I am sitting on the balcony admiring the sunset over the Nile. This vital artery of Egypt goes through the whole country from South to North. Travelling along it, comfortably seated in a boat, is the best way to appreciate the most beautiful archaeological sites in this country.
Boats come and go today as I imagine they did in the past. The river has seen so much activity over the years. The Nile is magic and is life. Just think how many people have passed along it during the millennia.
It was one of the most advanced civilizations in the world, constructing pyramids and other beautiful monuments. You need to think about that when you go around the city of Cairo today, in the midst of the chaos, noise and endless traffic jams. Is difficult to understand how such an advanced civilization, with high culture, has been transformed over the years to the poverty and the dustiness that you see today, after a such glorious past!
Egypt has a vast and interesting Muslim culture and Cairo is full of beautiful Islamic buildings and medieval mosques. There is also has a very big Coptic Christian tradition, which maintains traditions that have been passed down the centuries.
You have so many economic, social and religious problems in the country. It seems to be a common theme for countries that had a very rich cultural past. It seems to be inevitable that a country with a rich civilization finishes up being poor. What happens with human beings? It is very sad and hard to understand. Any way let’s enjoy the treasures of this great place and its fascinating civilization.
Cairo is a city full of life and noise and there is lots to see, to taste, to feel.
You may need a visa, depending on the passport you have. For many countries you can get one on arrival or online prior to arriving. You are advised to check on the internet.
It is better to arrange a car in advance that will pick you up in the airport or take a bus, so as not to have problems with taxis as soon as you arrive. They will try to overcharge you. If you want to take a taxi, first establish with the taxi driver the price for the ride. Uber works quite well in Cairo.
Egyptian Museum
You can start your visit to Cairo with the Egyptian museum. Take your time to enjoy the enormous number of things that are in it. The museum is gigantic, maybe you will appreciate it better if you see it in more than one visit. You will enjoy it a lot more if you go with an official tourist guide. There are many guides at the entrance of the museum. Agree the price first.
The Egyptian museum was opened in 1902 and has never been renovated. The atmosphere is surreal in some areas. The information is not correct in a lot of cases. They have found new information about the objects on show but have never updated it. It will be interesting to see how things will be displayed in the new museum and what information will be give about them.
Unfortunately, this museum was damaged during the revolution in 2011 and a lot of pieces were stolen. Under previous regimes some objects were given as presents to important visitors. What a pity. A new museum is currently under construction and will be near the pyramids. Today you still have to visit the old museum, from where they have already moved some pieces to the new one.
Any way although it is dusty, and they have closed the very good shop that they used to have at the exit of the museum, it remains fascinating. I hope the new museum will honour the priceless works that they have. The magnificent collection of a very rich past, that comes back to life. The basement of the current museum is also full of objects that with time and abandon have been buried in the sand (I guess they feel at home there) and they had to excavate to get them out. It takes you on a trip to several centuries in the past. In this museum there is one of the most important collections of antique objects in the world.
Visit the incredible Tutankhamen and other Egyptian pharaoh treasures. The museum is full of magic. The painted coffins with eyes that protect them. Look at the pictures of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s treasures. They are incredible! It is my favourite part of the museum, also because of the mystery that surrounded him. Although they keep on studying about him, they still are not sure about his life. He reigned for 9 years in the XIV century BC (1336-1327 BC) and was found in 1922 by the British archeologist Howard Carter. The tomb was very well hidden in the Valley of the Kings, under the very sumptuous tomb of Ramses VI, that had been plundered.
The treasure was discovered later. There were around 1,700 funerary objects in the tomb of this young and mysterious pharaoh.
I normally go to the first floor to see Tutankhamen treasure in peace when they first open the museum in the morning. Most of the people start on the ground floor where you enter, thus it takes them some time to get to the first floor. The Tutankhamen treasures and the mummies are the most visited and crowded parts of the museum.
When you go, try to be at the entrance 10 minutes before it opens or 2 hours before it closes, so as not to queue too much during the high season. They sell the tickets until one hour before the museum closes. It is a very popular place. If you leave anything in the cloakroom of the museum, check at what time it closes, because you could find it closed when you go to collect your belongings.
