Visiting Cairo’s pyramids and immersing ourselves in the ancient Egypt’s atmosphere has been on our bucket list for long. We decided to spend a long weekend in Cairo during the celebrations of the UAE’s national day.
Aside from the pyramids’ complex and the sphinx, there are also other attractions in the city you shouldn’t miss, such as the Saladin Citadel and the Coptic Hanging Church. The Egyptian museum has so much potential, with thousands of ancient artifacts including Tutankhamun tomb content, but it is old and not properly maintained. A new museum is slated to open sometime in 2020.
While the historical places and monuments are impressive, the city itself was somewhat disappointing. Cairo has a major problem to cope with though: rubbish. Many areas, sometimes even next to major attractions, are covered in litter, while traffic can be chaotic.
The presence of a local guide and driver during our stay was a big advantage to skip queues, avoid unsafe places and move around easily while learning about Egyptian history.
Getting there – Cairo Airport
Most major airlines fly direct to Cairo. We flew AirArabia from Sharjah airport in the evening and arrived in Cairo slightly after midnight. The procedure at arrival was long and complex and we passed it smoothly thanks to our guide, who had access also to the airport’s restricted areas. Apparently, authorized travel agencies have employees that can access the restricted area in airports to assist visitors with this kind of bureaucracy.
When you land, remember to head to the Masri Bank office located at the passport control area first. You need to buy a 25 USD visa stamp that the custom officer will apply to your passport once your entry is granted. Our guide did it on our behalf because we were clueless as the process is not explained anywhere.
Cairo’s airport used to be a lively and busy hub but nowadays there are just few shops and cafes open. For this reason, we would recommend you avoid reaching the airport too early on departure. Since the traffic from the city to the airport may be intense, we left early from our hotel and spent some time at the nearby Sun City Mall in Sheraton neighborhood. It is just few minutes away from the departure hall and offers some entertainment.
Discovering Old Cairo
There are many attractions you can visit while in Cairo, from pharaonic period to the modern times. We decided to dedicate the first day to the pyramids and the pharaonic heritage and then to move to the city center to explore more recent attractions. Here are our top picks:
Camel riding at the Pyramids
The pyramids are spectacular, made with blocks of stone as tall as a teenager. In the past they were covered with reflective material, shining under the sun and being visible from far. No matter how many documentaries or photos you’ve seen in the past, nothing can prepare you for the moment you stand at the base of the Grand Pyramid.
You can access the pyramids and sphinx park with a single ticket paid in cash with Egyptian pounds only. Once inside the pyramid complex, you can spend your time as you like.
We would recommend you to visit the tomb of Cheops inside his pyramid. There is a little fee to pay but you can climb inside and enter in the very room where the sarcophagus was hidden. The stairs are quite narrow and require some effort to climb, so we would only advise it if you are fit and not claustrophobic. Climbing the pyramids on the outside is not allowed, even though we saw people doing that.
You can also rent a camel or a horse to explore the area. A guide will show you around and take you somewhere remote to admire the pyramids in all their splendor. Let’s be clear: it is a tourist trap with exorbitant prices. We ended up paying 50 USD for 2 hours camel ride so be ready to bargain hard if you decide to do it.
It was really an unique experience.
Mind the camels though!
We loved the tour until the moment Andre’s camel decided to unseat him. The guide was showing us how agile the camels can be when Andre was thrown to the ground by the animal. Luckily, he got away only with a bad bruise and swelling on his lower back and without permanent injuries.
The funny thing is that after that, the guide asked Andre to give him bakshis, the Arabic word for tip, and he got pissed when Andre refused.
Saladin Citadel
The citadel is one of the major works of military architecture of the middle ages. It was built on top of a hill overlooking Cairo, making it an impregnable installation. The citadel was so important to the Egyptian rulers that it was the official seat of the government for seven centuries until the end of the 19th Century.
The Qal’at al-Jabal or Citadel of the mountain was built by Salah el-Din al Ayyubi, aka Saladin, in the 12th Century. Within the massive enclosure walls there are several important buildings like the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which dominates Cairo’s skyline.
It is a nice place to visit during your stay in Cairo, but we recommend you to have a guide. Otherwise your visit may be restricted to looking at old walls and buildings without fully appreciating the importance of the place.
We spent one hour in the citadel with our guide telling us stories about Egypt’s most recent history. After visiting the interior, we recommend to go to the external walls and enjoy the beautiful view of Cairo from above.
The Hanging Church
While the majority of the Egyptian population is Muslim, a significant minority is Coptic Orthodox. The Coptic community is very old and has in Saint Virgin Mary’s Church in Cairo one of Egypt’s oldest churches. The church is located in Coptic Cairo and is easily accessed via the Mar Girgis metro.
