What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Cairo, Egypt.
Photo: Roland Unger / Wikimedia Commons
Cairo is Egypt's capital, a sprawling, noisy city where ancient monuments sit close to modern traffic. First-timers usually come for the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then spend time in Islamic Cairo's mosques and markets or the older churches of Coptic Cairo. It's not a coastal city, so expect dry heat rather than sea breezes. The best months to visit are November, December, February and March, when temperatures are milder and more comfortable for walking around outdoor sites.
Three to four days let you cover the Pyramids, Grand Egyptian Museum, Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili, Al-Muizz Street, the Citadel and Coptic Cairo without rushing.
Giza Plateau
The great pyramids and the Sphinx stand on a desert plateau at the western edge of the city. You can walk around the monuments, go inside a pyramid with a separate ticket, and see the plateau from the panorama viewpoint. Go early, when it is cooler and quieter.
Giza
A large modern museum close to the pyramids, built for ancient Egyptian collections. Its highlights include the full Tutankhamun treasure, a colossal statue of Ramses II in the atrium and a grand staircase lined with statues. It pairs well with a morning at the pyramids.
Tahrir Square, Downtown
The historic pink museum on Tahrir Square holds a huge collection of statues, coffins and everyday objects from ancient Egypt. Displays are old-fashioned and crowded with objects, which many visitors enjoy. It works well with a walk around central Cairo.
Islamic Cairo
Cairo's best-known bazaar, a maze of lanes selling lamps, spices, textiles, silver and souvenirs. Stop at one of the old coffee houses for tea and people-watching. Expect to bargain.
Islamic Cairo
A long, partly pedestrian street running north from Khan el-Khalili, lined with medieval mosques, madrasas, fountains and merchant houses. It is one of the best places to see historic Islamic architecture in one walk. Evenings are pleasant, when the facades are lit.
Salah Salem, Islamic Cairo
A medieval hilltop fortress built under Saladin, with mosques and small museums inside its walls. The domed Mosque of Muhammad Ali is the main sight, and the terraces give wide views over the city.
Islamic Cairo, below the Citadel
A massive Mamluk-era mosque and religious school with a huge open courtyard and tall, plain stone walls. It sits beside the Al-Rifai Mosque, so you can visit both in one stop.
Islamic Cairo
One of the oldest mosques in Cairo and home to a famous centre of Islamic learning. Its marble courtyard and prayer hall are calm after the streets outside. Dress modestly; women need to cover their hair.
Old Cairo
A compact walled quarter with some of the city's oldest churches, including the Hanging Church, plus the Coptic Museum and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. It shows a side of Cairo's history before and beside Islam. The Mar Girgis metro station is right outside.
Fustat
A modern museum covering Egyptian history from prehistory to today. Its best-known room is the Royal Mummies Hall, where the mummies of ancient kings and queens are shown in a quiet, dim setting. It is close to Coptic Cairo, so the two combine well.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C / 9°C | 2 days (6 mm) | 9.3 h/day | 9.6/10 |
| Best month: February | 21°C / 10°C | 2 days (7 mm) | 9.3 h/day | 9.7/10 |
| Best month: March | 25°C / 12°C | 1 day (9 mm) | 10.8 h/day | 9.7/10 |
| April | 30°C / 15°C | 0 days (2 mm) | 11.5 h/day | 8.1/10 |
| May | 34°C / 19°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 12.4 h/day | 4.5/10 |
| June | 37°C / 22°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 13.6 h/day | 3.5/10 |
| July | 38°C / 23°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 13.5 h/day | 3.5/10 |
| August | 38°C / 24°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 12.2 h/day | 3.5/10 |
| September | 36°C / 23°C | 0 days (0 mm) | 11.7 h/day | 3.8/10 |
| October | 31°C / 20°C | 1 day (3 mm) | 10.7 h/day | 7.4/10 |
| Best month: November | 26°C / 15°C | 1 day (3 mm) | 9.7 h/day | 9.8/10 |
| Best month: December | 21°C / 11°C | 1 day (6 mm) | 9.1 h/day | 9.7/10 |
High 19°C and about 1.8 rain days. Score 9.6, one of the best months. Days are mild, but nights drop to 9°C.
High 21°C and 1.7 rain days. Score 9.7, a best month. Mild, dry days with 9.3 sun hours suit long walks around the city.
High 24.8°C and 1.3 rain days. Score 9.7, a best month. Warm, sunny days with 10.8 hours of sun.
High 29.7°C and 0.4 rain days. Score 8.1, still a best month, but afternoons are getting hot.
