Best Things to Do in Cairo: Making the Most Out of Your Trip to Egypt’s Capital City

Cairo, Egypt is Africa’s largest capital city, and it’s considered the largest capital city in the middle east. It can be hard to figure out what sites are worth seeing in a city so large and even harder to navigate on your own! But in this post, we’re breaking down the best things to do in Cairo.

This post is mainly just a list with info about each place, If you want help organizing your time in Cairo in a way that makes sense, our 3 day Cairo itinerary will tell you exactly how to group these activities together. It even has time stamps so you know how much of your day you should allot to each of these things to do in Cairo.

If you are planning your first visit to Egypt, be sure to check out our post on 20 things to know before you visit Egypt!

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Where to Stay

Wanderluxe Villa – This is our top pick for Cairo if you want a local feel. These recently opened luxury serviced apartments are located only 20 minutes from the Cairo Airport. This is a fantastic option for families or larger groups who want something spacious and conveniently located but at a lower cost than big chain hotels in Cairo. There are 7 apartments with each one having 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, a dining room, and a large living room. It also has a rooftop terrace that offer fantastic views of New Cairo, and some of the apartments have a balcony with New Cairo views.

The villa is in an extremely safe area and steps away from several restaurants. If shawarma is on your foodie list for Egypt, there’s a great spot that’s only a 2 minute walk away. We love supporting locally owned businesses when we travel, and staying at Wanderluxe means you’re supporting a local family’s business.

Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino – Luxury accommodations in the heart of Cairo that offer Nile River and city views. There are several delicious restaurants on site, including a breakfast buffet that tops any other we’ve seen in our travels. The beds are comfortable and and the staff is very pleasant. This is a safe, reliable, and centrally located option in the city center.

Marriott Mena House – If you have a big budget and want pyramid views, Marriott Mena House is a very popular option. The luxury hotel is next door to the pyramids and the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum. It has 3 restaurants on site that offer international, Italian, and Indian cuisine.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. That means at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission from your purchase which will go toward bringing you more travel tips, tricks, and tidbits!

Here are our top recommendations for things to do in Cairo:

Don’t just go to the pyramids. Go inside.

You should know that going inside the pyramid is not a task for the claustrophobic or physically impaired – it’s a very narrow passageway with no airflow up a steep incline. If you’re up for the challenge though, it’s pretty cool to get to say you went inside one of the pyramids!

I am proud to say I overcame my claustrophobia by going inside The Great Pyramid. Imagine practically crawling in a narrow passageway up several stories at a 45 degree angle … and people are crawling back down as you try to go up, and just when you think you’re going to die of exhaustion (and claustrophobia) you’re rewarded with a sarcophagus. Several times, I held my hands out to touch the walls in awe. It was amazing to be in a structure so old and renowned.

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While you’re at the pyramid complex, visit the Great Sphinx.

The Sphinx sits proudly beside a walkway where tourists crowd to get that perfect Instagramable photo. Our advice to you is to forget the perfect Instagram photo (because it’s harder to get than it looks) and just appreciate the Sphinx’s majestic beauty! She is a magnificent sight to behold, especially with the pyramids serving as a backdrop.

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Eat Like Anthony Bourdain at Abou Tarek

Widely considered to be Egypt’s national dish, koshary consists of lentils, pasta, chickpeas, and rice tossed in a tomato based sauce. You then have the option of adding garlic vinegar and crunchy fried onions (which you should definitely do). Each restaurant’s recipe for koshary tastes slightly different, and the koshary at Abou Tarek reigns supreme.

If it’s considered the best koshary in the Middle East, we think it’s fair to assume it’s the best koshary in the world. Be sure to keep an eye out for the friendly mastermind behind Abou Tarek, who is always willing to do his signature pose for the cameras!

Egypt has so many other traditional dishes you should try while you’re there. To see a list of the ones we enjoyed most, check out our list of 12 Foods You Need To Eat in Egypt.

