Cairo

About

Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate. It is home to more than 9.8 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world, and the Middle East. The Greater Cairo metropolitan area is one of the largest in the world by population with over 22 million people. Areas of what would become Cairo were inhabited from pre-dynastic and early-dynastic ancient Egypt c. 6000 years ago, as the Giza pyramid complex and the ancient cities of Memphis and Heliopolis are today within the city.

Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cairo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.

Why visit

October through April is the time; the Giza pyramids, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum (and the new Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza), Khan el-Khalili souk, the Citadel of Saladin, and the Coptic Cairo churches form an unmissable cultural concentration. A felucca sail on the Nile at sunset and a tea on a Mokattam terrace overlooking the city are essential. Day trips reach Saqqara and Memphis.

When to avoid

Cairo is difficult if you want calm streets, clean air, or low-friction sightseeing. Traffic is heavy, air pollution can be severe, and the main sights often involve touts, aggressive selling, inflated prices, or pressure around guides and transport. Use a reputable guide or driver when the logistics matter. Women, solo travelers, and visibly foreign visitors may receive persistent attention. This does not erase Cairo's cultural importance, but it changes the practical experience. Build in rest, verify prices, and avoid treating the city as an easy walking destination.