Cairo - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Bellies en Route tour to see the city through food. - Mar 2023
Tour "Garbage City" - Aug 2022
As mentioned above, it's a tourist's dream. There is just too much to do. Some people even take their kids horseback riding by the pyramids every weekend! - Aug 2022
Cairo's art scene is incredible - spend time wandering the art galleries and artist workshops. We prefer Dahab and Hurghada to Sharm. Do an environmental tour of Mokkatam for an impressive look at the world's most efficient recycling system (all done by hand). Go out to see the 40 million year old whale fossils in Wadi Hitan - puts the 4500+ year old pyramids in perspective. - Mar 2022
See everything! The markets, the tourist towns, the clubs, and restaurants. The things I didn't get to do but plan to visit again to take off my list is visit Dahab, Siwa, and St. Catherine's and take a Nile Cruise. - Dec 2021
Catacombs of Kom el Shuqafa in Alexandria. All the mosques, but talk to the people there and have them tell you about it. Everything I said in number 7. - Feb 2021
Even as someone who is not a big shopper, the Khan el-Khalili was a great experience. - Jan 2020
Walk Like an Egyptian is a great walking tour company in Cairo. - Jan 2018
Many people go to Alexandria for weekend trips (3-hour drive from Cairo), to Ain Sukhna (2-hour drive) for the beach, Hurghada or El Gouna for long weekends (5-hour drive), Sharm El Sheik (1-hour flight), Luxor/Aswan (1-hour flight) for the temples and/or the Nile cruises. - Sep 2017
Shopping in the Khan al Khalili, driving through Garbage City, hanging out at Family Park in Rehab if you have kids (there are events there every few weeks with live music and food trucks), Al Azhar park, music and other cultural performances. - Jan 2016
There is almost no end to the tourism opportunities in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt. - Jan 2016
Coptic Cairo is a real sanctuary, as is Al Azhar park, the Khan is endlessly fascinating, especially at night. - Jan 2016
Pyramids, Red Sea, Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo, Desert Camping (off limits at the moment but will hopefully open up again soon), Nile Cruises, Old Souk (market) downtown, etc. etc. - Oct 2014
Luxor is a quick flight or cruise. There are a lot of pyramids, mosques, and museums in Cairo. We love being able to drive to the Red Sea in under 2 hours time for a long weekend getaway. - Aug 2014
Coptic Cairo and the Khan, The Citadel, Al Azhar Park... - Aug 2014
I like to go out to Wadi Degla because it's Near Maadi (no travel time needed), and you can be outside, not harassed, and get some exercise. Ain Sokhna beach is about 1 hour away, so it's a good day trip or stay for the weekend. I don't think I know any hidden gems, sadly. Felucca ride with snacks and bottle of wine is always welcome. - May 2014
Desert camping is one of the hidden gems of living in Egypt but with security restrictions, we are not always allowed to go to these places. - Apr 2014
None. - Mar 2014
Feluca sailboats on the Nile, traveling to the Red Sea, desert camping, khan al khallili, bulak shopping, Islamic Cairo, garbage city: there are lots of things to do for the people willing to leave the Maadi bubble. - Jul 2013
The history is amazing. Even when you get past the big sites, there's still Coptic Cairo, the Citadel -- and if you like kitch, the 1973 Victory Museum (a gift from the People of North Korea). - Jul 2013
See the pyramids, of course. Nile cruises, Luxor, beaches. - Jun 2013
Islamic Cairo, felucca rides on the Nile, Khan el-Khalili, camel market, felucca rides, sitting in local cafes and meeting friendly Egyptians, did I say felucca rides? - Jun 2013
Local travel, sightseeing, Aqua Park (water park), camping in the desert, sand boarding, kite surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving. There are also several bike clubs and runners' clubs. - May 2013
Coptic Cairo is a hidden gem. Stay away from the pyramids, you'll only be disappointed. - May 2013
Getting out of the city to do desert camping, or going to the beach, is the best. There are great beaches very close by, and there's nothing like desert camping. Flying out of Egypt is cheap, so we have visited Italy multiple times, Budapest, London, Paris, etc. We have also visited Jordan (Petra) and Cyprus and Istanbul, plus Tunisia and Morocco. It's all close by, and airfares are cheap. Diving in the Red Sea is a great experience! Also: falucca rides on the Nile! - May 2013
