Cairo, Egypt
Umm al-Dunya: the biggest city in the Arab world, and the loudest
Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Arab world, a metropolis of roughly 22 million on the Nile where a thousand years of Islamic architecture sits beside pyramids from a civilisation three thousand years older. It is exhausting, generous and impossible to ignore.
The Fatimids founded al-Qahira, 'the Victorious', in 969 as a palace city beside the older garrison town of Fustat, which the Arab conquerors had laid out in 641 and which the Romans, as Babylon Fortress, and the pharaohs at Memphis and Giza had known long before. Saladin built the Citadel in the 1170s, the Mamluks made it the richest city in the Islamic world with the mosques and madrasas that still line al-Muizz Street, and the Ottomans took it in 1517. Khedive Ismail laid out a Paris-on-the-Nile downtown in the 1860s with Suez Canal money, the British occupied from 1882, and Nasser's 1952 revolution made it the capital of Arab nationalism. The 2011 uprising was fought in Tahrir Square; the government is now moving itself to a New Administrative Capital in the desert some 45 kilometres east.
The Nile runs south to north through the middle, and the city sprawls on both banks and across the islands. Downtown (Wust el-Balad), the Khedive's belle-époque grid around Tahrir, is the commercial and civic centre; Islamic Cairo, the walled Fatimid and Mamluk city around Khan el-Khalili and al-Azhar, lies east of it, with the Citadel and the City of the Dead beyond; Coptic Cairo and the Fustat ruins are to the south. Zamalek, on Gezira island, is embassies, galleries and the Gezira Club; Garden City and Maadi, down the east bank, are the leafy expatriate quarters. Giza, technically a separate governorate on the west bank, holds Dokki, Mohandessin and the pyramids at the desert's edge. The satellite cities — 6th of October to the west, New Cairo and the New Administrative Capital to the east — are where the money and the gated compounds have gone.
Cairo is the film, music and publishing capital of the Arab world and has been for a century; Umm Kulthum's Thursday radio concerts once stopped the region, and the city still sets the taste from Morocco to Iraq. The Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza, opened after two decades of delays, is the largest archaeological museum on earth and finally gives Tutankhamun's collection room to breathe; the old museum on Tahrir keeps its dusty charm. The food is street food first — koshari, ful and taameya (the local falafel) for a few pounds, then grilled kofta and stuffed pigeon, then the Levantine and Gulf-money restaurants of Zamalek and New Cairo. Football is a civic war between Al Ahly and Zamalek, the two most successful clubs in Africa, and the country stops for their derby. Nights run late; in summer or Ramadan nobody eats dinner before ten.
The hard parts are the air, the noise and the traffic, which are among the worst of any big city; the heat, which sits above 35°C from June to September; the poverty, visible everywhere and severe in the informal districts where most Cairenes live; and the politics, under a military-backed government since 2013 that tolerates no dissent and takes an interest in foreigners' cameras near anything official. Petty scams around the pyramids, Khan el-Khalili and the taxis are constant and tiresome rather than dangerous; violent crime against visitors is rare, and women will be stared at and sometimes harassed, though the Metro has women-only cars. The pound has lost most of its value since 2022, which makes the city very cheap in dollars and very hard for the people who live in it. What it offers is the deepest history of any city on earth, a hospitality that is real, and a place that is entirely itself.
Where People Live
Downtown & Tahrir
The Khedive's 1860s boulevards, faded and being restored: Tahrir Square, the old Egyptian Museum, Talaat Harb's cafés and cinemas, and the belle-époque arcades that the city's young creatives have reclaimed.
Islamic Cairo & Khan el-Khalili
The walled Fatimid and Mamluk city: al-Azhar, the mosques of al-Muizz Street, Bab Zuweila, the bazaar and Fishawi's café, and the Citadel and Sultan Hassan mosque above. A day is not enough.
Zamalek
The northern half of Gezira island — embassies, the Cairo Opera House, galleries, bookshops, the Gezira sporting club and the bars and restaurants where expatriates and upper-middle-class Cairenes go out.
Coptic Cairo & Fustat
The Roman fortress of Babylon with the Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra synagogue and the Coptic Museum, the ruins of the first Islamic capital, and the Amr ibn al-As mosque next door.
Garden City & Maadi
Garden City's curving embassy streets behind the Corniche, then Maadi, the leafy southern suburb of villas, international schools and the expatriate community's cafés along Road 9.