High 34°C and 0.2 rain days. Score 4.5, only ok. Midday heat makes sightseeing tiring, so plan early starts.
Avoid. Highs of 36.7°C and 0 rain days. Score 3.5. The heat makes long days outdoors hard work.
Avoid. The hottest month, with highs of 37.9°C, nights of 23.4°C and no rain. Score 3.5.
Avoid. Highs of 37.6°C, lows of 24°C and 0 rain days. Score 3.5. Nights stay warm, so there is little relief.
Avoid. Still hot at 35.5°C, with 0 rain days. Score 3.8. Waiting until October is a better plan.
Good, with a score of 7.4. High 31°C and 0.6 rain days. Still warm, but much easier than summer.
Score 9.8, the top-scoring month. High 26°C, 0.9 rain days and comfortable nights of 15.4°C.
Score 9.7, a best month. High 21.3°C and 1.4 rain days. Evenings cool to 11.4°C, so pack a warm layer.
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Egypt →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for first-timers, budget travellers
Cairo's central district has grand old European-style buildings, cheap cafes and the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square. You can walk to many sights and reach most of the city by metro. Traffic, car horns and crowds make it loud from morning until late at night.
Good for couples, food and nightlife
This leafy district on an island in the Nile has embassies, galleries, bookshops and many of the city's better restaurants and bars. It feels calmer and greener than the centre. There is no metro stop on the island, so you rely on taxis and the bridges often jam at rush hour.
Good for pyramid fans, short stays
Staying near the Pyramids plateau means you can reach the site early, before tour groups arrive, and many rooms look out at the pyramids. It is on the west side of the city, far from Islamic Cairo and Downtown. Expect long taxi rides into town and persistent touts near the site entrance.
Good for quiet, business travellers
Winding streets of older villas and embassies sit between Downtown and the Nile. It is calmer than the centre but still within walking distance of Tahrir Square. Evenings are quiet, with few places to eat in the area itself.
Good for history lovers, photographers
The medieval city around Khan el-Khalili market and Al-Muizz Street is full of mosques, old gates and workshops. Staying here puts you inside Cairo's oldest streets, at their best early and late in the day. Places to stay are few and simple, lanes are narrow and noisy, and cars struggle to get close.
A filling mix of rice, lentils, macaroni and chickpeas, topped with spicy tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. Cairenes eat it at lunch in specialist koshari shops across the city.
Slow-cooked fava beans mashed with oil, cumin and lemon, eaten with flatbread. It is the classic Cairo breakfast, sold from street carts and small cafés early in the morning.
Egypt's version of falafel, made with fava beans instead of chickpeas, so it is green inside. Locals usually eat it in bread with salad, often alongside ful at breakfast.
A thick green soup made from finely chopped jute leaves, cooked with garlic and coriander. It is home cooking, usually served with rice or bread and chicken or rabbit.
A flaky, layered pastry made with lots of butter or ghee. It comes plain with honey or cheese, or with sweet or savoury fillings, from specialist feteer shops.
Flatbread stuffed with spiced minced meat, onions and peppers, then baked until crisp. It is a popular quick street meal, eaten any time of day.
No, August is one of the toughest months, scoring 3.5 out of 10. Daytime highs average 37.6°C with lows around 24°C, so the heat stays intense even at night. There's no rain, which means no relief from clouds, and 12.2 hours of sun daily adds to the exposure. It's doable, but expect to plan around the heat.
November, December, February and March score highest, all between 9.6 and 9.8 out of 10. Highs in these months range from 19.1°C to 26°C with low rainfall, 1 to 1.4 rain days a month. Sun hours stay around 9 to 10 a day, giving comfortable sightseeing weather without extreme heat.
Plan for at least 3 to 4 days. The Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum each take half a day, while the Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili, Al-Muizz Street and the Citadel each need 2 to 3 hours. Add Coptic Cairo, another half-day site, and smaller stops like Al-Azhar Mosque to fill out a realistic itinerary.
No, Cairo is dry almost all year. Rain days peak at just 1.8 in January, with 6mm of rain that month, and most months from May to September have zero rain days and 0mm of rainfall. Even the wetter winter months rarely bring more than 9mm of rain.
Yes, June through August bring the hottest, driest conditions, all scoring 3.5 out of 10. Highs hit 36.7°C in June, 37.9°C in July, and 37.6°C in August, with lows staying above 21°C. September cools slightly to 35.5°C but still scores low at 3.8, so summer heat runs from June into September.
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