The capital city of Egypt is as colourful as its name, Cairo; there are many marvellous sites in this city that educate tourists on the history and customs of the country that is frozen in time. This city has a lot to offer for independent travelers starting from the Pyramids of Giza and ending with the Downtown area. In this comprehensive life sketch, you are going to get to know all that concerns the preparation and the guidelines on how to successfully tour Cairo on your own.
Introduction to Cairo
Cairo is another big city it is famous for its thousand minarets we establish Cairo’s relation with the modern/contemporary and ancient world. For several millenniums it has occupied the territory it is located at and is visited by tourists craving to feel the history in the touch, looking at the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum. But is Cairo only these icons or is it the busy, lively metropolitan, the city with hundreds of bazaars, neighborhoods, eateries, and whatnots?
Planning Your Trip:
Duration of Stay:
The basic things that have to be accomplished when arranging your schedules are, first and foremost, calculation of the preferred time that you will require to spend in Cairo. Perhaps, one can orient in the main sights of the city in 3 days; however, it will be possible to sightsee more freely in a week. Thus, the duration to spend in any particular place depends on your interests and things to do, or rather must-do things.
Best Time to Visit:
The climate in Cairo is hot and arid with scorching heat during the summer season and comparatively cooler, in the winter; however, the most appropriate seasons to visit Cairo is during spring and autumn. Extremely hot weather is characteristic of visiting during June to August therefore sightseeing could be quite a chore.
Visa Requirements:
Getting a visa is deemed advisable for almost all the visitors who plan to visit Egypt; a visa can be obtain on arrival at the Cairo International Airport or can be obtained online prior to the visit. Ensure that your passport is valid throughout the period that is expected for your exit as well as the next six months.
Health and Safety:
In an era whereby the prices of heath care are tremendously high across the globe, make sure that you are safe through having an all inclusive travel insurance that has the ability to taking care of medical evacuation. However, it is important to remember some useful tips and understanding the distinguishing feature of the community in the concerned country so that one may find his/her life havoc free wonderful vacation.
Budgeting:
Cairo has different categories of hotels starting from hostels to even expensive hotels. It well be wise to manage your budget well basing on the necessities such as; accommodation, transport, feeding, fun and shopping.
Where to Stay:
Downtown Cairo:
Downtown Cairo which is near Tahrir square is also popular due to; its situ and landmark such as Egyptian Museum, Nile River. This therefore means that for the traveler of all classes, accommodation is provided from the cheap backpacker hostels for the ‘‘bare bones’’ traveler to the luxurious hotel for the elites.
Giza:
Giza is a town that hosts the Pyramids of Giza as well as the Sphinx; this is a great chance to spend a night near these great archaeological masterpieces. On the other hand, most of the accommodation facilities are a bit cheaper but those in Giza come at a little higher price whose beauty is that they offer the best views of the pyramids and ease of access to the same.
Recommended Hotels:
Downtown Cairo:
- Victory Downtown Hotel
- Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir
- The Australian Hostel
Giza:
- Hayat Pyramids Hotel
- Marvel Stone Hotel
- Marriot Mena House
Getting Around:
Public Transportation:
The primary modes of public transport and the existing transport structures in Cairo are Cairo bus and Cairo Metro. While such options may be considerably cheap these are definitely not the most ideal or easily accessible especially for the first time visitors to the city.
Taxi:
There is flexibility in hiring cars in Cairo and the popular taxis give the clients efficient means to move round the busy traffic zones. It is possible to negotiate on the price before entering a taxi, although if the customer decides to order a taxi through the application which is, for instance, Uber the price will be clearer.
Walking:
However, the Looking Glass scenery has considerable potential given that Cairo is a city that can be walked through mainly through the pedestrian way notable for interaction and close encounter with people and other pedestrians, as well as getting to explore some parts of town noted for its secrete section rich in narrow alleyways. It is just good to know that one has to ‘push’ through packed sidewalks and ‘bump’ with car traffic.