Giza & the Pyramids
The west bank: Dokki and Mohandessin's apartment blocks and restaurants, Cairo University, and the pyramids and Sphinx at the desert edge with the Grand Egyptian Museum beside them. Saqqara and Dahshur are a short drive south.
Heliopolis & Nasr City
The Baron Empain's 1900s garden suburb, now the presidential palace, the airport road and the Korba's arcades; Nasr City is the vast planned district with the Cairo International Stadium and City Stars mall.
New Cairo & 6th of October
The desert satellite cities east and west — the American University, gated compounds, malls and the offices that have left the centre. Where the money lives now, and a long drive from everything.
Restaurants & places to go
Airports
Cairo International Airport (CAI) 16 km to the centre
Cairo, C, EG — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 45 airlines (Egyptair, Marysya Airlines, AlMasria Universal Airlines, Nile Air…) · direct flights to 81 destinations incl. Gassim, Abha, Amman, Bangkok, Benghazi… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 45 airlines, 81 direct destinations
- Egyptair MS (737-800, A320, Embraer 170, A321, 330, A330-300…) · 71 routes: Abha, Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Algier, Amman, Amsterdam, Asmara, Aswan, Asyut, Athens, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Beirut, Benghazi, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Dammam, Dar Es Salaam, Doha, Dubai, Entebbe, Erbil, Frankfurt, Gassim, Geneva, Guangzhou, Hurghada, Istanbul, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg … +31 more
- Marysya Airlines M4 (Dash 8-400) · 7 routes: Alexandria, Aswan, Asyut, Hurghada, Luxor, Sharm El Sheikh, Sohag
- AlMasria Universal Airlines UJ (A320) · 5 routes: Abha, Gassim, Tabuk, Taif, Yenbo
- Nile Air NP (A320) · 5 routes: Gassim, Jeddah, Tabuk, Taif, Yenbo
- Saudi Arabian Airlines SV (A320, 777-200, A321, A330-300, 747-400, 74E) · 5 routes: Abha, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh
- Yemenia IY (A320, 330, 310) · 5 routes: Aden, Mukalla, Paris, Sanaa, Taiz
- Express One International EO (A320) · 4 routes: Gassim, Tabuk, Taif, Yenbo
- Libyan Arab Airlines LN (A320) · 3 routes: Benghazi, MRA, Tripoli
- Afriqiyah Airways 8U (A320, A330-200) · 2 routes: Benghazi, Tripoli
- Air China CA (330, 777-300) · 2 routes: Beijing*, Guangzhou*
- Alitalia AZ (A319, 32S) · 2 routes: Milano, Rome
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (737-800, 737-700, Embraer 170) · 2 routes: Addis Ababa, Larnaca*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A321, 737-800, A320) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich*
- Royal Air Maroc AT (737-800) · 2 routes: Casablanca, Riyadh
- Sudan Airways SD (A320, AB6) · 2 routes: Khartoum, Port Sudan
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A330-300, A340-300, 737-800) · 2 routes: Geneva*, Zurich
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A319, A321, 737-800, 737-900) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Juba*
- Aegean Airlines A3 (737-800) · 1 route: Athens
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Algerie AH (736) · 1 route: Algier
- Air Arabia G9 (A320) · 1 route: Sharjah
- Air France AF (A330-200, A340-300) · 1 route: Paris
- Air India Limited AI (737-800) · 1 route: Mumbai*
- Air Sinai 4D (Embraer 170) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Austrian Airlines OS (A319, 737-800, Embraer 170) · 1 route: Vienna*
- British Airways BA (767) · 1 route: London
- Brussels Airlines SN (A320) · 1 route: Brussels*
- Emirates EK (777-200, 777-300) · 1 route: Dubai
- Etihad Airways EY (A320) · 1 route: Abu Dhabi
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320, A321) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Jazeera Airways J9 (A320) · 1 route: Kuwait
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (777) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Kuwait Airways KU (A320, 340, 777, AB6) · 1 route: Kuwait
- Malaysia Airlines MH (777-300) · 1 route: Bangkok*
- Middle East Airlines ME (A320, A321) · 1 route: Beirut
- Oman Air WY (737-800) · 1 route: Muscat
- Qatar Airways QR (A320, A330-300, 777-200LR, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Falcon RL (737) · 1 route: Amman
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A319, Embraer 195, Embraer 175) · 1 route: Amman
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (737-800) · 1 route: Copenhagen*
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (A330-300) · 1 route: Dubai
- South African Airways SA (330) · 1 route: Johannesburg*
- Thai Airways International TG (777-300) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Tunisair TU (A320) · 1 route: Tunis
- United Airlines UA (777-300) · 1 route: New York*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Sphinx International Airport (SPX) 34 km to the centre
Al Jiza, GZ, EG — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather.
