Last Updated on April 4, 2023 by PowersToTravel
I admit it. I overdid the planning for Cairo. I read up on every daytrip to take, every sight to see. For me, Egypt was a Bucket List event, and I didn’t want to skimp in any way.
Cairo for me has become a lesson learned. There are reasons so many bloggers recommend “2 days in xxx” or “3 days in yyyy”. You think maybe it’s because that really is the optimal time to spend in the city as a casual traveler?
It became even more complex for me in Cairo because the pyramids are out of town, in Giza. Do we stay in Giza, or do we stay in Cairo? (See my post My Good and Not-So-Good Decisions in Planning our 2 week trip to Egypt). As I investigated each new aspect of Cairo, the days increased. Ultimately, with the airfare selections, and then the Egypt Air rescheduling, we committed to four nights and more than four full days of touring in Cairo.
Four days in Cairo is too long for the casual traveler!
What happens at this point? The cacophony of the traffic, the stress of getting from one location to another in massive permanent gridlock no matter how well you planned your hotel location, the pushiness of both the street vendors and even your own tour guides, all this makes you start to regret your choices and wish for a more peaceful life.
What are the TOP sights to see in Cairo?
If only I had restricted my list to the top sights, instead of selecting ALL the sights… Sigh.
The Pyramids of Giza
I feel I hardly need to say anything to explain why I’ve put the pyramids at the top of the list!
But I do need to explain that I do NOT recommend going INSIDE the Great Pyramid. I actually hadn’t researched the experience and logistics before our trip. I just assumed that of course we wanted to go into a pyramid and of course we wanted to go inside the best!
Oh, it was an ordeal. It was a hot, miserable climb in a short (4′ high) shaft 129 feet long, then a hot miserable climb in a taller shaft 157 feet long to a small, hot, empty, unadorned stone chamber. It was such a disappointment for which we had to pay extra, and wait in line!
Previously that day we had toured Sakkara where we had climbed downhill 47 feet into the Pyramid of Unas, a much shorter, less excruciating experience that rewarded us with an intricately painted room with some awesome Egyptian hieroglyphics. Do climb the inside of a pyramid. If you have a guide, ask him what is at the end of the journey, and do it at Sakkara.
I also don’t recommend hiring a guide for the Giza Plateau. If you are staying at a local hotel you could get a carriage ride (most romantic) or taxi to the central plateau area. You will want to go to the Sphinx which is a surprisingly long distance from the Great Pyramid if you are walking. You’ll want to take pictures from the Panoramic Viewing Point. (The distances are long on the plateau). Bottom line, the guide himself doesn’t add too much value, what you need is transportation.
I do recommend a camel ride. Although some people feel they are a rip-off, it is one of my regrets that I didn’t ride a camel at the pyramids. The slow gait of the camel would have turned a rushed and busy activity at one of the great wonders of the world into a time to soak it all in. At a cost, of course, but having paid so much to get to Egypt, the cost of camel ride pales in comparison.
Dahshur, Sakkara and Memphis
These two pyramid sites and the ancient city of Memphis are often combined with a trip to the Pyramids, since all are south of the city. These are the more ancient pyramids. On this trip a guide and driver will be of more value. A trip to these pyramids will involve wonderful drives on country roads. Don’t imagine quiet country roads; you’ll be checking out the water buffalos and precariously balanced transports as you pass date plantations and even an occasional mansion.
We combined all the pyramids into a single day trip, and I regret that. I was too tired by the end of the day to expend energy to get better camera angles. I was especially sad that the day ended at the Great Pyramids of Giza where I was too tired to fully appreciate or immerse myself in the experience. See my post “Egypt – The Best Time to Visit and Photograph the Pyramids.”
My experience has taught me that the pyramids are the single most important and amazing part of Cairo. A half-day trip to Giza and a separate half-day trip to Dahshur, Sakkara and Memphis is optimal to appreciate what you are seeing and conserve your energy.
Perhaps combine the half day pyramid touring with an evening show…
The Al Tannoura Show
Truly Egyptian, the Al Tannoura dancers spin unbelievably fast, in costumes so colorful and creative, it is a feast for your eyes.