The church has many nicknames but the one that most suited it was ‘the hanging church’. Indeed, the church was built over a passage above the gatehouse of a Roman fortress, at a high of some meters. When you enter in the courtyard decorated with biblical mosaics, you won’t notice this characteristic. During the centuries, the neighborhood has been gradually levelled and the floor raised a couple of meters.
The church is almost completely made of wood. Carved wood doors welcome you inside where you’ll find a vaulted ceiling made with timber to resemble Noah’s ark. There are several columns of different colors. The white ones represent Jesus and the disciples, the black one portrays Juda’s betrayal while the grey one represents Thomas’ doubt. There were 110 icons all around, most of which are now in a dedicated museum next door. The Virgin Mary icon is the oldest of the collection being 1300 years old.
Regardless of your religious orientation, the hanging church is a must see. Not only for the architecture but as an immersive experience in an ancient culture. Masses are given in the ancient Coptic language, the final evolution of the Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Khan El Khalili Bazaar
Khan el Khalili is probably one of the attractions tourists don’t miss when in Cairo. Fairly popular with Egyptians too, it offers all kinds of products, from clothes to souvenirs, including goods for everyday life. Those who have never visited a souq or bazaar before will find Khan El Khalili stunning. The souq atmosphere is unique and the oriental flair of the products are usually a magnet for visitors. If it is your first time in a bazaar, remember to bargain hard, as everything can be bought at a discounted price.
If you have already visited a bazaar in other countries, like us, you may find it average. We live in the Middle East and we have visited many bazaars, with the one in Istanbul our favorite so far and ten times better than Cairo’s one. For this reason, we spent in Cairo’s bazaar just an hour or so, just enough to buy some souvenirs for our families.
Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian museum is packed with artifacts from the Pharaonic era making it the world’s largest and most precious collection of genuine artifacts dating back to 5,000 years ago. Amongst the over 250,000 pieces displayed, there is an exhibit of the treasure collection of king Tutankhamen that had been sealed in his tomb for more than 3500 year. This exhibit alone is worth the cost of the ticket.
Unfortunately, the museum had serious issues during the period or the revolutions, when it was completely neglected and people stole from it. Once order was re-established, almost all stolen artifacts were returned but the structure remained in ruin.
The new government decided to build a new modern museum close to the pyramids, instead of refurbishing the old building. A wise decision if you ask us. Currently the exhibits are accumulated in dusty rooms, without proper explanations or logical path.
Cairo Tower
From Cairo tower you can get a beautiful view of Cairo and the Nile. It is located in the southern part of Gezira Island, next to the opera house and other important venues. For this reason, it can get busy during weekends or public holidays. When our guide took us at the tower, there was a special weekend event at the opera house. We immediately regretted the choice as the island was packed and we had to line up almost one hour to get to the elevator bringing visitors to the observation deck.
Once we reached the top, we realized that there was another hour waiting time to get back to ground floor so we decided to take turns queuing for the elevator while the other quickly went to the balcony. It was packed too, making it difficult to walk around. We managed to take some photos and be out in less than 20 minutes, an achievement if we consider the long line of people waiting.
If you pick the right day, the view from the tower is amazing. We would recommend you to go for the sunset as Cairo by night is fascinating.
Mind the traffic
Be ready to witness the weirdest things while driving around in Cairo. We would strongly recommend you to get a trustable local driver to navigate in the unruly traffic. On our way from the airport to the hotel, we were slowed down by a wedding celebration. Dozens of cars were zigzagging on the highway at a very slow pace with people sitting out of the windows. The second day there was a funeral and people decided to stop the traffic to share their sadness. Then we saw a bus on fire, with the driver calmly driving it as if nothing happened, despite fellow drivers warning him.
Uber is a great choice to move around the city if your driver isn’t available or if you decided to explore the city on your own. The price is fixed by the app and you don’t have to negotiate the ride’s price every single time as with regular taxis.
What and where to eat
We usually like to try local foods every time we travel. Andre eats almost everything he finds while Mara is more conscious. We usually follow the basic travellers’ rules to avoid food related issues when we visit countries with different hygienic standards. We avoid eating street food unless the stand is reasonably clean and drink bottled water.
Our guide recommended us to try some local specialties like the stuffed pigeons and the koshari a mix of rice, pasta, onions, chickpeas and lentils. The latter is filling, extremely cheap and very popular with locals. We loved it, even though what was supposed to be an afternoon snack was enough for dinner and breakfast too.
One of the restaurants that serve the pigeon is Abou Shakra, just in front of the pyramids. Not the best service ever but we managed to get what we wanted. You can have koshari, everywhere in Cairo. We had it at Koshari Hend, a famous brand in Cairo.
