Destinations

Cairo, Egypt Travel Guide

Gateway to the pyramids

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Why visit Cairo

Cairo is the gateway to the pyramids - Giza’s three great tombs sit on the city’s edge with the Sphinx on guard - and the Egyptian Museum holds Tutankhamun’s treasures. The old city’s mosques, the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and felucca rides on the Nile fill the rest of the itinerary. It is chaotic, ancient and unforgettable; book a guide for the first day.

Last updated Aug 17, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

Plan Cairo with AI

Tell us your dates, budget and what you like - get a day-by-day Cairo plan.

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Worth booking before you go

Independent picks. We earn a small commission if you buy through these - at no extra cost to you. How this works.

Lock in the hotel first Live prices for Cairo, Egypt - best-rate guarantee, free cancellation on most rooms. Search hotels on Booking Trains, buses & ferries in one place 12Go sells the seats local operators won't show you online, in English. Search routes on 12Go Skip the ticket queue Tiqets gets instant mobile tickets for the museums and landmarks worth pre-booking. Browse Tiqets attractions

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Airport transfer in Cairo

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Car rental in Cairo

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Things to do in Cairo

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eSIM for Egypt

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Hotels in Cairo

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Plan your Cairo trip

Every link below uses the dates and travelers set in the bar above.

Budget estimate

€350–€770 for 2 travelers · 7 nights

Typical daily budget: €25–€55 per person

Per person per day: food + local transport + activities (stays & flights excluded).

Open the full budget calculator Cairo cost breakdown

Tipping in Egypt

Restaurants: 10%, plus small tips widely expected. "Baksheesh" (small tips) is customary across many everyday services, not just restaurants.

See the full tipping guide

Know before you go to Egypt

Hotels & hostels

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Flights to Cairo

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Live weather

Current conditions and forecast for Cairo

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Best time to visit Cairo

Most pleasant months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov (averaging 17–25°C). Coldest month January (12°C), warmest July (30°C).

Monthly mean air temperature for Cairo, Egypt, NASA POWER climatology (T2M), fetched 2026-09-22. Daytime highs run several degrees higher; rainfall is not in this table, so check the live forecast before you book.

Weather decides when a city shines - and when it empties out. We pull 30-year climate averages for Cairo to show which months are warm, dry and worth booking.

Check live weather for Cairo

Getting there and around Cairo

Flight searches for Cairo use the airport code CAI. Each link below opens a search already filled in for Cairo; add your dates and origin in the trip bar at the top and they carry through.

Flights to Cairo Buses to Cairo Car rental in Cairo Apartments in Cairo

Bus corridors we track to and from Cairo

Editorial starting fares and journey times, not live quotes. See the bus fare index.

3 days in Cairo: what to eat & see

D1 Day 1

Morning

Giza Pyramids & Sphinx

Afternoon

Solar boat museum & panorama point

Koshari

Evening

Nile felucca at sunset

Taameya

D2 Day 2

Morning

Egyptian Museum (Tutankhamun)

Afternoon

Khan el-Khalili bazaar

Ful Medames

Evening

Islamic Cairo: mosques & mamluk streets

Hawawshi

D3 Day 3

Morning

Coptic Cairo & Hanging Church

Afternoon

City of the Dead & Citadel

Molokhia

Evening

Zamalek riverside dinner

Umm Ali

Eat your way through Cairo

Browse all Egypt food

These are the dishes to hunt down in Cairo - not just the country's greatest hits. Tap a dish to see where it's made best, then compare a stay in the same neighbourhood with your dates.