(Note: I didn’t find the music a feast for my ears; in fact I found it to be “middle-eastern-jazz”. Jazz is a special and unique taste which I haven’t acquired. Its ad-hoc nature makes it seem to go on and on ad infinitum, that is, without ending or beginning. It irritates me. But that’s just me and I apologize to all my jazz-loving friends and to the Al Tannoura musicians who are very talented!)
The music at the Al Tannoura show is similar to jazz but performed with middle eastern pipes and drums and rhythms. Thank goodness for the dancers! They were memorable, in the happiest sense!
The venue is not in the best of neighborhoods, very close to the bazaar, and the program is held at night. We chose to have our tour company procure the tickets and provide the transportation. What disappointed us is that they arrived late for our hotel pickup, and we naturally got stuck in Cairo gridlock. As a result we didn’t snag good seats.
The spinning was too fast for focus!
The Mosque of Mohammed Ali at the Citadel
High-domed and beautifully decorated, it is situated on the top of a hill from which you can get awesome views of the pyramids in the distance across the city.
The mosque is located right next to the Citadel, which for some reason was not included in our tour. Do tourists not go to the Citadel? Or did I really miss out? Greg looked forlornly at the Citadel as we drove away, me not realizing we hadn’t arranged for it. (But as I look at our papers today, I realize that I had arranged for it, and somehow the guide chose not to take us inside? What really went wrong? Just another example of our dissatisfaction with Emo Tours.)
Saint Sergius and Saint Bacchus Church
A Coptic church from the 4th century, this church is a pilgrimage location for those following the Holy Family’s journey through Egypt. Here Mary, Joseph and Jesus are said to have stayed for a period of time.
The church is a striking example of Roman-era brick architecture, and the crypt contains protected stones on which the Holy Family is said to have rested.
There are several other churches from that time period in the area, such as the Hanging Church, and St. Barbara’s, as well as a neat-looking Coptic Cemetery.
Mosque and Madrasa El Sultan Hassan
The Mosque and Madrasa is an historic Islamic religious school built in the 14th century. It houses beautifully colorful stone-carved archways and tiled floors. We happened to be there during the 2nd morning prayer, in which our guide wished to participate. We took this opportunity to slowly wander around the site, admiring the workmanship, photographing.
The Bazaar of Khan el-Khalili
What visit to an ancient middle-eastern city is complete without a visit to the bazaar? Yes, they are selling tourist items, and yes the vendors are pushy, but the color and variety and smells of the bazaar are enticing. Greg was better at sneaking pictures than I. (If you take a picture they want payment!) We bought all of our Egyptian souvenirs here, at a decent price.
The Egyptian Museum
I started by putting the Egyptian Museum into the Discards section. (Can you believe that?) Ok, I’ll admit it, I really don’t like museums all that much. I don’t like to see the objects out of context. I was so much happier to see the huge statue of Ramses II at Memphis than his statues in the Egyptian Museum.
However it was kind of neat to see the juxtaposition of the artwork from different eras.
How can I not include the Tutankhamen exhibit? That you can’t see anywhere else now. Unfortunately they don’t let you take pictures, so I have nothing to remember it by. I guess I’ll just have to Google images.
The Manial Palace
The palace doesn’t figure into most packaged tours. It fit into our tour because, after all, almost everything in Cairo fit into our tour! The palace is a relatively small compound built by the Crown Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik in the late 19th century on another island south of Zamalek. It in no way rivals in size the typical palace of Europe, however, the many buildings are beautifully decorated.
The palace even includes a large gallery of stuffed wild animals, in keeping with interests of that time period. (I certainly could have skipped that!)
The throne room, on the other hand, brought to mind images of Louis XIV, the Sun King!
The woodwork and tilework are exceptional.
I was quite happy to have visited the palace. However, if you can’t fit it into your itinerary, then it would be the one I would drop (vs extending time in Cairo.)
How would I plan these sights into 3 days?
