20 Best Things to Do in Cairo, Egypt (2026)

Start with the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, then the Grand Egyptian Museum — now fully open beside the plateau with the complete Tutankhamun collection under one roof for the first time. After that, Cairo opens up: Islamic Cairo rewards a half-day among mosques, madrasas and the Citadel; Coptic Cairo hides ancient churches and a synagogue in a quiet cobbled quarter; and Khan el-Khalili is at its liveliest after dark. This is a city of roughly 20 million where 4,500-year-old tombs sit at the edge of the traffic. Here are the 20 best things to do, grouped by area so you can plan around a compact base and a couple of easy day trips.

Giza: the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Grand Egyptian Museum

This is the reason most people come, and it earns the hype. Plan a full day here — the plateau in the morning, the museum in the afternoon, or the reverse.

1. The Pyramids of Giza

Three pyramids built for three kings — Khufu (the Great Pyramid), Khafre and Menkaure — plus a scatter of smaller queens' pyramids and mastaba tombs, all raised around 2600–2500 BC. The Great Pyramid stood about 146m when finished and was the tallest structure on earth for nearly four millennia. Standing at its base, the thing that gets you isn't the height so much as the sheer mass of the blocks.

A few practical changes worth knowing for 2026: private cars and tour coaches no longer drive up onto the plateau. You enter through the main gate on the Fayoum (Fayum) road, and an electric shuttle bus loops between the key stops — it's included in your ticket, not a separate fare. Plateau entry runs roughly EGP 540–700 (about US$11–14); going inside the Great Pyramid is a separate, limited ticket (around EGP 900), and it's a hot, low, cramping climb up a narrow gallery to a bare granite chamber. Go inside only if the idea genuinely thrills you. Confirm current prices at the gate or on egymonuments.com, which change periodically.

Go early — gates open around 7am and the light, the temperature and the crowds are all better before 10am. Camel and horse touts are persistent; agree a price in writing before you mount anything, or simply walk, which is free and often more pleasant.

2. The Great Sphinx

Carved from a single knoll of limestone left in the quarry, the Sphinx has the body of a lion and, most likely, the face of Khafre, whose pyramid rises behind it. It sits lower than people expect and is smaller than the pyramids, but up close the erosion, the missing nose and the sheer age of the thing land hard. The viewing terrace beside the Valley Temple gives the classic head-on shot with a pyramid behind.

3. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

The headline opening of the decade. After years of delays, the Grand Egyptian Museum held its official grand opening in November 2025 and is now fully open a short drive from the plateau. It's the largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation, and its centrepiece is the complete Tutankhamun collection — more than 5,000 objects, the whole tomb assemblage shown together for the first time in history, including the famous gold mask. A colossal statue of Ramses II anchors the atrium, and the grand staircase climbs past monumental statuary toward a window framing the pyramids themselves.

General admission for foreign adults is around EGP 1,450 (roughly US$30), with reduced student and child tickets; the Tutankhamun galleries are included in standard admission. Buy online in advance through the official site — on-the-day tickets at the door have largely been phased out. Budget three to four hours; it's vast, and you will not see it all.

Which museum has the mummies? Not GEM, and not Tahrir. The royal mummies of Egypt's pharaohs are at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) in Fustat/Old Cairo — see below. This trips up a lot of visitors.

Downtown & Old Cairo: two more essential museums

4. The Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square

The original, opened in 1902 on downtown's Tahrir Square, and still very much worth your time. With Tutankhamun's treasures gone to GEM, Tahrir has become quieter and, in a way, more atmospheric — a beautiful, faded, gloriously overstuffed old-school museum. The dusty cabinets, the hand-typed labels and the density of objects give it a character the gleaming new galleries can't replicate. Foreign entry sits around EGP 200–300. It's a natural pairing with a downtown walk.

5. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC)

In Fustat, overlooking Ain el-Sira lake, NMEC tells the sweep of Egyptian history — Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic and modern — in one modern, well-lit museum. The reason to come is the Royal Mummies Hall, a dimly lit, reverent gallery where the actual bodies of rulers like Ramses II and Hatshepsut lie behind glass, moved here in the theatrical 2021 "Pharaohs' Golden Parade." Foreign admission is around EGP 550 and includes the mummies hall.

Islamic Cairo: the medieval city

Give this a half-day at least. Founded as the Fatimid royal city of al-Qahira in 969 — the name that became "Cairo" — this is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval Islamic cities anywhere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of minarets, domes and stone lace. Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered; women may want a scarf for mosques), carry small change for shoe custodians, and wear shoes you can slip off.