Cairo itself has a variety of sights to see, including pharonic monuments, amazingly beautiful Mamaluk, Fatmid, and other architecture, fascinating Coptic history, the Khal el Khalili (market), concerts, etc. There are also all the other things you would expect in a big city - restaurants, movies, malls, etc.). Outside Cairo, the Red Sea is world famous for its diving, and it is very easy to get dive certified while here. While USG personnel are no longer allowed to go to many sites in the Sinai (such a shame), you can still dive out of Sharm el Sheik, Hurghada, Safaga, etc. and off live-aboard boats. There are also trips to the desert (camping, dune surfing, visiting the oasis and desert ruins, etc. ), trips to Luxor / Aswan / Abu Simble, and trips to the north coast including Alexandria, etc. - Feb 2013
When the situation permits, traveling to the historic sights in Egypt, although those I've visited so far have generally been filthy and overrun by overly-aggressive vendors. Any time someone has a chance to rip you off, they will. And that's particularly true for foreigners. Red Sea resorts are nice, from what I understand, if you are into that sort of thing. I don't dive, but I understand diving is spectacular. - Feb 2013
If you have the Egypt bug, you can visit the pyramids, museums, and everything else you want to see in a week or two. Spend your money on that and then get out. - Mar 2013
Embrace the cold reality that you'll spend your weekends watching Egypt fall apart live on CNN and Al Jazeera! - Mar 2013
Everybody wants to see the pyramids, even if they do look like an abandoned construction lot with trash everywhere, and VERY agressive vendors who won't leave you alone. - Feb 2013
Leave Cairo--maybe go to Sharm al-Shaykh or Guna. But you will have to deal with Egyptians in those places who will try and extort money from you at every turn: taxis, hotels, etc. This is a "bakshish" culture more than anywhere I have ever been. - Jan 2013
The Maadi House (an embassy club), pyramids, museums (although they are not well-labeled and don't give much info about displays), the Khan al Khaili market, beautiful deserts, diving (in the Red Sea), bowling, and movies. - Nov 2012
Pyramids, Cairo Tower, Saqqara, Dashur, diving in the Red Sea, antiquities in Upper Egypt, Nile Cruise, camp in the desert, bike in the wadis, bowling, cinemas, lots of restaurants. Limitless options if you are intrepid and willing to travel. - Sep 2011
Tourist bits are everywhere. Living in Ma'adi, a suburb of Cairo, there is an expat haven called Road 9. If you're homesick, you can walk down Road 9 and get KFC, McDonald's, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, stop in Radio Shack, etc. - Aug 2011
Way too many to list. - Aug 2011
The pharaonic sites in the Cairo area include the Giza Pyramids/sphinx, Sakkara pyramids, the Egyptian Museum. The Islamic architecture is also amazing including the citadel, the "City of the Dead" and the Khan El Khalili (old market) area. You can inexpensively take a felucca (traditional sailboat) ride on the Nile. There is an opera house with some interesting offerings, a beautiful Agha Khan Foundation sponsored park that overlooks the city, and a lot of expatriate and locla social and sporting clubs. That's just in Cairo. Alexandria has another slew of interesting historical sites, there are oases and wadis to visit, and the Red Sea, as well as a ton of other historical sites you can see with a Nile cruise in Upper Egypt. If you can't find things to do here, you aren't trying. - Jul 2011
Their are unlimited things to do: The Giza Complex, Khan el Khalili, Mt. Sinai. The Red Sea, Gouna, Sharm el Sheikh, Ein Soukhna. The list goes on. - Jun 2011
In Cairo, take history tours. The Opera house is excellent and affordable. Outside of Cairo, visit the Red Sea resorts. - Sep 2010
The pyramids, desert, and getting out of the city is must for your survival. - Jun 2010
Lots! Contrary to popular belief, the Giza Pyramids are not the only pyramids - there are several more in the Cairo vicinity. There is also the Egyptian Museum, not to mention Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo, the Citadel, and the newly built and gorgeous Al-Azhar Park. Cairo is literally filled with history, and diplomats get free admission to all tourist sites. There are tons of places to go in Egypt as well - Alexandria for a more Mediterranean, Greco-Roman city, Sinai peninsula for diving and other water sports, Luxor and Aswan for amazingly well-preserved ancient Egyptian temples and tombs, various desert treks to oases, etc. You are also close to Israel and Jordan, as well as southern European countries. - Dec 2009
So much! It depends on what you want to do - there are Pharonic sites, Islamic sites, Coptic sites, military sites. Our kids love going out to see something new each weekend. - May 2008