Fly in and spend the first night in Giza. This gives you the opportunity to relax and start your day a little late. (The dawn can be a bit hazy at Giza). You would also have the flexibility to leave your luggage at your Giza hotel during Day 1 while spending time at the pyramids, return to the hotel for lunch and then take your luggage to your downtown Cairo hotel for check-in prior to your visit to the Bazaar.
- Day 1 – The Giza Plateau and Pyramids, a late afternoon trip to the Bazaar, a quick dinner or snack, followed by the Al Tannoura show.
- Day 2 – Dahshur, Sakkara and Memphis, with a stop at the Coptic church area on the way back to downtown Cairo.
- Day 3 – The Mosque of Mohammed Ali, Madrassa El Sultan Hassan and the Egyptian Museum. Fit in the Manial Palace?
Then leave Cairo. We flew to Luxor on Egypt Air. Some people travel on the overnight train. I can’t tell you which is preferable. The flight I can certainly tell you is apt to be re-scheduled and you may find yourself another day in Cairo, as we did.
On the other hand, we were afraid we wouldn’t sleep the entire night on the train, and felt that a good night’s sleep was essential to beginning our Valley of the Kings tour. (As it was, our flight to Luxor didn’t arrive until midnight anyway.)
What don’t I recommend for sights to see in Cairo?
A felucca ride
Yes, you could arrange for one late afternoon of Day 2 or Day 3. We took a felucca ride on Day 4 as an attempt to fill our time before our late plane flight. The Nile in Cairo is very wide and not terribly interesting. Now, a felucca ride to the Nubian Village in Aswan is a treat! I highly recommend you delay the felucca ride until you get south where the pace is slower and the sights are more personal.
An evening dinner boat cruise on the Nile
We tend to avoid situations where a buffet dinner is served. See my post “Egypt Diabetic Travel Tips.” Buffets have frequently caused digestive nightmares for me and I just won’t risk them anymore. I have to wonder how the food is handled on a boat where so many meals are being prepared and then served to so many at the same time. Some of the same freshness issues come to mind. You might enjoy it and it may be a wonderful experience, and certainly you could fit it into this three day schedule. We just chose not to.
The full “Coptic Tour” with all of the churches
We did take the “Coptic Tour” offered by the agency. We felt overwhelmed by so many churches of similar architecture. When we were done, I looked at the pictures and couldn’t hardly tell one church from the next. Certainly choosing just the one, St. Sergius and St. Bacchus, gave us both the taste of the Coptic architecture and Coptic history, as well as the unique pilgrimage location.
The full “Islamic Tour” with all the mosques
The same can be said for the half-to-three-quarter day “Islamic Tour” we arranged. In seeing the top mosques in the city, the Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and the historic Madrassa we saw the best and were able to give them our best attention.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue
It was closed for renovation when we visited.
The Nilometer
The Nilometer is a uniquely Egyptian sight. You won’t find one of these in Morocco or Turkey! It is a tall stone pillar which measured the height of the Nile River in Cairo. There are Nilometers in other cities in Egypt as well. I don’t know if you can visit those.
It was used to determine if and how much to tax the population. If the river levels were high then the year was a successful one for farmers and all in Egypt, so the taxes were higher. If the water levels were low, then taxes were lowered.
It is not functional since the building of the High Dam in Aswan – the Nile no longer floods.
You can walk down the narrow steps around the Nilometer. Someone did while we were there, but we chose not to. We certainly didn’t want to risk slipping. It would have been a long fall with a hard landing. And for what? It was just a pillar. I felt my view from the top gave me the best picture and best perspective.
Interesting it was, but not worth extending the trip in Cairo.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
Located on the east side of the Nile, and not too far from the Coptic church area, this museum houses many of the mummies. I had planned to visit it, on our first day, as it is directly on the path from the airport to Giza. We were to arrive at noon at the airport, we would spent an hour at the museum, and head to Giza for the late afternoon sun. However, Egypt Air, in all of its wisdom, rescheduled our arrival to 4pm which eliminated any chance of the museum visit.
After our visit to the Egyptian Museum, which still contains several mummies, I felt no desire to brave more Cairo traffic to go to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. If you have to choose between the two, not having gone to the National Museum, but having gone to the Egyptian Museum, I still have to recommend the Egyptian Museum.