Guided Tours:
So if one wishes to get more exposed to Cairo, especially about its history and other essential attractions, it is recommended that one to make a point of enrolling for the tour guide of the most important places of interest. Majority of the tour agencies offer their services in several languages and they also offer historical background and details about the places of interest.
Must-See Attractions:
Pyramids of Giza:
Each visitor of Cairo cannot consider his/her tour complete without fixing his/her eyes on the Pyramids of Giza that is one of the world wonders. We can entertain ourselves by making conclusions about the sizes of these newly born antiques and listen to new stories about their greatness, which are told by the guides.
Egyptian Museum:
Go to the Egyptian Museum filled with countless of Finds of the ancient Egyptian culture Such as the golden mask of Tutankhaman and the preserved mummies of the pharaohs. It is m ore preferable to spend as much time walking around the facility to be able to grasp the history that is preserved in it.
Khan El Khalili Bazaar:
Be lost in the narrow streets of Khan El Khalili it is Cairo’s oldest bazaar, and one of the best among Egyptian souks. Stroll through the market shops to buy such and such items and-small change items from spice to clothing, to jewelries and other things.
Islamic Cairo:
Learned the growth of Islam at The Cairo museum that other attraction centers comprises of The Sultan Hassan Mosque, Al-Azhar Mosque and the Bab Zuweila gates. Wander into its darkened side streets and the best this city has to offer are right under your nose.
Coptic Cairo:
Coptic Cairo or Babylon of Egypt is the area that consisted of the largest Christian community with indigenous Coptic churches monasteries and synagogues between oriental bazaar shops and modern cafes. These normally include tourings in the Hanging Church, the Coptic Museum, and Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus.
Experiencing the Local Culture:
Culinary Delights:
Taste some of the Egyptian cuisine which include koshari which is a plate of rice, lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, spiced pasta topped with fried onions or bread and falafel a fried ball of crushed chickpeas, kofta which is a mixture of minced meat and ful medames which is slow-cooked fava beans. Of course, one should not omit local sweets like the baklava and the basbossa.
Traditional Music and Dance:
Take your time to experience feels Egyptian music and dances For that try some of the cultural places in Egypt or any Café in Cairo that you would like to visit. An addendum could be almost anything, the more sultry sensual belly dance show or a spirited stage performance of Morocco’s most played folk music.
Local Markets and Souks:
Go shopping and experience markets and souks of Cairo which are used for spices, fabrics, shoes, hand made products and antiques. Negotiate for the best possible prices, and you get lovely items, souvenirs of your tour.
Coffee Culture:
This is a touching taste of Egypt’s coffee culture and has to be attempted through drinking the Egyptian coffee bought at cafes and from street vendors across Cairo. Submerge yourself with the people and take a cup of hot, black coffee and taste this most loved product of people.
Practical Tips:
Language:
English is partially understood as far as Arabic helds its place in being the Egyptian official language besides; most tourists regard it relatively easy since those circuits known to harbour constructive tourism are easier to communicate in. It is advisable to memorize several Arabic words; it will add the corresponding emotions during communication with people and perceived cultural nuances.
Currency and Payments:
They include the area and population of each country, their adopted currency – Egyptian pound abbreviated as EGP. However, credit cards are accepted in some hotels, restaurants, shops and other services, thus, for making payments for services and the goods, the use of cash is preferred particularly when bought at some small shops and markets.
Dress Code:
However, despite the fact that Cairo is amongst some of the liberal cities in the region, it is recommended especially for women to dress modestly when in conservative regions or environments and any place of religious importance. As for the dress code, rather free and somewhat sloppy forms should be used along with light materials that are used for clothes made for hot Arizona climate.
Etiquette and Customs:
It will be wise to also get acquainted with some of the reasonable Egyptian etiquette to avoid offending the local people when on your holiday. Egyptians are really very friendly hence, one should greet them ‘welcome’ in Arabic, this is as-salamu alaykum, and to this the response would be wa alaykum as-salam.
Conclusion:
It is a country where, if one travels for that country individually he/she gets an opportunity to move round the city of Cairo to see the monumental constructions, and the 3rd largest city and they are an eternal beauty of the Nile river.