How to spend the best weekend in Cairo, Egypt's capital city

Once a month, I swap a night’s sleep in a comfy bed for a stiff neck on a minibus, traveling 12 hours from Sinai to Cairo. I leave behind the sea and mountains for noise and crowds. Why? Because of the experiences Cairo offers. But also because Cairo is a friend, a consistent old friend. She (Cairo is a she in Arabic) always knows how to raise a smile. Down every alley, she hides a cafe; around every corner, a story. 

Let me introduce you! Three days is enough to (begin) get to know Cairo up close and personal, Egyptian style. Lace up your boots; we are going for a walk.

When to arrive: The Egyptian weekend is Friday and Saturday (though shop owners tend to take Sundays off). This proposed trip is from Friday to Sunday, so I've arranged the visits so you can enjoy Cairo away from the crowds. (Though noise is an integral part of what makes Egypt Egypt.) You will enjoy your visit at any time of the year, just not, perhaps, when the khamsin (hot southerly winds) are blowing.

How to get from the airport: Cairo has two airports. One everyone knows (Cairo International), and one most don’t know (Sphinx International). At Cairo International, you’ll be able to pick up a regular white taxi or use apps like Uber and inDrive. Alternatively, pre-book a London Cab for a more showy entrance. Sphinx International uses a private taxi company, but you can also order an Uber.

Getting around town: Download Cairo maps onto your phone (Google Maps or Maps.me) and walk. Though Cairo is eminently walkable outside of June to August (the summers are hot here and can reach 35°C/95°F), the metro is your safe bet for all seasons. Prices on ride-hailing apps are higher than regular taxi fares but remain reasonable.

Where to stay: Sleep in Downtown for its convenient location to the sights. Madina Hostel near the Egyptian Museum has rave reviews. Cecilia Hotel is a favorite option for those on a budget. Across the river, visitors who are looking to spend a little more will love the palatial terraces of the Marriott in Zamalek.

What to pack: Bring long sleeves and bottoms for UV protection and modesty, along with a sun hat and a water bottle. A shawl is helpful for all occasions and a light jacket is recommended for the cool winter evenings. Don't forget your personal medication, and bring a pen – you'll need one to fill out your landing card or maybe even to sketch a weasel. You'll see many of them in the city running away from cats.

Friday

How to spend the day: After a lavish breakfast at Oldish or Groppi Gardens, saunter down Talaat Harb and cross Tahrir Sq to the Egyptian Museum (Al-Sadat metro). Book online or pay on entrance (cards only). Guides charge around US$20 per hour. You can also buy a ticket from the website for LE450 (US$9.11) per adult or LE230 (US$4.66) for students (audio guides are available). A guide is recommended because the collections are not always clearly signed. Tutankhamun’s golden mask never fails to amaze, even after hundreds of visits. 

Dinner: Head to Abou El Sid in Zamalek (a seven-minute walk from Safaa Hegazy metro). Stand momentarily perplexed by a pair of vast black doors before mustering the courage to extend a palm and stumble into somewhere else entirely: 1960s Cairo. Choose from oxtail tagine, walnut chicken and and other exquisite examples of Egyptian cuisine, but finish with the scrumptious rice pudding.

The evening: From Abou El Sid, it’s a two-minute walk to Aisha Fahmy Palace, which closes at 9pm. Peruse the stunning art displays, which was made up of nudes on our last visit, and imagine this as your home (by the Nile!). Next, head to local pick, Robaeyat Al Khyam a few minutes' walk away for a reassuring cup of sahlab, a milky hot Egyptian drink made from orchid tubers.

Saturday

How to spend the day: From Downtown, walk 35 minutes to the Gayer-Anderson Museum, hopping between the alleyways in the neighborhood of El Sayeda Zainab. Weave through market stalls and under ornate balconies to the former abode of Gayer-Anderson (soldier and antique collector). This British pasha filled his 16th-century home with treasures, and then, in a departure from colonial tradition, he left it all to Egypt in 1942. 

Ride a tuk-tuk (LE30–50/US$0.60–1) down Sharia Al Ashraf past the shrine of Ibn Sirin (famed interpreter of dreams), and along the Mamluk-era aqueduct up to the Citadel. Spend an hour or three mesmerized by chandeliers and calligraphy on the floor of the Mohamed Ali Mosque. A sidewalk from the Citadel snakes around to  Sharia Al Azhar (40 minutes) past Al Azhar Park (drop in to roll down the grassy slopes). 

Dinner: For dinner most fowl, go to Egypt’s most delectable pigeon eatery: Farahat, tucked away down a side alley off Sharia Al Azhar. You’ll soon learn from the ambient sounds of crunches that Egyptians eat pigeon (roasted or stuffed with rice) whole, bones and all, between sips of pigeon orzo soup.

Evening: Cross the road (follow the underpass) to the Wikala of Al Ghouri for a soiree of whirling dervishes at the Tanoura show. In this Medieval caravanserai you’ll be spellbound as much by the centuries-old colonnades as by the dancers spinning in spiritual ecstasy. The show starts at 7:20pm, and tickets are LE90 (US$1.82). Get there for 6pm to secure your spot.

Sunday

Breakfast: Time for the full Egyptian. Race to the first fava bean and falafel cart you see – they tend to be wooden and lavishly painted. Begin a short list on day one (I told you to pack a pen). You’ll find the best ones next to a local ahwa (cafe). Shoroq on Sharia Mohamed Mahmoud is a unique exercise in Egyptian efficiency (fellow customers will help you with the Arabic). Eat at the adjacent ahwa with a beverage of your choice. A couple of useful phrases: sukkar barra = don’t put sugar in my tea; saadeh eskitto = don’t put sugar in my coffee.

How to spend the day: A 40-minute walk takes you to the Qalawun Complex in the heart of historic Cairo (Al Ataba metro is 25 minutes away by foot). Stroll at your leisure, enjoying the sherbet sellers and the pharmacies that look as if they might sell wands. At Qalawun, buy a combination ticket (LE180/US$3.64) to access the main historical sites of Sharia Al Muizz (Bab Zuweila and Beit El Suhaymi are separate). For Al Muizz read Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, but instead of broomsticks, it’s goblets of sugar cane and a thousand minarets. 

Dinner: Pass through Bab Al-Futuh and indulge in some liver sandwiches at Baba Abdo. This is Egyptian street food at its finger-licking best. Alternatively, make for the elegant Naguib Mahfouz Cafe or kick back in the open-air restaurant Saheb El Sa'ada. When peckish in Khan El Khalili, be wary of waiters employing am-dram tactics; ask for prices in advance.

Night: Fully satiated, tumble tarboosh first into the bazaars on either side of Al Muizz. End up at El Fishawi and become absorbed in this coffee house lauded by literary and military greats from Naguib Mahfouz to Napoleon Bonaparte. Order a glass of helba (hot fenugreek), Bonaparte’s preferred tipple, and lose yourself in the rhythms of oud and tabla (Egyptian drum). The experience is unforgettable, and though not cheap for Egypt (LE300/US$6.06 for what would usually be LE50/US$1), the atmosphere is priceless.