6. Al-Muizz Street

A kilometre of the densest concentration of medieval architecture in the Islamic world, running roughly from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuwayla — two surviving gates of the old Fatimid walls. Mosques, madrasas, merchants' houses and public fountains (sabil-kuttabs) line the street, many restored and lit at night. Walk it slowly; the northern end near the gates is the quietest and most rewarding.

7. Khan el-Khalili

Cairo's great bazaar has traded on this spot since the late 14th century, and Baedeker's 1895 handbook already sent travellers here to buy. It's a labyrinth — coppersmiths, perfumers, gold and silver alleys, lantern-makers, spice sacks, and a river of people. It's at its best from about 7pm to midnight, when the day's heat lifts and the whole quarter comes alive. Haggle cheerfully and expect to pay a fraction of the opening ask. Pause for mint tea or sheesha at El Fishawy, the storied café threading through the middle of the maze since the 18th century.

8. The Citadel of Saladin

Salah al-Din (Saladin) began this hilltop fortress in the 1170s, and it commanded Cairo for seven centuries. Crowning it is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali (the "Alabaster Mosque"), a great Ottoman-style dome and pencil minarets finished in the 1840s. From the terrace outside, on a clear day, you look clear across the city to the pyramids on the horizon. Foreign entry to the Citadel is around EGP 450 and covers the mosques and museums inside. Open roughly 8am–5pm.

9. The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan

If you visit one mosque, make it this one. Built in the 1350s, it's a colossal Mamluk masterpiece — a soaring stone courtyard with four vaulted halls, and interior surfaces so finely carved that Baedeker described the arabesque friezes as resembling "a network of lace." It faces the equally grand al-Rifa'i Mosque across a small square, and a combined ticket (around EGP 80) covers both. The scale inside is genuinely humbling.

10. The Mosque of Ibn Tulun

Older and starker than the rest — completed in 879, it's the oldest mosque in Egypt surviving in its original form. Vast, austere, built around a huge empty courtyard, with a famous spiral outer minaret you can climb for a view over the rooftops. It's blissfully uncrowded. The adjacent Gayer-Anderson Museum, a pair of restored Ottoman houses, makes a lovely add-on.

Coptic Cairo: the Christian quarter

Tucked inside the old Roman fortress of Babylon, this quiet, walled quarter of narrow cobbled lanes holds some of the oldest churches in Egypt and a piece of Jewish history — a peaceful counterpoint to the bustle elsewhere. Entry to the churches is free; the Coptic Museum has a small ticket.

11. The Hanging Church (Al-Muallaqa)

Suspended over a gatehouse of the Roman fortress — hence the name — this is Cairo's most famous Coptic church, its nave built on a wooden floor above the old towers. The inlaid screens, icons and marble pulpit reward a slow look.

12. The Church of St Sergius (Abu Serga) & Ben Ezra Synagogue

Abu Serga is traditionally held to stand over a crypt where the Holy Family sheltered during their flight into Egypt, a stop on Egypt's Holy Family Trail. A few steps away, the Ben Ezra Synagogue — a former church acquired by Cairo's Jewish community in the 9th century — is where the famous Cairo Geniza, a trove of medieval manuscripts, was discovered. Together they compress a thousand years of interwoven faiths into a few hundred metres.

13. The Coptic Museum

The world's finest collection of Coptic Christian art — textiles, carved wood, manuscripts and stonework bridging the Pharaonic and Islamic eras, in a building with beautiful mashrabiya screens. Small, calm and often overlooked.

On the Nile: felucca and dinner cruise

14. A felucca at sunset

The felucca — a small wooden lateen-sail boat unchanged for centuries — is the simplest, loveliest way onto the water. Hire one for an hour near the Zamalek or Garden City corniche as the sun drops; there's no engine noise, just the sail and the city sliding by. Agree the price and duration up front. It's cheap and it's the antidote to a hard day of monuments.

15. A Nile dinner cruise after dark

For something more of an occasion, a dinner cruise pairs a buffet with live music and usually a tannoura (whirling-dervish) show and a belly-dance set, all while Cairo glitters past. It's touristy and unabashedly fun. Book one for your final evening.

Day trips from Cairo

16. Saqqara

Half an hour south of Giza, Saqqara is the necropolis of ancient Memphis and home to the Step Pyramid of Djoser (c. 2670 BC) — the world's oldest large stone building and the prototype for every pyramid that followed. Beyond it are exquisitely painted Old Kingdom tombs and, more recently, a wave of spectacular new discoveries of sealed coffins and animal mummies. Site entry runs around EGP 450–500, with extra tickets for certain tombs. Fewer crowds than Giza, and arguably more moving.

