Things to do in Cairo

Cairo is Egypt's vast, busy capital on the banks of the Nile, and the gateway to the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx on the desert plateau at the city's western edge. In the old quarters you can climb up to the Citadel, wander the lanes of Islamic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, and visit the churches and synagogue of Coptic Cairo, all within a few kilometres of each other.

Evenings are for the river: dinner cruises sail past the lit-up skyline, and at Giza a sound-and-light show plays out against the pyramids after dark. Alexandria, Egypt's Mediterranean city of catacombs, forts and the modern Bibliotheca, is a long but popular day trip of around three hours each way.