Cairo Chaos

The Pyramids at Giza are a must see, you've seen the pictures, now go discover them for yourself. Climb inside and imagine what it was like for the workers thousands of years ago.
The Egyptian Museum is a wonderful way to spend time, hours even, just wandering around and absorbing the ancient artifacts.
The Khan El-Khalili should not be missed, it's a labrynth of tiny alleyways and lanes filled with shops selling everything from spices to alabaster. Be prepared to bargain and for quite a while. I start at at least 25% of what they ask and go from there. Most of the items I bought I paid about 30% of what they were asking.

Quick Tips:

Keep small currency notes in your pockets for tips, known as baksheesh in Egypt. You'll be handing them out to everyone. If your bankcard uses the PLUS system you might have trouble finding ATM's that will give you money. The Sheraton has two ATM's and only the upstairs one would work for me. I tried about 4 or 5 ATMs.

Best Way To Get Around:

Cairo taxis are cheap and plentiful. The drivers are crazy and might not know exactly where your hotel is, but it's an experience not to be missed. A good idea is to have your hotel write the hotel address down in Arabic to show your taxi driver, a lot of them don't read English. Be prepared to direct the taxi to your hotel, we had a few that didn't know where the Salma Hotel was and I was giving directions. Crossing traffic in Cairo is an experience in itself. Wait for a space and then wade into the traffic, the cars will come close but not hit you unless you walk right out in front of it. If you're having trouble you might find a local grabbing your arm and guiding you across. I became quite adept at dodging the cars after my first day.

Small hotel located in a residential area of Mohandiseen but close to shops and restaurants. There`s a rooftop terrace with bar and from it you can just see the pyramids in the distance. Off the lobby is a small English-style pub, perfect for a last minute drink before bed. Breakfast is included but it is just bread, jam and cheese so you might want to buy some additional food from the local stores. there's a small grocery store just down the street and a fruit stand about a block away.
My room cost me $49 CDN a night for a twin bedded room.
You might want to bring earplugs if you don't want to be woken very early by the call to prayer. There's a minaret a couple of buildings away and the call to prayer, though very melodic, can be extremely loud, especially at 6am!

Great restaurant with a lively atmosphere and delicious food. They played a mix of western and Egyptian music that had me dancing in my seat. I had a mix of different appetizers from babaganoush to falafels and everything was great. I was with a tour group and everyone enjoyed this place.

This is Cairo's only vegetarian restaurant and they serve delicious and varied dishes. There's a bar upstairs if you wish to eat in that kind of atmosphere or downstairs is a normal restaurant area. Beer is a little more expensive, probably because it's in a more upscale area of Cairo.

Founded by French archeologist August Marriette in Bulaq in 1858 and moved to its present site in 1902, this is a museum stuffed to the seams with over 100,000 artifacts arranged chronologically from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Empire.
There is so much to see and we missed most of it as we were only there a short time. You could spend days in here gazing at each and every individual piece. It's been said that if you spent one minute with each exhibit you would take nine months to see everything.
One of the highlights is the Tutankhamen section where you can finally gaze upon that famed mask.
You'll need to buy a camera pass in order to take pictures inside and flash photography is not allowed so you'll need to bring high speed film.
Entrance to the Mummy room is an addition 40LE and cameras are not allowed in there, of course, the person selling you your ticket doesn't tell you this and then when you try to get in with your camera the guard will give you grief, forcing you to leave the line and go put your camera in a wooden locker by the exit to the room.
In the Mummy room you will come face to face with one of the most famous pharoahs of Egypt, Ramses II. I found it thrilling to actually be staring face to face with the man responsible for such amazing sights such as Abu Simbel. Also on display are the mummies of Seti I, Amenophis I and Tuthmosis IV to name a few.
Be prepared to be harassed by schoolchildren. They like to take the opportunity to try out their English on you and you might find yourself swarmed by them as we did. They will, however, eventually be chased off by the guards or their teachers.
The museum is open daily from 9-5 but closed for prayers on Friday from 11:15-1:30.

The world`s oldest tourist attraction, these are one of the reasons we all travel to Egypt. They`re more than 4500 years old and they still baffle archeologists as to exactly why they were built. They were already considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World in ancient times and are the only one to survive.
The three pyramids are the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the first one that you come to along Pyramid Road, the Pyramid Complex of Chephren, and the Pyramid Complex of Mycerinus.
I would suggest going first thing in the morning before it gets too hot. You'll want to take the opportunity to go inside the pyramids and they are quite hot and stuffy in there.
If you want to take pictures inside you'll have to buy a camera pass and flash photography is not allowed, so bring high speed film. If you're claustrophic you might want to reconsider, it does get quite narrow at one portion of the Great Pyramid of Cheops.
The best place to take pictures of all the pyramids is from the plateau. Your tour guide or taxi driver will know where to go.
To enter the Giza Plateau it's 20LE and an additional 20LE for each pyramid you wish to enter. The Solar Barque Museum is another 20LE plus camera permit.
There are lots of camel men and vendors in this area so be prepared to be hassled by them.
The Sphinx is included in the price you pay for the pyramids. It's known in Arabic as Abu au-Hol (Father of Terror) and it is a mystery in itself. Was it built by Chephren having his likeness carved on its face? Or was it built by a lost civilization over 2600 years before Chephren? We will probably never know.
There is a Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids and if you wish to attend you should check to see when the show is being done in your language, as it's done in two shows in different languages every night.
Most people envision the Pyramids as being out in the desert, which they were at one time. Now you will be surprised to see how close the city of Cairo has encroached upon them, the Sphinx actually looks across to a fast food restaurant.