Things to do in Cairo are infinite since the capital is blessed with countless cultural and historical attractions. The goal of this article is to provide every traveler in Egypt with all the information and knowledge needed to explore all the wonders of Cairo. All the information in this article is collected and written by ETP team which is a team of expert tour operators, tour guides, and travel consultants to ensure that every traveler in Cairo is exploring this immortal city to the fullest.
Travelers from all over the world ask themselves, is Cairo worth visiting and what are the things to do in Cairo, and the answer is indeed surprising. The majestic city of Cairo has acted as a hub for the most diverse collection of monuments in the world in the course of 4000 years, transforming into a heritage site that provides every traveler with a magical experience like traveling to the past. Cairo has always been one of the most attractive designs, the top of every travel bucket list, aside from all the incredible historical sites like the Giza pyramids complex, the Cairo citadel, the Egyptian museum, the Coptic and Islamic attractions, these are numerous things to do in Cairo designed to create the most memorable vacation.
Before coming to Egypt, many travelers ask themselves very important questions about Cairo and all the elements about how to spend a vacation in Cairo, such as:
Is Cairo a safe place to visit?
Cairo is one of the safest places to travel to and explore since it is the capital of Egypt and the heart of the nation and a hub of culture for the entire country. It is the safest place in Egypt with a low crime rate compared to the western countries as the entire city is under the surveillance of army and police troops who will ensure the safety of all the tourists and monuments. All the visited attractions of Cairo are cleaned on a daily basis to ensure their total sanitary.
How many days do I need to explore Cairo?
Three days is an ideal time to explore all the wonders and attractions of Cairo.
Is Cairo expensive to visit?
A three days tour around Egypt will cost you around 400$ including the hotel reservation.
What to do in Cairo?
There are numerous activities to do in Cairo such as exploring all the archaeological attractions such as the great pyramids of Giza, the glorious Cairo citadel, and more. You will get to discover the great Egyptian museum, do some shopping in khan el Khalili, board a dinner cruise, and explore the nightlife, and more.
What to do in Cairo at night?
In the city that never sleeps, the night is filled with a number of wonderful activities such as a magical dinner cruise across the soulful Nile, a sound and light show at the pyramids, a tour to the vintages cafes in old Cairo.
What to see in Cairo in one day?
Through a Cairo day tour, every traveler will get to witness what every you choose from the incredible attractions of the city such as the Giza Pyramids complex, Khan El Khalili Bazaar, Cairo Citadel, the hanging church, Al Azher mosque, Ibn Tulan, the Egyptian Museums, and many more.
What to wear in Cairo?
Every traveler should wear comfortable and relaxed clothes and light as the climate in Egypt is sunny, so light clothes like shorts, T-shirts, hat, scarf, sunglasses, swimsuit, a veil for women, a bag back, light shoes like sandals, sports shoes, long trousers, and more like that are advised, plus formal cloth like a suit and dress just in case.
In the immortal lands of Egypt lies the incredible pyramids of Giza; home to the most ideal reflection of the ancient Egyptian civilization creates in the old kingdom (2686 – 2181 BC) to become a stairway to the heavens where the ancient ruler of Egypt. located just 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Cairo is the holy trinity of pyramids Khufu, Khare, and Menkaure is able to showcase a great deal about the architecture and customs of the ancient Egyptian culture. The Pyramids of Giza is the holy grail of exploration tour able to make all travelers return back in time and witness a genuine artistic piece of human evolution.
There is no complete vacation to Egypt without a tour to the Egyptian museum the house of beauty and magic, consisting of multiple floors that holds more than 120,000 mesmerizing pieces of artifact across a time of more than 4000 years to the most famous names to ever be heard such as the golden mask of Tutankhamun, the mummy room and countless more.
In the heart of Cairo lies the great Salah El-Din Citadel constructed in 1182 AD by the great emperor Salah El-Din where it served as the center of rule and as a protective fortress against foreign invaders like the crusaders or the French forces. It became the headquarters of the government for more than 700 years in which a number of museums, art galleries, marvelous structured buildings came to be inside the citadel making a must visited attraction.
The golden brick road of Khan El Khalili bazaar is a piece of paradise containing all the heart and mind desires. It has been the oldest shopping street in the middle East since 1773 AD offering the chance for every traveler to catch a glimpse of past riches and glory and even buy some all the way. The Bazaar remains very active till today containing all the goods a traveler could wish for.
One of the oldest and most complete examples of Islamic architecture is Al-Azher mosque, constructed in 970 AD to be a worship place, house of knowledge, and one of the world's first official universities which still very active till today. it is quite famous for its harmonious blend of architectural styles of over more than 1000 years as it was rebuilt, modified, and enlarged which makes it ideal of architectural Islamic exploration.
Cairo used to be capital of the Coptic life for 400 years from the 3rd AD to 7th AD, The old city of Cairo became the stronghold of many churches like the hanging church, Saint George and many more as a true example of Christian architecture from the beginning of the 5th century to our current day which makes it a perfect exploration trip for all who seeks to witness a beautiful heritages.
