- This topic has 24 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by dissonance.
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24 hours free in Cairo – what to do?
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ti_pin_manFree Member
So on via work I have Sunday free in Cairo, whole day. Never been before and wanted to ask some advice.
I’d love to see the Pyramids of course, and am in a hotel that looks about an hour away near the airport and business district. I am figuring to get the hotel to sort me a guide and car – – assume they can and cost might not be too bad for such a once in lifetime chance to go do this… but how long should I allow for the visit? A morning or afternoon or the full day? Any clues on cost and actually whats good to do other than walk around the pyramids? can you go in? I know … numpty questions but have no idea.
It’d be nice to have time to see the Cairo Museum too, feasible?
Is there something else I should do that’s more fun? Maybe a Bazaar or something for a bit of shopping? I may also have an evening free the next few days so kinda figured I might look around a bazaar one evening.
Ideas? Things to be careful of? Info. Welcomed.
JunkyardFree MemberPyramids and the museum
Yes plenty of time to do both IME – the pyramids are just stare at them see how massive they are and then leave
Would be tempted to see if you can book before going as you will need to be wiling to haggle for hours with any taxi driver etc when there.
Tower of babylon if you care about st george and Mosque of Mohammed Ali if you want something a bit different-
Cost about £5 uk pounds for a taxi driver after 3 hours haggling – paying before hand probably about £50 but possibly worth it for the lack of hassle
I would avoid a souk[ market] personally as the hassle* you will get will be huge and you wont buy anything
PS dont try and cross the road at the museum – this will make sense once you have been 😉
* not danger just everyone approaching you to get you into their stall and tbh its pretty easy to get lost /disorientate din them
jimdubleyouFull MemberDisclaimer: I was last in Cairo about 15 years ago. I have no idea about the security situation or anything else current.
The Museum was a bit of a mess when I went, but worth going for the sheer volume of stuff.
You can go on a horseback tour to see the pyramids, that’s quite good fun.
Getting a car/guide from the hotel is probably the easiest thing to do.
I would do museum in the morning, then Pyramids in the afternoon – you might get to see a nice sunset.
trailwaggerFree MemberWhen I went about ten years ago, we got a cab from our hotel. The cab driver took us to some backstreet perfume shop were the owner had a couple of camels and some street urchins to take you around the pyramids. We were guided to a gated entrance about 1km from the pyramids were there were armed guards at the gate and a very tense situation unfolding between them and a group of locals trying to get through with tourists.
We side stepped the chaos and entered through another gate further down the wall. The tour of the pyramids was pleasant enough, but on the way back to the shop, our street urchin guides stopped in a back street and demanded money from us. The whole situation was nerve racking to say the least, and we were glad to get back to our hotel that day.Worth seeing, not sure on the need to go inside and should take an hour or two.
globaltiFree MemberI travel all over Africa and the Middle east and I once had the misfortune to be sent to meet somebody in Cairo. I admit I went with a completely closed mind and I stayed at the airport Novotel, met the bloke in Alexandria then got out as early as possible the next day. It was the dirtiest, noisiest place I’ve ever visited – give me Lagos any day or Damascus, before the war, which I used to love visiting.
Others with more open minds will give you proper advice I’m sure.
JunkyardFree MemberHe is not wrong hence why I suggested pre booking and taking the hit on price
simons_nicolai-ukFree MemberDisclaimer: I was last in Cairo about 15 years ago. I have no idea about the security situation or anything else current.
Pyramids and the museum
+1 to both of these comments. We also just wandered the streets a bit, ate in a few back street cafes and the like.
There’s a hotel that’s got a good rooftop bar for a view of the city.
footflapsFull MemberHotel will be able to arrange car and tour of the pyramids for you.
Two things I recall were how much litter / vandalism there was and how small the Sphinx is – it’s absolutely tiny!
I toured them by Camel – got such a sore arse from the thing…..
I also went super early (7am IIRC) to get there before a meeting. Was nice and quiet with not many tourists…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/4S4BE4]Tacky tourist shot[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/4S8Lh5]Tiny Sphinx[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr
ti_pin_manFree MemberI’ll be arriving after midnight so wont be making the 7am thing and I’ve done a camel ride and know its painful and smelly so will skip it. Like the idea of doing the pyramids late in the day and the museum in the morning. Good idea. otherwise i’ll be there at peak of the day and will be busy and hot.
