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The Nubian Museum in Aswan Egypt, understandably, has its fair share of museums; 7,000+ years of civilization will do that to you. Cairo alone has over a dozen really interesting museums covering different aspects of Egyptian history, civilization and culture, so imagine how many the country as a whole has. That being said, not all museums were created equal, and while they’re all most definitely worth a visit, some are crucial to truly understanding Egypt beyond just the Pyramids and the Sphinx . Egyptian history is vast: you have prehistoric, Ancient Egypt, Greco-Roman (and the introduction of Christianity), medieval (and the introduction of Islam), Ottoman Egypt, the French occupation, the Muhammad Ali dynasty and Khedivate, the British occupation, the Sultanate of Egypt followed by the monarchy, the revolution in 1952 and its following republic and the revolution on January 25th, 2011. Whew! Obviously visiting a few museums won’t be making you an Egyptian scholar but it’s a good place to start to try to wrap your head around Egypt’s mind-boggling history. 1. Grand Egyptian Museum Location:  Giza, next to the Great Pyramids Type of museum:  Ancient Egyptian history The largest archaeological museum in the world, and truly impressive both in architecture as well as exhibitions. It’s home to over 100,000 Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the complete King Tut treasure collection, for the first time ever. It's truly spectacular in both its sheer size as well as overall experience. Read more: Grand Egyptian Museum - A Local's Guide to Everything You Need to Known 2. Egyptian Museum Cairo Location: Cairo Type of museum: Ancient Egyptian antiquities Before the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum opened its doors, the Egyptian Museum at Midan Tahrir in Downtown Cairo was the best one-stop-shop for becoming acquainted with different aspects of Ancient Egyptian history. It's still home to over 170,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts! Local tip: it’s worth going with a guide (there are also relatively knowledgeable touts there who will offer to work as a guide for a negotiable fee), because many of the exhibits don’t have descriptions. 3. Alexandria National Museum Photo credit: Xinhua News Location: Alexandria Type of museum: Alexandrian history Alexandria, the ancient Mediterranean city and capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, is of paramount importance in Egyptian history. If you’re fuzzy about the story of Alexandria, its National Museum will help sort you out. The museum itself from an architectural standpoint isn’t that impressive, but don’t judge a book by its cover -- its contents definitely make up for what its facade lacks. Its exhibits are divided chronologically into eras to help you flesh things out a bit: pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Christian, Islamic and modern. There’s also a section for underwater monuments (some monuments still exist till present day in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alexandria!). Read: Sightseeing in Alexandria - 15 Best Things To See And Do 4. National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Type of museum: historical Location: Fustat, Old Cairo This large museum hosts over 50,000 artefacts from all eras of Egyptian civilization, from prehistoric times, through the pharaonic era up until now - and good news, because it's been recently renovated, all displays have clearly stated information, so no guide needed! The museum is divided into two sections: chronological and thematic. The chronological runs through Archaic, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, modern and contemporary Egyptian eras, and the thematic covers Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking and the Gallery of Royal Mummies. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is also touted as the first museum of civilization in the Arab world. The gallery of the Royal Mummies is definitely one of the highlights of this museum - in this quiet, tomb-like space, you can see 20 royal mummies that are thousands of years old, including some of the most famous pharaohs of all time like Ramses II. For more info, here's their website . 5. Museum of Islamic Art Location: Cairo Type of museum: Islamic heritage This art museum holds over 100,000 pieces of Islamic heritage from not only Egypt but also Arab and non-Arab countries alike, and is important in understanding Egypt’s Islamic history. Many of the pieces were gathered from the first Islamic capitals of Egypt (Fustat and Askar), prior to the rise of Cairo. Pieces were also selected from the Delta, Fayoum, Luxor and Aswan . Other collections of note: their wooden collection, which has some of the most beautiful and intricate woodwork from the days of early Islam, as well as beautiful ceramics and lamps. 6. Coptic Museum Location: Cairo Type of museum: Coptic Christian heritage Known as the best place to learn about Coptic history in Egypt, this museum hosts over 1,600 pieces, dating back to the early days of Coptic Christianity in the 3rd and 4th century AD. This museum is known for its bibles written in the 11th and 13th centuries in both Arabic and the Coptic language on deerskin, as well as Christian writings on papyrus dating back to the 6th century.Other collections of note: its icon display, as well as pottery, glass, metal, wooden and textile collections. Local tip: the museum is located in an area of Old Cairo called Coptic Cairo, walking distance from some very worth-seeing churches such as the Hanging Church and Mar Girgis church. Read: Coptic Cairo - A Detailed Local's Guide 7. Nubian Museum Location: Aswan Type of museum: Nubian heritage Nubians hail from southern Egypt and northern Sudan, and their history is as old as Ancient Egypt’s. The preservation of Nubian culture is extremely important, because the heartland of Nubia was destroyed due to the flooding of the Nile. The museum tells the story of Nubia from its start as a prehistoric Nile Valley civilization, through the pharaonic era and introduction of Christianity and Islam to Egypt, up to the building of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s. Read more: Aswan, Egypt: A Local's City Guide 8. Bibliotheca Alexandrina Museums: Sadat Museum, Manuscripts Museum, Antiquities Museum and History of Science Museum Photo credit: Franck Goddio Location: Alexandria Type of museum: varied The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is the new Library of Alexandria, built in 2002 as a nod to the ancient library and its spirit of knowledge and learning. The original was an ancient wonder of the world, but was sadly destroyed in the Roman conquest of Alexandria around 2,000 years ago. The library is home to four different and important museums: the Sadat Museum , dedicated to the former Egyptian president and also a look at modern Egyptian history; the Manuscripts Museum , which focuses on the conservation and restoration of ancient Egyptian manuscripts; the Antiquities Museum , with special focus given to Alexandrian and Hellenistic collections; and the History of Science Museum , which highlights the historical aspect of science in Egypt during three major periods: ancient Egypt, Hellenistic Alexandria, and the Arab-Muslim World. You might also like: 7 Beautiful Palaces You Can Still Visit in Cairo Today

The eastern neighborhood of Heliopolis (also known as Masr el Gedida) is not known as the epicenter of Cairo nightlife, but it’s been slowly and quietly picking up over the years, as locals in the know can attest to. So whether you’re a Heliopolis resident looking for an ambient place to get dinner and drinks, or a visitor who wants to be close to Cairo International Airport but still go out and have a good time, these are our 10 favorite Heliopolis nightspots. Read also: 12 Chill Places in Maadi to Get Dinner & Drinks Read also: 9 Best Restaurant & Bars for Dinner & Drinks in New Cairo Esca This contemporary restaurant & bar is named after the Latin word ‘esca’ - which translates to food or delicious bites. But it’s not just about the food here - walking in, you’re greeted by a whole glass wall dedicated to wine, and there’s a bar alongside the dining area. The menu is a mix of Mediterranean and international dishes, with a separate sushi selection menu. For more info and the menu: Esca El Barrio The 1920s Boutique Hotel in Korba is home to several of the restaurants and bars on this list, and El Barrio is one of our favorites. This Cuban-themed bar has an outdoor seating area and live music several nights a week. For more info and the menu: El Barrio Sachi Probably the most famous on the list, Sachi is an award-winning upscale Mediterranean fusion and sushi restaurant and bar by Baky Hospitality, the restaurateurs who also brought you Kazoku, one of our favorite places for dinner and drinks in New Cairo . When Sachi first opened its doors, it was one of the only restobars of its kind in Heliopolis - and has continued to stay a powerhouse since, with Sachi By The Sea operating in the North Coast during summer months, and Sachi Park St. in Sheikh Zayed . For more info and the menu: Sachi Rossini If you grew up in Heliopolis in the 90s, then you’ll probably remember Rossini as the fancy Italian/seafood restaurant and piano bar for older people dressed up and sipping wine. The good news is that Rossini has just revamped itself and stepped into the 21st century with an awesome new bar and contemporary interior design. For more info and the menu: Rossini Bar Raa Looking for a place with an old-world luxury type of feel? Then head to the Waldorf Astoria Heliopolis, where their jazz bar Bar Raa boasts a 'mythical yet modern' atmosphere. They have live music on Thursday and Friday nights. For more info: Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis' website . Wire This little bar in Korba might not be ideal for big goups because it’s so small, but usually that’s what makes it charming and cozy. It’s only a bar and a few high tables, and they’re known for their signature cocktails and sangria. For more info and the menu: Wire The Smokery Smokery is another heavy-hitter in Cairo’s upscale restobar scene, with venues in Katameya Heights, 6th October and El Gouna. Heliopolis’ branch brings the same vibe that Smokery patrons have grown accustomed to - international cuisine and drinks in an outdoor/indoor space that is well-heeled while still being comfortable. For more info and the menu: The Smokery Pinchos This tapas bar and lounge also resides in the 1920s Boutique Hotel, with an indoor bar and dining area, and small outside balcony area to enjoy some fresh air. The word ‘pinchos’ means small snacks usually eaten at a bar, and Pinchos’ Spanish tapas menu is dedicated to just that - alongside different paellas and desserts. Keep an eye out for their live music nights, as well as karaoke and happy hours. For more info and the menu: Pinchos Carlo’s Ah, Carlo’s. Its original branch, on the Le Pacha 1901 boat in Zamalek, is one of our top 10 favorite restaurants in all of Cairo . And apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought so, because in the past several years they’ve opened branches in Heliopolis, Sheikh Zayed and New Cairo. They’re known for their fantastic menu, with everything from Egyptian favorites to Italian to Indian, as well as their shisha and drinks. They also have indoor/outdoor seating, with the bar indoors. For more info and the menu: Carlo’s Deals Deals has been a beloved neighborhood pub since 1995, and its casual feel is what makes it a favorite amongst people who are looking for a drink or two but don’t want to deal (ha) with swanky restobars. While they do have an extensive menu, most people stick to drinks and mezze. Local tip: are also other Deals branches in Zamalek and Mohandiseen. For more info and the menu: Deals You might also like: 7 Best Bars, Pubs and Restobars in Zamalek

When thinking of Egypt and pyramids, most people automatically think of the Giza Pyramids. But what most people fail to realize is that they’re not the sole pyramids in Egypt, and not even the oldest! Read more: 9 Different Egyptian Pyramids (That AREN’T The Giza Pyramids!) That You Need To See One of the things that makes the Pyramids of Giza so fascinating is their sheer size, plus the neighboring Great Sphinx. But not too far from the Giza Plateau is the necropolis of Saqqara, which is home to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid in the world (and also the oldest complete stone building in the world, by the way), as well as a fascinating array of smaller pyramids and Old Kingdom and New Kingdom tombs. Wait, what exactly is Saqqara? Saqqara (also spelled Sakkara) was the royal necropolis of Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom capital, Memphis. The remains of the necropolis today include the Step Pyramid of Djoser (aka Zoser), smaller pyramids, tombs and other Ancient Egyptian monuments. Outside of the necropolis that’s sectioned off for sightseeing, Saqqara is still an active archaeological dig site, with almost yearly discoveries. Is Saqqara worth visiting while in Cairo? If you have the time, then definitely. For several reasons: The Step Pyramid of Djoser is the oldest pyramid in Egypt, and is considered the initial prototype for the smooth-sided pyramids of Giza (you can see more of that evolution with the Bent Pyramid of Dahshur) Saqqara actually has more to see than the Giza Plateau, between the different pyramids, mastaba tombs, Serapeum, etc. Continue reading down below for a more detailed guide to what you can see in Saqqara Saqqara isn’t far at all from Downtown Cairo, around an hour maybe. Paired with the Dahshur Pyramids and maybe the remnants of Memphis, it’s a really nice half-day trip that’s easily put together by any tour agency if you don’t want to do it solo Saqqara is much emptier and quieter than the Giza Pyramids. You can wander around the site without any annoying touts and vendors, and there are actually plaques to describe what you’re looking at it, which is a rarity in Egypt What to See in Saqqara Mastaba Tomb of Ti Like we said above, Saqqara is divided into both a tourist site open to visitors and an active dig site. You won’t be able to explore the dig site for obvious reasons, but there’s still TONS to see. Local tip: not all of the following are always open to the public, sometimes they’re closed for restoration or are on rotation. Unfortunately the only way to find out what’s open and what’s not is to actually go, lol. So here are the main spots in the necropolis, and they’re all a very quick drive away from each other by car, or you can hoof it but beware all the sand and sun: Main Saqqara Site #1: Step Pyramid of Djoser Complex Ok so first off, you’ll hit the Step Pyramid of Djoser Complex. There’s lots to see and explain, but we’ll only get briefly into the main points or else we’ll be here all day. The main things to see there once you walk in are: i) Colonnaded Entrance of the Djoser Step Pyramid Complex You’ll enter the complex through here (same as ancient days, by the way). The colonnade is 20 pairs of columns with 24 small chambers between each, which are thought to maybe represent the nomes of Upper and Lower Egypt, and may have once held statues of the pharaoh or the gods. ii) The Step Pyramid of Djoser This beauty is the oldest Egyptian pyramid to date – it was built c. 2670–2650 BC, so it’s about 4,700 years old, which is mind-boggling. The architect was Djoser’s vizier Imhotep, thought of now as the founding father of Egyptian pyramids, and the design is six mastabas of decreasing size atop one another. Mastabas were how pharaohs and other Egyptian royalty and VIPs were buried before the invention of the pyramids -- mastabas were rectangular, flat-roofed tombs. You can enter the Step Pyramid with an extra ticket. You’ll enter through the Southern Passage, where you’ll walk down a stone corridor ( local tip: it’s nowhere near as narrow or steep as the Giza & Dahshur Pyramids, so if you want to go inside a pyramid with the least amount of claustrophobia/physical exertion, this is the one to enter). At the end of the corridor you’ll reach a railing where you can look down and see the burial chamber where Djoser was laid to rest, deep in the belly of the pyramid. Note: the Northern Passage into the Step Pyramid is not currently open to the public, which is a bummer because it leads to tunnels with some fascinating tiling, engraving and wall imagery. iii) South Tomb The South Tomb is a good place to see what you’re missing within the Northern Passage of the Step Pyramid. Because this tomb is too small to actually hold Djoser’s body, Egyptologists have several theories about the function of the tomb: one is to house the pharaoh’s ka in the afterlife, and a second theory is that this is where the pharaoh’s organs were kept in canopic jars (although future pharaohs were always buried with their canopic jars in the same burial chamber, so it’s a mystery). In either case, the South Tomb has a 30m tunnel that descends into a pink granite burial chamber. It then leads into further chambers that have blue tiling (like the non-accessible Northern passage of the Step Pyramid) as well as wall decoration. Note: you need to buy an extra ticket to enter the South Tomb. iv) Serdab The serdab is a small, enclosed chamber from the Old Kingdom that houses a statue of the deceased (in this case, Djoser) with just a small hole in the wall. It’s believed this statue was for the Pharaoh’s ka, and the sealed off space allowed the soul protection within its walls. You can peek into the hole and see what’s left of Djoser’s statue. Like we said above, there’s loads more to see at the Step Pyramid Complex so make sure to read up on the nitty-gritty before you go. There’s also signage there if you’re not going with a guide. Saqqara Main Site #2: Pyramid of Unas & Old Kingdom Mastaba Tombs While the Pyramid of Unas is not much to look at externally anymore, it’s what’s inside the collapsed pyramid that makes it so interesting. It’s the smallest remaining pyramid of the Old Kingdom, but notable due to the discovery of the ‘Pyramids Texts’ inscribed inside on its walls. The Pyramids Texts were funerary texts and spells for the pharaoh’s afterlife, which would later become the basis of the Book of the Dead. Nearby the Pyramid of Unas are other Old Kingdom mastaba tombs such as: Tomb of Mehu, a royal vizier Tomb of Ti, known for its wall depictions of daily life in the Old Kingdom, including scenes of farming, boat-building and poultry-fattening Tomb of Niankh-Khnum and Khnumhotelp, an unusual ‘double tomb’ mastaba. It’s not common to find a tomb for two people, so it’s theorized that these two men were brothers, and perhaps twins (one theory is that they were actually conjoined twins) Tomb of Irukaptah, also known as Tomb of the Butchers Tomb of Irukaptah (Tomb of the Butchers) Saqqara Main Site #3: Pyramid of Teti & Tomb of Mereruka Inside the Pyramid of Teti This pyramid doesn’t even really resemble a pyramid anymore – you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a sandy hill. But it is in fact the remains of the Pyramid of Teti, and underneath the rubble is worth seeing too – it’s the second known pyramid to have Pyramid Texts on its walls. Tomb of Mereruka Nearby the Pyramid of Teti is the Tomb of Mereruka, the biggest and most elaborate tomb of all the non-royals buried in Saqqara. It has 33 chambers in total, with wall paintings and a life-like statue of the vizier Mereruka himself. (Note: going inside the Tomb of Mereruka needs an extra ticket). There are also other Old Kingdoms tombs near the Pyramid of Teti worth visiting, like the Tomb of Kagemni. Saqqara Main Site #4: Horemheb Necropolis (Tombs of the Nobles & New Kingdom Tombs) and the Bubastieion This site is for the “newer” tombs of the New Kingdom (and by newer, we’re talking 3,000+ years old lol). Although during the New Kingdom the Ancient Egyptian capital was at Thebes (now modern-day Luxor ) and the pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings there, the generals were still buried in Saqqara. Horemheb was a general during the time of Tutankhamun and built his tomb in Saqqara, but then became pharaoh after King Tut died childless. Mummified cat found in the Bubastieion, now in the Louvre The Bubastieion (or Bubasteum) was a temple dedicated to Bastet, the cat goddess. It’s a cat necropolis where over 100 cat mummies were discovered and thousands of cat bones found. 5 lion mummies were also found there. Saqqara Main Site #5: Serapeum Apis bull sarcophagus So we covered the feline necropolis, but did you know there’s also a burial ground for bulls in Saqqara? It’s true, the Serapeum was for a sacred Ancient Egyptian bull called the Apis, and more than 60 bulls were found to be buried there, with 24 sarcophagi still remaining at the site. How to Get to Saqqara The most direct and hassle-free way of getting to Saqqara is arranging with a local tour company for them to pick you up and take you there (you can also add on whatever sights you’d like, for example the Dahshur Pyramids or Memphis. You can also include the Pyramids of Giza and have one big Pyramids day). You can also go solo, via Uber or taxi, but these are our local tips: The Saqqara necropolis is off the beaten track a bit and in agricultural land, so it’s not always straightforward to get to and sometimes the GPS will lead you astray. It’s better to make sure your driver knows how to get there without relying on GPS The Saqqara necropolis is pretty big and ideally would need a car to drive you from one main site to the other; it’s doable on foot but ultimately a big hassle It’s almost impossible to get an Uber back from Saqqara, so if you go with an Uber or taxi, make sure that they wait for you to finish and you can leave with them Saqqara Opening Hours 8 am - 5 pm (closes earlier during the month of Ramadan) Saqqara Ticket Prices Standard Entrance to Saqqara Necropolis Ticket: Non-Egyptian ticket: 600 EGP Non-Egyptian student ticket: 300 EGP Egyptian ticket: 30 EGP Egyptian student ticket: 10 EGP Local tip: this ticket includes the Step Pyramid of Djoser complex, Unas and Teti Pyramids and the tombs of Kagemni, Nikauisesi, Ankhmahor, Nefereshemptah, Ptahhotep, Ti, Idut, Unasankh and Iynefert – but keep in mind the tombs are sometimes on rotation so you’re not guaranteed these will be the same tombs open on the day you go. Entry into the Step Pyramid via the Southern Passage Ticket: Non-Egyptian ticket: 300 EGP Non-Egyptian student ticket: 150 EGP Egyptian ticket: 40 EGP Egyptian student ticket: 20 EGP South Tomb in Step Pyramid Complex Ticket: Non-Egyptian ticket: 300 EGP Non-Egyptian student ticket: 150 EGP Egyptian ticket: 40 EGP Egyptian student ticket: 20 EGP Nobles Tombs & New Kingdom Tombs in Horemheb necropolis and the Bubastieion Ticket: Non-Egyptian ticket: 400 EGP Non-Egyptian student ticket: 200 EGP Egyptian ticket: 20 EGP Egyptian student ticket: 10 EGP General Local Tips About Visiting Saqqara: As you can probably tell by now there’s a ton to see, so if you’re interested in visiting all the sites and entering all the tombs, this will take the better part of half a day. If you want to visit as part of a larger Giza Pyramids + Saqqara + Dahshur tour, you’ll have to streamline your Saqqara visit There aren’t any restaurants or cafes there, so make sure to bring your own snacks/water (there are a few touts selling water & sodas, but for exorbitant touristic prices) The sun is strong, so make sure to bring sunscreen and a hat if you’re sensitive to the sun Saqqara is a great spot to be able to see in the distance the rest of the pyramid fields: Giza, Dahsur & Abu Sir Pyramids Happy exploring and enjoy! You might also like: Dahshur Pyramids – A Local’s Guide to the Bent Pyramid, Red Pyramid & Black Pyramid

