This list of the best places to visit in Cairo will help you explore and fully experience this bustling and essential city, Egypt’s capital. With over 20 million residents and notoriously chaotic traffic, Cairo is the type of city that can overwhelm you at first glance. Yet, as you wander its lively streets, discover its hidden gems, and meet its warm-hearted locals, it slowly captures your heart and draws you in, leaving you unexpectedly enchanted.
Table of Contents
1. Citadel of Saladin
The Citadel of Saladin, located on Mokattam Hill, is one of the best viewpoints and one of the most essential places to see in Cairo. An ancient fortress with high walls and large towers, it was built by order of Saladin in 1176 to defend the city from the Crusader armies. Inside, there are interesting buildings such as the beautiful al-Nasir Mosque with its tiled minarets, the Ottoman-style Gawhara Palace, the Tomb of Mohammed Ali, the Well of Yusuf and, above all, the impressive Mosque of Muhammad Ali, also known as the Alabaster Mosque, which was built between 1830 and 1848, following the model of the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul. It is highly recommended to visit its interior, where you must dress appropriately to sit on the floor of the immense central vault, decorated with mosaics and precious stones, where you will forget for a moment the chaos and noise of the streets.
Opening hours: daily from 8 am to 5 pm. Closing one hour earlier in winter.
2. Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
Khan el-Khalili Bazaar‘s origins date back to 1382 when this place was a caravanserai, a resting place for merchant caravans, and over time it gradually became a large market with nearly 1,000 shops. Keep in mind that you can find practically anything you are looking for and in certain areas of the bazaar there are stalls selling products with the same theme, such as the spice alley or the jewellery alley.
On your walk through this area, you cannot miss streets such as Sikka Khan el-Khalili and Badestan, which still preserve the ancient essence of the caravanserai, as well as other popular places in the market such as the Fishawy café, which has been open for more than 200 years without interruption.
After finding all these points, we recommend that you forget about the map and wander through its labyrinthine streets, while you hear the haggling between merchants and tourists.
To get to this bazaar we suggest you go through Al-Muizz, a one-kilometer pedestrian street with mosques and interesting monuments.
3. Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids of Giza are a wonder of the Ancient World, built around 2500 BC, are made up of three large pyramids with the tombs of the pharaohs Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus, which we are sure will leave you speechless.
The belief in Ancient Egypt was that by building these pyramids, in which rays of light were reflected, the pharaohs would achieve eternity and a place among the gods in the afterlife.
It is also worth entering the interior of the Cheops pyramid, not suitable for those who suffer from claustrophobia, to see the burial chamber with the sarcophagus and visit the museum that contains a perfectly preserved Solar Boat.
In addition to the Pyramids, near the Chephren Pyramid, there is the 20-metre-high Sphinx, which with its famous profile has become another of the country’s symbols.
You can get to the pyramids from Cairo by taxi, Uber, or bus. Whatever your choice, we recommend going early to avoid sharing the experience with many tourists and organized groups.
Visiting hours: daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
4. Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum, located in Tahrir Square, has the largest collection of objects from the period of Ancient Egypt and is another of the most beautiful places to see in Cairo.
Built in 1902 to protect the country’s treasures, it was not until 1922 with the arrival of the 3,500 pieces of Tutankhamun’s treasure, that it became one of the most visited places in the country. The collection has been completed with the recovery of many objects that were stolen or plundered during the wars and that were in foreign museums or private collections.
In addition to the Treasure of Tutankhamun with its famous mask, other interesting pieces are the figure of the Seated Scribe, the Statue of Zoser and that of Akenaton, the Palette of Narmer, and the Triad of Mycerinus.
Although the museum previously housed the mummies of 18 kings and 4 queens of Egypt, in April 2021 these were moved during a spectacular parade to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, so a visit is also highly recommended.
Visiting hours: Monday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays and Sundays it closes at 9 p.m. and Fridays at 4 p.m.
5. Hanging Church
The Hanging Church or the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary is one of the oldest in Egypt and another of the gems of Cairo. Built in the 3rd century AD on one of the towers of the Babylon Fortress of Roman origin, it was a mosque for a time until it returned to the hands of the Coptic Christians who converted it into their most important sanctuary. It is worth going inside to see the marble main altar and the 13 pillars that represent Jesus and the apostles.
Visiting hours: daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
6. Coptic Quarter
Walking through the Coptic Quarter, one of the oldest and home to a large part of the city’s Egyptian Christian community is another of the best things to do in Cairo.
These locals, known as Copts, already lived in this area of the city, where the Gospel places it as the place where Jesus’ family took refuge during their exile in Egypt, before the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs.
Walking through its streets where Christian and Jewish history mix, with details in many buildings of Byzantine and Arab culture, is a real pleasure for the senses.
Among the neighborhood’s highlights are the Babylon Fortress, the Coptic Museum with its famous Nag Hammadi Scrolls, the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, where the Holy Family is believed to have taken refuge from Herod’s persecution, the aforementioned Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue (where the basket containing baby Moses is said to have been found), and the Church of St. George and St. Barbara.
7. Al-Azhar Mosque
The Al-Azhar Mosque, located in the historic center was built between 970 and 972, this mosque has acted to this day as a university and center for Islamic studies. It also has a great influence on social, religious, political, and legal life, dictating laws that are later applied to the rest of the Islamic world.
Inside, you can see the impressive white marble courtyard, study rooms of the madrasas, the prayer room, and the library, and very close to the mosque is also the spectacular five-story Wikala caravanserai of al-Ghouri, which we recommend you do not miss.
Visiting hours: daily from 9 am to 11 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm.
8. Cairo Tower
If there is no fog and the day is very clear, you can observe the immensity of the city from the 186-meter-high Cairo Tower.
Located in the Zamalek district, on Gezira Island, this telecommunications tower also has a revolving restaurant for lunch, although we recommend you enjoy the panoramic views from the open-air viewing platform.
9. City of the Dead
Another of the most surprising places to see in Cairo is the so-called City of the Dead, a place where the living and the dead coexist.
Located behind the Citadel, beneath the Mokattam Hills, this ancient Arab necropolis has become a small city where some have gone to live to be close to their ancestors, although the vast majority have been forced to move due to real estate speculation in the center.
In this neighborhood you can see modest houses with tombs in the rooms and extreme poverty, so it is almost essential to visit with a taxi driver or a trusted guide.
Although many tourists make this visit, we have mixed feelings and due to the situation of the people who live there, we believe that this should be avoided as a tourist place.
10. Mosque of Ibn Tulun
The Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun is the oldest mosque in Cairo and the one best preserved in its original form. Built between 876 and 879 in mud bricks, this large mosque has a sober oriental decoration with many arches and domes. Inside the temple, the main feature is its large 90-square-metre courtyard surrounded by arcades and a large central fountain.
It is also worth climbing to the top of an original stepped minaret to enjoy fantastic views of Cairo.
11. Bab Zuweila Gate
Bab Zuweila is one of the three remaining gates of the walls of the Old City and our last recommendation of places to see in Cairo.
The result of the construction of a second wall to better protect the city during the turbulent 11th and 12th centuries, this gate, in addition to its history, is notable for its two tall minarets that were used to spot possible invaders and which are now two fantastic viewpoints of the city.
