Cairo travel guide

From the Pyramids of Giza and traders’ banter at Khan al-Khalili bazaar to sailing on the Nile, it’s no surprise that Cairo is dubbed the Mother of All Cities by Egyptians.

Egypt’s capital, and Africa’s largest city, boasts attractions of biblical proportions – literally. Giza’s Sphinx and pyramids are iconic as to be beyond description. Add to this the astonishing gold of Tutankhamun buried in the dusty corridors of the Cairo Museum, the Islamic treasures of bejewelled mosques, labyrinthine medieval alleyways lined with tempting spices and colourful textiles and the daily shrill calls to prayer rising above the cacophony of car horns and crowded streets.

Escape from the city’s bustle by ordering a mint tea in a traditional ahwa (coffeehouse) or taking a felucca ride on the river Nile, Cairo’s lifeblood and Africa’s most significant waterway.