If you wish to see the royal mummies you have to buy a ticket at the entrance to that section on the first floor.
Pyramids of Giza
They are open from 8.00 to 16.00 and cost around 60 Egyptian pounds per adult and 30 pounds for students.
It is better to take one of the several modes of transport that the locals offer to go from one monument to another. There is a quite a distance between all of them and you will waste a lot of precious time walking as well as getting hot. You can hire a camel, a horse or a horse and carriage. Normally they cost about 50 Egyptian pounds. Of course, you have to negotiate with the owner of the animal you choose. You can also rent a horse in the village before entering. If at the end of the ride someone wants to charge you more than what you agreed call the tourist police.
Until today there are several theories about the construction of the pyramids. It is incredible how they were able to construct these enormous structures and architecturally perfect tombs for the pharaohs at that time. The Pyramids have been there for some 4,000 years, and tens of thousands of workers were involved in their construction.
Visit the Pyramid of Cheops, where you have to pay extra to get in. When it was finished, in around 2,750 BC, it was 146 m high, the most impressive in Egypt, and the oldest in Giza. At the time of its construction the place would have been incredible, with the desert in front, today you see the city very nearby. Try to imagine how the area was when the Pyramids where finished, how the pharaohs court life was at that time. Let your imagination fly.
As in the Egyptian museum, it is best to have a guide to get the most from the place.
The inside of the pyramid is for people that are fit, because of the steep ascents and descents. I don’t recommend people who suffer from claustrophobia to visit it. It has to be said that there is nothing special to see in it. I was there only the first time I visited, probably 20 years ago, then never went in again. From this pyramid you can see another 3 structures each of about 20 m high. These are the Pyramids containing the tombs of the wives and the sisters of Cheops.
Visit the Solar Boat Museum, next to Cheops Pyramid. In 1954 archaeologists found this wooden boat which is the oldest still in existence. It belonged to the pharaoh Khufu.
You can see also the Pyramid of Khafre or Chephren, which is the second largest after that of Cheops. The smallest pyramid is that of Menkaure.
Next to the Sphinx is the Valley Temple of Chephren that, when it was constructed, was in front of an artificial lake, which was connected to the Nile by a canal, whose purpose was to transport materials for the construction of the temple and to transport the pilgrims to it.
The Sphinx. There are lots of theories about the original reason for constructing this fascinating monument. There are lots of legends about it too. The Arabs give the Sphinx the name of Abu al Hol (father of terror). The lion with a human head was called the Sphinx by the ancient Greeks, because it was very similar to their mythical winged monster with woman’s head. The Sphinx was sculptured directly out of a rock that was located at the end of the ramp that goes to the Pyramid of Chephren.
Unfortunately, the bad pollution in the area is ruining the monuments.
I recommend you go and see the light and sound show in the evening. The Sphinx tells you the story. It lasts from 7 to 8 pm and costs 75 Egyptian pounds, plus 10 pounds for the headphones with a translation. It is very nice to see the pyramids illuminated!
Hotels
In the center of the city, on the Nile, there are many hotels, with lots of options to choose from.
I like the Ritz Carlton very much. The views from the rooms are very good and the hotel is right on the Nile. It has good service and an excellent restaurant. In the evening there is some entertainment. The food and especially the barbeque is very good. Lots of locals come to have dinner here. I recommend it. The pool is big and nice, with good selection of food at the pool bar. There are a number of shops in the hotel that are very good.
I very much like the Ritz Carltons around the world, especially the service. The view from the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong is spectacular. In particular, the view from the pool on the top of one of the highest buildings in Hong Kong is incredible. Thank you so much to the manager of the front desk of the hotel. He knows how to treat guests. We were given a beautiful room. The view was a dream. The hotel starts on the 100th floor. You can see all Hong Kong under your feet. It is incredible to see the helicopters flying beneath you ja…ja..! I slept with all the curtains open, so as not to waste a minute of this incredible view and treat! Thank you again.
I normally go to the Peninsula, Hong Kong, that is the traditional fantastic hotel in the city, especially the restaurant on the top, designed by Philippe Stark. But my husband asked me if I would not want to try the new Ritz Carlton in highest building of the city in that moment, and I said why not. I was really happy to try it. They are 2 different concepts, but both I love them both. The Peninsula is really a tradition in the world.
