Cairo

Egypt's vast capital on the Nile, where the pyramids and the Sphinx stand on the desert edge of the city, the medieval lanes of Islamic Cairo run mosque to mosque along one ancient street, and a quiet old Christian quarter shelters inside a Roman fort. Read the Giza plateau, thread the great bazaar and the gates of the medieval city, and step down into the oldest, quietest churches in Egypt. Best taken slowly, at your own pace.