Cairo is a huge, vibrant city filled with so much culture, ancient landmarks, an intricate maze of streets, and, of course, bustling traffic.
Visiting Egypt had been on our bucket list for such a long time. We spent 3 days in Cairo and we were so excited to visit Africa for the first time. We hope this 3-day itinerary and guide to Cairo will help you plan your trip.
All opinions are our own and this was our honest review based on our own experience.
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU SPEND IN EGYPT?
Spending 3 days through Cairo and its surroundings is a good start. But of course, you can do a 10 day itinerary and see other great places like Aswan, Luxor, Gouna and Sahel. You can truly fit so much into 10 days in this country. One thing’s for sure, we’ll definitely be back.
Where to stay in Cairo?
We stayed in the absolute perfect location, just steps from the Cairo tower and the Nile river at Zamalek. We booked through booking.com in the Novotel Hotel Cairo El Borg. The location is central, the hotel is clean, modern and comfortable. The staff is very friendly and you’re greeted with fresh orange juice. For first time visitors, we would recommend Zamalek district because it is centrally located and close to restaurants, tourist attractions and nightlife.
TIP: when you book and stay using this link, you’ll get 10% of your trip back.
LINK HERE
So here’s how to spend three days in Cairo. (Click here to watch our Cairo Travel Guide video)
ITINERARY BREAKDOWN:
Day 1 – Cairo Down Town
Stop 1 – Cairo tower
We started off the day by visiting the Cairo Tower, which was a 5-minute walk from our hotel.
It’s one of the main landmarks in Cairo and its 62nd floor overlooks the Nile river and the entire city. Spending an hour there would be enough.
Stop 2 – City Gardens
Then, we hired a horse-drawn carriage (for 200 EGP) to check the city gardens and the downtown. It was an extremely fun ride across Cairo’s downtown, the driver was very entertaining and fun.
Stop 3 – Party Time
We headed with our friend Tarek to a brunch outside of the city of Cairo in a place called The Lemon tree & Co. The brunch turned into a party and it was so much fun. Egyptians are so nice and warm. We ended up in a house party full of people we had just met. Just so AWESOME!!!
Day 2 – Pyramids of Giza and Coptic Cairo
Stop 1 – Pyramids of Giza
We woke up bright and early to head to the Pyramids. We headed over there using Uber. Uber is very safe and cheap and we highly recommend it to move around Cairo. Please note, the older taxis of Cairo do not use meters so make sure to negotiate the fare in advance to avoid getting ripped off.
Before entering:
Remember to bring an official ID (passport). The security process at the entrance was fairly long, so make sure to keep your documents ready.
Once we got our tickets, we were all set to explore the pyramids of Giza. We couldn’t believe that we were actually ticking the pyramids off of our bucket list. Words couldn’t describe the majesty and beauty of this place. It’s where history and greatness meet. Suddenly, you feel so small, and thirsty to read more about pharaohs civilization.
We started our tour and entered the great pyramid. We climbed up a long and narrow passage which leads into a stone coffin. Was it the most beautiful thing we saw? No. The stone coffin was actually empty. But it was fun as an experience.
We don’t recommend going up if you’re claustrophobic or afraid of heights because the stairs are steep and the passage is very narrow.
We continued with a horse tour to be able to visit the entire place, including the sphinx.
Our horse guide was fun. He took us to the best spots for photos and insisted on taking the most touristy pics like holding the summit of the pyramid with the tips of our fingers! (see pic below)
How much? Don’t pay more than 250 EGP pp for this ride.
Tour guides at the Pyramids of Giza can be clingy. There is a huge business built around giving tourists rides on camels and horses, and they are pretty much determined about getting business. We got asked where we were from many times as a hook to start a conversation and sell us any ride.
At the pyramids, the guides would want a tip no matter how inconsequential the advice they give. So be careful. Also, you will see animals treated poorly.
Unfortunately, things like this do happen. We think it’s important to show a balance of what really happens when you travel.
At the end of the day, keep in mind that you are not visiting this place twice. So, have fun, bargain and take lots of pictures along the way.
However, the place is incredible. The Pyramids are so beautiful and we had loads of fun. We walked out and took an Uber back to Cairo, grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Coptic Cairo.