Whether you’re a local Cairene strapped for cash at the end of the month, or a visitor to Cairo on a backpacker’s budget, never fear -- there’s a lot of fun, interesting things you can do in Cairo without paying a bomb. Here's ten ways to enjoy some of the best sights in the city, for cheap. 1. Have a world-class view of the Pyramids over lunch or dinner at… Pizza Hut Strange, but true. If you want to have an open-air, world-class view of the Pyramids over lunch/dinner but want to avoid the exorbitant prices at hotel restaurants, then look no further than the nearest Pizza Hut to the Pyramids. You may also like: Visiting the Pyramids of Giza - A Local's Guide To Everything You Need To Know This famous chain is on the 2nd floor (above KFC) and has an outdoor balcony with one of the best views in the city. During the day, you can see the ancient giants in all their glory , and at night you can witness them lit up during the Sound & Light Show. You may also like: 7 Best Restaurants with Pyramid Views 2. Explore Khan El Khalili and Moez Street Both Khan el Khalili and Moez Street are open pedestrian areas, where you can wander around, explore and take pictures for free. Khan El Khalili may be a world-famous bazaar, but nothing is stopping you from just window shopping if you're on a budget (they actually have extremely affordable stuff there if you’re a good bargainer though). Read more: Khan El Khalili - A Detailed Local's Guide Adjacent to Khan el Khalili is Moez Street, where you can see the highest concentration of medieval Islamic architecture in the world. Walking Moez Street, going into the mosques and seeing the beautiful buildings (whether during the day or lit up at night) also won’t cost you a thing, but if you want to go inside some of the more elaborate buildings like Beit El Seheimy or the Qalawun Complex, you can buy an affordable ticket. For more details, here's our detailed guide to Moez Street . 3. Visit the sites in Coptic Cairo for free A great Cairo destination when you're on a budget is Coptic Cairo. Coptic Cairo is known as the stronghold of Christianity in Old Cairo, home to places of worship that date back to the time when the pharaonic religions of Ancient Egypt had died out and Islam had not yet arrived. Some of Egypt’s earliest churches remain standing in Coptic Egypt to this day - some dating back to the 4th century AD. It’s also believed that the Holy Family lived here for a short period during their flight into Egypt to escape Herod. Entrance to Coptic Cairo is free, as is entrance to its famous churches, such as Mar Girgis (St. George's) and the Hanging Church. The only site in Coptic Church that requires a ticket is the Coptic Museum. Read more: Coptic Cairo - Everything You Need to Know 4. Downtown Cairo food-hopping Starving but don’t want to spend a fortune on food? Downtown has *all* the answers. Having a diverse, several course meal is extremely affordable in Downtown Cairo. You can either hit up just one establishment for nourishment (in that case we recommend Abou Tarek for koshary , it’ll fill you up for seemingly a year for around $1), or you can hop from street vendor to street vendor , most of them unnamed but all of them feeding dozens of happy customers at any given moment. Types of food carts, food vendors and little hole-in-the-wall ‘restaurants’ to be found in Downtown: kebda & sogoq (liver & sausages), hawawshi, feteer, fuul & taameya, kabab… and way more. There are also places like 'Fasahat Somaya’ that’s open for only a couple of hours a day and you eat whatever it is that Somaya has cooked up for you that evening, in huge portions. Read more: 10 Best Restaurants in Downtown Cairo Then you can move on to the dessert portion of the evening, and wind down with a cheap shisha and cup of tea in any of Downtown’s ubiquitous cheap sidewalk ahwas. You may also like: 7 Best Places to Try Egyptian Street Food in Cairo 5. Join a walking tour through City of the Dead Cairo's City of the Dead tends to be off the beaten touristic path, but that makes it even better! The City of the Dead ( El Qarafa or El Arafa  in Arabic) is a 6.4 km (4 mile) stretch of necropolises and cemeteries in the original core of the city, in an area known as Historic Cairo. Read more: Cairo's City of the Dead - A Detailed Local's Guide What makes it so interesting is that peppered throughout the City of the Dead are some truly beautiful historic mosques, mausoleums and other medieval Islamic architecture. There are remnants dating back to the Arab conquest of Egypt back in the 7th century, and whole buildings still in their entirety dating back to the 12th-15th centuries! You can explore it via guided walking tours for very affordable prices (check our article mentioned above for all the walking tour information). 6. Shisha, tea and a view on the Moqattam hills Instead of going to another overpriced cafe, next time you’re in the mood for a hot drink and a shisha, try heading up the hills of Moqattam. At the top on the Moqattam Corniche, you’ll find not only one of the best views of the city, but several makeshift ahwas scattered around -- basically plastic tables and chairs set up on the cliff and someone who will gladly bring you a shisha or make you tea or coffee for cheap. For the best views in Egypt, check out these 12 places . 7. Disconnect on a felucca. This is a good option if you’re a group, because it makes it more affordable. You can book a felucca sailboat for as short as half an hour, or as long as you'd like. Prices vary greatly due to your negotiation skills (they tend to charge tourists more as well), but divided over a group it's a cheap and peaceful way to enjoy the city. You can bring your own snacks and just kick back and relax, away from the usual crowds in the usual places. 8. Discover all the hidden little shops, art spaces and random beautiful spots in Zamalek. Zamalek is one of the very few Cairo neighborhoods that’s ideal to explore by foot. Besides the fact that the parking is a nightmare, Zamalek has a lot of little blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shops and interesting spots that we usually zoom right past in a car. Exploring the whole island of Zamalek by foot could take the better part of a whole day if you take your time and explore at your own pace. Make sure you stop in the vintage stores, antique shops and art galleries as well as peep at the beautiful villas that house the various embassies and ambassadors’ homes. 9. Wadi Degla Protectorate This is a great one for those who want to escape the city while still technically being in the city. The Wadi Degla Protectorate is a 30 km stretch of untouched desert and rocky little cliffs and is open to the public during the day for a small entrance fee. It's the perfect place if you want to hang out somewhere different with your friends/dog/alone, whether for a picnic, barbecue, hiking, biking or just sitting in the sun. You can bring all the food, games and sports stuff you want or need for the day, but bear in mind there’s no bathrooms or places to buy water, etc. from beyond the entrance gates. It's open daily from 7 am to sunset. 10. Azhar Park Another option for a picnic & chill kind of day, but this one is in an actual *green* park and not the desert. It also has an awesome panoramic view over the city, so try to go around sunset. Also try to avoid weekends, because it tends to be overcrowded when the weather is nice (also avoid public holidays, obviously). If you don’t feel like bringing your own food, they have several restaurants/cafes in the park that can hook you up. You may also like: Top 10 Things To Do in Cairo, Egypt

Bars, pubs, clubs, oh my! From bars with Nile views to rooftop lounges to live music and DJs, Cairo has its fair share of places to drink, dance and be merry. And while each neighborhood has its own slew of nightspots (as listed in the bullet points below), we decided to give you a bird's eye view on the nightlife scene in Cairo as a whole, and bring you the very best of the best. For a breakdown of best bars per neighborhood, you can check out: 7 Best Bars & Pubs in Zamalek 12 Chill Places in Maadi to Get Dinner & Drinks 9 Best Restaurant & Bars for Dinner & Drinks in New Cairo Nightlife in Heliopolis, Cairo: 10 Best Restaurants, Bars and Pubs 12 Best Bars, Pubs & Restobars in Sheikh Zayed & 6th October City Best Bars & Nightlife in Downtown Cairo - Baladi Bars, Historic Bars & Rooftop Bars Now without further ago, here are our favorite nightspots in Cairo: Cairo Jazz Club Locations : Agouza Type of venue: club Dress code: smart casual Reservations needed: yes Cairo Jazz Club has been a Cairo nightlife staple for 15+ years. While the name might lead you to believe it’s all about jazz, that’s not exactly true. CJC has different music on a nightly basis, ranging from live music to hip-hop, DJs, jazz, Egyptian folkloric music and way more. The great thing about CJC is that they have a monthly schedule, so you can figure out in advance if the music that night is up your alley or not. The music usually starts around 10-10:30 pm, so if you’re hungry or want to have a conversation with someone when you can actually hear each other, go a little before then. It's about a five minute car ride from Zamalek. You can find their music schedule here . CJC 610 Locations: Sheikh Zayed Type of venue: club Dress code: smart casual Reservations needed: yes Cairo Jazz Club's bigger, more expansive branch on the west side of Cairo, in Sheikh Zayed. Whereas the original Cairo Jazz Club is on the smallish and crowded side, 610 has a large open-air terrace and bar connected to the inner club, to either kick back in or escape to when you need a breath of fresh air. Indoors they have two large bars, a stage for DJs and live performers, and tables dotted around the dance floor. They too have their own weekly schedules of music, and it's pretty much the top place in Cairo to dance. You can find their music schedule here . Esca Cueva Locations New Giza Type of venue: restaurant/bar/lounge Dress code: smart casual Reservations needed: yes Perched atop the New Giza plateau with stunning city views, this design award-winning restaurant and bar serves upscale international food and drinks from 4 pm until 2 am. If you're just going to enjoy the view and food, then try to book a dining slot before 10 pm, when a resident DJ takes over and the restaurant turns into more of a nightspot. Reservations needed (local tip: they're notoriously annoying about answering their reservation line, fingers crossed they get it sorted out soon. You can also reserve online). For more info: Esca Cueva IG The Tap West & The Tap East Locations: New Cairo & 6th of October Type of venue: pub Dress code: casual Reservations needed: it’s always better to be on the safe side This is a two-for-one, because The Tap has two branches on opposite sides of the city. This light-hearted, indoor/outdoor pub comes complete with foosball tables and a jovial vibe. They play live music on some nights so it’s always worth it to hit up their IG/FB page and see what’s cooking. Speaking of cooking, they also have an extensive menu of pub food -- they’re famous for their wings, so no need to indulge in a heavy dinner (or any dinner) before you head over there. For more info: Tap East's FB page . Tab West's FB page . Crimson Location: Zamalek Type of venue: restaurant/bar Dress code: smart casual Reservations needed: yes Crimson is an open-air rooftop restaurant and bar in Zamalek and has some of the best Nile views in the city. It's a great spot to go get dinner and drinks, or just a beer or cocktail at the bar. Their cocktail list is impressive, but warning - they're expensive! Their food is good as well, landing them also on our list of best Cairo restaurants for locals and tourists alike . For more info, you can check their FB page . Sachi Location: Heliopolis, Sheikh Zayed Type of venue: restaurant/bar Dress code: smart casual Reservations needed: yes Sachi is an upscale Mediterranean fusion and sushi restaurant and bar by Baky Hospitality, the restaurateurs who brought you Kazoku, one of our favorite places for dinner and drinks in New Cairo . When Sachi first opened its doors, it was one of the only restobars of its kind in terms of impeccable aesthetics and service - and has continued to stay a powerhouse since, with Sachi By The Sea operating in the North Coast during summer months, and Sachi Park St. in Sheikh Zayed . Sachi Park St. in Sheikh Zayed also has a beautiful rooftop terrace for when the weather is nice. For more info, check out their FB page . Pier 88 Location: Zamalek Type of venue: bar/lounge Dress code: smart casual Reservations needed: yes Pier 88, like Crimson, graces both our ‘best bars’ and ‘best restaurants’ list (look at you, Pier 88!). Pier 88 is a great dining destination during the day and most weekday nights, then on weekend nights and Tuesday nights it segues into a sexier lounge/bar feel, with people standing and socializing by the bar or their table, and the owner occasionally dancing on the bar himself. Pier 88 overlooks the Nile in Zamalek and has a small outdoor area if you want to catch the river breeze. Pier 88's FB page . You might also like: 9 Best Rooftop Bars in Cairo

Sequoia, Cairo’s hands-down favorite Nile-side restaurant for over a decade shut down in late 2018 (alongside neighboring Left Bank and Mirai) to cries of dismay from local Cairenes. RIP Sequoia So even though it's been closed for years now, we local Egyptians are still asking ourselves the same question: where should we take our foreign friends if you want that elusive mix of Nile view, drinks, good food and shisha? Obviously no place will tick off all the boxes like Sequoia, but one must make do with what one has, so try out these venues next time you need to wine and dine your foreign friends: 1. La Palmeraie Location: Sofitel Gezirah, Zamalek Cuisine: Moroccan Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: yes While Sequoia was on the northernmost tip of Zamalek, the Sofitel Gezirah is on the southernmost tip -- which guarantees even better views, if you can believe it. Sofitel has several restaurants lining the Nile on its outdoor terrace but the two best are Kebabgy (see below) and La Palmeraie. La Palmeraie crosses off all the boxes that Sequoia did -- fantastic view, alcohol, shisha and food. The cuisine is Moroccan as opposed to Egyptian or more generic Middle Eastern, but hey, we have to take what we can get. Pros: on weekend nights they actually have a belly dancer and an Arabic singer, so that’s a huge added plus with the foreign crowd (gets loud though). Cons: it’s in the Sofitel, so it’s expensive. And make sure you take a cab or an Uber to get there, unless you want to pay a ton for parking in the hotel parking lot. 2. Carlo’s (Le Pacha) Location: Le Pacha 1901 Boat, Zamalek Cuisine: International (Egyptian, Lebanese, Italian, Indian, Japanese) Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: yes Food-wise, this place is an excellent choice. Carlo’s has some of the consistently best food in Cairo, which is why it’s one of our forerunners in our 10 Best Restaurants in Cairo list. They have a really good assortment of trademark Egyptian dishes (their roz meammar bel hamam -- a creamy baked rice dish with either pigeon or chicken is a crowd favorite), so your foreign friends will be able to try different kinds of Egyptian dishes and you can rest assured that no one will be suffering from possible food poisoning later. It’s on the outdoor terrace of the Le Pacha 1901 boat, so you get a nice breeze during warm months and it’s covered for the colder ones. Pros: excellent food (better than Sequoia’s) and you can bring your own alcohol bottles for a corkage fee if you don’t want to drink wine or beer. Good quality shisha too. Cons: there’s sadly not much of a Nile view except for very specific tables, even though the boat itself is on the Nile. Also the huge TV screen and other small screens dotting the vicinity takes away a little from the ambience. 3. Pane Vino Location: Semiramis Intercontinental, Garden City Cuisine: Italian Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: yes This Italian restaurant in the Semiramis actually has a little-known outdoor terrace that overlooks the Nile, complete with shisha, on the 2nd floor of the hotel so you’re above the cacophony of the Corniche but still close to the water. The menu is full of Italian classics by their resident Italian chef, and they have an extensive wine list from all over the world. They also have TV screens for matches and offer shisha. The indoor section of the restaurant is a bit more upscale-looking, but without shisha. Pros: good food and view. Cons: the crowd there can sometimes be... a tad sketchy. Along the lines of 'lonely' hotel guests looking for a companion for the night. But honestly it's fine, and not even all the time. Also, other possible cons: there are no Egyptian options on the menu if that's what your foreign friends are looking for, and hotel prices (and that includes parking!). 4. Rooftop Zamalek Photo credit: Leila Tapozada Location: Nile Zamalek Hotel, Zamalek Cuisine: we don’t recommend it Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: yes This entry is pretty different from the rest of the list, mainly because it’s a solely a shisha-drinks-and-view destination, NOT a place you’d go for dinner. Like, ever. Rooftop Zamalek has literally *the* best Nile view on the island, although the hotel it’s built on is… well… not the best of anything, and that’s us being kind. If you overlook the shoddy, vaguely creepy hotel, we promise you that your foreign friends will freak out (in a good way) when they see the view on the top, whether during the day or at night (both are equally impressive). Rooftop as a whole is a casual, kick-back-with-a-beer place, and tourists usually love it. Pros: affordable prices and awesome sweeping views of the Nile. Cons: the hotel itself (including the bathrooms) and lack of decent food. Head here for more of the best rooftop bars in Cairo . 5. Crimson Location: Zamalek Cuisine: International Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: no Crimson is actually Sequoia’s neighbor, so if you miss Sequoia’s specific view, then head a few buildings down on Abu Feda to Crimson. Crimson is a rooftop restaurant with an open terrace overlooking the Nile, with an impressive bar and beautiful interior design. While it sadly doesn’t have shisha, it does have decent food and great-tasting cocktails (warning though: they are NOT cheap!). If you want to bring your foreign friends to a Nile-side place for breakfast/lunch/dinner and cocktails, and they don’t care too much about shisha, then this is the place for you. Pros: they're open early (8 am) for those who want a daytime destination. Cons: prices! 6. The Roof Kempinski Location: Nile Kempinski, Garden City Cuisine: International (tapas, sushi & sandwiches) Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: yes If you and your foreign friends want a more upscale (way more upscale) version of Rooftop Zamalek, then head over to The Roof, on the 11th floor of the Kempinski. Seated next to the hotel’s small pool, you get a bird’s eye view of the Nile while having a shisha and a drink. They also serve food, but it’s more of the light-bite, poolside variety of food -- tapas, sushi, sandwiches and other small plates. Pros: as you can see in the picture, it’s really beautiful. Cons: Non-guests of the hotel can only access the roof after 6 pm. 7. Kebabgy Oriental Grill Location: Sofitel Gezirah, Zamalek Cuisine: Middle Eastern grill Serves alcohol: yes Serves shisha: yes Situated in Sofitel Gezirah’s outdoor terrace (opposite site of La Palmeraie), is Kebabgy, home of lots and lots of meat. This Nile-side restaurant serves up all different kinds of Egyptian and Middle Eastern grilled dishes -- kebab and kofta, grilled lamb, grilled chicken, shish tawouk, shish kebab, grilled pigeon, you name it. They also have a variety of hot and cold mezze. This is definitely more of a eat-til-you-drop destination than Sequoia, but Kebabgy does also serve drinks to chase the grilled meat down with. Pros: it’s a hearty, dig-in kind of restaurant for your carnivorous foreign friends. Cons: you’ll spend the rest of the day smelling like something grilled (the smoke there is pretty potent), and there aren’t many menu options for non-meat lovers. Plus, as usual, it’s expensive. So to wrap this up; although we are still mourning Sequoia (RIP), Cairo still has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to wining and dining your foreign friends. You might also like: 12 Local Egyptian Foods You Need To Try