Also excellent is the Ritz Carlton of Abu Dhabi although the service could be faster to make-up the rooms. Very good buffet in the evening, excellent the pool and pool service. The manager is not very good with guests.
Returning to Cairo, other very good hotels that I have stayed in are the Intercontinental, Sheraton, Meridien, Novotel, which are all quite close to the Egyptian Museum. From the back door of the Ritz Carlton you walk for two minutes and you are in the entrance of the incredible Egyptian museum.
I arrived years ago with friends, a part of the group left from the airport directly for a cruise to the Nile. The rest of us stayed in Cairo. After extensive discussions with a number of taxi drivers we eventually agreed a price with one. We needed a big car, since there were 4 of us plus luggage. In the end after some time we got in a rotten car, which we ended up using during all our stay in the city.
On that occasion we stayed in the Sheraton on the Nile, which had a very good service. In fact the package that we booked included breakfast and aperitifs, that were like a dinner, in the club room. It was really excellent. We were the only ones using this service. It was a great investment. Most hotels offer a similar service for an extra charge. I often take advantage of it. In particular once in the Mandarin Oriental in Shanghai we availed ourselves of excellent aperitifs, which were as good as dinner. It was worth every penny. The Mandarin Oriental is one of my favorite chains in the world. It has the best service and its hotels are beautiful. It is some years since we have stayed in the Oriental in Bangkok. We stayed a couple of times in the one that used to be in Chang Mai, which today has changed management. The resort is like a fairy tale, all constructed with pieces of the ex-Royal Palace of Yangon in Myanmar. I will write about this country that I adore, which is so beautiful. Other excellent Mandarin Orientals are in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
More recently I have stayed at the Four Seasons at First Residence in Cairo. The hotel sort of overlooks the Nile on one side and the zoo on the other. The hotel is traditional and has large rooms. It has a good Lebanese restaurant next to the swimming pool, with individual “cabanas” for those who want to smoke shisha by themselves or in a small group. The hotel is attached to an interesting shopping centre, which has a good café in the centre which has good international food at very reasonable prices.
A large hotel, quite close to the airport and in a modern part of Cairo, which I stayed in once, is the Dusit Thani Lakeview. It is popular for those going to the conference centre which is not far away. It is a long way from the centre of Cairo though.
Other things to see and do in Cairo
Whilst in the Khan Al-Khalili area you should visit the Al-Azhar mosque, founded in 970 and the oldest one in Cairo. Go also to the Sayyidna al Hussein mosque, built in 1154, which is not so young either.
Visit the Cairo Coptic quarter and do some shopping in the Souk al Fustat.
If you are interested, you can also visit the exclusive Egyptian boutiques in the Zamalek area of the city.
You may want to visit the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which is the oldest mosque in Cairo still in its original form as well as being the largest.
Lunch is very good at one of Gad’s restaurants (there are several of them) and dinner in Farahat (there are several of them as well).
Don’t go without seeing the Sufi dancing at Al-Tannoura al Wikalat al-Gouri. It is beautiful, similar to the Whirling Derviches in Turkey, but more colourful and scenographic. Several dancers all together on stage, and a very nice play of the lights. I went some years ago with my brother and his fiancée at the time. If you like to listen to popular music go to the Makan.
Amgad Naguib. In his house full of treasures in the center of Cairo, you can find a lot of vintage things, sunglasses, glass objects, and lots of other things. You have to get an appointment to visit his house, and he will tell you colorful stories. (tel 0128668 0908).
An enjoyable trip to do whilst you are in Cairo is to go on the Nile in a Feluca, a traditional Egyptian sailing boat, at sunset.
If you want to know about the events in Cairo check Cairo Live event Guide.
I would like to thank the lonely Planet Egypt guide that made my visit very interesting. It is full of information and useful advice.
And goodbye to all the friends that kept me company in this trip to fantastic Egypt! I hope you enjoyed travelling with me and this information can be useful for your next trip. Just dream about faraway exotic places that could become your next destination!
Shukran!!