Explore crazy Cairo – in 2 days
Explore crazy Cairo – in 2 days
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I love love love Cairo! Walking through the streets, there is almost everywhere something fascinating to see, most times incredible ancient buildings. Of course, the Great Pyramid of Giza is a must see! But there is so much more! One of my favorite places is definitely the beautiful architecture of the Mosque Ibn Tulun and the famous Khan el-Khalili Souk. Or go and learn about the Egyptian history 4000 years ago in the Egyptian Museum! You can spend easily 2 weeks in Cairo without getting bored, but even in 2 days you should get a great impression of bustling Cairo.
1. The Great Sphinx of Giza
The pyramid complex is located 30 minutes away from Cairo city center. The easiest way to arrive at the pyramids early, is to stay in a hotel or airbnb in Gizeh directly next to these buildings. Then, go there as early as possible, in March it opened at 8 am, but they even let visitors in 10 minutes earlier. On the whole area we saw only 3 other tourists this early. Later at 10 am a lot of tourists busses arrived and it got busy near the pyramids. There are two different entrances, one in front of the Great Sphinx, and one behind the Cheops Pyramid. Most hotels are located in front of the Sphinx. You have to buy one ticket for all the outside area including Sphinx and pyramids and you have to buy an extra ticket for a big camera and tripod if you took some with you. If you want to walk in the King’s tomb inside the Cheops Pyramid you will need an additional ticket.
First, you will see this giant limestone Sphinx with a human face perfectly laying in the axis of the pyramid. Second you will hear locals asking where you are from, if you “like to buy something”, “maybe later?” and “Welcome to Egypt”! If you manage to ignore them with a “no thanks – have a great day”, you will have a wonderful time here. There is nothing like an overview paper, so you might inform yourself before about some historical facts of this place.
Stay at a hotel or airbnb in Gizeh
There are lots of hotels in front of the Great Sphinx. We stayed in one of the Pyramid Inn hotels and it was “okay”. There might be more beautiful ones, but it had a nice roof top terrace with a view on the pyramids and the light show in the evening. Speaking of the light show, I think it is not really worth the money for this expensive ticket.
2. The Great Pyramids of Giza – Cheops Pyramid
Although standing directly next to this big fascinating 139 meter high building, I found it even more stunning to look at all of pyramids from all the different viewpoints in the stony desert. I highly recommend to walk from one view point to the other view points, it gives you a much better feeling for this area and camels are not treated very well here! How do you find the view points? There are well-trodden paths in the sand and you will see some camels laying at the viewpoints.
Have a look at these massive stones of the pyramids, it’s crazy right? How did people 4000 years ago managed to build such buildings? Well, it’s still not found out yet. There are a lot of theories about building techniques and more undiscovered tombs inside the pyramids. One thing is sure, this place has something mystical. I also recommend to get the extra ticket and walk inside the Cheops Pyramid: The first part is really narrow with very low ceilings, then you arrive at the big high gallery before you find yourself in the King’s tomb in the middle of the pyramid. The tomb itself is a little unspectacular but there are some kind of mystic vibes in there!
3. The most beautiful Mosque Ibn Tulun
Well, that’s definitely my favorite place in Cairo!! I absolutely adore the architecture and symmetry of Ibn Tulun mosque. There are 3 different levels to explore: On the ground floor, walk through the arcade with all the beautiful details on the ceiling, then go to the dome building in the center. On the first floor, you can walk around the whole mosque, but there is no railing at all!! You want to get this crazy view from above? Well, walk up all the stairs on the tower. From above, you will not even have the best view of this mosque, but also an incredible overview of the islamic old quarter of Cairo surrounding the mosque. You have to put off your shoes before entering this building and you should bring a scarf.
4. The Mosque of Muhammed Ali
Located on the top of the hill, you will find this big beautiful mosque. Unlike most of the mosques it’s open for all people. Walk around the building, try to see the Great Pyramids of Gizeh on the horizon and have a look inside the mosque. The easiest way to get here from the city centre, is to take an Uber.