Marassi is the biggest and most visited beach compound on Egypt’s North Coast (Sahel). We’re talking 23 residential neighborhoods, 6 beaches, multiple hotels, an international marina, a waterpark and a golf course, all spread over 6.5 million sqm. So if you were to assume that they also have a lot of restaurants and dining options, well you’d be correct, that’s for sure!  Read more: North Coast, Egypt - A Complete Guide For First-Timers The Marassi Marina especially is full of restaurants and cafes, many of which have beautiful water views. But because it’s so popular, lots of the restaurants need reservations and QR codes, so it’s not as easy as just breezing in anywhere when you get hungry. So which restaurants are actually worth putting in the effort? IMPORTANT NOTE: these restaurants are only open seasonally, usually opening at some point in June through to early September. Here’s our list of the best restaurants in Marassi: Sachi Sachi is known as being one of (if not the) best fine dining restaurants in Egypt, and their Marassi branch does not disappoint. Their menu is Mediterranean Asian fusion and they have great cocktails as well. Open from 5 pm. For menu and reservations: Sachi Izakaya Peruvian-Japanese fusion is to be found at Izakaya SHL, adjacent to the Vida Marina Resort. Enjoy sushi and Nikkei plates on the water from 5 pm onwards. For menu and reservations: Izakaya Reif Kushiyaki Led by celebrity chef Reif Othman, Reif Kushiyaki is all about innovative Japanese cuisine, from its signature kushiyaki (grilled meat skewers), to yakisoba, sandos and maki rolls. They’re also right on the marina, to enjoy your dinner with a drink and a breeze. For menu and reservations: Reif Kushiyaki Stanley Fresh seafood, Mediterranean mezze and signature cocktails is what Stanley is all about. They’re open from breakfast onwards at the Marassi Marina. For menu and reservations: Stanley San Carlo This restaurant from the UK teamed with the Smokery Group to bring you San Carlo, a fine dining Italian restaurant. Their signature dishes are their tender slices of prime beef fillet, pan-seared sea bass in lemon caper sauce and homemade ravioli. Open from 4 pm. For menu and reservations: San Carlo Ovio This European restaurant has a hefty breakfast and brunch menu: pancakes, crepes, different egg styles by the dozen, sourdough toast and morning sandwiches; Ovio’s got it all. They also offer lunch and dinner obviously, but it’s particularly popular in the morning. For menu and reservations: Ovio The Smokery Beautiful restaurant and bar right on the water. The Smokery has branches throughout Egypt, from Cairo to El Gouna and the North Coast, and they’re known for their pastas and sushi. For menu and reservations: The Smokery Asmak Considering you’re spending time on the Mediterranean Sea, it would be almost sacrilegious to not have a seafood feast at least once before you leave. Asmak has a huge variety of seafood dishes, and you can order right off the menu or choose yourself from the fresh catch of the day and have them prepare it in your preferred style. For menu and reservations: Asmak Indira If you’re bored of the usual pizza, sandwiches and beach-style food, then head to Indira for some great Indian cuisine. Besides having all our favorite Indian classics, they also have a nice spot right on the water and serve shisha too. For menu and reservations: Indira Zaza Cuisine If it’s your first time in Egypt and you want to experience all sorts of Egyptian food without leaving Marassi (read more: 15 Egyptian Foods You Must Try), or you’re a local and just craving some of our traditional favorites, then head to Zaza. They have a massive menu from breakfast onwards with all the classics: fuul, taameya, feteer, tagens, grills, fattah, the whole nine yards. They also have pizza and international dishes as well as shisha.  For menu and reservations: Zaza Cuisine Other restaurants in Marassi: Eatery Qahwa Crave Ted’s Maison Thomas Lodge Seaside Carlo’s Piccolo Mondo L’Asiatique Loris Salt EL&N Cafe Paul Sax Chili’s Lunch Room Ahwet Zeitouna Boulevard Pizza Bar IOI Vapiano Fish Market Tabali Pipa Villa Caracas Suzette’s Desoky and Soda Laduree Le Flandrin Arabica 1980 Koffee Kulture Brown Nose Marassi hotel restaurants: Bayroot (Address Beach Resort) Myra (Address Beach Resort) Nooraï (Address Golf Resort) Blé (Address Golf Resort) Melts & Mains (Address Golf Resort) Socal (Vida Marina Resort) Origins (Vida Marina Resort) B’Haar (Al Alamein Hotel) Food trucks/Dessert: Krispy Kreme BRGR Dolato Baskin Robbins Churrito Dara’s Ice Cream Copa Acai Pao Yole Semman & Co Takosan Barbar Pink Palms Chez Koukou Nathan's KB's Cake Studio Duck Donuts Panzini Hameed Taiyaki *Note: these are all besides the usual fast food suspects, like KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. Happy beaching and eating! You may also like: 10 Best Restaurants and Beach Bars on the North Coast (Sahel)

Cairo Festival City (CFC) is a massive mall in East Cairo, and whether you’re there to shop, go to the cinema, take the kids to the Magic Planet arcade or just wander around, chances are you’re going to want to take a break and get something to eat. And because Cairo Festival City is so big, you’re probably not going to want to walk back and forth, up and down, to see what all your different restaurant and cafe options are – trust us, there’s a lot! Read more:  Best Restaurants in District 5, Cairo Read more:   7 Best Restaurants & Cafes in 5A By The Waterway, New Cairo Read more:   7 Best Restaurants in Garden 8, New Cairo Read more: 7 Best Restaurants in U Venues, New Cairo So we did the work for you in compiling this handy guide of the different restaurants, cafes, dessert shops and food court options to make it an easier decision for you. Enjoy the dining mammoth that is CFC! Restaurants in Cairo Festival City: Nişantaşi Opening hours: 10 am - midnight (1 am on weekends) Touted as one of the best Turkish restaurants in Cairo, Nişantaşi in CFC serves up all your favorite Turkish classics in an ambient atmosphere with indoor and outdoor dining as well as shisha. Breakfast is served until 1 pm. For more info and the menu: Nişantaşi’s IG Sizzler Opening hours: noon - midnight Egypt’s favorite mainstream steakhouse. If you’re looking for big portions of fried appetizers, burgers, pastas and –obviously– steak for reasonable prices (compared to high-end steakhouses), then Sizzler is for you. For more info and the menu: Sizzler’s IG Eatery Opening hours: 10 am - 11 pm Eatery has a large international menu that undoubtedly will have something for everyone, from feteer to waffles for breakfast, to sushi, pizza and filet mignon for dinner. For more info and the menu: Eatery’s IG Casper & Gambini’s Opening hours: 9 am - 11:30 pm Casper & Gambini’s was a big hit in Egypt back in the day, but then it closed all its branches for reasons unknown. Slowly but surely they’ve been reopening them, but their CFC branch has been receiving hit and miss reviews. You can try it out yourself for old time’s sake. For more info and the menu: Casper & Gambini’s IG Bosporus Opening hours: 10 am - midnight Another popular Turkish restaurant to compete with Nişantaşi. Overlooking the fountain, Bosporus has indoor/outdoor eating, shisha and a huge menu. For more info and the menu: Bosporus’ IG Stove Opening hours: noon - midnight Tucked on the second floor of The Village in CFC overlooking the fountain, Stove is a good choice for those who enjoy the type of international menu that Crave has. Lots of starters, salads, burgers, pastas & risottos and a wide variety of meat, chicken and seafood main courses. Indoor + open air dining. For more info and the menu: Stove’s IG Tamara Opening hours: 10 am - midnight Tamara, one of Egypt’s most long-standing Lebanese restaurant chains, is one of CFC’s flagship restaurants, with one of the nicest outdoor areas to dine in at the mall.  For more info and the menu: Tamara’s IG Paul Opening hours: 8 am - midnight Ah, the famous French bistro. Whether you’re in the mood for their classic baked goods or their all-day brunch and lunch menu, Paul has plenty to offer (we will always love their traditional onion soup in a bread bowl!) For more info and the menu: Paul’s IG Desoky & Soda Opening hours: 8 am - midnight A “modern Egyptian kitchen”, with everything from feteer to tawagen to molokheya – all our local favorites. For more info and the menu: Desoky & Soda’s IG Crave Opening hours: 9 am - midnight Who isn’t familiar with Crave? A family favorite for decades now, Crave has now introduced a breakfast menu as well as new items to the lunch and dinner menu (but we still remain loyal to their shrimp Cajun pasta and taco salad). For more info and the menu: Crave’s IG Enab Beirut Opening hours: 9 am - midnight A popular Lebanese restaurant chain with cute indoor and outdoor seating as well as shisha. Their view is also one of the better ones in CFC. For more info and the menu: Enab Beirut’s IG Country Hills Opening hours: 10 am - midnight (1 am on weekends) An American restaurant with your standard diner food: lots of appetizers, burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and steak. But what’s different about their menu is that they offer all types of mac n’ cheese bowls with different toppings, as well as Chicago deep dish pizza. For more info and the menu:  Country Hills’ IG Zaatar w Zeit Opening hours: 10 am - 11 pm They call themselves a “quick casual Lebanese urban eatery in Egypt” and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. For more info and the menu: Zaatar w Zeit’s IG Leila Opening hours: 10 am - midnight Another Lebanese restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a great view and shisha, Leila (also known as Leila Men Lebnan) has been going strong in CFC for over a decade now. For more info and the menu: Leila’s IG Hameed A fast food restaurant that serves up American-style burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs, although you wouldn’t be able to tell from the name! For more info and the menu: Hameed’s IG Garnell Sushi & Poke Opening hours: noon - midnight Garnell serves up all types of sushi (we’re talking like 20+ menu pages’ worth), sushi ‘burritos’, poke bowls, noodles, Japanese main dishes, soups and salads and more. For more info and the menu: Garnell’s IG Butcher’s Burger Opening hours: 9 am - midnight The nifty thing about Butcher’s Burger in CFC is that it’s adjacent to its sister restaurant Chicken & Ribs – meaning, you can order from menus! Butcher’s Burger is known obviously for its burgers, but they also have brisket, hot dogs, vegan ‘beyond’ burgers and all sorts of appetizers and sides. For more info and the menu: Butcher’s Burger IG Chicken & Ribs Opening hours: 9 am - midnight Like we said above, Chicken & Ribs is attached to Butcher’s Burger in CFC, and their menu is full of all sorts of fast-foodish American Southern food favorites, like fried chicken and waffles, wings, mac n’ cheese and an array of chicken and beef main courses. For more info and the menu: Chicken & Ribs’ IG Mori Sushi Opening hours: noon - midnight Of course CFC has a branch of Egypt’s most well-known sushi restaurant! This Mori is two floors and has indoor/outdoor seating.  For more info and the menu: Mori Sushi’s IG Chili’s Opening hours: 10 am - 10 pm Who amongst us hasn't practically memorized Chili's menu? So much nostalgia, whether it's the chicken crispers, loaded Texas fries, skillet queso or country fried chicken... and the desserts of course! For more info and the menu: Chili’s’ IG Julia’s Kitchen Opening hours: 9 am - 1 am This cute international restaurant has outdoor seating overlooking the dancing fountain, and some of the best shisha in CFC.  For more info and the menu: Julia’s Kitchen IG Sonic Opening hours: 10 am - 10 pm This diner-style restaurant has a similar menu to Sizzler, with lots of appetizers, pastas, pizzas and of course meat dishes. For more info and the menu: Sonic’s IG Al Hallab Opening hours: 10 am - midnight A Lebanese restaurant established back in 1971 (although not in CFC obviously lol), they have indoor/outdoor seating, shisha and also an international menu if someone with you isn’t in the mood for Lebanese.  For more info and the menu: Al Hallab’s IG Coco Opening hours: 10 am - midnight A family friendly restaurant with a ton of international dishes to pick from – just reading the menu will keep you there for awhile! For more info and the menu: Coco’s IG IHOP Opening hours : 8:30 am - 11 pm The famous American breakfast and pancake house has its own Egyptian home in CFC. Besides the pancakes, French toast and waffles that IHOP is known for, they also have an array of other breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. For more info and the menu: IHOP’s IG Maharaja Opening hours: noon - midnight Cairo Festival’s City only Indian restaurant (until now), Maharaja is a nice break from all the ubiquitous international, Lebanese and fast food restaurants in the mall. For more info and the menu: Maharaja’s IG Mince Opening hours: 11 am - midnight A burger joint with all the expected burger selections (both regular and smashed), hot dogs (including a ‘build your own’ option), chicken sandwiches and fun appetizers like honey mustard crunch fries and corn dogs. For more info and the menu: Mince’s IG TGI Friday’s Opening hours: noon - 10 pm Another ‘old is gold’ classic like Chili’s. Who can resist Friday’s sizzling fajitas, potato twisters or Cajun shrimp and chicken pasta? For more info and the menu: Friday’s IG IKEA Restaurant Opening hours: 9 am - 11:30 pm Hitting up IKEA and getting hungry? They have their own restaurant and bistro in the store, from breakfast (served only until 11:30 am) until closing time at night. It’s a hybrid between buffet and a la carte, and make sure you try their Swedish meatballs! For more info and the menu: IKEA’s website Spaghi Spaghi touts itself as an "approachable Italian trattoria", with lots of pasta dishes, pizza of course, and all sorts of comfort food Italian dishes. For more info and the menu: Spaghi's IG Cafes in Cairo Festival City: Illy Costa Coffee Starbucks Dunkin Donuts Second Cup Attibassi Dipndip Shuga Espresso Lab Cafe Barbera PappaRoti Bake My Day Dessert Shops/Patisseries in Cairo Festival City: MOISHI Cinnabon Cold Stone Nola Amorino Duck Donuts Movenpick Ice Cream Patchi Pinkberry House of Cocoa Food Court in Cairo Festival City: McDonald’s Burger King Pizza Hut KFC Hardee’s Cook Door Kilo Kabab Manchow Wok Pizza Station Panda Express Sbarro Shawarmer  Salad Fiesta Pie Station You may also like: 30 Best Breakfast Spots in Cairo

Cairo is a sprawling city, with its fair share of traffic (to put it politely). So it makes all the sense in the world to try to stick to the neighborhood you live in/work in when it comes to kicking back with a drink after a long day - after all, you’re trying to de-stress, not add to it by being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half. The western suburb of Sheikh Zayed and (6th of October City as a whole) is about half an hour from central Cairo (Downtown & Zamalek), and has recently started to have a good amount of both casual pubs and upscale restobars. Below we list some of our personal favorites, in no particular order. Read also: 12 Chill Places in Maadi to Get Dinner & Drinks Read also: 9 Best Restaurant & Bars for Dinner & Drinks in New Cairo Read also: Nightlife in Heliopolis, Cairo: 10 Best Restaurants, Bars and Pubs Cairo Jazz Club 610 Location: El Guezira Plaza The sister venue of Cairo’s longest-lasting and most beloved bar/club, Cairo Jazz Club in Agouza. ‘610’ is how we locals usually refer to the 6 October venue, and what’s great about it is that not only do they have an indoor section for live music, DJs and a happening bar, but a large outdoor terrace where you can enjoy a boozy brunch or dinner as well. For more info and reservations: Cairo Jazz Club 610 Sachi Park St. Location:  Park St. West Sachi has been a staple of Cairo fine dining and nightlife for over a decade now, and has been featured numerous times on MENA's Top 50 Restaurants list. Sachi Park St. is not only known for its famous Mediterranean fusion, sushi menu and cocktail list, but their beautiful rooftop terrace as well. For more info and reservations: Sachi Esca Cueva Location: New Giza compound Perched atop the New Giza plateau, this design award-winning restaurant and bar serves upscale international food and drinks from 4 pm until 2 am. If you're just going to enjoy the twinkling city view and food, then try to book a dining slot before 10 pm, when a resident DJ takes over and the restaurant turns into more of a nightspot. Reservations needed. For more info and reservations: Esca Cueva The Smokery Cairo West Location:  Hyatt Centric Cairo West Overlooking the Pyramids of Giza, The Smokery offers an international menu as well as sushi. This indoor/outdoor space offers both high tables for a more cocktail bar feel for night, and lower tables for those in the mood to eat and drink overlooking the view. For more info and reservations: The Smokery Cairo West Gigi Locations: Arkan Plaza & Golf Central This place is for when you want a more casual feel, in terms of both food and setting. Gigi is a place to kick back with a burger, beer and friends, whether in their inside section or outdoor patio. They have two different locations in Sheikh Zayed: Arkan Plaza and Golf Central. Reservations are preferred for weekends and at night. For more info and reservations: Gigi Read more: 10 Best Restaurants & Cafes in Arkan Plaza Clstr 11 Location: Guezira Plaza Touted as Cairo's first "bar-hopping experience", Clstr 11 is a big courtyard in Guezira Plaza that has multiple adjacent bars and restobars all sharing the same communal courtyard space. Two of Cairo's most renowned nightlife spots, L'Aubergine and Pub 28, opened branches there, as well as other venues like Zouni, Ouzeri, Sotto, Casa de Farida and Chestnut. The pros are that there are a lot of different choices of where to get a drink and a nice communal feeling, but the con is that the places all start to feel sort of the same. Nice and calm during the day, pretty crowded on weekend nights. For more info and reservations: Pier 88 Pyramid Hills Location:  Pyramid Hills compound In the mood for Italian food and wine? Pier 88 rarely lets us down, whether it’s the original El Gouna branch, the Nile-side Zamalek branch or Pier 88 Pyramids Hills in 6 October. Cheap this lounge and restobar is not, but we’re still fans. They offer brunch on weekends from 1 pm (and have a great outdoor section if you want some sun) and dinner and drinks on weekdays and weekends from 7 pm onwards. For more info and reservations: Pier 88 Izakaya Location:  Palm Hills compound Cairo’s first Nikkei restaurant. What’s Nikkei, you ask? It’s Japanese-Peruvian fusion, born from the migrant Japanese community living in Peru and over decades adding their touch to traditional Peruvian dishes. It’s become so beloved and recognized that not only does this fusion have its own name -Nikkei- but it’s actually spread half a world away, all the way to Egypt, thanks to Izakaya. It’s also a beautiful place to chill and have a cocktail. For more info and reservations: Izakaya Carlo’s Location:  Arkan Plaza What started as a favorite restaurant on Zamalek’s famous Le Pacha 1901 boat, home to several of Cairo’s very best restaurants , became its own breakaway star (the Justin Timberlake of Le Pacha restaurants if you will). The Carlo's in Arkan is a great place for a drink, some good mezze, a shisha, and to watch a football match. For more info and reservations: Carlo's The Tap West Location:  Galleria 40 Cairo's favorite modern pub. The Tap is known and loved for its live music nights, wings, pub food and laid-back setting. Check out their social media for a heads up on their all-you-can-eat-wings days and happy hours. For more info and reservations: Tap West Crimson Location:  Arkan Plaza This famous Zamalek restobar opened a second branch in Arkan Plaza, on a rooftop of sorts, with both indoor and outdoor dining, as well as a seated bar. They have the same menu upscale international dishes and an array of cocktails. For more info and reservations: Crimson MexiCali MexiCali is touted for its tacos and tequila, with an indoor and outdoor bar and booth seating. They also have live DJs on weekend nights, sometimes with their adjacent restobar Mimi Milano, opening up into one big party area where you can sip drinks and dance until late. For more info and reservations: MexiCali You might also like: 7 Best Bars, Pubs, Clubs and Other Nightlife Spots in Cairo

