Crawl inside the Great Pyramid, come face to face with the royal mummies and get lost in the medieval lanes of Islamic Cairo. Plan your trip to Cairo and Giza, from the pyramids and museums to where to stay and the best day trips.
People love to hate on Cairo. It’s too busy, they say, it’s grimy, and there’s nothing to see except the pyramids, all from the confines of a hotel room they haven’t actually left except on a guided tour. I disagree. With its busy bazaars, show-stopping sights and vibrant culture, it’s got a vibe of its own, and right on its edge, Giza has the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
It was probably the place I was least excited about on my Egypt trip, and it was without a doubt the biggest surprise. I spent my first two days here, staying in Dokki, and came back on the sleeper train from Luxor for a final day and a night in Garden City. In that time I went inside the Great Pyramid, spent hours in the Egyptian Museum, met the royal mummies, haggled in Khan el-Khalili and squeezed in the Citadel and Coptic Cairo.
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The most comfortable months are October to April, with March, April, October and November the sweet spot between the weather and the crowds. December to February is peak season, and it’s very hot from June to August, when highs average around 35°C.
I was here in late May and early June: hot, especially on the Giza plateau, but manageable if you start early. Mosques close to visitors during Friday midday prayers, so plan around them.
For pyramid views: small guesthouses on Sphinx Square look straight out at the Sphinx, and the Grand Egyptian Museum is a short ride away. Dokki, where I spent my first nights, is the riverside part of Giza, about 10 km from the pyramids.
For luxury hotels on the Nile, with the Egyptian Museum and Tahrir Square within walking distance. I spent my last night at the Kempinski here.
El Gamaleya puts you in the heart of medieval Cairo, steps from Khan el-Khalili; leafy Zamalek, on Gezira Island, has the Cairo Tower, galleries and some of the city’s best restaurants.
My guide to where to stay in Cairo has 2 to 3 hotels in every area.
Cairo is more conservative than the resorts, so pack loose clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. Women should carry a scarf to cover their hair in mosques, and you’ll take your shoes off at the door. Bring comfortable shoes for the Giza plateau and a hat. My Egypt packing list has the rest.
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Did I have a minor moment when I first saw them? Yes. I paid extra to crawl up inside the Great Pyramid to the King’s Chamber: probably not one for the claustrophobic. Head to the panoramic point to see all three together.
Read next: Pyramids of Giza: how to visit (and whether to go inside the Great Pyramid)
Next to the pyramids, the GEM opened fully in November 2025, with Tutankhamun’s treasures, the Grand Staircase and Khufu’s boat.
Read next: Best museums in Cairo: from royal mummies to Tutankhamun
I spent about three hours in the old museum on Tahrir Square, among its statues, coffins and treasures.
I wasn’t sure whether the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation would really be worth the effort after the Egyptian Museum. It is. Its Royal Mummies Hall holds the 22 kings and queens moved here in 2021, including Ramses II.
The great bazaar of medieval Cairo, with the city’s most famous café at its heart. Walk Al-Muizz Street after dark, when its mosques and madrasas are lit up.
Saladin’s hilltop fortress, crowned by the Alabaster Mosque, with views over the city. Below it, don’t miss the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan.
Read next: Cairo Citadel: the Alabaster Mosque, views and what to skip
Inside the walls of a Roman fortress, the Hanging Church, the Church of St Sergius and St Bacchus, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Coptic Museum make a perfect morning.
Read next: Coptic Cairo: a walking route through its churches
The 187-metre tower on Gezira Island has a 360-degree view over the Nile and, on a clear day, the pyramids. I went up it too, for the view over the river.
See the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt’s great pyramids, then the Bent and Red Pyramids.
Read next: 14 brilliant day trips from Cairo (and how to actually do them)
2 days
Day 1, Giza: Pyramids and Sphinx > Grand Egyptian Museum > a sunset felucca on the Nile
Day 2, Old Cairo: NMEC > Coptic Cairo > Citadel > Khan el-Khalili and El Fishawy
3 days
Add a morning in the Egyptian Museum and an evening on Al-Muizz Street, or a day trip to Saqqara and Dahshur.
My 2-day Cairo itinerary has the details, day by day.
A 30-hectare garden created on what had been a rubbish dump for centuries, with some of the best sunset views of the Citadel and the minarets of Islamic Cairo.
One of the oldest mosques in Cairo, with a spiral minaret, next to two joined Ottoman-era houses that starred in The Spy Who Loved Me.
A neighbourhood where people live among the domed tombs and mausoleums of a vast historic cemetery.
The churches and synagogue of Coptic Cairo are free to enter (donations are welcome), and so is wandering Khan el-Khalili and Al-Muizz Street. Most mosques are free outside prayer times, and the Corniche is a free sunset stroll.
The city’s most famous café, serving tea and coffee in its mirrored alley since the 18th century; the novelist Naguib Mahfouz was a regular. I stopped here after the bazaar.
The bar and restaurant beside the rooftop pool, with the Nile below. The food was bright and flavourful; go at dusk.
The city’s best-known koshari restaurant, which grew from a street cart into a multi-storey institution.
Egyptian street food, from ta’ameya to koshari, with a modern twist and very reasonable prices.
Leave 10 to 15% in restaurants (check for a service charge first), and keep small notes for toilet attendants, porters and anyone who helps you.
Egypt runs on Eastern European Time (UTC+2), with daylight saving (UTC+3) from the last Friday of April to the last Thursday of October.
220V, with type C and F plugs.
Drink bottled water, not tap water, and carry plenty on the Giza plateau, where there’s little shade.
Uber and Careem are the easiest way to get around. The metro is useful for Downtown (Sadat) and Coptic Cairo (Mar Girgis). Tourists take the sleeper south from Giza station, not Cairo’s main station.
Cairo is generally safe for visitors, with tourist police at the major sites. Watch out for pickpockets in crowded markets and on the metro, and be wary of anyone offering unsolicited help at the pyramids.
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