17. Memphis

Egypt's first capital, founded around 3100 BC, now largely vanished under Nile silt and palm groves. The open-air museum preserves a magnificent recumbent colossus of Ramses II — some 13 metres of fallen limestone king — and a fine alabaster sphinx. It's small; pair it with Saqqara (and Dahshur, home of the Bent and Red Pyramids, if you have a full day).

18. Alexandria

Egypt's Mediterranean second city, about 2.5–3 hours by train or car. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (a soaring modern revival of the ancient Library), the Roman catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar and the seafront Qaitbay Citadel make a full, breezy, sea-air day — a complete change of pace from Cairo's density.

Food, coffee and after dark

19. Eat like Cairo

Start at street level with koshari — lentils, rice, macaroni, chickpeas, crispy onions and a tangy tomato-garlic sauce, Egypt's beloved carb-bomb national dish (Abou Tarek downtown is the temple). Try ful (stewed fava beans) and taameya (Egypt's herby fava-bean falafel) for breakfast, grilled hamam mahshi (stuffed pigeon) for a splurge, and finish with om ali, a warm bread-and-milk pudding. For a view with your dinner, several rooftop restaurants and Nile-side terraces put the water and the skyline on the table.

20. Cairo after dark

The city genuinely comes alive at night. Beyond Khan el-Khalili and the dinner cruises, wander the cafés of downtown, catch a performance at the Cairo Opera House on Gezira island, or simply sit on the corniche with an ahwa (coffee) and watch the bridges light up. Cairenes eat late and stay out later; lean into it.

What things cost in Cairo

Government site tickets are paid in Egyptian pounds at the gate or via egymonuments.com; guided experiences are booked separately. Prices below are indicative for 2026 (US$1 ≈ 48–49 EGP) — always confirm current rates on the day.

Site / experience	Foreign adult ticket	Notes
Giza plateau entry	EGP 540–700 ($11–14)	Includes the shuttle-bus loop
Inside the Great Pyramid	EGP 900 extra ($18)	Limited daily; separate ticket
Grand Egyptian Museum	EGP 1,450 ($30)	Tutankhamun included; book online
Egyptian Museum, Tahrir	EGP 200–300 ($4–6)	Quieter since GEM opened
NMEC (royal mummies)	EGP 550 ($11)	Mummies hall included
Citadel of Saladin	EGP 450 ($9)	Covers mosques & museums inside
Sultan Hassan + al-Rifa'i	EGP 80 ($2)	Combined ticket
Saqqara	EGP 450–500 ($9–10)	Extra tickets for some tombs
Khan el-Khalili	Free	Bring cash to haggle
Guided Cairo day tour	EGP 3,600–6,200 ($75–130)	Median catalog range; varies by inclusions

How to plan your days

Cairo rewards a base you can walk from and a driver or ride-hail for the longer hops. A tight two-day plan does Giza + GEM on day one and Islamic + Coptic Cairo on day two; add a third day for Saqqara and Memphis, or the Egyptian Museum and a dinner cruise. If you want it mapped out hour by hour, see our 3 days in Cairo itinerary, and for everything on the plateau — tickets, timing, camel scams and the best photo spots — read the full Pyramids of Giza guide. Ready to pick experiences and slot them into a plan? Browse Cairo tours and day trips.

Getting around, safety and etiquette

Getting around. Uber and the local app Careem both work well and take the guesswork out of fares; the Cairo Metro is cheap, fast and has women-only carriages. Traffic is heavy and lane discipline is optional — leave buffer time and cross busy roads with a local when you can.

Safety. Cairo is broadly safe for visitors; the usual big-city sense applies. The main annoyance is persistent touting around the big sites — a firm, friendly "no, thank you" and a fixed price up front handle most of it. Keep valuables close in crowds.

Etiquette & money. Dress modestly at religious sites, ask before photographing people, and carry small notes for tips (bakhsheesh) — for shoe-minders, guides and helpful strangers, it's woven into daily life. Cash is still king at markets and small sites; cards work at hotels, malls and larger restaurants.

When to go. October to April is the sweet spot — warm days, cool evenings, comfortable for a full day at Giza. Summer (June–August) can push 38°C+; if you come then, do the plateau at dawn and the museums in the afternoon.

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Make Cairo the highlight it should be — This is Egypt builds custom itineraries around the places you most want to see, from a dawn walk at Giza to a night in the bazaar. Start planning your trip.