Boho Cafe If you’re currently in Gouna, then a) lucky you, and b) it’s most likely that at some point you’ll be scouting for your next big breakfast. After all, you need fuel for the beach day ahead and sometimes a sad self-made sandwich just ain’t going to cut it! El Gouna has tons of restaurants, but most don’t open until lunchtime, so what are the early birds amongst us to do? Well, we did the morning breakfast hunting for you, and here are some of our favorite breakfast spots in Gouna (in no particular order): 1. The Bagel Tree Location: New Marina Opens: 9 am Ah, the bagel. You’d think at first that a bagel doesn’t have what it takes to be a full-on breakfast, but you’d be wrong. The Bagel Tree has a whole range of bagel sandwiches stuffed with everything from smoked salmon to burger patty to Philly Cheesesteak. Each bagel sandwich is named after a different international city and on your choice of plain, sesame, multigrain or poppy seed bagels. And if on the off chance you’re still not full – well then just round out your breakfast with one of their homemade donuts. They have indoor and outdoor seating in the New Marina Piazza as well as delivery and takeaway. The Bagel Tree’s menu . 2. Zomba Location: Kafr El Gouna (Downtown) Opens: 8 am Gouna is a great mix of international and fusion when it comes to the different restaurants they have, but sometimes you just want something familiar and comforting – like a traditional Egyptian breakfast, for example. Zomba in Downtown Gouna has been open for years now, serving up classic Egyptian breakfast staples in both sandwich and plate form – all kinds of fuul, falafel , eggs, potatoes, eggplant, you name it. And for Gouna standards, they’re also very wallet-friendly. Zomba’s menu . 3. Malu’s Deli Location: New Marina Opens: 9 am One of the most popular breakfast spots in Gouna for the past few years, Malu’s Deli can be packed if you go at peak times (weekend mornings and early afternoons). The good news though is that they serve their all-day breakfast until 6 pm, so if you’re a late riser, you won’t miss out. They serve all sorts of power smoothies, green smoothies and a myriad of other healthy drinks. They also do sandwiches, eggs, quiche and have their own bakery. They’re a bit overpriced in our humble opinion, but the quality of the food is good and they always strive to serve fresh ingredients. Malu’s Deli menu . 4. Seventh Star Location: Abu Tig Marina Opens: 8 am Seventh Star - the real breakfast restaurant OG of this list. For as long as we’ve been going to Gouna (which is over 20 years at this point), Seventh Star was one of Gouna’s oldest and most popular restaurants. They have all the usual breakfast staples like eggs and hot and cold sandwiches, but are most famous for their bakery - try their almond croissant, you won’t regret it. It’s also a nice outdoor spot on the marina, but gets pretty crowded on weekends. Seventh Star’s menu . 5. Eish Baladi Location: New Marina Open: 9 am Another good option if you’re looking for a classic Egyptian breakfast. Right next to The Bagel Tree in the New Marina Piazza, Eish Baladi has different fuul, falafel, egg and cheese options served either as a sandwich or a plate. They also have feteer as well as breakfast ‘bundles’ – a mix of different breakfast dishes, like the ‘Eish Baladi Breakfast’: fuul of your choice, falafel, eggs of your choice, roomy cheese, white cheese, tomatoes, jam/halawa and bread. Eish Baladi’s menu . 6. Makani Beach Club Location: North Beach Opens: 9 am If you’re looking to have breakfast on the beach (or just away from the crowds of the marinas and Downtown), then head to Makani Beach Club . It’s a kitesurfing and water sport center, but they also have a beach bar and restaurant that serves breakfast (with a lot of healthy varieties like acai bowls and other ‘bowls of power’ as they call them) before you start your beach day. 7. Boho Cafe Location: Abu Tig Marina Opens: 10 am This beautiful restaurant and cafe is right on the water in Abu Tig Marina, and their breezy decor alone is enough to put a smile on your face in the morning. Their breakfast menu is large and diverse, with everything from healthy and vegetarian to indulgent and satisfying. Boho Cafe’s menu . 8. Daily Dose Location: Abu Tig Marina Opens: 8 am Need a morning shot of coffee straight to your veins, ASAP? Then look no further than Daily Dose, a specialty coffee shop brought to you by Cafe Younes, a Lebanese artisanal coffee roaster that's been brewing since 1935. Besides their large coffee menu (with a slew of other beverages as well for the non-coffee drinkers, like vegan smoothies), Daily Dose also has a breakfast menu of eggs, sandwiches, toast, pancakes, wholesome bowls and salads. Daily Dose's menu . Other breakfast options in El Gouna: Moods Don Bisho Drop Friends with Benedicts Fix by Social Bru La Focacceria You might also like: El Gouna, Egypt: A Local’s Guide

If you’re looking for a white sand beach holiday in Egypt  and considering booking in Soma Bay, then good for you – why? Because it’s still somewhat of a Red Sea hidden gem, which means YOU are one of the lucky ones in the know.  For those NOT in the know, Soma Bay is an up-and-coming luxury resort town about 45 minutes south from the popular beach city of Hurghada on Egypt’s mainland Red Sea Riviera . Soma Bay’s claim to fame is its enviable location on a peninsula jutting into the Red Sea, which means you get open sea with an extremely vibrant and thriving reef on one side, perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling; and the other side is a calm shallow bay with crystal-clear water and soft white sand; a nirvana for swimmers, sunbathers and kitesurfers.  So what’s the difference between Hurghada and Soma Bay? Hurghada is an actual city, so there’s the regular hectic local Egyptian life and hustle and bustle interspersed with hotels, restaurants and touristic activities. Taxis are needed to go from one part of Hurghada to another. Read more: Hurghada, Egypt: A Local Guide For First-Timers Soma Bay on the other hand is a quiet and gated resort town; a mix of private residences, 5 star hotels, beaches, and a handful of restaurants/bars. The only people who have access to Soma Bay are residents and visitors who’ve booked in one of Soma Bay’s hotels or have rented a beach villa or apartment there. All of Soma Bay can be explored by foot, golf cart or bike; no taxis needed. Go to Soma Bay if you want : a 5 star luxury hotel or rental experience; stunning beaches;  outstanding scuba diving and snorkeling; a quiet and safe destination where you can leave your hotel and explore via walking or golf cart; a slew of different activities for both kids and adults Don’t go to Soma Bay if you want: vibrant nightlife or a ‘city’ feel; backpacker hostels or budget hotels Quick Facts About Soma Bay It’s easily accessed from abroad via Hurghada International Airport, with most flights from Europe averaging 4 hours, and domestic flights from Cairo averaging 45 minutes It’s then about a 45-50 minute drive from Hurghada International Airport (45 km) Soma Bay is on the Ras Abo Soma peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Red Sea, with a backdrop of Egypt’s eastern mountains Soma Bay has 7 hotels: Kempinski, Sheraton, Cascades, Robinson, Breakers, Kaktus and Good Days Boutique Hotel It’s known for some of the best scuba diving in Egypt There’s an 18 hole championship Gary Player signature golf course overlooking the sea It’s home to one of the best spas in the region, the Spa & Thalasso at Cascades Hotel Best Time To Go Soma Bay is a year-round destination, with almost 365 days of beach sunshine, even in the winter. Spring and fall are considered Soma Bay’s ‘high season’ -- it’s when the weather is at its most ideal (beach weather without soaring temperatures) with warm breezy nights. Summer is a great time to go too obviously because the water is nice and warm, but only if you can handle daily temperatures in the mid-to-high thirties (Celsius) or the nineties (Fahrenheit) and super-strong sun. During summer months, most people prefer to go to the beach in the morning or the later afternoon to avoid peak heat. Late December through to February is considered Soma Bay’s ‘winter’ – but we use that term loosely because the weather is still sunny and warm during the day, although cold at night. We’ve also seen many visitors even swim during the winter months, although the water then is a tad too chilly for us personally.  Getting There If you’re coming from abroad  (or even planning to fly domestically), then just fly into Hurghada International Airport, which is about a 45 minute car ride from Soma Bay. Once you land, it’s easy to either grab a taxi from outside the arrivals hall or pre-arrange with a car service (like London Cab  or ABC Taxi ) to pick you up. If you’re staying at a hotel, you can also easily arrange pre-arrival for your hotel to send a car to pick you up. If you’re coming from Cairo , then you have one of three options: a) drive, b) take a bus, or c) fly. Driving from Cairo is now a super-smooth trip thanks to the new Galala Road which allows you to bypass the scary two-way twisty mountain roads of Ain el Sokhna. It takes about 4.5-5 hours by car from the Cairo toll station to Soma Bay. If you’re coming by bus , then GoBus  has a bus stop at the Soma Bay Marina, with daily buses from Cairo. As for flying, the domestic flight from Cairo Airport to Hurghada International Airport takes about 45 minutes. Where To Stay in Soma Bay As we mentioned briefly above, Soma Bay itself (the private resort town) has 7 hotels and numerous rentals. But if you google ‘Soma Bay hotels’, you’ll find more than 7 hotels showing up in your search results. How come? Because there are also a handful of hotels outside the gates of Soma Bay, stretching south on the coast towards Safaga, but still name/list themselves as ‘Soma Bay’. Some of these hotels are very nice, but keep in mind you won’t have access to all the amenities and activities in Soma Bay proper like you would if you stayed in Soma Bay’s 7 official hotels. But let us break everything down further, and you can decide on where to stay based on your personal preferences. Hotels in Soma Bay: Kempinski  - 5 star beach and pool luxury all the way. They also have the best restaurants of all the hotels Cascades Golf Resort, Spa & Thalasso  - `5 star resort overlooking the golf course and home to the famous Thalasso spa Sheraton  - a great 5 star resort for families, with almost 1 km of gorgeous beachfront Robinson  - 4 star hotel ideal for German speakers  Breakers  - a 4 star diving and surfing lodge for those mainly interested in watersports and activities, adjacent to the Orca Scuba Diving Center The Kaktus - 4 star 'lifestyle' hotel and co-working hub Good Days - a boutique hotel Apartment and villa rentals in Soma Bay: If you’re looking for something larger or just more personal than a hotel room, then there are a lot of great rental homes you can book depending on your preferences. There are apartments, chalets and massive beach villas, and most feature great sea views. Renting a home in a residential neighborhood also means you get access to that neighborhood’s pool (and some of the homes even have their own private pool). Stayr  is the official vacation rental provider in Soma Bay, and they offer concierge service as well. Alternatively you can find a lot of great rental listings on Airbnb too.  Hotels outside of Soma Bay: As we mentioned above, there are a handful of really nice beach resorts nearby Soma Bay, but they won’t have access to all the extra activities, restaurants and amenities that the gated community of Soma Bay and its inner hotels have. But if you’re not planning to leave your resort anyway, then it doesn’t really matter. The best hotels near Soma Bay are: Steigenberger Resort Ras Soma Palm Royale Resort Soma Bay Solymar Soma Beach Main Areas & Points of Interest in Soma Bay So we’re just going to briefly explain the main areas and points of interest in Soma Bay, so you have an idea of the overall layout. Residential neighborhoods (where the home rentals are) The current finished residential neighborhoods are: Mesca, Baywest, Baycentral, Soma Breeze, Reef Town, Wadi Jebal, Golf Residences, Blanca, Marina Residences Hotel Area  Next to the Soma Bay Marina, you’ll find a stretch of 4 adjacent beachfront hotels (Kempinski, Robinson, Sheraton and Breakers), stretching from the Marina all the way down to the jetty at the tip of the peninsula and connected via a promenade. The hotels that aren't directly on a beach but have beach access are: Cascades, Kaktus and Good Days. Soma Bay Marina This is where you’ll find restaurants, coffeeshops, shisha, Cheers (an alcoholic beverage shop), the supermarket, pharmacy, fitness center, beauty salon, local shops and souvenirs and a medical center. This is also where boats and yachts dock. Habitat Another commercial area behind the Marina, home to restaurants, ice cream shops and shops to buy everything from locally-made swimsuits to upcycled gifts and souvenirs. Play Park & Soma Splash Behind the Marina is the Play Park, fun for both kids and adults alike. Here they have the Soma Raceway for go-karts, paintball, footgolf and a kids’ playground. There's also a small waterpark called Soma Splash next to the Sheraton. Seaside Promenade Ideal for walking, bikes, scooters and golf carts. This path takes you from the Breakers Hotel next to the jetty all the way past the main hotel area to the Marina and onwards to Wyte Beach Club. If you don’t feel like walking it, there’s also a free shuttle that goes up and down the boardwalk.  The Jetty A 420m long jetty that allows you to walk above Soma Bay’s spectacular house reef. At the end of the jetty, there’s designated areas for both snorkeling and scuba diving, and the amount of sea life to be seen there is wild – dolphins, turtles, rays and barracudas are frequently spotted, and every now and then you can even spot Wally the whale shark! Orca Dive Club Soma Bay is one of the best spots in Egypt for scuba diving , and this diving center is ideal for both beginner and advanced divers alike; certified SSI and CMAS instructors offer diving and specialty courses in several different languages. The beautiful house reef is a mere minute’s walk away, and there are around 20 different dive sites by boat around Soma Bay. Orca Dive Club also has a beach bar to relax after a long day of diving. Wyte Beach Club It’s on a picture-perfect spot on the shallow bay, with crystal clear water and zero waves – ideal for swimming. They have umbrellas, sunbeds, beanbags and hammocks, and you can also rent canoes and other beach equipment. There’s also a beach bar and restaurant, and they offer shisha in the afternoons. On most weekends during the high season, they’ll have a DJ playing music throughout the day. 7BFT Kite House  This kitesurfing center was ranked one of the top three in the world. Soma Bay is ideal for kitesurfing with its flat water and 300 days of wind ( off-shore and side-shore winds ranging from 4 to 8 Bft). The 7BFT Kite House has training for beginners as well as advanced kiters and licenses up to ‘instructor’ level. Read more: 7 Best Kitesurfing Spots in Egypt Gary Player Signature Golf Course Designed by world-renowned Gary Player, this 18 hole championship golf course is right next to the sea. Spa & Thalasso At Cascades Hotel, they have the only spa on the Red Sea that uses thalasso-tonic seawater for therapy, as well as hundreds of other treatments for both mind and body. Even if you’re not a guest at Cascades, you can book the treatment of your choice and enjoy the spa’s wellbeing programs and amenities. How to get around Soma Bay Like we mentioned above, once you’re past the gates of Soma Bay and situated at your hotel or rental, getting around is pretty easy and there’s no need for taxis. If you do want to explore outside of your hotel/rental and don’t have a car, here are the best ways to get around Soma Bay: Walking:  if you’re staying in one of the hotels on the beach and want to reach the Marina or the jetty, it’s a pleasant walk on the boardwalk.  Free shuttle : there are free shuttles that will take you up and down the boardwalk.  Bike or scooter rental:  you’ll find at the Marina and down the boardwalk little kiosks that say ‘Hopper’ on them; there you can rent out regular bikes, e-bikes, and scooters either for a few hours or a few days.  Golf Cart rental:  Hopper also rents out golf carts, ideal for people who are staying in rentals in the residential areas and don’t have a car. There are designated golf cart paths all throughout Soma Bay.  Golf cart taxi services:  if you need just a ride from one place in Soma Bay to the other and don’t want to rent out anything, there are also golf cart taxi services, available via an app called 'G Ride'. Best Things To Do in Soma Bay There are lots of things to do in Soma Bay, whether you’re active or just want a lazy vacation, with kids or flying solo. And luckily all are very easy to do!  Enjoy the beach, whether at your hotel or one of Soma's beach clubs Explore the jetty Scuba diving Snorkeling Boat trip (whether sunset boat trip or a snorkeling trip) Golf Desert safaris (provided by Alex Safari at the Marina) Tennis/Squash/Padel tennis Spend an afternoon at Utopia, a beach bar on nearby Tobia Island, completely surrounded by sea Horseback riding on the beach with Jasmine Stable Go-karting Take the kids to the water park Paintball Shisha at sunset overlooking the bay at SoBar Work out at the fitness studio Kitesurfing Windsurfing Windfoil Relax and decompress at the spa & thalasso Join the monthly full moon parties at the kite house Day trip to Luxor Dining & Nightlife Each hotel has their own roster of restaurants and beach bars, but if you’re looking for something outside of your hotel, then the Soma Bay Marina is where you’ll find most of your dining and nightlife options. Here’s the best restaurant/bars in the Marina: SoBar:  this restaurant and bar is one of the best and most dependable in Soma Bay, with beautiful views over the Marina and indoor/outdoor dining depending on your preference. They also have a section for shisha and set up big screens for football matches and other big sporting events. SoBar Rooftop x Cairo Jazz Club: Cairo's legendary nightspot has taken over the rooftop terrace of SoBar, for nights of great music, food and drinks, all with a spectacular view. Kokomo:  this grill and smoked BBQ restaurant and bar serves serve fantastic dishes cooked over an open fire. Excellent pizza as well.  Bamboo Shoot : this pan-Asian restaurant is run and managed by the Kempinski, but you’ll find it at the Soma Bay Marina on Wednesday through to Saturday nights.  Baladina:  want to indulge in some local Egyptian food ? Baladina has an extensive menu of all the Egyptian classics, from breakfast to feteer to late night grills.  Other dining options in the Marina: Zoo Patio - kid and pet-friendly restaurant House of Seven - bar Maison Thomas - pizzeria Hola Tacos - Mexican Burger Factory - burgers and fried chicken sandwiches Bready - bakery For coffee: Seven Fortune - coffeeshop Beach Restaurants/Bars: Zouni: a diverse international menu, with drinks and shisha. They also do BBQ grills on the weekends Wyte Beach Club: open from breakfast onwards, they do pizzas, sandwiches, fish & chips and other fun beach food. Shisha and drinks also available Barbouni:  a Greek restaurant and beach bar with plenty of seafood options, there's also serviced beach beds Seba: managed by Cairo Jazz Club, they have a beautiful spot on Mesca beach with both a beach bar and serviced beach chairs and umbrellas Soul's: brisket and sandwiches on the beach Restaurants and cafes at Habitat: Boulevard - international restaurant Fix by Social: restaurant & cafe Secret Society - burgers Sno - gelato Parting Local Tip Just to summarize everything we spoke about above – if you’re looking for a relaxing Red Sea vacation on a world-class beach, and want all the perks of staying in a luxury hotel or rental but also have the ability to leave the hotel and enjoy safe resort town life, then Soma Bay is 100% for you. You may also like: Sharm El Sheikh - A Travel Guide For First-Timers

