| |
Guide to Cairo, Egypt
|
Click to go to Flight Prices for Cairo
|
Cairo
The capital of Egypt is in fact one of the busiest, most crowded cities in the world. With more than 16 million living in all neighborhoods and boroughs, traveling through Cairo is no easy breeze. Its dirty, its noisy, and it can be downright unpleasant. But by using street smarts, and utilizing the citys superbly efficient public transportation systems, you can easily make your way to the areas that would surely fascinate any traveler; from the mosques of Old Cairo to the land where the pyramids and the Sphinx remain in much of their glory since being created millennia ago.
When to go:
Cairo, even though set with 4 seasons, as with anyplace on the globe, the city seems to have only two recognizable seasons: summer, and non-summer. Of course, summer in Cairo is not a very pleasant time, when temperatures reach stifling degrees.
The ideal months in which to travel are from September to early May. The weather is cool; at peak hours of the day its comfortably warm, and the breezes make the days much more pleasant. If you are not of Islamic faith, we suggest avoiding the month of Ramadan. Business are open less of the day, museums and other attractions are closed frequently, and eateries that are open during the day are extremely difficult to find.
Getting there and around:
Cairo International Airport is located close to the city, and its an easy bus or minibus ride to the city centre (which is very busy area, chances are you will get swept up in the crowd quickly, stay aware!). Taxis are also available but not as affordable as the airport buses.
At your arrival, everything is at your disposal, and you can trust the metro system to suit your needs of getting around, and getting around quick. A bonus is that it is VERY inexpensive, and everything is surprisingly clean. We would suggest taking a bus, because that is what most city dwellers utilize, but they tend to be crowded no matter what time of day.
Where to go:
When youre in central Cairo, why not take a little detour and visit the sites in the area? It may not be the prettiest neighborhood, but you may find the bustling markets and shops filled with high-class amenities and other such items, an interesting place in an erratic and disorienting area. We find it an exciting place to spend an afternoon, and you can catch glimpses of what the past was like, with a few architectural structures standing over the shops and apartment buildings all around.
We recommend a visit to the Manial Palace Museum, simply to view the stunningly beautiful private garden. The Museum itself is full of gaudy interior decorations overblown to the extreme, and animal lovers might want to steer clear of the Hunting museum portion.
A visit to Cairo cannot go by without a visit to the Egyptian Museum. Its stunning collection of more than 100,000 items is displayed in an enormous structure/complex, and youd have to rush through the halls to view every piece in one visit. The Egyptian Museum holds one of the most revered pieces in all of the museum world, the gold death mask of the pharaoh Tutankhamen. There are also displays commemorating past Egyptian kings and rulers, including Akhenaton and Khafre, all masterpieces of the museum.
The Pyramids are an essential part of Egyptian history and surely are an essential part of any visit to the country. They are in fact the planets oldest tourist attraction, the oldest pyramid being completed around 2600 BC. The oldest pyramid, known as the Great Pyramid of Khufu, is an amazing sight, and the fact that you are able to walk through the pyramid and touch and feel something that was built thousands of years ago is simply an unforgettable experience. Also in the area is the Pyramid of Khafre, which stands on higher ground than the Pyramid of Khufu yet is quite a bit smaller. There is a deep gash in the face of the pyramid because of an attempt by a caliph to disassemble the pyramid less than 1000 years ago.
The Sphinx is also a widely known and recognizable structure in the Cairo area. The Sphinx is in fact carved out of bedrock, and is said to resemble Khafre himself. In Arabic the Sphinx is known as Abu al-Hol, or Father of Terror.
|
|
|
