The Cairo issue

A little guide to the Egyptian capital you never thought you needed cause you never thought of going (until now).

Let me dedicate the September issue to my favourite city in the world, and once I’ve done this you might (finally) hear from me about another destination again. Let me get all the pharaohs and baklawa out of my system. yalla let’s go.

In case I have not told you, I lived in Cairo many years ago. I was very young and took on this wild city as my first home after high school. Fun (or sad) fact; I had my very first cigarette on the Egypt Air flight to Cairo in June 1999. Aaaah those were the days when you could seriously smoke on planes. Honestly, insane right? So yes, my first experience with tobacco var actually offered a by a man who claimed to be Mohamed Al-Fayed’s cousin. I believed him, and called my mum the next day letting her know that my life probably was going to change quite significantly, soon. Note to anyone asking: It was, obviously, not the cousin of the Harrod’s department store owner that sat next to me in Economy class, offering me smokes. Anyway, my year as a young adult in the Egyptian capital is another story. Today I’m just gonna tell you about the places I adore in this 23 million people city.

Cairo is huge, and obviously not all is nice. Here’s where you should stay, what you should do, and what you should eat (and drink) in my favourite neighbourhoods of this magical city.

Downtown Cairo

How to describe the downtown of Cairo? First of all, it’s the heart of the city. It looks a lot like Paris, but a VERY much more run down and dusty version. I can imagine what downtown must have been like in the golden era in the beginning of the last century. Also, did you know Egypt was under French control for a few years?

Anyway, first things first. You should stay at the Mazeej Balad Hotel. This is a new-ish boutique hotel with 5 uniquely themed suits, that are just gorgeous.

If you for some reason decide to not sleep here, come for a glass of wine at the roof top terrace. You’ll feel like a decadent painter or intellectual in the Cairo hey days of the 1930s. Generally a feeling I want more of in life.

5 minutes by foot from Mazeej Balad is the iconic Tahrir Square where the Arabic spring, Egyptian version, took place in 2011. Millions of Egyptians took to the streets and protested against president Hosni Mubarak. This made Tahrir Square a global symbol of popular resistance.

About 15 minutes walk from Tahrir Square (I always walk but it’s actually a really bad idea in Cairo cause you end up, if not dead, absolutely waiting on a traffic island, for 30 minutes until you finally dare to cross the streets) you reach the Nile. This is where I strongly recommend you to take a boat ride. It sounds tacky but it’s FUN. Arabic bangers playing loudly with fun loving Egyptians and the odd tourist (you) clapping hands and singing along. Once you’re off the the boat, take an evening stroll along the Corniche. Stop for a fresh mango juice.

Downtown Cairo has beautiful colonial architecture to showcase. Walk the street of Talaat Harb and admire the gorgeous facades. Pop into Mashrabia gallery of contemporary art. Make sure to visit the Cinema Radio, built in the 1930s and once the largest cinema in Egypt. Today it’s a cultural center with great exhibitions and cultural happenings. It has a few pretty shops and a Sip, a very nice coffee shop. Just around the corner there’s a little alleyway called Al Nabrawi with some nice shops, for example Almah vintage shop and Kangaroo shop.

Sucker for lavish buildings? Abdeen Palace in downtown Cairo is one of the presidential palaces, and one of the most luxury palaces in the world. Part of it open for visitors!

If you’re not having a fancy dinner at the Mazeej Balad Hotel, you could go to Restaurant Felfela to properly get introduced to the Egyptian kitchen. Or, do as the locals – have a koshari or falafel from a street food stall. Downtown is totally the place for that!

Zamalek

Zamalek is where I use to call home. It’s a little island on the Nile that is connected with downtown by a bridge. Wandering the leafy streets of this neighbourhood pretending I live in one of the beautiful 1920s villas is something I day dream about any given day in my real life in Sweden. The riverside strolls in the morning is worth waking up early for. Zamalek is home of many of the embassies and expats (ooooobviously they’ve snatched the fanciest area duuuuh).

Cairo tower sits on Zamalek and is one of Cario’s most iconic landmarks. Head up to the observation deck for a 360 degrees views of Cairo, including the Pyramids on a clear day. After this, head for great coffee, cake and people watching in El Holm café.
My favourite café in Cairo.

Zamalek is the place for shopping for locally made home furnishing items. Head straight to Anut Cairo, Fair trade Egypt or The Nest concept store. I promise you’ll find something to bring home.

Have drink in one of the beautiful hotels! Egypt is predominantly a muslim country, so you wont find a Greek island style bar strip. Head for martini in the Cairo Marriott Hotel garden or Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah watching the Nile float by. I promise you it is nothing like having a Red bull vodka in a Best Western hotel in Hamburg or Oslo. This is magic. I don’t know, it’s a mysticism that rests over the idea of having a drink in a bar in a North African metropolis. I’m sure you’ll agree.

