Erica and I just spent six (6) days in Cairo, Egypt and this was my first time in an Arab-Muslim country, so we did not know what to expect. Now we aren’t new to traveling abroad as I’ve been to over 20 countries and Erica has been to over a dozen but being that this was our first time in an Arabic speaking country, there was a bit more culture shock than what we are accustomed to. Overall, it was a great trip and I am super happy to have crossed this off my bucket list, but next time I will be hiring a full time guide and chauffeur.
Food 8/10
Another popular dish here (and in the Arab-Muslim world in general) is Kebab. For those that don’t know, Kebab is skewers of grilled meat (kebab) and ground meat (kofta), a common dish throughout the Middle East. I must admit, Cairo has some of the best lamb and beef I have ever tasted. They are truly experts in cooking those.
Now I do have to mention that there are not many other “good” options besides Kebab and Koshari. We tried Volo, an Italian-Mexican restaurant along the Nile River and this place was very disappointing. They only offered hard-shelled beef tacos and the pasta I ordered was mid. Surprisingly, the best meal we had while we were in Egypt came at the Anyma concert at the Giza Pyramids and it was a smash burger. Easily the best smash burger I ever had in my life!
The “national dish” of Egypt called the Koshari
Safety/Commuting 7/10
One of the first things Erica told me during and after our trip was how unsafe she felt as a woman. The stares she would get were extremely excessive to the point where it would make any person uncomfortable. At first we thought, maybe it’s because her shoulders were showing or she was showing more “skin” than what was normal. Then she covered up and they would still stare obnoxiously at her. From day 1, she had to walk in between my dad and I so that we could form a shield for her. I completely understand her.
The next issue with safety that must be mentioned are the street vendors. They simply do not take no for an answer. Their persistence is non-stop and they will borderline harass you although it never gets to the point where you feel threatened but rather you get annoyed. Along with the pesty-ness, you can expect to be stared at by most people when walking. At first it may seem weird but at least for me, I learned to avoid it. Erica on the other hand, kept getting annoyed lol.
Commuting is also fairly decent with Uber being our choice for getting around. Uber prices were around 200 EGP (Egytian Pounds) which comes out to be around $4-$5 USD per ride. Depending on your location though, it may take longer to connect to an Uber and if you’re in a touristy or crowded area, you can expect Uber drivers to send you DMs asking for 20x the amount in USD. We ended up paying $20 USD to get home one night after the Anyma show at the Giza Pyramids due to Uber not doing their own surge so the drivers do this. Other than those occasions, Ubers were fairly reasonable but I would definitely book a driver and a guide if I were to come back. I feel like everything would be a lot smoother.
3 Day Cairo Itinerary
Your journey begins as soon as you finally see the light after 10+ hours on an airplane, going through customs, and are exiting the Cairo International Airport. You’ll be met with a lot of “drivers” looking to take you to your hotel/airbnb, and if you didn’t book a chauffeur in advance, then you will need to walk down to the parking lot to get your Uber in order to get to your destination. DO NOT GET IN A STRANGERS CAR unless you have made arrangements prior. The Uber pickup is on the bottom floor (look for the Sixt in the parking lot).
Airbnb 9/10
We decided to stay with the people instead of a tourist neighborhood or resort. My dad and I like staying with the people because we believe this is the best way to get the real authentic experience of what daily life is. Our immediate thoughts after driving 40 minutes from the airport to our Airbnb had us a little nervous because the architecture is worn and outdated and there were people in the street everywhere. The elevators going up to our place also looked just how they did on TikTok and Instagram (lacking a front door), however once we got in our apartment, everything was amazing. We soon realized that everywhere in Cairo had this kind of ambiance and after googling the neighborhood (called Ar Rawdah) we felt even more at ease to learn that it was considered a safe, central neighborhood in Cairo. It’s not a chaotic tourist trap, but it’s not an isolated or risky area either. It’s a good balance between authentic local life and tourist accessibility. Location was definitely solid as everything was under 30 minutes away.
Day 1
Khan El-Khalili 8/10
Khan El-Khalili is one of Cairo’s most famous and historic bazaars (a market in a Middle Eastern or Asian country), located in the heart of Islamic Cairo, near Al-Azhar Mosque and Hussein Square. This market can be overwhelming to some because there will be a lot of vendors approaching you trying to get you to go to their store. You should get comfortable with this because this will be a common theme throughout your trip. Everything in this area is negotiable and barter is normal. I would strongly recommend being firm with your negotiation skills as there is a lot of competition for the vendors so as long as the price is reasonable, they will agree. They will try to take advantage of you with their pricing at first so please do not give in. I would definitely plan to spend a few hours here shopping around.
Erica posing for a photo in the famous market of Khan El-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt
The best shop that we found was called Gift Shop Bazaar and was actually located in downtown Cairo near the Ritz Carlton Hotel. This is the most honest shop and the ratings don’t lie. The prices are up front and they are extremely reasonable. We ended up going back the next day to do even more shopping because of how great the customer service was and how reasonably priced the items were. The owner even gifted us a few things and asked to take a picture with us! If you get the opportunity, please tell him we sent you! This takes us into Day 2.
This is a photo of us with the owner of the shop
The outside of Gift Shop Bazaar in Cairo, Egypt
Day 2
Erica on the buffet boat tour in Cairo, Egypt
You will start your day with brunch at Granita which is a super cute and aesthetically pleasing restaurant that offers full breakfast until 13:30 (1:30pm). Don’t expect them to have bottomless mimosas as Egypt is a Arab-Muslim country. They still have great coffee and the dishes here are pretty good. Perfect place to start your day in my opinion. From here you can go to downtown Cairo and do some more shopping. I like to get all of my shopping out of the way at the beginning so that anything that I buy towards the end will just be bonus and I don’t have to stress about it.
From here you will take an Uber (or ask your chauffeur) to take you along the Nile River to The Pharaohs Nile Cruising Restaurant, which is a boat ride along the Nile River where you will get a buffet, live entertainment, and spectacular views. This excursion cost us about 700 EGP or around $15 USD per person. A real bang for you buck. This is a two-hour ride and we took the 4pm to 6pm boat ride.
Day 3
Exploring the Great Pyramids of Giza (One of the Wonders of the World)
Erica, my dad, and myself with our guide Nadia at the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt
This is the main event. The Giza Pyramids in Egypt. This cost us around 2068 EGP or $44 USD per person. This is actually steal because this includes roundtrip transportation, a personal tour guide (ours was AMAZING), entry to the pyramids, camel ride, and food. You honestly can’t beat that. This was definitely the highlight of our trip. You can expect a lot of vendors to be there that will try to sell you on things but our tour guide Nada was very aware and handled her business to make sure we didn’t get harassed. Being at this site is truly astonishing and really makes you feel the ancient history that the city of Cairo and country of Egypt have
Overall 8/10
Overall we loved the country and the city but we picked up on a few pointers that we wish we knew before. I would give it an 8/10 because there is much to be desired still and perhaps we just didn’t know where we should have gone. The Pyramids of Giza seem to be the main highlight and tourist attraction, at least until the National Museum of Egypt is finished. I would consider coming back but if I did, I would add Luxor as a city to visit because I have been hearing great things about it. For now, ????? shukran Cairo, until we meet again!