Cairo Travel Guide: Days, Transport, Safety, and Budget

Plan Cairo around three days, ride-hailing apps for almost every trip, a visit between October and April, and a calm approach to touts, and the city opens up cleanly for a self-guided walker. Cairo rewards a traveler who moves at their own pace: the pyramids sit on the desert edge of Giza, a thousand years of Islamic architecture line one medieval street, and the oldest Christian, Jewish, and Muslim layers of the city cluster inside a Roman fortress by the Nile. Here is what to actually book, ride, wear, and budget.

How many days do you need in Cairo?

Give Cairo three full days. That is enough to see the Giza plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum without rushing, walk the medieval core of Islamic Cairo, and spend a quieter morning in Coptic Cairo, while leaving room to continue on to Luxor, Aswan, or the Red Sea. Two days is possible if you are tight, but you will be choosing between the museum and the old city rather than doing both properly. Four days lets you slow down, add a coffee stop, and repeat a favorite.

A clean three-day shape: Day one is Giza. Our Giza: The Pyramids and the Sphinx walk runs about seven stops across roughly three kilometres of open desert, from the Great Pyramid of Khufu to the Great Sphinx, then finishes about two kilometres on at the Grand Egyptian Museum where the tomb treasures now live. Day two is Islamic Cairo: a single 2.5 kilometre spine down al-Muizz Street, from the northern gate of Bab al-Futuh past the Qalawun Complex, Khan el-Khalili bazaar, and al-Azhar Mosque to the southern gate at Bab Zuweila. Day three is Coptic Cairo, a shorter and calmer 2.7 kilometre loop inside the old Babylon Fortress taking in the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As. Browse all three at Cairo walking tours.

How do you get around Cairo?

Use ride-hailing apps for almost everything. Uber and Careem both operate across Cairo, the fare is shown in the app before you confirm, and by international standards it is very cheap: most central trips run roughly 30 to 80 EGP. Because the fare is fixed in advance, the app also sidesteps the taxi haggling that catches out first-timers. This is the single most useful thing to set up before you land.

The Cairo Metro is fast, cheap, and worth it on the routes it covers. Fares are distance-banded, and after an increase that took effect in March 2026 they run about 10 EGP for up to nine stations, rising to 20 EGP for the longest rides. Metro is genuinely handy for reaching Coptic Cairo, since the Mar Girgis station sits right at the entrance to the old fortress, and it dodges traffic entirely. For Giza and most of Islamic Cairo, a car is easier.

From the airport, budget 200 to 500 EGP for an Uber, Careem, or arranged car into the center. The metro does not yet run all the way to the terminals; the nearest station connects by a separate bus, so for a first arrival with luggage, a car is the sane choice. A tip that saves money and stress: carry a local SIM or eSIM so the ride apps work the moment you land.

When is the best time to visit?

Come between October and April. Daytime highs in those months sit in a comfortable range for walking, roughly the low twenties to high twenties Celsius, which matters when much of your sightseeing is out in open sun on the Giza plateau. December through February is the peak, so it is busier and pricier but very pleasant; October, November, March, and April give you nearly the same weather with thinner crowds. Late March into April can bring the occasional khamsin dust and wind.

Avoid the summer if you can. From roughly May through September, midday heat regularly pushes past 40 Celsius, and the pyramids offer almost no shade. If you do travel then, walk the outdoor stops early in the morning or late in the afternoon and save the air-conditioned museums for the middle of the day.

Is Cairo safe for travelers?

Cairo is generally safe for tourists, and the honest caveats are about hassle, not danger. As of 2026 the main tourist areas of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and the Nile Valley carry no active travel warnings from the major Western governments, though several still rate Egypt overall as a place to exercise increased caution, driven by border and desert zones far from these routes. Violent crime against visitors is rare. What you will actually meet is persistent commercial pressure, especially on the Giza plateau: camel and horse handlers, unofficial "guides," and the classic move of someone taking your photo or handing you a headscarf and then asking for money.

The defenses are simple and calm. A firm, friendly no works, and you are never obligated to accept a service you did not ask for. Agree any taxi or horse-carriage price before you get in, or just use Uber and Careem so the fare is fixed. Keep your bag in front of you in crowds like Khan el-Khalili, and at night prefer a ride app or your hotel car over flagging an unlicensed street taxi. Solo travelers are fine with this preparation; you will simply draw more attention from vendors, so decide your no in advance. Self-guided walking suits Cairo well here, because a phone in your pocket and audio in your ears lets you keep moving past a tout without the pause that invites a pitch.

What will it cost?

Entry fees are the real budget line, and most sites now take cards only, so bring a working debit or credit card and do not rely on cash at the gate. General admission to the Giza plateau is 700 EGP for adults and 350 EGP for students, which covers the grounds, the Sphinx enclosure, and the smaller queens' pyramids. Going inside a pyramid is a separate, pricier ticket: the interior of the Great Pyramid of Khufu runs on the order of a thousand EGP or more, with published figures varying enough that it is worth confirming at the gate, while Khafre and Menkaure cost less. Many travelers skip the cramped interiors and spend the money at the museum instead.

The Grand Egyptian Museum, which fully opened on November 4, 2025, is a separate ticket at roughly 1,450 EGP for a foreign adult. Book it online in advance through the official site, visit-gem.com, and pick a timed slot, because the museum runs timed entry and does not sell at the door. In Coptic and Islamic Cairo, the churches, mosques, and the bazaar are free to enter, though a few interiors like the Coptic Museum or climbing the old gates carry a small ticket. Add your ride-hailing fares (a few dollars a day), water, sun protection, and small tips, and Cairo remains an affordable city once the two big-ticket sites are paid.

Sources

• Pyramids of Giza Ticket Prices 2026, Entry Fees & What's Included
• Grand Egyptian Museum Opening November 4, 2025 (Egypt Adventures Travel)
• Cairo Transportation Guide: Metro, Uber & More 2026
• Best Time to Visit Cairo Egypt 2026: Month-by-Month Weather Guide
• Is Egypt Safe To Travel? A Realistic Guide for 2026 (The Planet D)