3-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.