10-Day Cairo Itinerary

Check in along the Nile Corniche

Land in Cairo and settle into a hotel on the Corniche, with the Nile's slow traffic of feluccas visible from the window.

First ahwa coffee stop

Sit at a downtown ahwa, a traditional Egyptian coffeehouse, over Turkish coffee and backgammon-playing regulars.

Orientation walk in downtown Cairo

Wander downtown's belle-epoque streets around Talaat Harb Square, laid out by 19th-century Egyptian planners.

Sunset felucca sail on the Nile

Board a traditional wooden felucca for a sunset sail past Gezira Island as the call to prayer drifts over the water.

The Great Pyramids of Giza

Stand before the Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure at opening time, before the desert heat and crowds build.

The Great Sphinx up close

Walk down to the Great Sphinx, its lion body and human face carved from a single limestone outcrop.

Camel ride across the plateau

Take a camel out to a desert viewpoint for the classic panorama of all three pyramids in one frame.

Grilled pigeon in Giza village

Try stuffed grilled pigeon, a Cairo specialty, at a local restaurant near the plateau's edge.

Egyptian Museum's ground floor

Walk the pink Egyptian Museum's ground floor galleries of colossal statues and sarcophagi in Tahrir Square.

Tutankhamun's treasures upstairs

See Tutankhamun's solid gold funerary mask and burial treasures on the museum's upper floor.

Tahrir Square and Garden City

Walk from Tahrir Square through Garden City's winding, leafy diplomatic streets laid out in a European style.

Koshari at a downtown institution

Eat koshari, Egypt's beloved rice-lentil-pasta dish topped with crispy onions and tangy tomato sauce, at a classic downtown spot.

Saladin's Citadel and Mohamed Ali Mosque

Climb to the Citadel of Saladin and step inside the alabaster Mohamed Ali Mosque, its silhouette visible across Cairo.

Citadel views over medieval Cairo

Take in the view from the Citadel walls over Islamic Cairo's forest of minarets and domes.

Alleys of Al-Muizz Street

Walk Al-Muizz Street's stretch of Mamluk and Ottoman monuments, mosques and covered markets built over centuries.

Ful medames at a corner stall

Try ful medames, slow-stewed fava beans with cumin, oil and lemon, from a stall that's fed the neighbourhood for decades.

Khan el-Khalili bazaar

Get lost in the 14th-century Khan el-Khalili bazaar's lanes of copperware, spices, perfume oils and gold.

Tea at El Fishawy cafe

Stop for mint tea at El Fishawy, a mirrored coffeehouse open continuously since the 1770s inside the bazaar.

Coptic Cairo's ancient churches

Visit the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo, among Egypt's oldest Christian and Jewish sites.

Rooftop dinner over the bazaar

Eat grilled kofta and mezze on a rooftop terrace overlooking the lantern-lit Khan el-Khalili lanes below.

Drive south to Saqqara

Head out of Cairo through palm groves toward Saqqara, the vast necropolis of ancient Memphis.

Djoser's Step Pyramid

Walk the site of Djoser's Step Pyramid, the world's oldest large-scale stone monument, and its surrounding tombs.

Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur

Continue to Dahshur to see the Bent Pyramid's odd double-angled slope and the smooth Red Pyramid nearby, both nearly empty of crowds.

Village-style dinner in Memphis

Stop for a home-style dinner of grilled chicken and molokhia stew near the ruins of ancient Memphis on the drive back.

Fiteer breakfast pastry

Start with fiteer, a flaky layered pastry served sweet or savoury, at a bakery that's been baking it for generations.

Sayeda Zeinab market snacks

Graze the Sayeda Zeinab market for taameya, Egyptian fava-bean falafel, tucked into fresh baladi bread.

Home-cooking class in a local kitchen

Join a Cairo home cook to learn molokhia, a garlicky jute-leaf stew served over rice, a true household staple.

Dinner cruise on the Nile

Board a dinner cruise along the Nile with live tanoura dance performances and the city lights reflecting on the water.

Train to Alexandria

Take the morning train along the Nile Delta to Alexandria, Egypt's Mediterranean port city.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Visit the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, built to evoke the ancient world's legendary lost library.

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

Descend into the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, a striking blend of Pharaonic, Greek and Roman funerary art.

Seafood on the Corniche

Eat grilled sea bass and shrimp at a seafront restaurant on Alexandria's Corniche before the train back to Cairo.

Slow morning in Zamalek

Wander Zamalek's tree-lined streets on Gezira Island, Cairo's leafy, low-key embassy district.

Coffee at a Zamalek garden cafe

Settle in at a Zamalek garden cafe for Turkish coffee and a slice of basbousa, semolina cake soaked in syrup.

Hammam and massage afternoon

Book a traditional hammam scrub and massage at a spa near the Nile before the trip's final evening.

Farewell feast of mixed grill

Close the trip with a mixed grill of kofta, kebab and lamb chops at a classic Cairo grill house.

Final gifts at Khan el-Khalili

Make one last stop at Khan el-Khalili for engraved cartouches, alabaster and Egyptian cotton scarves.

Last look from the Cairo Tower

Ride up the Cairo Tower on Gezira Island for a final panoramic view over the Nile and the distant Giza plateau.

Farewell lunch by the Nile

A last Nile-side lunch of grilled fish and rice before heading to the airport.

Transfer to Cairo International Airport

Head to the airport for the evening flight home, the pyramids' silhouette fading into the desert haze.