There’s lots of nice art galleries showcasing Egyptian artists like Zamalek Art gallery and Ubuntu Art Gallery. Zamalek also has a few nice book stores like Diwan and Sufi bookstore, where you can have a coffee too! Some weekends they do a really nice fleamarket in Al Horreya Garden.

For lunch or a take away head to Zooba. You’ll find delicious Egyptian street food with a modern twist. Cairo Kitchen is also a good option! End your Zamalek day with a dinner at Abou El Sid Restaurant. Traditional Egyptian food, incredible interiors and wine allowed!

Heliopolis

My first boyfriend was Egyptian and he lived in a big house in Heliopolis with his parents. I absolutely had other interest than old beautiful mansions in my early 20s, so it’s safe to say I did not pay close attention to the architecture round here. 20 years later, I gave it a day to explore it he he

Heliopolis was founded in 1905 with the idea of a neighbourhood of luxury and leisure with broad tree-lined avenues, a tramway and grand palaces. It’s still considered one of Cairo’s most upscale neighbourhoods with many of the historic buildings and villas remaining. It’s also relatively close to the airport, so if you’re flying out early in the morning it’s a good spot to stay in.

You want to visit the Baron Empain Palace. It’s stunning! Then you should take a good amount of time and just wander around looking at the beautiful villas. Have a coffee at the Bouchée. If you want to grab a bite and not be ruined, go to Tree Trunk, a bohemian sanctuary with art on the walls and good pasta!

Islamic Cairo and the Moqattam Mountain

Even if you’re interested in Islamic culture you have no choice but visiting Islamic Cairo aka Old Cairo.

You might as well start with the Mosque of Sultan Hasan, one of the largest and one of the most beautiful mosques. Honestly, not all mosques in Cairo is worth visiting, this one is. From here, take a cab to Cairo Citadel which is one of Cairo’s most impressive historical sites, perched on a hill, overlooking the city. Gaaah it’s honestly so so nice and has a beautiful view over the city! You could easily spend a few hours here. There’s a nice café for drinks in the probable heat.

From the Citadel, take a cab to the City of the Dead, an Islamic-era necropolis that is now a living neighbourhood where people reside among mausoleums and tombs. You should probably do a tour with a guide here cause of reasons a, b and c. We did not. We took a cab to Bab Zuwayla, one of the main gates, and went from there.

Another super cool stop is the Cave Church which is just what is sounds like, a large church, the Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner, in the Moqattam Mountain in the outskirts of Garbage city. Here you also find Cairo's largest concentration of Zabaleen, garbage collectors. Their economy revolves around the collection and recycling of the city's garbage. Do a tour here so you get the full scope. Smells a bit but absolutely worth it. The Cave church and the Garbage city is not actually in Islamic Cairo, but you’re in the right part of town so you might as well go.

Finish the day of in Moez street, a kilometer-long street in Islamic Cairo with heaps of medieval architecture. You’ll see everything from splendid mosques to historic homes and palaces. The nearby market of Khan el Khalili is part crap part really nice. I promise you’ll find some nice souvenirs regardless. Have a karikade (hibiscus drink) in El Fishawi Café.

Giza and the Pyramids

The area surrounding the Pyramids of Giza is not pleasant, let’s agree on that. You’ll find a few pretty shitty hostels, not the nicest eateries and generally a chaotic vibe. So my suggestion is that you 1. Leave quite immediately after visiting the Pyramids (which is absolutely insane in a good way, by the way) or 2. Spend the night at THE most magnificent bed and breakfast House of Cheops. This is a beautiful little sanctuary with a quite ok back drop he he. The House of Cheops is quite simple but still feels fancy. It’s got a lovely pool, one or two cats circulating the court-year and you have the opportunity to enjoy an incredible home cooked Egyptian dinner under the stars.

Another reason to stay the night is to visit the Grand Egyptian museum that recently moved from downtown to Giza. It had not opened while I was there but if it’s anything like the old one in Tahrir Square (and probably heaps better) it should be grand.

All photos by me

Cairo might not be for everyone. My mum did not really appreciate it and my boyfriend is sort of like “happy I’ve seen it, no need to go back”. Thing is, you gotta take the rough with the smooth with Cairo. Yes, you’ll most likely hate the vendors trying to lure you into their papyrus shops and go mad over the traffic. But then you end up following my recommendations and before you know it you’re secretly shedding a tear over watching the sun set over the Pyramids and realise you too have drunk from the Nile and will be back before you know it.