One of the most beautiful hidden places in Cairo is the Coptic museum founded in 1908 which housed Coptic art from the earliest days of Christianity. It holds about 1200 pieces of art on display from the 4th and 5th-century sculpture which influenced by Greco-roman mythology with pharaonic subjects.
The magical city of Cairo is filled with amazing wonders such as Memphis city created in 2925 B.C the first capital of Egypt, the home of the god Ptah the patron of creation and artwork plus the Saqqara Step Pyramid that launched the golden age of pyramids constructions, designed and created by the famous architect Imhotep the vizier of Pharaoh Djoser "2686 BC - 2649 BC" to possess a new architecture design made up from six steps and surrounded by one of a kind great complex.
In Giza desert lies a red gem in the shape of a pyramid made of red limestone in the old kingdom by king Seneferu. it is the third-largest pyramid and the first successful attempt to construct a true smooth-sided pyramid which acted as an inspiration for the great pyramids of Giza which makes it one of the ideal to explore in Dahshor.
A dinner cruise is like dining among the stars between the two ends of heaven in Luxor and Aswan. The Nile dinner cruise will have some delicious traditional Egyptian cuisines accompanied by a colorful enchanting belly dancing show with a traditional Egyptian folklore band accompanied by a mesmerizing Tannoura spin performance.
One of the amazing activities to partake in Cairo near the pyramids are the sound and light show where all the history of ancient Egypt will be showcased in the greatest fashion in different languages for 45 minutes where everything will be illuminated in a rainbow of colors and narrates in a bombing hypnotic sound where all the secrets of this ancient kingdom are revealed.
One of the most captivating Islamic constructions in Egypt was built during 876 AD and 879 AD to resemble the model of the holy Kaaba in Mecca where it was the largest mosque in existence. The Mosque is known for its enchanting Islamic decorations as shown in the grand main hall and main prayer hall that holds the golden mihrab. The 40-meter high minaret with the spiral staircase leading to the interior and the amazing horseshoe arch over the entrance is a sight to behold, modeled after the minarets of the Great Mosque of Samarra on the Tigris.
The shining street of Al- Muizz is a gem from the Mamluk era dating between the 10th to 19th centuries AD offering every traveler the chance to witness the full glamour and art of Islamic architecture. IT stretches between two of the gates of Cairo’s old city walls, from Bab al-Futuh in the north to Bab Zuwayla in the south, passing along many of the significant and uniquely preserved ancient alleys and streets filled fine marble, mother-of-pearl mosaics, the brim with intricate tile work, and stained-glass windows. It is the largest open-air museum for Islamic monuments in the world and was added to The UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
The modern vibe of Cairo can be easily explored in the beautiful city of Zamalek the top dining destination within the city and the center for many art museums like the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art and the great Cairo Opera House. Zamalek dates to the mid 19th century offering a unique European feel through all the foreign architecture and decorations. Located on Gezira Island in Zamalek is the legendary Cairo Tour where every traveler can enjoy a 360° view over the city.
Located on the Roda Island is the monastirli Palace which holds the legendary Cairo’s Nilometer in 861 AD to measure and predict the annual floodwater heights. The entire area is filled with many wonderful natural sights and some delightful constructions.
The majestic Al Fayoum city is a heavenly natural city located 112 km south of Cairo filled with enchanting sites like Lake Qarun and Wadi Rayyan where many beautiful wildlife are located. In Al Fayoum are the remains of Medinet Madi that dates to the old Kingdom, famous for containing the Pyramid of Meidum and the Pyramid of Hawara. The crown jewel of al fayoum is the natural UNESCO-listed desert valley of Wadi Al-Hittan that holds 40 million-year-old basilosaurus and dorodontus (pre-historic whales) skeletons that were discovered, totally showcasing the evolution of the whales from water to land-walking beings.
Downtown Cairo is known as Paris of the east filled with many beautiful constructions with dazzling French design. On the western edge of Cairo’s Downtown, on Al-Gumhuriya Street, is 19th-century Abdin Palace, once the home of Egypt's last khedives. The downtown area is filled with many incredible shops, cafes, and restaurants.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations (NMEC) is an incredible construction that came to be in 2020 where it was designed to hold 22 of ancient Egypt’s most famous royal Pharaonic mummies such as Hatshepsut, Amenhotep I, and Seti I, Ramsess the great in a very advanced royal Mummies Gallery where every traveler can fully explore the greatness of Egypt’s history and culture.
One of the cornerstones of Cairo is the Bab Zuweila that was built in the 11th century which is now known to be a famous spot for taking photos that showcases the entire city of old Cairo in total charm and glory.
In the deep heart of Cairo is the finest example of Mamluk architecture in the world the Sultan Hassan mosque was built between 1356 AD and 1363 AD to be 36 m high and possess the tallest minaret in Cairo that reaches the height of 81.5. The entire decorations of the mosque are very extravagant and built to last an eternity. El Rifai Mosque was built in 1912 directly facing Sultan Hassan Mosque as an attempt to match its beauty and charm.
Cairo day tours are ideal for everyone who wishes to catch a glimpse of the full beauty and glory of Cairo for a full day and experience the most incredible adventure for the most affordable price and the finest service.
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