Where to eat, drink and go out in Cairo: 20 picks for study-abroad students, with student-vetted picks marked and prices in dollars.
Market · Islamic Cairo
A centuries-old bazaar of lanterns, spices, brass and perfume shops.
Best for: souvenirs, atmosphere
Price: free to enter
Best time: late afternoon into evening
Heads up: Haggle hard (start around a third of the first price), refuse "free gifts", and watch your bag.
Cafe · Khan el-Khalili
A mirrored café in a bazaar alley, open since 1797, for mint tea and people-watching.
Best for: mint tea, a break in the bazaar
Best time: evening
Restaurant · Downtown
Cairo's famous koshary hall: rice, lentils, pasta, chickpeas and crispy onions with tomato sauce.
Best for: the national dish, very cheap
Best time: lunch
Restaurant · Downtown
A long-running Downtown restaurant for Egyptian classics like ful, falafel and grills.
Best for: trying Egyptian staples in one place
Best time: lunch or dinner
Restaurant · Zamalek
Modern, colourful Egyptian street food: taameya, hawawshi and koshary done fresh.
Best for: street food in a clean, easy setting
Best time: lunch or dinner
Cafe · Downtown (Talaat Harb)
A century-old Downtown café where writers and revolutionaries used to meet.
Best for: coffee with history
Best time: afternoon
Sight · Giza plateau
The last standing wonder of the ancient world, at the edge of the city and the desert.
Best for: the reason most people come
Booking: Buying online gives a QR code that skips the ticket window. Entering the Great Pyramid is a separate ticket.
Best time: early morning
Heads up: Heat and very pushy camel and horse touts: say no firmly, or agree the price and the route before you get on.
Museum · Giza, near the pyramids
The huge new museum by the pyramids, home to Tutankhamun's treasures.
Best for: pairing with the pyramids in one day
Price: $ — roughly $19 with a student card (about $38 without)
Booking: Book on the museum's official website, and bring a valid student card for the student rate.
Best time: late morning, after the pyramids
Museum · Downtown (Tahrir Square)
The old pink museum on Tahrir Square, crammed with statues, mummies and sarcophagi.
Best for: a dusty, old-school museum experience
Best time: morning
Walk · Islamic Cairo
A pedestrian street of medieval mosques, madrasas and gates, lit up at night.
Best for: a free walk through medieval Cairo
Best time: evening
Garden · Islamic Cairo
A green hilltop park with views over the minarets of old Cairo; a calm break from the traffic.
Best for: sunset, a quiet walk
Best time: sunset
Sight · Citadel
A medieval hilltop fortress crowned by an Ottoman-style mosque, with views across the city.
Best for: history, a city view
Best time: morning
Heads up: Dress code in the mosque.
Area · Old Cairo
Cairo's old Christian quarter: the Hanging Church, old synagogues and a Coptic museum in narrow lanes.
Best for: a different side of the city
Best time: morning
Activity · Corniche (Garden City or Zamalek)
An hour on a traditional wooden sailboat as the city lights come on.
Best for: a group sunset, a calm hour
Best time: sunset
Heads up: Agree the price for the boat and the length of the ride before boarding.
Sight · south of Giza
The Step Pyramid of Djoser, the world's oldest, and painted tombs, with far fewer crowds than Giza.
Best for: a half-day trip, quieter ancient sites
Best time: morning
Sight · Sayeda Zeinab
One of the oldest and largest mosques in Cairo, with a vast courtyard and a spiral minaret to climb.
Best for: a calm, huge historic mosque
Best time: morning
Heads up: Dress code applies.
Museum · beside Ibn Tulun
Two connected Ottoman-era houses filled with a collector's antiques; a set in a James Bond film.
Best for: pairing with Ibn Tulun
Best time: morning
Viewpoint · Zamalek (Gezira island)
A lattice tower on the Nile island with a viewing deck over the whole city.
Best for: the city view at sunset
Best time: sunset
Live music · Agouza (near Zamalek)
A long-running live-music and DJ club, the best-known night out in the city.
Best for: a night out with music
Booking: Entry often needs a reservation made ahead.
Best time: after 11 PM
Area · Zamalek (Gezira island)
A leafy island neighbourhood of embassies, cafés, galleries and most of the city's bars.
Best for: a calmer evening, finding a drink
Best time: evening