Can you go in the pyramid? any inside tours worth doing?
jambourgieFree MemberI always fancied climbing to the top of the biggun, smoking a doob and watching the sunset. Not sure if you’re allowed tho…
slowoldmanFull MemberDo they still have that show with the donkey and the rubber ring?
PMK2060Full MemberWe did a organised day trip from Sharm to Cairo a couple of years ago. We visited the Citadel Mosque, the museum, the pyramids and a shop that sells paintings made from papyrus. The museum was amazing and I wish we had spent more time there and skipped the shop
bikebouyFree MemberSee the pyramids from the North of the city, if you go through the western part you have to climb mountains of refuse and it’ll stay in your mind forever.
Worth the taxi fare alone, go early, bite on something hard whilst the taxi driver imitates Hanni Mikola doing donuts around camels on the WRC.
Eat local, don’t eat salad, eat fish not meat, rice boiled in a bag not in Nile excrement.
Don’t wash until you leave.It’s a busy place, wait until nighttime and climb somewhere high to see the lights and expanse of a city in the desert.. it’s quite stunning.
MikkelFree Memberspend 3 weeks in Cairo some 25 years ago, as my best friends dad worked there.
I would say its worth going inside the pyramid, the great gallery was vertigo inducing on me for a sec when you first enter it, due to now its on a slopped floor with the ends at right angle to the floor.Also enjoyed the museum and the bazar.
We had our own private guide, driver from friends dads company, he showed us some really cool placed with no tourists that I have long forgotten where areBigButSlimmerBlokeFree MemberCan you go in the pyramids? I believe you could once not sure about now. Numbers were very limited and not for you if you’re at all claustrophobic. And there’s n’t anything to see anyway.
Can you climb them? Not any more. The blocks they’re made out of are larger than you think and are made of sandstone which means they’re easily damaged. The Egyptian antiquities people are keen on keeping them intact so no climbing.
I’d add trying to get to the Citadel if you can. Awesome medieval fortification and mosques, quite high above the city so views across the city and out toward the pyramids
footflapsFull MemberCan you climb them? Not any more. The blocks they’re made out of are larger than you think and are made of sandstone which means they’re easily damaged. The Egyptian antiquities people are keen on keeping them intact so no climbing.
they are graffitied and engraved to buggery, not a single stone without A loves B carved in it….
nickjbFree MemberThe Giza plateau is an amazing site. Most these “must see” places get a bit ruined by all the people seeing them and this is no exception but its so good it’s still worth it. If you can avoid the peak coach tour time its much better. Even if its is busy its a huge site and there are some smaller tombs dotted around. Wander away from the crowds if you can. When I went many years ago there was a very unofficial looking chap letting us into some of the tombs for baksheesh.
I liked the city. Many happy days wandering around it. Did a nice walk along the river to the Coptic christian area. Lots of nice architecture on the way from roman to art deco. Its busy and bustling and crossing roads and taxi rides are an experience but they do have rules, but they are different to ours.
BigButSlimmerBlokeFree Memberthey are graffitied and engraved to buggery, not a single stone without A loves B carved in it….
..which might be why they stop people climbing on them now.
Rockape63Free MemberI was there 30 years ago and you couldn’t walk up them (pyramids) then. Driving through the centre of Cairo has to be seen to be believed! 😯 Crazy noisy place, which takes a bit of getting used to as its a massive assault on the senses!
ti_pin_manFree Memberyou guys have really whetted my appetite for the trip, cheers!
globaltiFree MemberWell luckily alcohol is still allowed in Egypt so you could just stay in your hotel and get sh*tfaced. At least you won’t have to worry about making it back to their airport in time for your flight, which is what always spoils any leisure time I have on business trips.
llamaFull Member(Disclaimer: this was a long time ago, most definitely not like this now)
Parents lived in Cairo when I was little. My abiding memories:
The place stinks, has way too much traffic, too many people, and is filthy. But strangely, all of this in a good way (India, take notes please)
The people are super nice
It smells of wee inside the great pyramids
The Citadel is awesome, we went on a school trip there, the mosque was amazing and there are secret rooms and everything
The zoo stinks but they keep the big cats on edge
The sailing boats on the Nile are good for an outing
You can go on a horseback tour to see the pyramids, that’s quite good fun.
I would second this, camels stink.
dissonanceFull MemberCan you go in the pyramids? I believe you could once not sure about now. Numbers were very limited and not for you if you’re at all claustrophobic
Think you need to be earlier in the day to get in.
When I was there did a days tour around. Was a long day and somewhat superficial but really good.
In a day would be able to get to visit the main pyramids and the stepped one plus time at the museum
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