Who doesn’t love to sit outside with a drink when the weather is nice, especially when you’re high up enough above the city to catch a breeze? Cairo may be congested and chaotic at ground level, but up on a rooftop it’s a completely different story. You may also like: 7 Best Nile View Restaurants in Cairo So in no particular order, we give you some of our favorite rooftop bars in Cairo. Estro Location: Maadi Also known as the ‘Sicilian Rooftop’, this restobar is found on the 9th floor of the Royal Maadi Hotel. Opened by the same owners of Frank &Co, Maadi’s favorite tapas bar, Estro offers up Italian food with a view (especially if you go before sunset). Reservations needed. Local tip: on especially clear days, you can see three different pyramid necropolises: the Pyramids of Giza , the Step Pyramid of Saqqara , and the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur . For more info and reservations: Estro Crimson Location: Zamalek This chic rooftop restobar resides on top of the Riverside building on a quiet Nile-facing street on the upscale island of Zamalek . Its open terrace overlooks the Nile, with an impressive bar and beautiful interior design. They have great food and creative cocktails, but we warn you -- this place is not cheap! Reservations recommended for weekends. For more info and reservations: Crimson Bar & Grill Sachi Park St. Location: Sheikh Zayed Award-winning restaurant Sachi has been a staple of Cairo fine dining and nightlife for over a decade now, with its famous Mediterranean fusion, sushi menu and cocktail list (their original flagship restaurant is the Sachi in Heliopolis ) . However it's Sachi Park St. that has the added benefit of having a beautiful open-air rooftop alongside their indoor dining area. For more info and reservations: Sachi Mazeej Balad Location: Downtown Perched on top of the chic Mazeej Balad Boutique Hotel in the heart of Downtown Cairo is their equally charming rooftop restaurant and bar, serving upscale Egyptian and Mediterranean classics. While the rooftop is open to non-hotel guests, it's adult-only and breakfast, lunch and dinner service all needs a reservation. For more info and reservations: Mazeej Balad Kempinski Roof Location:  Garden City On the Kempinski Nile Hotel's 11th floor roof is their pool, surrounded by a few tables that offer awesome panoramic views of the Nile. While only hotel guests can use the pool, anyone can have a drink, shisha or sandwiches and small plates off their rooftop menu. Note: if you're not a guest at the hotel, the roof is only accessible after 6 pm. For more of our favorite luxury hotels in Cairo, head here . For more info and reservations: Kempinski Nile Hotel Lucida Location:  Sheikh Zayed If you're looking for upscale dinner and drinks on a rooftop surrounded by incredible decor, then Lucida is the place for you. On weekend nights it's more of a music and party spot, so make sure to book a weeknight if you want to enjoy your dinner and the rooftop weather. For more info and reservations: Lucida Carlton Hotel Rooftop Location: Downtown On top of the dated 3 star Carlton Hotel in Downtown Cairo is a surprisingly nice and breezy rooftop. The hotel has been open since 1935 and definitely hasn’t taken any steps into the 21st century (the interiors seem stuck somewhere in the 1980s), but the rooftop is simple and straightforward. They serve local beer and wine and shisha, and at night you can see the High Court of Justice building lit up. For more info: Carlton Roof Garden Rooftop Zamalek Photo credit: Leila Tapozada Location: Zamalek Literally called Rooftop Zamalek, this bar sits on top of a shabby 1 star hotel in, you guessed it, Zamalek. This place is the absolute opposite of fancy, but has fantastic Nile views (although they recently put up some annoying netting on one side to apparently stop bottles from falling on the Russian consulate below, lol). Try to go during the day or before sunset to nab one of the netting-free Nile view tables before it gets crowded. For more info: Rooftop Zamalek Miss Li Lee's Location : Sheikh Zayed On top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel (the one adjacent to Arkan Plaza ) is their rooftop restaurant and bar, Miss Li Lee's. They have a large menu of pan-Asian dishes (everything from dim sum to Thai curries to tandoori grills to sushi), and a large drinks menu of both local and imported wine and spirits. They're open late and have live music on the weekend. For more info and reservations: Miss Li Lee's Odeon Palace Bar Location: Downtown The only 24/7 rooftop bar on this list, Odeon has been a Downtown Cairo staple for decades now. Popular with Cairo’s artistic and cinematic crowd, as well as foreigners, it’s always an interesting mix of people. The view may not be able to compete with the Nile or Pyramids, and it's much dingier than some of the other places on this list, but it has its own quirky charm. They serve local alcohol and shisha, as well as a few dubious food offerings (stick to something safe, like fries). For more info: Odeon Palace Hotel Looking for more nightlife inspiration? Check out our favorite bars, pubs and clubs in Cairo .

Egypt’s Red Sea has been making waves (horrible dad joke unintended) for decades now as one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world. Know what else Egypt is one of the best at, that not a lot of people know about? Kitesurfing! Unexpected by visitors, but true. Not only are Egypt’s Red Sea conditions ideal for kitesurfing/kiteboarding almost year-round, but Egypt is recognized internationally by kitesurfing experts to be one of the best kitesurfing spots in the world . And who are we to argue with the experts? It’s true though, Egypt has a multitude of professional kite centers dotted up and down its coasts, with all the ideal wind and water conditions, equipment, amenities and agreeable weather that any kitesurfer of any level (yes even beginners) could want. So let’s take a quick look at the best kitesurfing/kiteboarding spots in Egypt: El Gouna El Gouna is a Red Sea resort town spanning over 10 km of pristine Red Sea coast, with lagoons throughout, and their architecture is inspired by traditional Egyptian homes in the countryside and Upper Egypt. It’s a town equally as popular with Egyptians as it is with tourists. Read more: El Gouna, Egypt - A Local’s Guide El Gouna has several kitesurfing schools and centers, on large flat lagoons with steady on-shore wind. The water temperature is around 29 degrees celsius during summer months and drops to 20 degrees in winter, meaning you can kitesurf year-round. The kitesurf centers also have adjacent beach bars, great for something to eat or drink after a long kitesurfing session. Ras Sudr Photo credit: iksurfmag.com Ras Sudr (pronounced Ras Sedr) is the first Red Sea Riviera destination you’ll hit when you cross over from mainland Egypt to the Sinai Peninsula. It’s a small stretch of coast on the Gulf of Suez inlet of the Red Sea, and only recently began to rise in popularity due to its ideal kitesurfing conditions. The average wind speed is 16 knots to 25 knots, even going up to 30 knots in September when it’s at its windiest. The overall conditions are at their best from March through to November (so basically spring through to fall), with the water being flat shallow lagoons. Ras Sudr is still pretty underdeveloped, but you’ll find a handful of beach hotels to stay at. Most people spend their days at the various kite centers which also double up as restaurants/beach bars. A few of the popular kite centers/beach restaurants are Soul, Matarma Bay and Fly. Blue Lagoon in Dahab Photo credit: iksurfmag.com Dahab is a small bohemian town on the Sinai Peninsula and is popular for its diving and seaside promenade, full of local and quirkily-named restaurants and shops. The Blue Lagoon is a beautiful but remote beach camp spot north of Dahab. It's very bare bones -- huts on the beach and no electricity, so perfect for unplugging after a long day of kitesurfing. What makes Dahab a great kitesurfing spot is that there’s constant wind - it’s on the Gulf of Aqaba, which works as a wind funnel down the coast until it opens up into the Red Sea. Blue Lagoon especially is great for kitesurfers because of its expanse of shallow, calm water. The kite centers in Dahab can easily arrange to transport you and your equipment (rented or otherwise) to Blue Lagoon or any other more remote kiteboarding site. Red Sea Islands off of Hurghada Hurghada was named one of Trip Advisor’s Top 10 Most Popular Destinations , and for good reason. The beaches and beach resorts there are fantastic, and there’s activities galore. One activity that’s been picking up in popularity is kitesurfing, and there are several Red Sea islands off Hurghada that offer the exact water and wind conditions that kiteboarders need. Boat trips and kiting trips are easily arranged from the Hurghada marina. Popular kitesurfing islands are Tawila, Geisum and Abu Minqar. Read more: 7 Red Sea Islands Perfect For A Boat Day Trip Read more: Hurghada, Egypt - A Local Guide For First-Timers Soma Bay Photo credit: 7BFT Kite House Soma Bay A peninsula jutting into the Red Sea, Soma Bay is south of Hurghada and technically part of the Safaga area (below), but it’s deserving of its own ranking on this list. Because it’s surrounded by the sea on three sides, Soma Bay is famous for its water sports, especially kitesurfing and windsurfing, due to its steady winds (more than 300 days of wind a year!) and its bay of warm, shallow water. Tobia Island off the coast of Soma Bay is also a popular kitesurfing spot. Soma Bay is home to only a handful of beach resorts, so it’s a good place to go if you want to avoid the crowds found in other popular Red Sea Riviera destinations (Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh, etc). There are multiple kitesurf centers dotted around the resorts offering everything from lessons for beginners to rental equipment for the more experienced. Read more: Soma Bay, Egypt - Travel Guide For First-Timers Safaga Photo credit: Ion Club Safaga Like we said above, Soma Bay is technically a part of the larger Safaga area, but locals usually refer to Soma Bay as the peninsula and then the southern Red Sea coast underneath it as Safaga. A small port town, Safaga differs dramatically from the rest of the mainland Red Sea Riviera destinations -- while most of them are modern towns completely dedicated to tourism, Safaga as a port town has existed for over 2,000 years, dating back to the Ptolemaic days when it was called Philotera. Safaga these days is known mainly for its diving, kitesurfing and other water sports. (Although it’s also starting to garner recognition for its natural therapy , like its black sand treatments). Safaga’s beaches and kite centers cater to all kitesurfing levels, and like Soma Bay, Tobia island off the coast is a popular morning spot due to its ideal wind conditions. Wadi Lahami The most remote destination on this list, Wadi Lahami is a small village in what’s known as the Deep South of Egypt. It’s sandwiched between mountains and the Red Sea, surrounded by nature, and the closest city to it is Marsa Alam, about 180 km to the north, and the small town of Hamata is about 10 km north. Read more: 10 Best Things to Do in Marsa Alam Wadi Lahami is essentially an ecolodge/camp and diving center, but is also a perfect place for kitesurfers who are looking to get away from it all. They have a kite center right on the beach, in front of a sandy bottom lagoon. You can swim year-long, and only from November to April do you need a thin wetsuit; the water is so warm the rest of the year that you can kite in your normal swimsuit. After kiting is over, you can grab something to drink at the kite center’s beach bar, and your accommodation options are either tents, royal tents, or deluxe chalets. You May Also Like: 7 Extreme Adventure Experiences in Egypt for Adrenaline Junkies

If you’re looking for a place to have a meal and a good time in the Sheikh Zayed/6 October area but don’t feel like being overwhelmed by the big commercial centers like Arkan Plaza, then Park St. is a good choice. This dining and shopping hub is on a much smaller scale than Arkan, thus less crowded, but equally as pleasant with their indoor/outdoor restaurants and quirky interior design (anyone who’s seen those little statues scattered about will know what we’re talking about!). Read also: 10 Best Restaurants & Cafes in Arkan Plaza But as always, there’s the forever question of: which restaurant do I choose? Here are some of our personal Park St. West favorites (ps: at the bottom of the article, we list the other restaurants & cafes in Park St. in case anything catches your fancy). Best restaurants in Park St. West: Sachi Park St. Hidden away on the rooftop of Park St., Sachi is an award-winning fine dining restaurant and bar (regularly ranked amongst the top 50 restaurants in MENA). This Asian-Mediterranean fusion restaurant has both ambient indoor seating as well as a large outdoor terrace, always a favorite on warm nights or breezy afternoons. Pricey, but you get what you pay for. Impeccable service and great cocktails as well. For reservations, menu and more info: Sachi’s website Bebabel Looking for a casual Lebanese dining vibe, complete with shisha and beer/wine, but still delivering actually good food? Then look no further than Bebabel. Located on the ground floor of Park St. next to Brunch & Cake, this restaurant is a great spot for breakfast, sunny weekend lunches or dinner and drinks with friends. For the menu and more info: Bebabel’s IG Em Sherif Cafe One of the most famous restaurants in Beirut has found a home in Park St. West. Until recently, Em Sherif was a must-go for Egyptians visiting Beirut, to get a taste of traditional, homestyle Lebanese food. But now we don’t have to go any further than Cairo’s suburbs (Em Sherif is currently in White by Waterway in New Cairo as well as Park St.) They’re open from noon until midnight, and also serve shisha. For the menu and more info: Em Sherif Cafe’s IG Sushimi By K If you’re tired of overpriced, mediocre sushi places (and who isn’t), then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Sushimi by K. What started as a small sushi catering business quickly grew in popularity to an actual brick and mortar restaurant in New Cairo, with its second branch in Park St. Read more: 7 Best Sushi & Japanese Restaurants in Cairo Sushimi by K prides itself on using only the freshest ingredients, including non-frozen salmon and bluefin tuna. Their sushi menu is massive, alongside a few Japanese main courses for anyone in your group who isn’t on the sushi train. For the menu and more info: Sushimi by K’s IG Norma If you're in the mood for some good Italian food, specifically Sicilian with Moorish influences to be exact -- then head to Norma, named after a famous Sicilian opera. Their menu focuses on slow-cooked, seasonal items incorporated into their homemade pasta, gnocchi, risotto, pizza and other main courses (with a huge variety of antipasti too). Some of their signature Sicilian dishes are: Panella di Sicilia (crispy chickpea fritters served with a fresh, zesty lemon and salsa verde dip), La Pizzetta Palermo Sfincione (thick fluffy pizza crust topped with slow-cooked tomato sauce, caramelized onions, anchovies and breadcrumbs) and Casarecce al Trapanese (Sicilian pesto pasta). Norma has indoor seating complete with comfy couches and chairs. They also have an outdoor dining area and are open from breakfast (9 am) onwards. For the menu and more info: Norma Marzipan So far we've covered everything from Lebanese to sushi to Sicilian restaurants in Park St. West -- but if you want to bring it back to basics with just some really good, traditional Egyptian food , then Marzipan is for you. We're talking molokheya, koshary, fattah, feteer, the works. They have indoor/outdoor dining, nostalgic Egyptian music crooning in the background, and are open for breakfast as well (9 am). For the menu and more info: Marzipan Brunch & Cake If you’re one of those people who eats with their eyes first, then Brunch & Cake will leave you thrilled. This very Instagrammable restaurant will leave you impressed with not only their food presentation but their interior decor aesthetics as well. They have a really creative menu of breakfast and brunch options, but never fear, this restaurant doesn’t go poof when the sun goes down – they also do dinner as well.  For the menu and more info: Brunch & Cake’s IG Other restaurants & cafes also in Park St. West: Bocca Qahwa Ni Cafe BRGR CAF Pickl Nola Dolato Le Flandrin 1980 Saints Coffee You might also like: 12 Best Bars, Pubs and Restobars in Sheikh Zayed & 6 October City, Cairo

Mahmya Beach off the coast of Hurghada Something we hear all the time when a non-Egyptian sees our beaches for the first time is: “You have beaches like THIS in Egypt???” Yes my friend, indeed we do. Most people when they think of Egypt think of a long swath of desert with a few pyramids dotted here and there, plus or minus a camel or two. And while yes, we have that, we also have thousands of miles worth of fantastic coast. We go into detail about specific beaches in our article 9 World-Class Beaches in Egypt , but in this article here we’re going to talk about the best beach destinations in Egypt as a whole – meaning, the best places to go to kick back and relax for a chill beach holiday. And trust us, there’s something for everybody! Hurghada Ideal if you want: lots of resort and hotel options (including all-inclusive and family-friendly options), water activities and diving Hurghada, having spent the first hundred years of its life as a sleepy little fishing village, is now one of the most popular destinations in the world (don’t believe us? Ask TripAdvisor -- Hurghada is regularly one of their top 10 global travel destinations). Hurghada is an eclectic mix of 5 star resorts and super budget hotels, Red Sea islands and desert excursions, touristy promenades and dingier local areas… there’s something to see and do no matter your age or interests. Best way to get there: fly to Hurghada Airport or by car from Cairo (4.5 hours) Here’s our full, detailed local’s guide for Hurghada . North Coast Ideal if you want: to just relax on the beach and not leave the hotel Egypt’s North Coast, called Sahel el Shamali in Arabic (Sahel for short), stretches out for hundreds of kilometers on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast and has arguably some of the most pristine white sand beaches in the region. It’s currently comprised mainly of private residential beach compounds with a few sporadic hotels, so it’s mainly the summer playground of moneyed locals. Recently though more tourism development has taken root, so those who don’t own beach homes can still enjoy Egypt’s (hands down) best summer beaches. It’s a hassle to get around the North Coast area though, so it’s recommended if you’re just looking to stay for a weekend at your hotel’s beach. Unlike Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh, there are very limited activity options outside of your hotel. Best way to get there: by car from Cairo (could be anything from a 2.5-5 hour drive, depending on where on the North Coast your hotel is) Read more: Egypt's North Coast - Complete Travel Guide for First-Timers Soma Bay Ideal if you want: 5 star resorts with a plethora of water sports, diving and snorkeling A peninsula jutting into the Red Sea, Soma Bay is another gated resort town. Because it’s surrounded by the sea on three sides, Soma Bay is famous for its water sports, especially kitesurfing and windsurfing due to the ideal wind conditions. Soma Bay (the official development on the peninsula) is home to only a handful of beach resorts, so it’s a good place to go if you want insanely beautiful beaches but still want to avoid the crowds found in other popular Red Sea Riviera destinations (Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh, etc). It has its own dive center as well as jetty to snorkel right on the reef. Best way to get there: fly into Hurghada and drive to Soma Bay (45 minutes south). Read more: Soma Bay, Egypt - Travel Guide For First-Timers Dahab Ideal if you want: great snorkeling and diving in a casual beach town This little bohemian town is smaller, quieter and less commercial than its Red Sea Riviera neighbor Sharm el Sheikh, but the diving is just as good. Home to world-renowned dive sites like the Blue Hole, Dahab pulls in its own fair share of tourists, but those who want to experience a more laid-back vacation. The main area of town is its seaside promenade, full of local and quirkily-named restaurants and shops. There are also hostels and budget hotels galore. You can also hike to and camp in nearby Ras Abu Galoum and Blue Lagoon. Similar to Sharm, Dahab is also a popular base for treks into the Sinai Mountains and St. Catherine’s Monastery. Best way to get there: fly to Sharm el Sheikh and drive there, about an hour away Marsa Alam Marsa Shagra in Marsa Alam Ideal if you want: a quiet beach holiday that involves diving Marsa Alam might not be as well known or frequently visited as Hurghada but if you’re looking for a beach holiday that involves diving, this is a great place for it. This coastal town is more off the beaten track for both Egyptians and foreigners alike, so it’s an excellent place if you want to relax and focus on diving and other sea activities. Accommodation is across the board, from 5 star hotels to sparse beach camps. There’s very little in terms of restaurants and nightlife, so if you’re someone who likes to be on the beach early and call it a night early too, this might be for you. Read more: 10 Best Things to Do in Marsa Alam Marsa Alam’s famous dive sites like Elphinstone and Daedalus are must-sees for more advanced divers -- you can see anything from hammerhead sharks to manta rays and even whale sharks in these open sea sites. They’re accessible by boat day trips from Marsa Alam. Closer to the shore, if you’re lucky, you can also see Egypt’s rare dugongs, a cousin of the manatee, who live in the warm shallow waters of Marsa Alam. Best way to get there: fly into Marsa Alam Airport Sharm el Sheikh Ideal if you want: a resort beach holiday or a diving trip Sharm el Sheikh has been an international beach destination darling for decades, with dozens of direct flights between Europe and the Sharm Airport daily. Besides its all-inclusive resorts, it's also world-famous for scuba diving. According to Dive Magazine , “Sharm El Sheikh has been, for many years, the favourite Egyptian destination for scuba divers, and has probably contributed more to the European dive business than any other resort in the world.” Read more: 12 Best Things to Do in Sharm el Sheikh Sharm is also a good base for trips to the Sinai Mountains, St. Catherine’s Monastery and Ras Mohammed National Park. Best way to get there: fly to Sharm el Sheikh Airport Ras Shetan/Nuweiba Ideal if you want: to camp on a beach and disconnect Nestled between mountains and the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba is a strip of coastline called Ras Shetan, between the towns of Nuweiba and Taba on the Sinai peninsula. Both Nuweiba (a little beach town) and Ras Shetan are known for their get-away-from-it-all beach camps, usually run by local Bedouins. The camps are a mix of beach huts or bare-bone bungalows, and you’re more than welcome to set up your own tents right on the beach. At night, there’s usually a large campfire where the Bedouins and guests from all over the world talk, play instruments and sing. Nuweiba and Ras Shetan are also a good place to stay if you want to explore the Colored Canyon and Wadi Wishwashi in the nearby Nuweiba mountains. Best way to get there: fly to Sharm El Sheikh and drive (2 hours), or drive from Cairo (6-8 hour drive). El Gouna Moods Beach in El Gouna Ideal if you want: to stay in a clean and green beach resort town with lots of great restaurants and nightlife El Gouna is a modern resort town spanning over 10 km of pristine Red Sea coast, with lagoons throughout, and their architecture is inspired by traditional Egyptian homes in the countryside and Upper Egypt. It’s a beautiful town equally as popular with Egyptians as it is with tourists. El Gouna’s beaches aren’t as nice as its neighbor Hurghada, but it’s the best beach holiday destination if you’re looking for good restaurants, nightlife and activities all in a safe, easily-navigable little beach town. You can read our full local's guide to El Gouna here . Best way to get there: fly to Hurghada airport (30 mins from El Gouna), or by car or bus from Cairo (about 4 hours). Sahl Hasheesh Ideal if you want:  an all-inclusive resort on pristine beaches   On most online booking sites, Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay are grouped together as ‘Hurghada’. And while they are indeed considered in the Hurghada ‘area’, they’re their own separate towns and very different from Hurghada proper. Sahl Hasheesh is a resort town built on a bay in the Red Sea south of Hurghada back in the 1990s, and is known for its beautiful stretch of coastline and long boardwalk. It’s home to some of the most highly ranked beach resorts in the country, such as Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh and Baron Palace. Sahl Hasheesh doesn’t offer much in terms of restaurants or nightlife outside of the resorts - just an ‘Old Town’ with one or two spots.   Best way to get there:  fly into Hurghada Airport then drive into Sahl Hasheesh (30 minutes) You may also like: Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera - Where To Stay

