Cairo — Egypt
Cairo is not a pretty city and does not try to be. It is enormous, loud, dusty and continuously awake, and the pyramids sit at the edge of its western suburbs rather than alone in empty desert. Almost nothing here is restful, and almost everything is older and denser than you expect.
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Why go
The reason to come is stacking. Pharaonic tombs, Coptic churches, medieval mosques, nineteenth-century boulevards and a modern megacity occupy the same ground, often within one district, and the city has never cleared one layer to display another. That is also why it is tiring: you do not stroll from sight to sight, you cross a working metropolis between them, negotiating traffic, dust and constant offers of help you did not ask for.
It rewards travellers who want substance more than comfort, who like museums and markets, and who can stay good-humoured while being approached repeatedly. It is a poor fit for people who need quiet, clean air, predictable timing or seamless logistics, and it is demanding with small children, who tire quickly in the noise, the dust and the heat. Women travelling alone generally report more unwanted attention here than in the Mediterranean cities on this site, which is worth planning for rather than being surprised by.
Month-by-month climate
The headline number is the rainfall: 16.7 mm across the entire year, on 7 days with at least 1 mm. That is roughly what a wet European city can collect in a single afternoon, and it means the weather question here is heat, not rain. Summer is severe: July reaches 36.3 °C by day and stays at 25.8 °C at night, August 35.3 °C and 25.9 °C, June 35.1 °C. Nights never cool down enough to reset a hot day. Winter is the opposite and often catches people out. January shows 20.3 °C by day but only 12.6 °C at night, and February even comes out a notch lower at 19.2 °C, with nights at 11.4 °C. At dawn on the plateau, in wind and on open sand, that is genuinely cold. Spring climbs fast, 24.5 °C in March and 28.5 °C in April, and brings the dust winds that can grey out the sky for a day or two. October at 29.7 °C and November at 25.9 °C reopen the comfortable season.
| Month | Avg. high (°C) | Avg. low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Days ≥ 1 mm | Days ≥ 5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20.3 | 12.6 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb | 19.2 | 11.4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 24.5 | 15.1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr | 28.5 | 17.6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 32.0 | 20.7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 35.1 | 23.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 36.3 | 25.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 35.3 | 25.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sept | 33.7 | 24.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 29.7 | 21.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 25.9 | 17.8 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 21.5 | 13.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Meteostat — Le Caire et Gizeh (Egypt) station, 16.4 km away, 3 sample years. Monthly totals rebuilt from daily averages. Data partly modelled (Meteostat, DWD/met.no).
When to go
November to March, with December, January and February the most comfortable: 19.2 °C to 21.5 °C by day, dry and walkable. Bring a layer for early mornings at 11.4 °C. October and April still work at 29.7 °C and 28.5 °C if you start at dawn. Avoid June to August, when days hold above 35 °C and nights barely drop below 25 °C.
The most favourable months, on these records
- January
- March
- April
- October
- November
- December
What to see in 2, 4 and 7 days
In 2 days
- Day one at first light: the Giza plateau, the great pyramids and the Sphinx before the heat and the coaches.
- Day one afternoon: the pharaonic collections in the museums, indoors and out of the sun.
- Day two morning: the Citadel and its mosque, then the great medieval mosques below it.
- Day two late afternoon: the old bazaar quarter, a mint tea in a café and dinner in the same streets.
- Either evening: an hour on the river in a small sailing boat, the only quiet you will get.
In 4 days
- Days one and two: Giza, the museums, the Citadel and the medieval quarter around the bazaar.
- Day three morning: Coptic Cairo, its old churches and synagogue, compact and unusually calm.
- Day three afternoon: Ibn Tulun and the surrounding district, then a hilltop park for the skyline at dusk.
- Day four: Saqqara and Dahshur, the step pyramid and the earlier experiments in stone, with Memphis nearby.
- Any evening: eat where families eat, in the ordinary neighbourhoods rather than beside the sights.
In 7 days
- Days one to three: Giza, the museums, Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo and the bazaar, one district a day.
- Day four: Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis together, which is the real chronology of pyramid building.
- Day five: Alexandria by train, the corniche, the library and a Mediterranean climate two hours away.
- Day six: the Fayoum oasis and its lakes and desert escarpments, a full day out of the city.
- Day seven: the districts most visitors skip, the island neighbourhoods, a market and the river at sunset.
- Throughout: plan by district, never by distance, and accept one long transfer per day at most.
Getting there and around
Cairo International (CAI) is 16 km from the centre and handles almost all traffic. Sphinx (SPX), 35 km west beyond Giza, and the new capital airport (CCE), 56 km east, are secondary and thinly served. From CAI, use a pre-arranged transfer or a ride-hailing app rather than negotiating at the exit. In town, the metro is fast, cheap and the only transport immune to traffic, with carriages reserved for women; everything else is hostage to congestion. Distances are short on a map and long in practice, so group your days by district.
Nearest airports
- CAICairo International Airport16 km from the centre
- SPXGiza Sphinx35 km from the centre
- CCECapital International Airport56 km from the centre
Budget
Country price level compared with France : −82 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
Egypt is the cheapest country in this selection, well under a fifth of French levels. As an order of magnitude, 30 to 80 € a night covers a comfortable double, with international hotels far above and simple guesthouses far below, while a restaurant meal costs 5 to 15 € a head. What actually shapes the budget is everything else: site tickets, guides, drivers and the tipping that accompanies almost every service. Carry small notes and set aside a daily allowance for them.
Common mistakes
- Arriving at the plateau at midday. There is no shade, and at 35 °C in summer the visit becomes an endurance test.
- Planning two sites at opposite ends of the city on the same day. Traffic, not distance, decides what is possible.
- Packing only for heat. Winter nights drop to 11.4 °C and dawn at the pyramids is cold and windy.
- Arriving without small notes. Tipping is constant and expected, and nobody will have change for you.
- Turning up at a mosque in shorts. Cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes, and avoid the main Friday prayer.
Frequently asked questions
Are the pyramids really inside the city?
They stand at the western edge of the built-up area, on a plateau that the Giza suburbs now reach. From the eastern approach you see the city right up against the site; from the western side the desert opens out and the photographs look isolated. Both are true at once, and the contrast surprises nearly every first-time visitor.
How many days does Cairo need?
Three full days cover Giza, the main museum collections, Islamic Cairo and Coptic Cairo without being punishing. Four lets you add Saqqara and Dahshur, which is the visit that actually explains how pyramid building evolved. Beyond five days, you are using Cairo as a base for Alexandria, the Fayoum or the south rather than seeing more of the city.
How do you handle the constant approaches?
Expect them at the sites and in the bazaar, and treat them as ordinary rather than hostile. A clear, friendly refusal without stopping works better than silence or argument. Agree any price before a service starts, including a camel or carriage ride, and be aware that a helpful escort will usually expect a tip at the end.
Updated on 12 September 2026