Why? Modern travellers choose to holiday in Cairo for its ancient attractions, rather than to experience the muddled hurly burly of the 21st century city. It's famous pyramid complex at Giza and fascinating museum are reason enough to travel to Cairo, and many Westerners do no more than glimpse the chaotic crowded streets and suburbs from their tour bus windows as they travel between these sites and their luxury resort hotel. Those who enjoy digging deeper, however, will find a certain charm when they holiday in Cairo, where the culture straddles Africa and the Middle East.
When? Cairo is blisteringly hot and uncomfortably humid during the summer months, between May and October, so this is not a good time to travel to Cairo. The best months for a Cairo holiday are between November and April, when temperatures are still high, but more bearable.
Who for? Anyone interested in the mystique of ancient Egypt will revel in a holiday in Cairo, where the mysterious Sphinx and awesome Great Pyramid have dominated the landscape for millennia. Those who travel to Cairo are also drawn to shop for Egypt's unique antiquities, perfume, gold jewellery and souvenirs.
More Info: Our comprehensive Cairo travel guide contains all the information you need to plan a holiday in Cairo, including tips on health and safety.

Sphinx at Giza, Cairo ©

Warning: Protests in Cairo have resumed as conservative religious groups and the military clash over the formation of a new government. Visitors should avoid downtown Cairo, including Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, as the protests have turned violent and clashes with police are frequent.

Africa's largest city with a population of nearly 18 million, Cairo is a chaotic mixture of sights, sounds and smells. It is heaving with life, volatile, polluted and boisterous, with an intensity that both exhausts and invigorates the visitor. It is also distinctive with its ancient monuments in juxtaposition to the modern and cosmopolitan. The congested streets of Islamic Cairo are full of donkey carts, traders and mosques, while camels weave their way haughtily between the crumbling pyramids on the outskirts. Taxis clamour for attention and pedestrians elbow their way past busy coffee houses, where those seeking a brief escape from the hustle and bustle sit sipping at a strong cup of coffee while contemplating the smoke rings of a 'hubbly bubbly' water pipe - in true Egyptian style.

Visitors can also practice the age-old art of bargaining for trinkets, spices and perfume in one of the world's largest bazaars, or pay a visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which houses treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb and is one of the country's main attractions.

Situated on the Nile, Egyptians arrogantly refer to Cairo as the 'Mother of all Cities'; many visitors who have experienced its unruliness would perhaps describe it in less endearing terms. But no matter how it goes down there is no doubt that Cairo is as beguiling as it is messy, and its charm lies in the blend of African, Arab and European influences, the timelessness of the old, and the energy of the present.