Stop 2 – Coptic Cairo
Next we went to Coptic Cairo, also known as Old Cairo. It holds a long history and endless churches and attractions worth visiting. We started off by visiting the Hanging Church : a church built on top of a Babylon Fortress, hence the name. Then we walked through underground streets and alleyways (our favorite part of the area) to reach Ibn Azra Synagogue.
BTW: Click here for Armenia’s full itinerary – another destination we’ve traveled to and absolutely loved its cultural heritage
Stop 3 – Felucca Rides at sunset
After a long busy day, we were ready for something more chill. Before coming back to our hotel, we headed to a Felucca ride to enjoy the sunset. It was so nice, calm and much needed. Felucca rides are famous in Cairo, and you can find them on the Nile river.
We opted for the ones right in front of the Four seasons hotel.
How much? Pay no more than 200 EGP per ride. Get ready to relax and enjoy the sound of silence!
Stop 4 – Party time
Next we had some rest at the hotel. Then we freshened up and met our friends in a restaurant/bar called SASS overlooking the Nile. The vibes there were great and the music was even better. Highly recommend it for a night out with your date or your friends.
Day 3 – The Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo
Stop 1 – The Egyptian Museum
If you follow our page, you know we are not big fans of museums. Don’t get us wrong, we love history, but we’re more of the adventurous type. But we were both so excited to check out the Egyptian museum. Back in school, we studied a lot about the Ancient Egypt and the pharaoh’s civilization. This Museum is like nothing we’ve seen before. A must visit for sure! Statues, tombs, hieroglyphs, gold masks…you name it. We particularly marveled at the mummies. We managed to sneak our camera in for videos of the mummies, head over here to watch our CAIRO TRAVEL GUIDE VIDEO. So impressive!
Stop 2 – Salah El-din Citadel
Next we went to Salah El-din Citadel of Cairo. The Citadel is a medieval Islamic fortification famous for its unique views of the city and walls. Also served as a water supply for the Citadel, these walls surrounded old Cairo and were meant to protect it against the Crusaders.
Also, the Mohammad Ali Mosque is the most famous attraction inside the Citadel, make sure to visit.
Stop 3 – Khan el Khalili
We ended our trip in Khan el Khalili which is a major souk in the center of Islamic Cairo. Once there, you’ll find tiny twisting alleyways that seem to all look the same. There are beautiful stores, endless shopping and handmade souvenirs. It reminded us of those in Turkey and it turned out to be once known as the Turkish bazaar during the Ottoman period.
Built in 1382, together with Al-Moez street, they represent one of Cairo’s most important traditional shopping areas. Now that you know where to buy all the souvenirs from, don’t forget to stop for a refreshingly cup of tea or even have some shisha at the perfect spot : Al-Fishawi coffee shop.
This is the most authentic Egyptian street you’ll ever visit.
Cairo’s Culinary Experience
Spending 3 days in Cairo doesn’t make us experts in the Egyptian cuisine. But we managed to try out different types of food and here is what we think. Food in Cairo is so tasty and surprisingly cheap. You can get a decent meal for as low as 0.5 $ (Kouchari at “Al Ambrator“) or a fine dining experience (alcohol included) for 35 $ per person (Crimson bar and grill).
Also, you can’t leave Cairo without trying the traditional “Foul w Taamyya”, and for that Zooba was the perfect spot : a modern twist of Egyptian street food (4$ pp) – I am moving to Cairo!
IS EGYPT SAFE?
Before traveling to Egypt, we’ll admit we didn’t know much about it. The things we read online warned that women travelers needed to be careful and to dress properly. Egypt is a Muslim country and most of the women are covered up. However, we didn’t feel unsafe at any point. When you travel to any country, make sure to research about their culture and traditions.
Egypt is an incredible country full of history and culture. It is one of those places that we recommend to go at least once. It’s lovely, and the Egyptian people are incredibly nice. We hope this itinerary has helped you with essential things you need to plan a perfect trip to Cairo.
There is a lot more to explore in other areas of Egypt so we will definitely be back.
We hope this guide has helped you with everything you need to plan a perfect trip to Cairo.