The neighborhood of Downtown Cairo isn’t known for its upscale nightlife scene, but it IS known for something which may be even more up your alley: it’s the home to numerous baladi bars, historic bars and rooftop bars. Wait. What exactly is a baladi bar? Good question. A baladi bar is essentially a hole-in-the-wall, Egyptian version of a dive bar, popular with Egyptian locals ( baladi translates to ‘my country’, but is also used to refer to something local or national – Egypt’s beloved local pita bread for example is called eish baladi or baladi bread). Baladi bars tend to be on the shabby side, and not a place you would necessarily want to eat. But the drinks are cheap and cold, and they’re a great place to feel like a real local. Downtown Cairo also is known for its historic bars, which are decades old and have seen a lion’s share of modern Cairo (and even national) history. Downtown also has several rooftop bars which are a far cry from the fancier rooftop bars elsewhere in Cairo (here’s a list of our favorite Cairo rooftop bars ). You may also like : 10 Best Restaurants in Downtown Cairo But without further ado, let’s dive right into Downtown Cairo’s dive bars (bad pun unintended). Historic Bars (Psst, you can read more about Cairo's oldest restaurants and bars here ) . Cafe Riche Probably the most famous restaurant and bar in Downtown Cairo, Cafe Riche has quite a history. It was founded in 1908 and is known for being a beloved meeting place of historical revolutionaries, intellectuals and prominent figures in modern Egyptian history. A few examples: it was here where members of the Egyptian resistance planned the 1919 revolution against the British; where an assassin lay in wait to attempt (and fail) to kill the last Coptic Prime Minister, Youssef Wahba Pacha; where King Farouk first saw his second wife, Nariman Sadek; where beloved singer Umm Kalthoum performed in 1923; and where Gamal Abdel Nasser planned the 1952 revolution. Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz was a regular patron as well -- his novel Karnak Cafe is based on Cafe Riche, its customers and their stories. Relics of these people and times in history still adorn Cafe Riche’s walls until now. Estoril Built in 1959 by a Greek couple in a passageway between two buildings in Downtown, this restaurant and bar was named after the town of Estoril in Portugal, where the couple had their honeymoon. Similar to other vintage resto-bars in Downtown, Estoril was a popular meeting place for political activists, writers, artists and intellectuals. One wall is dedicated to local art while the other is full of memorabilia and clippings of articles and other old press about Estoril in its heyday. Estoril’s menu now is not much to write home about, but it remains a popular spot to have a beer and chat with the bartender about years past. Le Grillon Founded in 1941 and originally a restaurant and beer garden, Le Grillon was famous for being the spot where Cairo’s well-heeled would gather for drinks and a meal before and after national icon Umm Kalthoum’s performances in the nearby Qasr el Nil Theatre (and even during the intermission). In the 50s, Le Grillon was popular with all the biggest names in Egyptian cinema: Roshdy Abaza, Sabah, Amina Rizk, Samia Gamal, Nadia Lotfy and more. This vintage restaurant has even witnessed some unforgettable scenes that had nothing to do with the movies, like when Fareed el Atrash had a heart attack there and the waitstaff had to rush him to the hospital, or how Abdelwahab was so specific about how his fruit was washed that he had the waiters bring him a pitcher of water to the table so he could wash the fruit himself. Today it’s more shabby than chic, and we wouldn’t recommend eating there. But it’s still a good spot to go for a drink and a shisha in their closed terrace. Greek Club Located above the patisserie Groppi on Talaat Harb Square, the Greek Club when it first opened in 1906 was just that: a Greeks-only club where members could gather for dinner, drinks and live music. It opened to the public in the 1950s, when Egyptians and visitors of all nationalities could enjoy its terrace, vaulted ceilings and Greek specialties. Today it’s still popular as a Downtown bar, especially its open-air terrace, and while it doesn’t feel particularly Greek anymore, they still take a stab at it with the menu and blue and white checked tablecloths. Cinema Radio So, this one is a bit misleading. Cinema Radio is one of the most historically important buildings in Downtown Cairo, having being built in 1932 and hosting Cairo's then-largest theater screen. When it split into both a cinema and a theater in the 1970s, it hosted iconic performances and legendary film screenings, but wasn't a bar itself. After being restored and renovated in 2015, a handful of restaurants, bars and shops opened up in this historic spot. So while the venues themselves are modern, you're still sitting in a spot that was a landmark for decades in Cairo history. Current bars/night spots in Cinema Radio: Studio Samara Almeria Jade Baladi Bars Horreya Founded in 1936 over the remains of Ahmed Orabi, an Egyptian officer who led a mutiny in 1879 against the Anglo-French loyalist Khedive Tewfik, El Horreya is one of the most famous cafes and bars in Downtown Cairo. It has a distinct ‘cafeteria’-ish look, with bright lights, high ceilings and scattered tables. It’s open from the afternoon until 2 am, and was popular throughout the years with artists, poets, intellectuals, foreigners and expats and students from the nearby American University (their new campus is now in New Cairo). People go there for an affordable beer, to play chess or backgammon or just to chat. Carol Carol started off as a French bistro in the 1960s, but over the years it deteriorated until it was a seedy baladi bar. A few years back though it was completely renovated, so while it’s still a baladi bar, it’s now what we’d consider a NICE baladi bar lol. They have a long wooden bar that goes well with their narrow space, and offer a range of tapas dishes to go with your beer. Le Bistro This restaurant and bar is a good choice in Downtown Cairo if you want to have a drink with your meal, but want to avoid the subpar food of Cafe Riche or Estoril. Their menu is full of meat, chicken and fish dishes as well as an extensive appetizer list if you want to go for something lighter with your drink. There’s also a DJ on Thursday nights. Cap D’Or Not to be confused with the famous Cap D’Or bar in Alexandria (also known as Sheikh Ali), this Downtown Cairo Cap D’or is another extremely old baladi bar – it opened over 100 years ago in 1908! It’s still frequented mainly by locals for the beers and free termis (lupin beans) and other random bar snacks. Other (rather downtrodden) baladi bars of note: Stella Bar Le Comte Bar Rooftop Baladi Bars Odeon Odeon’s a 24/7 rooftop bar (on top of the shabby Odeon Hotel) and has been a Downtown Cairo staple for decades now. Popular with Cairo’s artistic and cinematic crowd, as well as foreigners, it’s always an interesting mix of people. The view may not be able to compete with the Nile or the Pyramids , but it has its own quirky charm. They serve local alcohol and shisha, as well as a few dubious food offerings (stick to something safe, like fries). Carlton On top of the dated 3 star Carlton Hotel is a surprisingly nice and breezy rooftop. The hotel has been open since 1935 and definitely hasn’t taken any steps into the 21st century (the interiors seem stuck somewhere in the 1980s), but the rooftop is simple and straightforward. They serve local beer and wine and shisha, and at night you can see the High Court of Justice building lit up. Happy City Atop another shabby hotel in Downtown of the same name, the Happy City rooftop bar is actually more well known than the hotel itself (although to be fair, the bar's real name is Wadi el Melouk, but no local calls it that. Being a baladi bar, it’s cheap and cheerful, and popular on weekends or nights with football matches. Happy drinking! You may also like: 7 Best Bars, Pubs & Restobars in Zamalek

When you think of palaces, European cities probably come to mind… and not Cairo per se. But it’s true, Cairo is home to quite a few beautiful palaces, ranging from medieval Islamic to Ottoman Baroque, French Rococo and even Hindu-inspired. So if you’re looking for something different to explore in Cairo and love the architecture, art and history of palaces of the past, look no further than these seven palaces open to the public. Abdeen Palace Location: Abdeen, Old Cairo This palace turned museum was first built by Khedive Ismail in 1863, with the function of being governmental headquarters as well as the designated venue for official events and ceremonies. It was later a royal residence until the monarchy was abolished in 1952. The museum today is divided into the upper floors, which used to be the living quarters of the royal family, and are now only open for visiting foreign dignitaries. The lower floors hold the main sections of the museum: the Silver Museum, the Arms Museum, the Royal Family Museum, the Presidential Gifts Museum and the Historical Documents Museum. Opening hours: 9 am - 3 pm (closed Fridays) Cairo Marriott (Palace Al Gezirah) Location: Zamalek At the Cairo Marriott Hotel in Zamalek , you can still find the original Palace Al Gezirah, built by Khedive Ismail over 150 years ago in 1869 to be a guest palace for foreign royalty and other VIPs visiting during the Suez Canal’s inauguration celebrations. The Cairo Marriott that stands today is still the same palace that housed Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, and hosted the wedding of Khedive Ismail’s son which lasted for 40 days; many of the original artwork and furniture can be found in the hotel’s reception rooms and lounges. Khedive Ismail decided to design the palace in the neoclassical style which was popular in Europe at the time. He signed on Austrian architect Julius Franz (later known as Franz Bey) and French architect De Curel Del Rosso, who had also designed the Abdeen Palace. The interiors were done by German architect Carl von Diebitsch. The two large Nile-facing towers of the hotel were added in the 1970s when the hotel was taken over by Marriott International. For more about the Cairo Marriott and Egypt’s other historical hotels, head here . Baron Empain Palace (Baron Palace) Location: Heliopolis This extremely distinct-looking palace is like nothing else Cairo (or the rest of Egypt for that matter) has to offer. Founded in 1907-1911, Baron Empain Palace (or as we locals call it, Baron Palace) was built to be the personal residence of the Belgian Baron Édouard Empain, who was credited for building the eastern Cairo neighborhood of Heliopolis. Baron Palace’s design was inspired by the Hindu temples of South India and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and built by French architect Alexandre Marcel. Today, Baron Palace is a newly renovated museum, where you can learn about the life of Baron Empain, early Heliopolis heritage and even the famous Heliopolis tram (an original tram car is on display in the garden, and you can learn about the Baron’s link to the trams inside the museum). You can access the rooftop via an extra ticket if you want more views from above. Opening hours: 9 am - 6 pm Manasterly Palace Location: Manial This Ottoman baroque palace was built in 1851 by Hassan Fouad Pasha El-Manasterly, the governor of Egypt under the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmi. This one-story palace on the Nile island of Rawda Island (Manial) was built next to a Nilometer that dates back to 861 AD. The palace now is still famous for its beautiful decor and ‘Ottoman Rococo’ influences. It has become a center of the arts and musical concerts are held there regularly. You can take a virtual tour of Manasterly Palace and the Nilometer here , along with other amazing Egyptian virtual tours. Opening hours: 9 am - 3 pm Manial Palace (Mohamed Ali Palace) Location: Manial This palace was built by Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik, the first cousin of King Farouk, in 1875 and completed in 1929. The Islamic architectural style is a mix of Ottoman, Persian and Moorish, while the inner design is a marriage between European Nouveau and Rococo. The palace is home to the prince’s extensive collection of art, furniture, clothing, silver and Medieval manuscripts from the Middle Ages. The ceramic tilework in the mosque and entrance was done by an Armenian ceramist. Today the palace and its historical gardens as well as King Farouk’s hunting lodge are all part of a public museum. Opening hours: 9 am - 5 pm Aisha Fahmy Palace Location: Zamalek Built in 1907, this palace overlooking the Nile was inherited by Aisha Fahmy, daughter of an Egyptian aristocrat and army chief under King Fuad. She was married to Egyptian actor and director Youssef Wahbi, and they lived together in the palace for many years. When she died in 1962, the palace went to the Ministry of Culture and is now a Center of Arts. The palace is open to the public only during exhibitions. The two-storey palace was built by Italian architect Antonio Lasciac and has 30 rooms, two grand halls, a “Japanese room”, and is resplendent with European art. To find out when the next art exhibition is so you can visit the palace, you can check the Center of Arts’ Facebook page. Beshtak Palace Location: Moez Street, Old Cairo Between 1334 and 1339 AD, the Mamluk emir (a powerful official or lord in the Mamluk dynasty) Seif el-Din Beshtak built a residence and stables on Moez Street, which is home to the highest concentration of medieval Islamic architectural treasures in the world. (For more info on everything you should visit in Moez Street, head to our detailed local’s guide here ). Originally 5 storeys high, this palace dedicated part of its ground floor to shops which would have supplemented the emir’s income. Only part of the palace still stands today, but you can still see its impressive reception hall, mashrabeya windows, marble indoor fountain and stained glass windows, a rare example of residential architecture at the time. Opening hours: 9 am - 5 pm, closed on Sundays Bonus palace: El Sakakini Palace El Sakakini Palace is not currently open to visitors unfortunately, but just seeing it from the outside is fun in and of itself. The palace was built in 1897 by Syrian Gabriel Habib El Sakakini, who moved to Egypt to make his fortune with the Suez Canal Company in Port Said. He later moved to Cairo where he built his French Rococo palace, which is still just as impressive to see 100+ years later. You may also like: 10 Top Things to Do in Cairo, Egypt

Jeeda's A common local complaint is that Alexandria falls significantly short in comparison to Cairo when it comes to bars, pubs, clubs and other watering holes. And while this is true to a certain extent, Alex *does* in fact have more than a dozen spots where you can kick back with a drink. Are they all worth going to? Well… we’ll let you decide for yourself. Note: we didn’t include restaurants that served alcohol (Greek Club, Chez Gaby, Santa Lucia, Zephyrion, Sidra by the Citadel, L'Apero, etc) because they’re more restaurant than a night spot. So here are the main players in Alexandria’s nightlife, in no particular order: 1. Spitfire Dating all the way back to 1883, Spitfire is Alexandria’s oldest bar with decades of paraphernalia on the walls (but have moved from their original spot to the Corniche). 2. Cap D’Or (Sheikh Ali) Photo credit: Quinton Miller Another vintage Alexandrian bar, the Cap D’Or (also known as Sheikh Ali) opened circa 1900 and is still owned by the same family. 3. Jeeda's Touted as Alexandria's first ever tapas bar, Jeeda's is where you should head if you want to have a drink in a beautiful indoor/outdoor space with handcrafted cocktails. 4. Eros Eros is a restobar on the second floor of the Alexandria Syrian Club (the club itself was founded back in 1967!). Rooftop Hidden atop a nondescript commercial/residential building on Alexandria's Corniche is a bar/cafe called, aptly, Rooftop or Alex Rooftop, with gorgeous sea views. They serve both beer as well as coffee and other non-bar drinks. 6. The Pint Located in the Eatabe Alexandria Corniche Hotel, this steakhouse & bar is adjacent to a lounge that serves shisha. 7. Cigar Bar A bar true to its name in the Hilton Alexandria Corniche , the Cigar Bar has beautiful sea views as well as an extensive array of cigars. The Hilton Alexandria Corniche also has NEO Lounge if you're looking for some music after the Cigar Bar. They host weekly themed nights like House Night, Latin Night, Oriental Night, etc. 8. Sky Roof On the rooftop of the Windsor Palace Hotel , this very purple bar and lounge serves up blasting music (albeit with great sea views). 9. Calithea Styled after a Greek tavern, Calithea has been open since 1937. While they serve food, most people opt to drink a beer or wine there instead. 10. Monty Bar The vintage bar at the famous Cecil hotel (now Steigenberger). It was named after Field Marshal Montgomery who visited the bar during World War II. Hooligans Indoor and outdoor seating at this sports bar (and DJ venue at night) at the Sunrise Alex Avenue Hotel, near Stanley Beach. 12. The Kraken A Viking-themed bar and restaurant in the Africana Hotel in King Mariout, on the outskirts of Alexandria, complete with a pool table and bar games. 13. Le Bar A beautiful lounge and bar at the Four Seasons San Stefano which will make you nostalgic for Alexandria’s belle epoque -- with Four Seasons prices, of course. 14. Nyx Bar & Lounge On the second floor of Elite, a Greek restaurant in Mehatet el Raml, you'll find Nyx Bar and Lounge, where they have DJs, karaoke nights and happy hours. Il Punto A restaurant and pub in the Downtown area of Alexandria. It’s small, so reservations are needed. You might also like: 7 Must-Try Restaurants in Alexandria

