing about this exhibition space is its carefully controlled air, since displays include the firman (decree) considered the independence document of Egypt from the Ottoman Empire.

There's also correspondence with the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia, a South American state which existed for just three days in November 1860.

Set sail on a felucca

Felucca (traditional sail-powered boat) rides are usually the reserve of destinations south of Cairo such as Aswan. All the same, these wooden crafts can be found in the Egyptian capital, at the northern tip of Rhoda Island (El Rawda) and off downtown's Qasr El Nil Bridge.

Take to the River Nile on a felucca
Take to the River Nile on a felucca © Afonso Farias - Adobe Stock Image

Particularly fine on a hot Cairo day, felucca rides are also a spectacular way to take in the Cairo sunset.

Day trippers to Cairo certainly miss the magic that envelopes the city at dusk, when the Muslim call to prayer drowns out the car horns and lights flicker on across the city, from Cairo Tower to the Nile-side corniche. If there's a better way to end a trip to Cairo, I haven't found it.

Climate in Cairo

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C
Hours of sunshine (daily)
Days with some rainfall

The above guide shows the climate in Cairo. Find out more about conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in Egypt.

Ready to discover Cairo? Browse the latest offers on breaks with easyJet holidays, which departs UK-wide.

easyJet holidays: Find your perfect package holiday

More about Cairo

Cairo by month

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Ian Packham

Ian Packham

Posted on Saturday 16th November 2024 in: Africa City Culture

Back to top

Explore holidays in the sun for less

More holidays

Airport parking

More parking

Airport lounges

More lounges

Related posts

Back to Travel inspiration Top ^