Cairo in 3 days
Cairo means the pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza at the city's edge, the maze of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and Tutankhamun's treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum. A huge city, loud and intense, and endlessly absorbing.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
The pyramids and the Sphinx of Gizahalf a dayThe only ancient Wonder of the World still standing: Khufu's Great Pyramid, some 4,500 years old, with the Sphinx guarding the plateau below.
- Late afternoon
The Grand Egyptian Museum2 to 3 hNear the Giza pyramids, the world's largest museum devoted to one civilisation, displaying Tutankhamun's full treasure together for the first time.
Day 2
- Morning
Khan el-Khalili bazaarfree · about 1 h 30A 14th-century souk of lanes selling brass, spices and lanterns, with El Fishawy café for mint tea; bargaining is expected.
- Afternoon
The Citadel of Saladinabout 1 h 30Saladin's 12th-century fortress on a spur above the city, crowned by the Ottoman-era Mosque of Muhammad Ali and its slender minarets.
Day 3
- Morning
Islamic Cairofree · half a dayThe UNESCO-listed medieval city of mosques, madrasas and gates, best walked along Al-Muizz Street from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila.
Where to sleep in Cairo
- Dahab Hostel · €20 a night
- Pension Roma · €25 a night
- Wake Up Cairo Hostel · €25 a night
- Hotel Longchamps · €70 a night
- Ramses Hilton · €90 a night
- Novotel Cairo El Borg · €85 a night
- Marriott Mena House · €250 a night
- Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza · €300 a night
- Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo · €190 a night
Plan this trip
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