5. Explore the souk Khan el-Khalili
This famous souk in the heart of Cairo is one of the world’s oldest open-air markets and you should definitely visit it! It’s nothing like these typical tourist markets, most shops are aimed at local buyers. Watch your valuables while walking through the hundreds of lanes. This souk is really big – get lost, and you will find the best things. If you want to buy something and the seller tells you a price, start with one third of this price, so you can meet in the middle.
6. Egyptian Museum
Although I am not the typical museum visitor, I highly recommend visiting this one museum in Egypt! There are so many 4000-year-old-things, moved from all over Egypt, like mummies from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor or big statues from the tombs. A new bigger and modern Egyptian museum will be open soon!
7. Gezira Island or Zamalek
After all the hustle and bustle and loud traffic you might want to relax a little bit. Take an Uber to the nearby Gezira island, also called Zamalek. Compared to islamic Cairo, it’s more like a hip, creative and tidy city quarter with trees, art galleries and lots of cafés and restaurants. There is also less traffic. Here you will find a lot of embassies, too.
Eat at O’s Pasta!!
The pasta at this place was soooo delicious! Ahh-mazing! They only have various pasta dishes, and they really know how to cook Italian! Also they had some nice desserts ;).
8. The Hanging Church in Coptic old quarter
A few minutes outside the city centre, in the old coptic Cairo, you should have a look inside the famous Hanging Church. It’s really beautiful with all the ornaments inside! The Coptic Museum here contains a wealth of information on Egypt’s early Christian period.
9. Soak in the street life in the islamic quarter
Around Ibn Tulun you will find the old islamic quarter of Cairo. I really liked this area, because it seemed so authentic and real. You will see bread street stalls, fruit stands, camels, carriages, dogs and incredible buildings, while listening to the resounding call of the Muezzin from the numerous mosques. Like everywhere in Cairo I felt super save here walking around independently.
If you have more time in Cairo:
First of all, get lost in the streets! Especially in the islamic quarter! Get a tea in one of the cafés, feel the vibes! If you want to explore more in and around Cairo, go here:
- Explore Saqquara and the Djoser pyramid, around 1 hour from Cairo
- Dahshur pyramid, als 1 hour from Cairo
- Bab Zuweila with a great view of the city
- Salah El-Din Citadel
- Al Azhar Park and Al-Azhar Mosque
- Memphis
- Sultan Hassan Mosque
- Museum of Islamic Art
- Al-Muizz li-Din Allah Street
- Nilometer on Roda Island
- Manyal Palace
- Mosque of Al-Hakim
How to get around
Traffic in Cairo can get very exhausting! Sometimes you need 1 hour to get from one side to the other. We even got stuck with an Uber in a small alley together with 1 carriage, 2 Tuktuks and 2 small trucks with lots of piled up goods…The men came out of their vehicles, yelling, gesturing, trying to find a solution. We tried several times to go back and force, we all seemed to be hopelessly knotted. More and more people came trying to help. At some point 5 smart men lifted up the back of one truck and let it down 1 meter further apart, and suddenly miraculously the traffic started flowing smoothly again. I absolutely loved experiencing this situation, I will never forget these men…
Long story short, it could take longer getting from one destination to another in Cairo. There is also a metro, but we didn’t tried it to be honest. We walked a lot and took an Uber to get to all the other places. Keep in mind you might only manage to see 3 of your sights from your map because of the traffic. One thing I really liked about Uber is that you talk to locals a lot!! I think it’s definitely not “better” to explore Cairo with a guide, you will for sure learn a lot, but it’s also really nice to walk around independently, stopping wherever you want. It’s absolutely doable with google maps and Uber and I felt save all the time – just try it!
↠ Read about how we got from Cairo to Luxor here: “2 Unforgettable Weeks in Egypt”
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