It seems like everywhere you turn in New Cairo, there’s a new commercial center with a slew of different restaurants, cafes and bars opening up. And considering how many people now live and work in New Cairo, that’s a good thing in our opinion! Read also: 7 Best Restaurants in Garden 8, New Cairo Read also: 5 Best Restaurants in District 5, Cairo Read more: 7 Best Restaurants in U Venues, New Cairo Read more: Cairo Festival City Restaurant & Cafe Guide 5A by The Waterway is one of the biggest and most well-known commercial centers, so it begs the question – which of its many restaurants and cafes should we go to? In no particular order, here are our local favorites at 5A: Babel There’s no other restaurant in Cairo with the same striking interior design that Babel has – from its dramatic pendant lighting and soaring ceilings to the grand piano, Babel’s ambience immediately elevates your lunch or dinner experience. It’s a Lebanese restaurant with a handful of locations around the Middle East, and its 5A branch in Cairo has been impressing diners since its opening.  They also serve shisha and alcohol, keeping in theme with the Lebanese experience. Keep in mind though that Babel is expensive and needs reservations more often than not – so not the place for a casual lunch or dinner. For more info: Babel Villa Caracas If you're looking to have lunch in a spot that's light, airy and warm, then head to Villa Caracas. This Lebanese staple has multiple branches throughout Cairo, but 5A's branch is one of their most ambient ones. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and serve breakfast from 10 on weekdays and 9 am on weekends. For more info: Villa Caracas Reif Kushiyaki Reif Kushiyaki is a restaurant famous for its "unconventional Japanese street food" in Dubai, and it opened its first Egyptian branch in 5A. Named after Reif Othman (owner and chef of the Dubai branch) and kushiyaki , which is grilled meat on skewers. They have indoor and outdoor seating and their menu is a mix of sushi, skewers, ramen and other Japanese street food faves. Alcohol served. For more info: Reif Kushiyaki Ahwet Zeitouna If you’re looking for great Lebanese food with shisha or wine for lunch or dinner and want a more casual place than Babel, then Ahwet Zeitouna is your 5A destination. They’re going for the vibe and feel of a Lebanese neighborhood cafe, which is a hard ask in a New Cairo commercial center, but they pull it off pretty well with their sunny outdoor dining area. For more info: Ahwet Zeitouna Brown Nose What about those who are in 5A looking for a good cup of coffee, breakfast or just a cafe to work or chill in? 5A has a few of those, but one of our favorites is Brown Nose. While we’re not sure if we’re sold on the name, the venue itself is a cozy little coffee shop with outdoor seating and a few seats indoors. They have a a large hot and cold coffee menu, as well as sandwiches, toasties, pastries and their signature ‘croffles’ – croissant waffles! Opens at 8 am.  For more info: Brown Nose Carlo’s It seems like on almost every list we write of best restaurants here and there around Cairo, Carlo’s always features – and for good reason. It has a huge menu with something for everyone, and they’re consistently good. (Local tip: try their Egyptian baked rice). They also serve shisha and alcohol, and is always a safe choice for anything from a family lunch to a business dinner to a birthday outing with friends.  For more info: Carlo's CAF Looking for an early morning coffee in a peaceful sunny spot in New Cairo? CAF in 5A is open at 7 am, and they’re known for their strong and extensive coffee menu. It’s a great place to work during the day (or even at night!). They have sandwiches, salads and a bakery but are mainly known for their hot and cold brew.  They're also known for being pet-friendly! That's right, you can bring your dogs with you, just make sure they're an accepted size. Read more: 10 Best Pet-Friendly Restaurants & Cafes in Cairo For more info: CAF Other restaurants in 5A by Waterway: Crave Don Eatery Qahwa Gala Bocca Numa Ni Cafe Coffee & desserts in 5A: Karak Boy Foufa's Le Flandrin Patchi You may also like: 10 Best Restaurants & Bars in New Cairo for Dinner & Drinks

If you’re planning on visiting Egypt for the first time and trying to figure out your itinerary, it can be just a tad overwhelming – there’s a ton to see, and it’s spread all over the country, so choosing where to go and what to skip can be hard. Below we break down 10 of our favorite local Egyptian cities, towns and destinations, and which place you should visit based on your own personal interests. 1. Cairo Visit Cairo if you want: to see the Pyramids, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum , and get a taste of the ‘real’ Egypt Egypt’s capital Cairo should obviously be part of any Egypt itinerary. It’s home to the Pyramids of Giza (read our full Pyramids local’s guide for first-timers here ), some of the best museums in the country, and a plethora of ancient, medieval and contemporary sightseeing attractions. Read more: Top 10 Things to Do in Cairo, Egypt Besides all that, Cairo is the place to visit if you really want to get a pulse on what’s the ‘real’ Egypt. It’s a megacity of over 20 million, and no other place in Egypt will give you quite such an insider’s view on the culture and lives of modern-day Egyptians. It’s also by far the best Egyptian destination for restaurants and nightlife . 2. Luxor Visit Luxor if you want: to immerse yourself in Ancient Egypt and/or go on a Nile cruise Modern-day Luxor is the old Ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, and it’s here where you’ll find the lion’s share of Ancient Egyptian temples and tombs, like the world-famous Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings. Read more: 10 Best Things to Do in Luxor, Egypt - As Told By Locals Read more: 5 Must-See Temples in Luxor It’s also where Nile cruises start or end (cruises sail between Luxor and its southern city Aswan, and you can embark from either destination depending on your itinerary). Luxor as a city doesn’t have much going on in terms of dining/nightlife, so you’ll spend most of your time post-sightseeing either at your hotel or on the cruise ship. Read more: Choosing a Nile Cruise in Egypt - Your Ultimate Guide 3. Hurghada Visit Hurghada if you want: Red Sea beach resorts, family-friendly water activities, scuba-diving Looking for a white sand and azure water beach holiday ? Hurghada and its neighboring resort towns like Soma Bay and Sahl Hasheesh have literally hundreds of hotels to choose from, from waterpark resorts for kids to adult-only secluded getaways. Read more: Hurghada - A Detailed Local’s Guide for First-Timers Hurghada is also known as a great diving and snorkeling destination, but if you prefer to spend time on the beach as opposed to under it, there are a handful of pristine Red Sea islands easily accessible by boat from Hurghada’s marina. Hurghada city proper has a bunch of restaurants and bars, so you’re not stuck in your resort all night should you want to go out and explore. 4. Aswan Visit Aswan if you want: to go to Abu Simbel, experience Nubia, go on a Nile cruise Visiting Aswan is usually paired with Luxor, because the Nile cruises (which run from 3 to 5 days) sail between these two Ancient Egyptian cities. Historically the ancient land of Nubia was directly to the south of Aswan, extending from modern-day southern Egypt into northern Sudan. Nubia became part of Egypt during the New Kingdom, and Nubian heritage and culture is extremely important in Aswan until today. Read more: Aswan, Egypt - A Local’s City Guide Read more: 12 Most Interesting Things To Do & See in Aswan Read more : Choosing a Nile Cruise in Egypt - Your Ultimate Guide Aswan is also famous for the Great Temple of Abu Simbel, which is about a 3 hour drive south of the city. Most people visit Abu Simbel as part of a day trip from Aswan. Similar to Luxor, Aswan doesn’t have much going for it when it comes to dining and nightlife, so it’s definitely predominantly a sightseeing destination. 5. El Gouna Visit El Gouna if you want: a relaxing beach vacation in a resort town with a lot of restaurant and activity options El Gouna is an eco-conscious beautiful little town on the Red Sea coast slightly north of Hurghada. It’s home to a wide range of accommodation options, from Airbnbs to 5 star hotels, and has some of the best restaurants and bars in the country. Unlike most other places in Egypt, El Gouna is completely walkable for visitors and transportation is easy and straightforward via tuktuks in this gated town. Read more: El Gouna, Egypt - A Local’s Guide While El Gouna’s beaches aren’t nearly as nice as Hurghada’s, they have very pleasant serviced beach bars and a myriad of centers for beach activities. El Gouna is also one of the best spots in Egypt for kitesurfing , whether you’re a beginner looking to learn or an experienced kiter. 6. Dahab Photo credit: Beshoy Fayez Visit Dahab if you want: to stay in a little bohemian beach town in Sinai or to go diving or snorkeling Dahab is on the Gulf of Aqaba leading into the Red Sea in the south of the Sinai Peninsula. It was originally a Bedouin fishing village, then became popular with divers and backpackers over the years, or those who were looking for a more back-to-basics beach experience away from the massive resorts of neighboring Sharm el Sheikh. Read more: 7 Best Scuba Diving Destinations in Egypt For All Levels If you’re into quirky little beach cafes, shops and casual restaurants, then Dahab is for you. While they do have some bigger hotels, the majority of Dahab’s accommodation options are hostels, budget hotels and airbnbs. Dahab is also a good spot to use as a base for exploring Sinai, whether it be by ATV safaris, mountain hiking, day trips to St. Catherine’s, or kitesurfing and windsurfing in Sinai’s shallow lagoons. 7. Siwa Oasis Visit Siwa Oasis if you want: to go off the beaten track and explore Egypt’s remote desert and Great Sand Sea Siwa Oasis is so deep in Egypt’s Western Desert that it’s closer to the Libyan border than to any other Egyptian town or city. Siwa was isolated from the rest of Egypt up until the 1980s when a road connecting it to Marsa Matrouh was built, so its heritage, culture and language is uniquely Siwi. Both Egyptians and visitors alike go to Siwa to disconnect, camp, stay in primitive ecolodges, and absorb Siwa’s quiet tranquility. Read more: 10 Unforgettable Things to Do in Siwa Oasis Read more: 7 Best Places to Stay in Siwa Oasis For All Budgets Besides the oasis itself, Siwa has a multitude of different sites to explore, like Shali Fortress, Mountain of the Dead, Cleopatra's Bath and the Temple of the Oracle of Alexander the Great, as well as hot springs and salt lakes. 8. Sharm el Sheikh Visit Sharm el Sheikh if you want: to relax in an all-inclusive Red Sea resort, go on diving or snorkeling trips Sharm el Sheikh is the Sinai Red Sea darling for all those who want to chill at their hotel’s beach, lounge by the pool, and eat and drink to their heart’s content with the resort’s all-inclusive packages. Read more: Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera - Where to Stay Read more: Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - A Travel Guide For First-Timers Read more: 12 Best Things to Do in Sharm El Sheikh Sharm el Sheikh is also known worldwide for its incredible diving and snorkeling. Whether you’re snorkeling from your hotel’s beach or diving from a boat, Sharm and its neighboring protectorate, Ras Mohamed National Park, have some of the best aquatic life on the planet. It’s easy to fly into Sharm El Sheikh’s airport because they have dozens of international and domestic flights daily, so you don’t have to worry about the long drive from Cairo (about 6 hours). 9. Nuweiba & Ras Shetan Photo credit: Maagana Beach Camp Visit Nuweiba & Ras Shetan if you want: to stay at beach camps and disconnect from it all Nestled between mountains and the Gulf of Aqaba is a strip of coastline called Ras Shetan, between the towns of Nuweiba and Taba on the Sinai peninsula. Ras Shetan and Nuweiba are known for their bohemian beach camps, usually run by local Bedouins. The camps are a mix of beach huts or bare-bone chalets, and you’re more than welcome to set up your own tents right on the beach. If you’re staying in a beach hut or tent, then you’ll have access to a communal bathroom. Most of the camps have simple menus and you can eat your meals in the shared main hut right on the water. At night, there’s usually a large campfire where the Bedouins and guests from all over the world talk, play instruments and sing. 10. Black & White Desert Go to the Black & White Desert if you want: to explore and camp in Egypt’s Western desert Deep in Egypt’s Western Desert, between Farafra and Bahareya Oases, are Egypt’s Black and White Deserts. They’re only about an hour and fifteen minutes apart, so you can easily camp in both on a 2 night trip (or just camp in one and visit the other). Read more: 12 of the Most Beautiful Views in Egypt What makes the White Desert in particular so popular for campers are the massive white chalk formations, which are some of the coolest natural wonders in Egypt. They were formed over millennia of wind and sandstorms, and it’s among these alien-looking formations that you’ll set up camp. The Black Desert gets its name from a layer of black volcanic material concentrated on top of the yellow sand dunes, a remnant of ancient eruptions. You might also like: Ancient Egypt Bucket List - 20 Must-See Ancient Egyptian Sites

Hurghada, having spent the first hundred years of its life as a sleepy little fishing village on the Red Sea, is now one of the most popular beach and diving destinations in the Middle East -- and for good reason. Hurghada is frequently in TripAdvisor's Top 10 Most Popular Destinations in the World and usually has a whopping amount of entries in Scuba Travel’s World’s Top 100 Dive Sites . So combine the spectacular diving with 360 days of sun and beach weather, and you’ll start to get why Hurghada is such a tourist favorite. Quick Facts The coastal area of Hurghada is divided into Hurghada the city and its surrounding resort towns: El Gouna , Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay Hurghada is on mainland Egypt (ie., not the Sinai peninsula where Sharm el Sheikh is), and is sandwiched between the Red Sea and Egypt’s eastern desert and mountains Hurghada’s main claim to fame besides its fantastic diving are the 5 star, all-inclusive beach resorts, many of which have inhouse water parks for families and tons of activities It’s a four hour flight from most European cities and a 45 minute flight from Cairo (4.5 hour drive) Best Time To Go Hurghada is a year-round destination, but it really depends on your personal preferences. Spring and fall are Hurghada’s ‘high season’ -- it’s when the weather is at its most ideal (beach weather without soaring temperatures), so that’s when you’ll find Hurghada at its busiest. Considering it’s a coastal resort city, summer is a great time to go too obviously, but only if you can handle daily temperatures in the mid-to-high thirties (Celsius) or the nineties (Fahrenheit) and super-strong sun. Lots of Europeans also like to escape below-zero temperatures in winter and hightail it to Hurghada, where it’s sunny daily with highs of mid-twenties Celsius or mid-seventies Fahrenheit. How To Get There If you’re coming from abroad (or even planning to fly domestically), then just fly into Hurghada International Airport (you can buy a visa for $25 on arrival). Once you land, it’s easy to either get an airport taxi from outside the arrivals hall or call a car to pick you up (London Cab or ABC Taxi, more info below). If you’re staying at a hotel, you can also easily arrange pre-arrival for your hotel to send a car to pick you up. You can also book a hotel transfer from the myriad of travel booking platforms online. If you’re coming from Cairo , then you have one of three options: a) drive, b) take a bus, or c) fly. Driving from Cairo is now a super-smooth trip thanks to the new Galala Road which allows you to bypass the scary two-way twisty mountain roads of Ain el Sokhna. It takes about 4.5 hours from Cairo. If you’re coming by bus , then GoBus offers over 20+ buses daily between Cairo and Hurghada. They offer different types of buses according to what kind of ticket you buy (for example, the Elite Plus bus has individual LCD screens for each seat). You can find more info on: https://go-bus.com/en As for flying, the trip from Cairo to Hurghada takes about an hour. Where To Stay If you check out the accommodation options on a hotel booking website, it’s easy to get overwhelmed because there are SO MANY hotels. So before you choose one, it’s important to understand where exactly your hotel/rental is and the pros/cons of each location. 1. A hotel in Hurghada city Sunrise Holidays Resort on Old Sheraton Road in Hurghada city Hurghada city proper is home to tons of hotels, varying from budget 2 star hotels to stunning 5 star hotels on the beach. The popular areas to stay in are El Mamsha (a long pedestrian street full of hotels, restaurants and bars) or the coastal Old Sheraton Road, near the Hurghada Marina Boulevard. Then you have a bunch of larger resorts on Hurghada's southern coast stretching all the way down to Sahl Hasheesh, the first main resort town south of Hurghada. Pros: you’re close to the action, restaurants, bars and nightlife. Transportation is easy via Uber or ABC taxi (info below). Cons: the city isn’t as peaceful as a resort town and most of the budget hotels don’t offer the same array of amenities as the big resort hotels. 2. A hotel in a nearby resort town like Makadi Bay, El Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh or Soma Bay Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh Outside of Hurghada proper are several different resort towns: El Gouna (half an hour north by car), Sahl Hasheesh (half an hour south by car), Makadi Bay (45 minutes south by car) and Soma Bay , which is technically in the Safaga area of the Red Sea, but some people still consider it Hurghada (an hour south by car). Pros of staying in a resort town: these resort towns are secluded and pristine, and many of their hotels are all-inclusive; you won’t have to worry about anything while you’re there. Some of the big hotels also have waterparks for the kids and the hotels can arrange all sorts of adult and family activities. Cons of staying in a resort town: Sahl Hasheesh and Makadi Bay don’t offer much outside of the resorts -- you won’t find all the restaurants, bars and local life that you would in Hurghada city, and it’s at least a half hour drive each way if you decide to go into Hurghada city. El Gouna is the exception -- you can find a full detailed guide to what El Gouna has to offer here . Soma Bay also a handful of restaurants and bars in its Marina area, but not as much as Hurghada or El Gouna. Read more: Soma Bay, Egypt - Travel Guide for First-Timers 3. An apartment rental In Hurghada city, El Gouna and Soma Bay, you can find lots of different villa and apartment rentals on sites like Airbnb. Pros: Your own space with a kitchen for cooking, plus some of the rentals have their own private pools. Cons: you won’t have hotel staff to arrange trips, transportation or activities for you. How To Get Around (Transportation in Hurghada) Regular cabs If you’re staying in Hurghada city, an easy way to get around is just flag down a passing cab. Chances are, their meter won’t be working, so it’s best to tell the driver where you want to go and agree on the fare before you hop in. Warning though - this will require some negotiating and they'll probably try to rip you off, so if you don't want to be bothered, stick the other options below. London Cab A good, roomy way to get back and forth between the airport and your accommodation, or if you just want something bigger and more reliable than regular cabs. London Cab can be booked in advance via their website or app. ABC Taxi or other chartered taxis If haggling with cab drivers isn’t up your alley and London Cab is too pricey, then ABC Taxi is a great choice. They’re fixed rate taxis based in Hurghada city but you can order them from the airport, El Gouna, Soma Bay or the other resort towns. You can request one right away or book one for later, and their cars arrive quickly. ABC Taxi phone number: +20100 222 8294 There are other chartered taxi companies in Hurghada, but we've personally used ABC Taxi the most and they've never let us down (and this isn't even an ad!) Uber & Careem Yup, Uber and its Middle Eastern counterpart Careem are available in Hurghada (the main city area). Things To Do In Hurghada 1. Diving and snorkeling Like we spoke about above, Red Sea diving is world-renowned. Dive centers in Hurghada are a dime a dozen, affordable and offer PADI courses in a myriad of languages. If you want to experience the Red Sea’s gorgeous reefs and marine life without actually diving, boat trips to great snorkeling spots are easily arranged too, either by the dive centers or your hotel. For more details about the best diving spots, check out our article 7 Best Diving Destinations in Egypt’s Red Sea . 2. Spend the day on fully-serviced beaches The Hurghada area has some of Egypt’s best white sand beaches, with crystal clear calm water. Almost all of the resorts have their own beaches with umbrellas, sunbeds, towels and full service to bring you drinks, food and even shisha (hookah) to where you’re lounging on the beach. You might like: 9 World-Class Beaches in Egypt 3. Boat trips to the islands Mahmya beach on Giftun Island There are several different islands peppering the coast of Hurghada, and depending on the island you can either snorkel and explore, or spend the whole day at a beach bar/restaurant that offers sunbeds and umbrellas (the most popular being Mahmya on Giftun Island). For more info about the islands, read: 7 Red Sea Islands Perfect For A Boat Day Trip 4. Water sports/activities Aside from diving, snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing, there are a ton of other things you can do in the water. Kitesurfing Windsurfing Water-skiing/wakeboarding Catamaran Parasailing Sailing Fishing Glass bottom boat 5. Water Park & Aquarium Makadi Water World If you want something to do that appeals to both kids and adults alike, then try one of Hurghada’s water parks. The most popular is Makadi Water World, which has free entrance for anyone staying in a Jaz Makadi Bay hotel, or you can buy an entrance ticket. There are tons of slides for people of all ages, plus a restaurant/snack bar that offers food and drinks. Hurghada Grand Aquarium Another family-friendly activity is going to The Grand Aquarium in Hurghada city. 6. Desert Activities If you’ve had your fill of beach and water-related stuff, fear not, there’s still lots more to do in Hurghada. Egypt’s Eastern Desert and mountains border Hurghada, and your hotel or a local tour company can easily set you up with desert activities: ATV/quad safari Dirt biking Horseback riding Hiking and camping on the Red Sea Trail 7. Explore Hurghada the city If you want to get a feel for the ‘real’ Hurghada, away from the curated resort experience, then the best way to do this is by exploring the city. El Dahar -- the ‘old town’, where a few souks and bazaars are. This is the area where most locals live and it’s very different than the touristic areas; it’s an eye-opening look into the ‘real’ city. Vegetable market at El Dahar Hurghada Marina Boulevard -- the polar opposite of El Dahar, where everything is shiny and new. There’s restaurants, bars and shops galore on the yacht-lined marina. Hurghada Marina Boulevard Old Sheraton Road (also known as El Sekala ) -- parallel to the sea, it’s where local life and touristic life melt together. It’s a long busy street filled with budget hotels, dive centers, tour agencies, local shops and bazaars, Hurghada’s best seafood, banks, coffeeshops and cafes, restaurants (both local and touristy) and a mix & match of other things that any of the city’s inhabitants or visitors need. Sheraton Road El Mamsha -- a long pedestrian promenade where the bulk of Hurghada’s hotels, restaurants and bars are. El Mamsha 8. Religious Sites -El Mina Mosque -- El Mina translates to ‘the port’, and it’s a fitting name for this mosque built right on the Hurghada Red Sea harbor, with little fishing boats and bigger yachts dotting the water around it. Built over an area of 4,000 meters, this mosque has 25 domes, a large marble courtyard and two towering minarets. The architectural style is eclectic, with nods to different Islamic motifs and designs. You might also like: 10 Most Beautiful Mosques in Egypt -St. Anthony’s Monastery -- St. Anthony was one of the most famous “Desert Fathers”, a group of Christian monks who lived in the Eastern Egyptian desert in the 3rd century. He was roaming the desert when he came across an oasis surrounded by trees, and it was in this spot that he was later buried and his monastery built a few years later. Today St. Anthony’s Monastery is the oldest inhabited Christian monastery in the world and is home to paintings dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries, as well as 1,700 ancient documents. It's about a two hour drive from Hurghada, and close to St. Paul's Monastery, which dates back to the 6th century. You might also like: 9 Egyptian Churches, Cathedrals and Monasteries You Need To Visit At Least Once For more inspiration about activities in Hurghada , read 25 Fun Things To Do In Hurghada & El Gouna . Where To Eat In Hurghada Most visitors to Hurghada end up eating at their hotels, but if you want to try some of Hurghada’s best stand-alone restaurants, we recommend: -Star Fish (fresh seafood on Old Sheraton Road) -Granada (go for the amazing view, also on Old Sheraton Road) -White Elephant (Thai) Local tip: if you're not sure of where you want to eat, head over to either the Hurghada Marina or El Mamsha, where the bulk of restaurants are, and pick one that appeals to you. For quick and easy Egyptian food from the same place where the locals eat: -Koshary El Tahrir (read about koshary in our article 12 Egyptian Foods You Need To Try ). El Gouna also has an amazing collection of restaurants. For more details, read 7 Best Restaurants in El Gouna . Nightlife Little Buddha The most popular clubs in Hurghada city (all of these are on El Mamsha) are: -Little Buddha -Hard Rock Cafe (foam parties, Ladies Nights) -Papas Club For more a more laid-back bar/pub feel: -Caribbean Bar -Granada -Retro Pub You can also head to El Gouna and go to: -The Tap North -Villa Coconut -Aurora Leaving It’s just as straightforward as arriving. If you came by GoBus, then you board your return bus at the same bus stop in Hurghada (el Dahar area) where they dropped you off. If you came by plane and need to go to Hurghada Airport, Uber/Careem or ABC Taxis can take you. You can find more Egypt city guides here: Sharm El Sheikh City Guide El Gouna City Guide Aswan City Guide Soma Bay Guide North Coast Guide

