Cairo
The pyramids at the edge of the city, the Nile through the middle, and a thousand minarets between.
Cairo is the immense capital of Egypt on the Nile, with the pyramids of Giza standing at its western edge, the medieval city of mosques and gates on its eastern hills and the river islands and the boulevards of the modern centre between. The museums hold the pharaohs; Luxor and the Red Sea are a flight or a train away.
Why go
For Giza, which no photograph prepares you for, and for the Egyptian Museum's treasures and the new Grand Egyptian Museum beside the pyramids. Then for Islamic Cairo: the citadel, the great mosques, the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and the street of the tentmakers.
And for the river and the life around it: a felucca at sunset, coffee and shisha in an old café, Coptic Cairo's churches, and the roar and generosity of a city that never quite stops.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The pyramids and the Sphinx
The three pyramids on the Giza plateau with the Sphinx before them, walked, ridden or seen from the desert side at sunset. The Grand Egyptian Museum sits at the plateau's edge with Tutankhamun's collection.
02The Egyptian Museum
The old museum on Tahrir Square, still holding statues and treasures from the whole of pharaonic history, alongside the new galleries at Giza; the royal mummies are now at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat.
03Islamic Cairo
The citadel and its alabaster mosque on the hill, the mosques of Sultan Hassan and Ibn Tulun, the medieval street of Al-Muizz from gate to gate and the bazaar of Khan el-Khalili.
04Saqqara and Dahshur
The step pyramid at Saqqara and the bent and red pyramids at Dahshur, older than Giza and far quieter, a morning south of the city.
05The Nile
A felucca from the Garden City corniche at dusk, the Cairo Tower's view from Zamalek, and the island's leafy streets of galleries and cafés.
06Coptic Cairo and Old Cairo
The Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra synagogue and the Coptic Museum inside the walls of the Roman fortress of Babylon, reached by metro.
07Luxor and the Red Sea
The temples of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings by overnight train or a short flight; the reefs of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh for the sea.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Zamalek
The island in the Nile: embassies, galleries, cafés and hotels on quiet streets. A favoured base.
The centre and Garden City
The belle-époque centre around Tahrir Square and the river, with the museum and the old grand hotels.
Giza
Hotels with the pyramids in view, on the western edge, convenient for the plateau and the new museum.
Heliopolis and New Cairo
The airport side and the new suburbs, with modern hotels and a long drive from the old city.
When to go: Cairo
- WinterNovember – March
- Mild, sunny days and cool evenings: the season for the pyramids, the desert sites and Luxor. The fullest months.
- Shoulder monthsApril and October
- Warm to hot, with the spring sometimes bringing dusty khamsin winds; comfortable early and late in the day.
- SummerMay – September
- Very hot and dry; sites are seen at opening and the afternoons spent in museums or on the water. Fewer visitors.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Cairo. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- CAICairo International
Distance from
- DXBDubai2,430 km
- CDGParis3,210 km
- LHRLondon3,530 km
- BOMMumbai4,360 km
- JNBJohannesburg6,260 km
- SINSingapore8,280 km
- JFKNew York9,010 km
- SYDSydney14,420 km
Getting around: Cairo
The metro is quick along its lines, including to Coptic Cairo; ride-hailing is the practical way elsewhere and avoids negotiation. Traffic is heavy at all hours, so allow time and group the sights.
A driver for the day covers Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur together. Trains and flights link Luxor and Aswan; the Red Sea resorts are a flight or a long drive.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Egypt
- Currency
- EGP · Egyptian Pound
- Languages
- Arabic
- Time zone
- Eastern European Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +20
The atlas
Cairo in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Cairo, month by month
- Jan18°
- Feb20°
- Mar25°
- Apr29°
- May34°
- Jun37°
- Jul39°
- Aug38°
- Sept35°
- Oct31°
- Nov25°
- Dec20°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: October to April.
Mean highs run from 18°C in January to 39°C in July, with about 60 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for CairoModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBCairo
2,430 km
3 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
From AUHCairo
2,390 km
3 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Cairo
From the journal
Related reading
In pictures: Cairo
Plan this trip: Cairo
Open the trip builder with Cairo already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
