Top Cairo Tours & Vacations 2024/2025 [reviews & photos]

Cairo Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025

433 Cairo trips. Compare tour itineraries from 65 tour companies. 706 reviews. 4.8/5 avg rating.

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Top Cairo Attractions & Experiences

Top Cairo Experiences

  • Viewing the pyramids in the distance from the balcony of a luxury hotel
  • Taking a tour of the Egyptian Museum, led by an Egyptologist and archaeology expert, and seeing 5,000 years of ancient history laid out before your eyes
  • Exploring the modern side of Egypt in Cairo's busy bazaar district
  • Marveling at the incredible architecture of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali
  • Going on a camel ride to see the pyramids up close 

Cairo Tours & Travel Guide

Cairo Attractions & Landmarks Guide

Along the banks of the Nile sits Cairo, the historic capital of Egypt is an essential stop on any Egypt tour. Any introduction to the city city would be remiss not to visit the famous Egyptian Museum, with its hallways upon hallways of antiquities. Many day tours to see the pyramids and sphinx leave from Cairo as well. It's a hub of both ancient and modern culture.

Is it safe to travel to Cairo?

Many tourists have heard about a Cairo travel warning, or if you’re from the U.S., you may know the government has instituted a Level 2 Travel Advisory for Egypt. This warning essentially lets travelers know there is some risk to be expected when traveling to Cairo, particularly due to terrorist activity and political discontent.

Despite these threats, the Egyptian government has made concerted efforts to protect tourist areas, even creating a tourist police force. As a result, traveling within these areas is generally safe.

A traveler to Cairo should still exercise some caution, however. There is a great deal of pickpocketing and some petty theft that happens in Cairo, as well as a decently high risk of scams. Female travelers, especially solo female travelers, should also expect some sexual harassment and avoid traveling alone at night.

Cairo Travel Advice

  • Book a guided tour. If you’re here considering Cairo tour packages, you’re already headed in the right direction. One of the most well known pieces of advice for those traveling to Egypt in general, especially in Cairo, is to do so on a tour. There’s several reasons for this: the language barrier is especially prevalent, there are many opportunities to get scammed, and since 2011, tourism is still down and there are still some safety issues surrounding terrorism and political discontent.
  • Bring along your own toilet paper in case you have to use a public restroom. They often don’t have any of their own.
  • Prepare to haggle, street hawkers will not be offended if you try a lower offer!
  • Wear closed toe shoes. Not only are these more comfortable than flip flops, but Cairo’s streets are notoriously dusty, and your feet will be black by the end of the day!
  • Don’t drink the tap water, even the locals don’t.
  • If you want to take photos in the Egyptian Museum, bring some cash along, since it costs an additional fee to buy a photo pass.

Things to Do in Cairo

1. The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx - These two structures are just outside of Cairo’s city limits, the most popular tourist attractions in the area, and are by far the best known symbols of Egypt. The pyramids are one of the seven wonders of the world, and the Sphinx is the world’s oldest monumental sculpture, so visiting these two should definitely cross off a line on your bucket list.

Furthermore, going on a guided tour is the really the best way to experience these two ruins as there won’t be any plaques explaining the in depth histories and mystery surrounding these Egyptian icons. Only 300 tickets are sold each day, so your tour guide will make sure you are able to visit.

2. Egyptian Museum - This museum, located in the heart of Cairo, will blow away the Ancient Egypt exhibits at any other museum. The building is full of tens of thousands of artifacts, ranging from mummies to sarcophagi, to jewels from King Tut’s tomb.

3. Explore Old Town (Coptic Cairo) - This fascinating section of the city is a labyrinth of winding stone streets, buildings that are 1,000s of years old, and dozens of attractions. Be sure to visit Africa’s first Christian church, the Coptic Museum, the Ben Ezra Synagogue (apparently the site where the Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses floating in his basket), and multiple mosques. 

4. Salah El-Din Citadel - This is the most popular non-pyramid related attraction in Cairo, and not without reason. This impressive feat of architecture is a fortress built by Salah al-Din, who opposed the Christian crusaders in the early 1000’s.  Inside the towering walls are a series of impressive attractions, including a palace, three mosques, and several museums.

5. Khan el-Khalili - This is largest market in Cairo, and its crowded, winding streets, filled with people and items, is an experience in and of itself. The market is the best place to buy a souvenir, and practice your haggling skills! Assume everything is marked up, and try to get whatever you’re buying, be it jewelry, a hookah pipe, or spices, down by at least 20%.

10 Interesting Facts About Cairo

  1. Cairo means “The Victorious.”
  2. It is the largest city in Africa.
  3. It was founded in the year 969 A.D.
  4. The current currency is the Egyptian Pound.
  5. Cairo was hit by 50 separate plagues between 1349 and 1517.
  6. It is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, Al-Azhar University.
  7. Cairo’s metro system is only one of two systems in Africa.
  8. It is home to the only remaining ancient wonder of the world, the Pyramid of Giza.
  9. There are over 4.5 million cars in Cairo, so traffic can get bad
  10. Although Nile crocodiles once swam the entire length of the river, they are now rarely found outside southernmost of Egypt, so you won’t find any in Cairo.

Cairo Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5  Excellent
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A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Nile Cruise

This was a wonderful trip - I enjoyed it enormously. Visit to the temples at Karnak & Luxor Khaled Lotfy was an excellent & inspirational group leader. He ...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

History in the Heat

I've always been interested in Egyptian history and when friends suggested joining this holiday I booked straight away. And it didn't disappoint. Seeing & bein...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

postscript

Sorry, I meant to add that Exodus should perhaps delete the reference to the "library" on the cruise from the Trip Notes. The library consisted of 16 dog-eared bo...

A

Anonymous

Feb 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Nile Cruise

I do not have a very long 'bucket list', in fact Egypt is the only destination on it and this holiday did not disappoint. From the flight to Cairo to the flight ho...

A

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Nile Cruise Premium

I have always wanted to visit Egypt to see the antiquities, but because of the political instability I thought it would be unlikely. So when I saw this trip adver...

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