We all know that people flock from the world over to Egypt to see the Pyramids , explore ancient temples and tombs and even swim in some of the best beaches in the world . But did you know that thousands of people come yearly for what’s known as therapeutic tourism? Yup, found in Egypt’s remote deserts and thriving coasts are a host of natural treatments and therapy for a huge range of ailments, whether physical or psychological. The climate alone in various places in Egypt can help certain conditions more than modern medicine can, to the extent that people have been moving to Egypt for this purpose alone for more than a century. If you have something ailing you and want to try your hand at natural healing, Egypt shines when it comes to the following kinds of natural therapy. 1. Black Sand Treatment in Safaga Treats: acute and chronic arthritis, skin inflammation and psoriasis, joint edema and joint effusion Safaga, a small coastal town on Egypt’s mainland Red Sea Riviera , is quickly skyrocketing in popularity when it comes to natural and climatic therapy. Their black sand beaches were found to have three non-toxic, low-dose radioactive elements that were proven effective in rheumatoid and joint therapy; uranium, thorium, and potassium. The sand is also rich in other healing salts and minerals, including gold salt. 2. Hot Mineral Springs in Siwa and Sinai Treats: chronic digestive diseases, gout, diabetes, rheumatism, high blood pressure, skin conditions and arthritis Egypt is home to over 1,300 natural springs, but the ones making a name for themselves when it comes to natural therapy are Siwa’s hot mineral springs in the Western Desert and Ayoun Moussa, Hammam Moussa and Hammam Pharaon in Sinai. Balneology (treatment of diseases by bathing in water full of minerals) isn’t a proven science but studies have found it to lead to measurable improvements in a host of different ailments. 3. Mud Baths in Wadi Assal Photo credit: Mohamed Awad Treats: arthritis, joint pain, inflammatory skin conditions, muscular pain Found in Ras Sudr on the Sinai peninsula, Wadi Assal is a natural hot spring known for its mineral-rich mud. Locals cover themselves in the mud from the spring (known for its anti-inflammatory properties), then soak in the hot spring for at least 20 to 30 minutes afterwards, with the water’s temperature reaching above 50 degrees celsius. 4. Red Sea Thalassotherapy Treats: back and muscular pain, arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, hypertension, asthma, bronchitis and some people even say weight loss and cellulite Thalassotherapy is the use of seawater for treatment of medical issues; and not just the seawater itself, but also sea mud, seaweed, sand and any other natural, pure material that comes from the sea. It’s extremely popular in the Dead Sea and has started to rise in popularity on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, with luxury hotels like Cascades in Soma Bay offering a wide range of thalasso-spa treatments. Read more: Soma Bay, Egypt - Travel Guide for First-Timers 5. Hot Sand Baths in Aswan and Siwa Photo credit: Reuters Treats: rheumatism, arthritis, joint pain, infertility and impotence What may sound like torture to some people is actually treatment of choice for others. During summer, with soaring temperatures, people in search of all sorts of pain relief (and even infertility) do 3 to 5 days of hot sand baths and therapy led by experienced health workers in Siwa and Aswan . Patients are buried neck-deep in hot sand for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by warm drinks and rest in a tent. No cold showers, cold drinks or AC are allowed throughout the 3-5 days. 6. Kemetic Yoga in Luxor Photo credit: CNN Treats: stress, low energy levels, sluggish circulation and increases strength, mobility, flexibility and clarity of mind While technically kemetic yoga can be done anywhere, regular practitioners of kemetic yoga swear by the elevated spiritual experience of practicing it near the Ancient Egyptian temples and ancient holy grounds of Luxor (formerly Thebes), and its positive effects on both the body and the mind. Kemetic yoga is the Ancient Egyptian system of movement, breathing and meditation as depicted by the ancient art that’s still found today on the walls of Egypt’s most famous tombs and temples. Kemet is the Ancient Egyptian word for ‘Egypt’, which translates to ‘the Black Land’. 7. Climatic and Herbal Treatments in Aswan Treats: respiratory diseases, rheumatism, digestive issues, kidney problems, renal problems Aswan, and Nubia in general in southern Egypt, is known for the healing properties of its weather -- the dry climate, year-round sunshine and clean air have been pulling in patients with respiratory problems and rheumatism from damper climates for over a century now. Add to that the herbal treatments that have been passed down generation to generation in Nubian families, and you have the perfect spot for those looking for natural cures. Different local herbs used and prepared by Nubians include halfa burr , which is a natural medication for the common cold and flu, hargal for stomach and digestive problems, and dammsesa for kidney issues. You may also like: 5 Best Egyptian Natural Skincare, Haircare and Beauty Brands

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a travel aficionado (or even just a regular person) who doesn’t have Egypt and the Great Pyramids of Giza on their bucket list. And for good reason! But as is usually the case when contemplating traveling to a foreign destination (especially as a woman, and especially as a solo traveler), safety concerns are always at the back of your mind. So, as a local woman who lives, works, walks, travels and goes out in Egypt , let me tell you the real deal. Safety concern #1: is terrorism an issue in Egypt? The honest answer to that is: no, and definitely not for the places you’ll be visiting . Any area that has even the slightest 0.0001% of a terrorist attack is off-limits to tourists. Tourism police and army personnel are literally everywhere in the country; in every neighborhood and on all the roads and highways in between cities. If you’re traveling by car, expect to go through multiple security checkpoints before reaching your final destination. There’s nothing to be worried about -- they’ll just check everyone in the car’s ID (make sure to have your passport on you) and sometimes search the car for anything suspicious. On some roads (for example from Aswan to Abu Simbel ), tourists will be assigned a police escort, as just another extra security measure. In a nutshell: it's actually a lot safer in Egypt than other popular travel destinations due to the sheer number of visible and non-visible security forces alone. Safety concern #2: should I be wary of pickpocketing or mugging? This is extremely rare in Egypt. While it’s known to happen with staggering frequency in big European cities, theft in Egypt is a rare event, to the point that I wouldn’t even think twice about it. Just use normal common sense, like putting money or anything valuable in the hotel safe and not leaving your bag unattended in public places. I would worry about pickpocketing a lot more in Paris or Rome than I would in Cairo; the cases in Egypt are almost negligible. Safety concern 3#: as a woman visiting Egypt, will I be sexually harassed? The honest answer to that is: possibly. It depends on so many things, like whether or not you’re solo or with a man, group or local; it depends on the neighborhood you’re in and whether you’re walking around or taking a cab. So, what exactly do we mean when we say ‘sexual harassment’? Sexual harassment in Egypt means that a man on the street might say something to you, in Arabic or English, unsolicited. They might give you a ‘compliment’ (“so beautiful!”) or say something sexually suggestive. In either case, they don’t expect an actual response from you. Just ignore and just keep walking, or if police are nearby, report the perp. Sometimes men or boys will shout things like “Hi! Hello! Welcome to Egypt!” at you; this isn’t sexual harassment, lots of Egyptians just get very excited when they see foreigners lol. Verbal sexual harassment is more common than physical sexual harassment (when a guy tries to touch you inappropriately). Also expect a lot of staring if you're on the city streets and wearing something revealing. Here’s my advice as a local woman on how to avoid sexual harassment: Try not to walk alone at night I take cabs or Uber/Careem for longer distances in Cairo I ride in the women-only car in the metro I avoid secluded areas I try not to wear anything too short/revealing if i know I'm going to be in a non-touristy area If you follow the above tips, then there’s a good chance you won’t experience a single untoward comment your whole trip. And to put everything in context, sexual harassment in Egypt is not something that will pose actual danger to you -- it’s just annoying and really unnecessary, and the government and police are trying to crack down on it these days. Safety concern #4: is there any violent crime in Egypt? Nope. When it comes to violent crime, Egypt hardly has any and is far safer than most big American and European cities. Listen, I know talking about safety always makes people feel tense and wary. But as someone who’s lived in Egypt’s biggest city my whole life, as a woman, I can tell you that with just common sense and some avoidance of sexual harassment, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Also, and very importantly: Egyptians are really warm and helpful people, and if at any point you do feel unsafe, just duck into the nearest restaurant/shop/hotel and ask for assistance, and they’ll be more than happy to help you in any way they can. You might also like: Where To Go In Egypt - 10 Best Cities and Destinations

If your upcoming trip to Cairo coincides with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, you might (scratch that, you probably ) feel some sense of hesitation or unease, especially if it's your first time in a Muslim country. We get it, we do. It's easy to feel worried about something you might not be familiar with, especially if you want to be respectful at the same time. Well we're here to put your worries to rest and give you the real deal when it comes to Ramadan in Cairo. In all honesty, as a tourist, you might not even feel the difference between Ramadan and not Ramadan. But just so you feel prepared, we've pulled together some useful info about Ramadan in Cairo that just might come in handy. Just a quick refresher for those who aren't quite sure what Ramadan is: it's a holy month in Islam where Muslims fast (no food, no water, no smoking) from sunrise to sunset. It's a time of family, community, charity and spirituality. Most Egyptians break their fast at home with a meal of feast-like proportions, usually amongst family and friends. They then digest at leisure (while simultaneously indulging in a ton of delicious but heavy as hell Ramadan desserts, go figure) while watching 'mosalsalat', which are month-long soap operas of sorts, with a new episode daily. There's also a lot of emphasis on giving to the poor and providing food for the less fortunate. By the way: here's a list of of Egypt's ten most beautiful mosques . Here's a few tips for tourists in Cairo (or Egypt as a whole) in Ramadan: Eating/drinking in public As a tourist, no one will look at you twice if you feel like you need to drink something or have a snack while on the go Because of the dry heat in Egypt, it's best if you carry a water bottle around with you. But if you run out, don't worry, all supermarkets and little street kiosks will be open in Ramadan for you to buy whatever you need. Eating out at restaurants Avoid restaurants at Iftar (breakfast) time, which is around 6 - 7 pm, depending on time of year -- they're overcrowded and the food is not particularly good (the cooks basically whip up a big batch of whatever and hope that the neighborly Ramadan spirit will carry them over the river of poor customer service unscathed). Some restaurants pause serving food around 4:30 pm to prep for Iftar because God knows it takes two hours to make large vats of subpar food. Basically, up until 4:30 pm you can eat and drink normally at all open restaurants, then avoid them for your own sake until about 8:30 pm. How to dress Clothes-wise, dress normally. As an Egyptian woman, I personally don't edit my wardrobe for Ramadan and plus Egyptians are in love with tourists so they won't bat an eye at what you wear regarding Ramadan. If you're in Cairo and not an Egyptian beach destination , just steer clear of miniskirts, booty shorts, crop tops and you're good (which is the advice I'd give outside of Ramadan too). Working hours Banks close early during Ramadan (around 1:30 pm). Foreign exchange offices and commercial shops and stores will usually close an hour or two before Iftar, then open again an hour or two after Check the Ramadan closing hours for any touristic sites you want to visit (to be on the safe side, plan to start your day early). Most sites like the Pyramids might close an hour or so early. Alcohol In Cairo, alcohol won't be served anywhere except in hotel restaurants/bars to foreigners (just flash them your passport). This also includes the budget hotels/hostels. There are always a bunch of foreigners and Egyptians with foreign passports drinking it up, so there's zero "Islamic guilt" (again, Egyptians are obsessed with tourists and really want them to enjoy themselves). Traffic Rush hour will be around 3-5 pm, so expect even heavier than usual traffic. Working hours are shortened in Ramadan, with most people leaving work during that time. The streets of Cairo are AMAZING right before, during and right after Iftar time -- the traffic disappears like a bad dream and it takes literally half the normal time it would take you by car to get wherever from wherever. There are also usually tons of cabs and Ubers on the street then, so don't worry about not finding a ride. Overall, as a tourist you won't really *feel* the difference between Ramadan and not-Ramadan, but some funny things to observe are: Fasting gives grumpy Egyptians a socially-accepted excuse to shout (even more) at each other on their daily commutes. Men shouting at each other using their voices or car horns (yes that's a language here) over some car-related stupidity is as normal as seeing kids hop on and off a school bus.  Fun phrases you'll probably overhear are the ubiquitous "Allahoma eni sayem" (literal translation: 'O God I am fasting', colloquial translation: 'God give me the patience to not beat this fool'. This phrase is used passive-aggressively several times a day by all fasting men, women and children. Another fun phrase is the idle threat "Matkhalineesh aftar aleik" (literal translation: 'Do not make me break my fast over you', colloquial translation: 'if you don't stop what you're doing, I'm going to do something that will cause my fast to be null and void in the eyes of God, and you *don't* want that').  If you happen to be in a car during Iftar time, beware the well-meaning date ninjas. These people stand in the street at Iftar time to pass out free dates for people to break their fast with. This in theory is an act of community and kindness, but in practice these people charge the cars like bats out of hell because YOU MUST GET YOUR DATES, DAMMIT. The good news is that most Egyptian drivers are used to these good date Samaritans throwing themselves randomly in front of cars.  Now some really enjoyable things about Ramadan: For fasting Egyptians, the two main meals of the day are Iftar at sunset as previously discussed, then Sohour. Sohour *technically* is what people eat/drink right before sunrise and before the start of their fast, but in Cairo, Sohour starts at 10:30 pm on to sunrise (and then Egyptians lament over not losing weight during Ramadan). So at almost all restaurants and cafes and street vendors across the city, you'll find happy groups of people (the morning's grumpiness now a thing of the past) eating, having shisha and playing cards and dominoes all throughout the night. Lots of hotels do 'kheyam Ramadan', which are Ramadan tents. They serve Sohour food, Ramadan-y drinks, shisha and usually have some kind of live Arabic music, all in a very festive atmosphere.  Across the city, you'll find different 'mawa'ed rahman', which are tables set up in different neighborhoods daily at Iftar time to provide free food and drinks for the less fortunate. Many Egyptians buy a 'fanoos Ramadan', a mid-sized lantern that people decorate their homes or places of business with during the holy month. Look out for the fanoos vendors, the fanoos displays are beautiful and a great photo op! All in all, Ramadan is a fun and festive time in Cairo, and there's no need to feel apprehensive. Enjoy the food, Ramadan tents, lanterns and just have a great time. You might also like: Moez Street in Old Cairo: A Detailed Local's Guide