Key areas
Heliopolis Located between the airport and the downtown core, it has little to offer a tourist, though it is increasingly becoming a centre of business. An elegant, well laid-out suburb in the ’50s, its star has been on a steady fade as a residential district.
Downtown A densely packed, noisy mass of office blocks, offices and street-level clothing and shoe stores. Embassies and the offices of large companies have largely removed themselves from this area as the infrastructure crumbles and the population density increases year by year.
Garden City Built by the occupying British as their administrative centre, it’s still quiet and green and remains the location of numerous embassies. Located next to Downtown, it is also an easy walk from the Nile Hilton and Semiramis hotels.
Mohandiseen On the west bank of the Nile. The most recently built of the central Cairo districts, it is now home to many medium-sized businesses, restaurants and nightclubs.
Zamalek Once an exclusive British enclave on an island in the Nile, this neighbourhood remains the favourite place for many resident expats. Replete with embassies, restaurants and upmarket shopping, this leafy district comes as close as anywhere to being an oasis of calm amongst the bustle and chaos that is modern Egypt.
Getting around
There is only one way to get around Cairo as a foreigner: the black and white taxis that crowd the streets in droves. Riding taxis in Cairo is not the routine urban activity it is in Western cities, it is an art unto itself. Flag one down and tell the driver where you want to go and he (or, very rarely, she) will indicate with a nod if he agrees. Then get directly into the back seat. Negotiating the price beforehand is a recipe for disaster. When you get to your destination, pay the driver and walk away. The tricky part of this is that you have to know before you get into the taxi what the correct fare for your trip is (the meters haven’t been adjusted in decades and are irrelevant to the transaction). The best policy is to ask a local what the fare is before taking the trip, but the following sample rates should offer a basic rule of thumb: Mohandiseen to Downtown, EGP 7 (70p). Zamalek to Downtown or Garden City EGP 5 (50p), Heliopolis to Downtown EGP 15-20 (£1.50-£2), Zamalek to Khan al Khalili, £E8 (80p).
There are persistent rumours of a new system of radio taxis with set fares, operating meters and new cars. Called Capital Taxis, these cars may or may not hit the streets in the coming year. If they do, all indications are that they will offer a significant improvement, and also a significant increase in fares, over the existing system.
Shopping
Ground zero for shopping in Cairo is the Khan al Khalili area. Located between Downtown and the Citadel, the labyrinthine Khan sprawls for a square mile or so of small stores selling everything from cheap replicas of the Pyramids, belly dancing costumes and brass plates to stuffed examples of endangered species and silver tea services. For more upscale local work, there is Souq al Fustat, a cluster of little stores in a recently restored period building located across from the entrance to Coptic Cairo.
For the more adventurous and bibliophiles, there is a famous old, but now somewhat sanitised, used book market next to the Azbekeya Gardens close to Midan Ataba in Downtown. Amidst the piles of very ordinary used paperbacks can be found genuine deals on the leather-bound remnants of old libraries that have been broken up and sold off to dealers.
Gifts to buy
The island of Zamalek offers good, upmarket shopping. Ask the Marriott’s concierge to direct you to Nomad, which has a good, high-quality selection of Bedouin jewellery, African handicrafts and locally made picture frames and mirrors. Also close to the Marriot, in the quiet tree-lined streets behind the hotel, there are a number of high-end carpet dealers and very economical leather goods stores.
Things to do
Anyone who visits Cairo should take a sunset sail on the Nile in a faluka. Relaxing and cool, even in the heat of the summer, boats with capacities of 10-20 passengers are available for about £1.80 per hour from docks next to the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
For a breathtaking view of the city all the way to the Pyramids, take the elevator to the top of the Cairo Tower. Built in the time of Nasser, the tower, located on the island of Zamalek, is clearly visible from Corniche El Nil around the Nile Hilton or the Semiramis InterContinental.
A free evening is well spent taking a taxi to the Citadel to see the display of sufi dancing. Known in earlier times as ‘whirling dervishes’, these colourfully costumed mystics put on a show that is at once entertaining and spiritual.
For the less spiritually inclined, there is the famous sound and light show at the Giza pyramids. Starting at sunset, the show features animated explanations of ancient Egyptian mythology. The spectacular setting more than makes up for the somewhat kitschy nature of the performance.
Another excellent way to see the Giza plateau is to rent a horse and take a ride behind the Pyramids. Local ex-pats swear by Nasser Breesh’s Stables (NB Stables), which charges a fairly standard £2.70 per hour for a horse plus £1.80 per hour for a guide. Nasser has opened a second stable a little outside town where the views are better, the air cleaner and the prices are the same.
Excursions
Dahshur is 33kms southeast of Cairo and is one of the most tranquil and awe-inspiring pyramid sites. Opened to the public in 1998, it contains five pyramids, but only one—the northern ‘red’ pyramid—can be entered.
Tourist traps
In general, tourist sites are also tourist traps, especially the pyramids. You will get hassled by ‘guides’ and vendors, so be very firm in saying ‘No’ and just walk on by without stopping. If you want to take a camera of any kind into a museum or pyramid, you will have to pay extra. However, you’re not allowed to use a flash, so it’s hardly worth it.
Don’t let anyone take you shopping. If someone attaches themselves to you, even if you haven’t asked them to, and walks with you into any shop (or taxi or hotel), it is understood that they will receive a cut of whatever you spend, and the price goes up accordingly.
When you arrive at the airport you will inevitably be approached by taxi touts— don’t let them take you to a taxi as this will cost you extra.
You may also get people offering to change money at a better exchange rate than the banks. Often they’ll claim not to have the right change, go off to find some (with you money in their hands) and never return. Naturally you can’t complain to the police because such transactions are illegal. Don’t fall for it.
Convention centres
Most major hotels are equipped with adequate facilities for hosting conventions. Some of the best are:
Conrad International (Tel: 580 8000, email: cairoinfo@conradhotels.com) is located Downtown and is popular with business travellers. It has 11 meeting rooms, ranging in size from 12-person boardrooms to 1,200-seat conference halls.
Marriott Cairo (Tel: 735 8888, email: reservation@cairomarriot.com) has classy conference rooms with 10-metre high ceilings and palace charm.
JW Marriott Mirage City (Tel: 411 5588), based in Heliopolis, is Cairo’s second Marriott and boasts the city’s largest conference centre, the 2,200-seat