And if you like to get some hands on experience in a culturally immersive way, take a cooking class in Cairo with a local family! Cooking classes are one of our favorite things to do in a new place to learn about local culture and try some delicious traditional food!

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Visit a Papyrus Institute

The Papyrus plant grows along the Nile River and is what Ancient Egyptians used to make writing parchment. Our guided tour groups visit Golden Eagle Papyrus (in Giza), where we get to see firsthand how Papyrus paper is made, and then get to shop for some artwork printed onto Papyrus paper.

The Papyrus Institute is a little touristy, but Papyrus art is the perfect souvenir to buy in Egypt. It’s beautiful, authentically Egyptian, lightweight, and easy to transport back home. Golden Eagle Papyrus has some really lovely pieces. You can choose among hundreds of designs, including getting your name printed in hieroglyphics with scenes from ancient Egypt. It’s a great place to buy some artwork for yourself or to give as gifts. As with all of Egypt though, you MUST haggle to get the best deal.

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Visit the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha

This mosque was one of Cairo’s most iconic landmarks and dates back to the 1800s. We had several people on our recent group trip to Egypt comment that this stop was one of their favorites from the trip. Head coverings are not required inside the mosque, but it is important that you have shoulders to knees covered out of respect, as this is an active place of worship.

The mosque has a lovely quiet white marble courtyard outside the entrance. Inside the alabaster mosque, the walls and ceiling are decked out in ornate gold and green intricate designs, beautiful chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and orb lights illuminate the space creating a dramatic effect.

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While you’re at the Mosque, don’t miss the peaceful open courtyard just outside one of its entrances.

Surrounded by tall alabaster arcades, the courtyard is a serene place to pause before entering the mosque. You’ll be tempted to rush inside the mosque, but pause to take in the courtyard and get some photo opportunities that a lot of people miss out on. Look for the clock tower, which holds a brass clock gifted to Muhammad Ali by King Louis Philippe of France in 1845.

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Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum

This is the world’s largest archaeological facility dedicated to a single civilization. You could easily spend several days exploring everything the GEM has to offer. But some of the highlights you should definitely be sure to see during your first visit include the giant statue of Ramses II in the entryway, Khufu’s Boats, the central staircase (there’s an escalator if you prefer them to the steps!), and the treasures from King Tut’s Tomb.

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See Over 120,000 Artifacts at the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

The Egyptian Museum is massive and filled to the brim with all sorts of ancient Egyptian artifacts. And even with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the old Egyptian Museum is still one of our favorite things to do in Cairo if you have time to do both and love history. You can easily spend half a day browsing its corridors. Some of our favorite parts of the museum’s collection include the statues of Rahotep and Nofret and the statues of Akhenaten with their famed elongated faces.

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St. Sergius & St. Bacchus Church

You’ll want to set aside several hours to explore Coptic Cairo. The small church is said to have been built on the same spot where Mary and Joseph stopped to rest with Jesus toward the end of their escape from Herod into Egypt. Go to the back of the church and down the stone stairwell to see the famed cave where the Holy Family stayed.

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The Hanging Church

The Hanging Church is one of the oldest churches in Egypt, dating back to the 3rd century, and also the most famous Coptic Christian church in Cairo. To enter the church, you pass through a pretty courtyard with colorful modern art adorning its walls. The church houses 110 religious icons and sits atop the southern gatehouse of the Roman fortress in Coptic Cairo.

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See the Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids

The pyramid sound and light show recently underwent a huge revamp. It was already cool before, but now it has modern projections and lights that allow you to see the pyramids and the Great Sphinx up close from a different perspective. Seats are set up in front of the pyramids, and a light show is projected onto the iconic landmarks. During the show, narrators tell stories about some of the most famed figures and events throughout Egypt’s fascinating history.

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Have a site to see that isn’t listed? Tell us about it in the comments below!