Capital International Airport (CCE) 58 km to the centre
New Cairo, C, EG — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Sahra' Muhafadhat al-Jeezah Airfield 32 km to the centre
6th of October, GZ, EG
Kawm Ushim Airport 66 km to the centre
Tamiya, FYM, EG
Getting there by ferry
Club ferry terminal
Ferry terminal · 6.2 km from the centre
Qorsaya ferry
Ferry terminal · 6.6 km from the centre
Church users' ferry terminal
Ferry terminal · 7 km from the centre
Police ferry terminal
Ferry terminal · 7 km from the centre
Private ferry terminal
Ferry terminal · 7.2 km from the centre
Car's ferry
Ferry terminal · 8.3 km from the centre
معدية المعادي – معدية منيل شيحا
Ferry route
Local transit
Cairo Metro
Metro · Three metro lines across Greater Cairo. · Fares: Ticket or card
Port Said Transit
Public transit · Schedules & GTFS data
Trains & rail
Egyptian National Railways
National rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Air Charter Service
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
ExecuJet
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Flexjet
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Global Jet
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Jet Aviation
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Tours & experiences
A fun tour
Sightseeing
Ancient Millennium tours
Sightseeing
Authentic Egypt & Pyramid Immersion Tours
Sightseeing
Elite Mommy Tours
Sightseeing
YoungTut Tours
Sightseeing
Kemet Grand Tours
Sightseeing
Desert Egypt Safari
Adventure
Living Here
Getting about
- The Cairo Metro runs three lines and is cheap, fast and crowded; fares are by distance and paid with a paper ticket or a stored-value card, and the middle two cars of every train are reserved for women. Buses exist but are for the initiated.
- Uber and Careem are the practical way around and are very cheap in hard currency; white metered taxis often refuse the meter, so agree the fare before getting in. Do not drive yourself.
- Cairo International (CAI) is in Heliopolis in the north-east, anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours from the centre by traffic; a ride-hail is simplest. Ramses station has trains to Alexandria in around two and a half hours and the sleeper to Luxor and Aswan.
- Zamalek, Downtown, Islamic Cairo and Maadi are walkable; crossing the road is an acquired skill (walk steadily and let the cars flow around you). The Nile Corniche is the one long walk, and feluccas from Garden City are the evening.
Health
- Dial 123 for an ambulance, 122 for police and 126 for the tourist police. Private hospitals — As-Salam International, Cleopatra, Dar Al Fouad — are good and expect insurance or payment up front; Kasr El Aini is the huge public teaching hospital.
- Pharmacies are on every street, many open late, and sell most medicines over the counter; pharmacists are the first stop for minor problems. Drink bottled water and expect a day or two of stomach trouble.
- Take travel insurance with evacuation cover. The sun and the heat are the real hazards from May to October, and the air quality is poor for anyone with lungs or asthma; hepatitis A vaccination is sensible.
Work & study
- Cairo University in Giza is the largest and oldest modern university in Egypt; Al-Azhar has taught since the 970s and is the centre of Sunni scholarship; Ain Shams, Helwan, and the American University in Cairo at New Cairo make up the rest of a very large student population.
- Government, the army's businesses, banking and the stock exchange, media and film, textiles, construction, tourism and a growing outsourcing and tech sector at Smart Village and Maadi are the employers; Cairo is the head office for most of Egypt.
- Foreigners need a work permit arranged by an employer; teaching, diplomacy, NGOs, oil and gas and the Gulf-owned companies are where most expatriates work. Local salaries in pounds are low and the currency has been unstable.
Money & manners
- Egyptian pounds; cards work in hotels, malls and better restaurants but cash rules the street, so keep a supply of small notes for baksheesh. Tip 10% in restaurants, a few pounds to anyone who helps, and haggle in the Khan — open at around a third of the asking price and enjoy it.
- Cairenes are warm, funny and curious, and hospitality is not a performance; dress modestly, cover hair and shoulders in mosques, and do not photograph bridges, police or the military. During Ramadan eat and drink out of public view in daylight and expect the city to come alive after sunset.
- October to April is the season: warm days and cool nights, with the khamsin dust winds in spring. Summer is above 35°C and best spent at the museums, on the river or in Alexandria. The scams to know are 'the museum is closed today', the camel and carriage touts at Giza, and the unmetered taxi.