My Guide to Cairo – Booked Without Thought

I visited Cairo, Egypt for a weekend in January 2024 coming straight from Jordan which was a huge contrast. While the lure of both is the ancient history and wonders of the world; Jordan is full of peaceful landscapes whereas Cairo is a chaotic capital city which epitomizes Arab culture. It is the 15th Largest metropolitan area in the world and it feels like it with constant noise, traffic and vendors vying for your attention to sell all kinds of exotic goods.

What should I see?

The main attractions that bring people to Cairo are:

The Great Pyramids of Giza – the only original wonder of the world left standing! The Pyramids are as grand as they are mysterious with many still unsure of how they were possibly built thousands of years ago
The Sphinx – situated in the same complex as the Pyramids, the Sphinx is one of Egypt’s most iconic sights
Khan el-Khalili – if you’ve got any room to bring back souvenirs this is the place to get them. Khan el-Khalili is a huge area of open air markets winding through side streets and alleyways stretching across 5000 square meters
Grand Egyptian Museum – There are several huge museums in Cairo but this is definitely the best with thousands of artifacts including the solid gold sarcophagus of Tutankhamun
Al-Azhar and Muhammad Ali Mosques – There are several famous Mosques in Cairo which are great for both their incredible architecture and an insight into a different culture

How to get around Cairo

Cairo has some of the most chaotic roads I have ever seen; with many devoid of any road markings, a culture of every man for themselves style driving and even the occasional donkey drawn carriage meandering across 6 lanes of traffic. Uber is the way to go with 30 minute journeys costing less than £3 with wait times of just 5 minutes. If you prefer, you can hire a personal driver to stay with you for an entire day for around £60-100 if you are on a larger budget and want to save some hassle.

Where should I stay?

I chose to stay just a couple hundred meters of the pyramids so that I could sit and eat breakfast in front of the everyday. While this is incredible I would actually recommend staying in Zamelek or just east of the river Nile as this is where the vast majority of Sights are. This means the only long Journey you have is to the pyramids rather than staying at the pyramids and traveling 30 minutes to all of the other major sights.

Is it expensive?

The Egyptian Pound is a far weaker currency than the British Pound and so most travelers can get quite a lot for their money. The biggest sights such as the Pyramids cost just £6 to enter and I was able to eat out at great restaurants comfortable for £10-15 a meal.