Downtown Cairo Half-Day Tour: Explore Local Culture & Dine at an Egyptian Restaurant
4.9
60 Ratings
Dokki
Discover the vibrant culture of downtown Cairo on a half-day walking tour. Explore hidden gems, iconic landmarks, and street art, and indulge in a delicious meal at an authentic Egyptian restaurant.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Opera Square - We’ll start our Cairo tour at New Opera Square in Zamalek, winding our way through Cairo’s ancient and recent history, emerging, fittingly, at Old Opera Square near Attaba.
  • Liberation Square (Midan El-Tahreer) - From the city’s most beautiful bridge spanning the Nile, we’ll head towards Liberation Square, which hosted many events during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and is a significant landmark in the city’s modern history.
  • Downtown Cairo - In addition to the beautiful 19th and 20th Century architecture featured in downtown Cairo, our walking tour will allow you to check out modern artwork in the form of graffiti. Typically, this graffiti expresses locals’ views towards the Revolution and various political parties. In this area, every corner has its own story to tell, with most intersections featuring a statue of an important historical figure. Not to worry - your local guide will help fill in any gaps to give you a better context for what you’re seeing.
    To cap off your private local Cairo walking tour, we’ll indulge in a local dish: Koshary, in an authentic local restaurant. Koshary is a mix of rice, pasta, lentils, fried onions, and chili sauce, and is one of our faves. You’ll also have the chance to try Egyptian falafel and ice cream before the night is through, giving you a full taste of local life here, in just four short hours!
What's Included
  • Dinner at a local restaurant
  • Transportation from/to downtown Cairo
  • Local English-speaking guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Engage in the vibrant and alluring scenery of Cairo’s downtown district with this engaging 4-hour walkabout. Embark on your journey in the late afternoon from Zamalek Island, exploring both the hidden treasures and prominent landmarks that dot the old and modern streets of this mesmerizing city. Bright murals give a lively touch to Liberation Square (Midan Tahrir), while the grand structures from the 19th-century form a breathtaking backdrop for street performances in the downtown area. Listen to captivating facts and anecdotes from your guide as you stroll, and wrap up the tour with a meal at a genuine Egyptian eatery.

  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Location
Pharaohs Hotel
Lotfy Hassouna
Pharaohs Hotel, 12 Lotfy Hassouna, St, Dokki, Giza Governorate
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(60 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Igor
Mar 8, 2024
Downtown Cairo - The guide was at the meeting point on time. The tour went towards downtown Cairo. The restaurant (vegetarian) was a good recommendation. At the end we had ice cream. Everything was perfect.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rumeliah2023
Dec 30, 2023
Thank you Mina! This Cairo Downtown guide was awesome! - Our downtown Cairo tour with Mina was absolutely fantastic! Mina is an outgoing and friendly guide! He was informative, and enjoyable to be with. He showed us some special secret sites of the city… And even made accommodations for us to see some of the things that we wanted to see. He took us to popular patisserie for ice cream and a really good place for dinner for Shawarma! Yummy! He then took us on a metro to see another part of downtown Cairo, and also made sure that we were safe to our final destination back to the hotel. If you have a chance you should get Mina as your guide! He was cognizant of what we wanted to see as well as flexible and accommodating ! Thank you Mina for a great evening on our last night in Cairo!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
619terria
Dec 19, 2023
Intro to Cairo - We booked this tour for the afternoon of arrival. I had real reservations given we had been in transit for nearly 20 hours. Once the tour started all reservations were put to the side. This was our first of 4 tours with Mina as our guide. Mina was amazing and explained the local history so well. He also made us feel like extremely comfortable in a city we had no idea how to explore. The dinner was delicious and a local dish, which made me wanting to explore more of the local cuisine. Highly recommend as an introduction to Cairo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andyha
Oct 9, 2023
Great guide and so much more Mina - My husband and I did the downtown Cairo walking tour with our guide Mina and it was excellent. The passion he had for his homeland and it’s history, people and culture was evident. He went the extra mile to ensure our experience including the local dinner and fantastic Egyptian ice cream was both fun and informative. Mina also assisted us when our Uber account would not connect and ensured that we got home safely via his account. Thank you Mina for a 10/10 experience, we could not recommend Mina more highly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Companion26780330037
Sep 30, 2023
Incredible tour, incredible guide! - The walking tour into downtown Cairo with our guide Noha was a fantastic experience! Noha was so welcoming and knowledgeable, and her confidence in navigating the city whilst managing all of our well-being (going above and beyond) instantly put me at ease in a very chaotic environment!! The traditional meal was delicious, and getting to ride the metro with the locals was an absolute highlight of my trip to Egypt. Would absolutely recommend this tour and Noha.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
149jenniec
Sep 29, 2023
Downtown Cairo - Fantastic experience with a wonderful guide...very knowledgeable, and shared many stories about daily Egyptian life and its facinating history ❤️🇪🇬🤍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Getaway21045524296
Sep 28, 2023
To walk as a friend amongst the people of Cario - My tour guide was amazing. He not only gave a good historical tour of the city but he gave me a brief glimpse of the day to day lives of the people that call this city home and for a moment I too felt a part of the city. To experience the city not as a tourist or a traveller but as a welcomed friend. Feeding the street kitties water and riding the Metro with locals made me feel as if it were my home too if only just for moment.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Reaganthomasa
Aug 17, 2023
Downtown Cairo Tour - My downtown Cairo tour with Mina as my guide was a unique experience, being able to intertwine with the Egyptian locals was an eye opener. There was no in-between, locals are either busy getting on with it or relaxing in their own way. Many shops, many restaurants & many things to see. My experience was customised by Mina which made it very enjoyable, for example I wanted to experience the Sheesha scene. Mina took me to one of the go-to spots where everyone was friendly and the Sheesha/Tea which were both very more-some. Being a westerner and not being able to speak Arabic language, I surprisingly did not feel out of place. Standouts: Local KOSHARY!!! (Tasty national dish based on pasta, chickpeas, lentils and tomato-based sauce) Suit maker stores - amazing variety of suits on display. Sheesha cafes - very chilled out and enjoyable product. Rawness of experiencing the Cairo streets. Nile river cafe cruises. My guide Mina made the whole experience easy and enjoyable. His knowledge and passion for Egypt as a country will get you excited.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caylenl2023
Aug 13, 2023
Walk like an Egyptian - Tour guide (Mahmoud) - friendly, welcoming, knowledgable. Made us feel quite safe yet allowed us to explore. His knowledge of the city and its history really gave us a good understanding of down town Cairo. He also kept us guarded and secure. Explained everything and continuously beckoned us to ask questions. Route - quite an experience to walk through the hustle and bustle, but so much fun. A walk through everyday life and culture. Seeing the rel sort of Egypt and its wholesomeness made me smile continuously. Food - from the main meal to the dessert and drink - what a treat. That’s all I’m going to say. Over all - great tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
508ruant
Aug 13, 2023
Downtown Cairo Experience - Mahmoud is a superstar tour guide! He is expremely passionate about tourism and the conservation of the Egyptian culture and heritage. He knows his way around downtown Egypt and our safety was his top priority. The tour was insightful, such a treat! Not to mention the actual treats we had along the way!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 12 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today