Cairo walking route: Zamalek, Khan el-Khalili and Al-Azhar

A set of 12 places in Cairo: Zamalek and Abbasiyah districts, coffee shops and concept stores, the historic center. Distance and duration are unknown. Here you can see the Stephenson pharmacy from 1899, the Granita restaurant in the courtyard of the church and the Khan el-Khalili market. The route is convenient to walk and take a taxi through the districts.

Distance
27.2 km
Duration
5 h 26 min
Mode
route
Start
Zamalek
End
Tahrir Square
Stops
10
Video author
Anya Hayat
Updated

Stops on this route

  1. Zamalek — Local district with a restaurant in a church courtyard and a new Nile waterfront.
  2. The Holm Cafe: Zamalek Route — A café on the island of Zamalek, popular with locals and travelers, which is convenient to use as a stop when walking through this green area.
  3. Mogamma Building — Government office building on Tahrir Square.
  4. Stephenson Pharmacy: The Pharmacy of 1899 — A historic pharmacy opened in 1899, which has preserved its ancient interior and has become one of the attractions of Cairo for lovers of architecture and history.
  5. Al-Azhar Park — Park where a Granita branch serving Egyptian breakfast is located.
  6. Khan el-Khalili: Cairo's famous market
  7. Complex of Sultan Qalawun — 13th-century complex with madrasa, mausoleum and hospital.
  8. Al-Muizz Street — Historic street in Cairo layered with different eras, a UNESCO heritage area.
  9. Abbassia — District visited to sort out paperwork.
  10. Tahrir Square — Famous square passed on the way to the market, where the Mogamma building stands.

Useful for your trip

Save money
Zamalek, promenade: entrance fee — 40 Egyptian pounds on weekends (Friday/Saturday), 25 pounds on weekdays. The queue can be long.
Transport
A felucca (small boat) on the Nile, especially in the evening, is a good way to get a feel for the bustling Cairo flavor; it's more of a dance floor on the water than a relaxing walk.
Food
In Cairo, you can try molocheya, havashi and kofta (cutlets) in local restaurants; lunch for two with food and drinks in Almohamady cost about 4000 pounds.
Food
Granita chain: Breakfast with taameya (Egyptian bean falafel) was at the Al-Azhar Park branch, not at the restaurant in the courtyard of the church in Zamalek.
Save money
Food prices in restaurants have risen a lot: according to the author, the bill for regular food rarely exceeded 1000 pounds, and now lunch for two is about 4000 pounds.
Save money
For souvenirs and clothing, there are concept stores with local brands (The Nest, Apartment 19), where you can buy products by Egyptian designers; prices range from hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds.
Avoid
In Egypt, not all hotels in Cairo accommodate a foreigner with an Egyptian spouse in the same room without an Egyptian marriage certificate – prepare documents and stamps.
Where to stay
The author advises staying in central Cairo rather than New Cairo or 5th Settlement — closer to the main attractions.
Timing
Khan el-Khalili and Al-Muiz Street are more convenient to watch in the morning or during the daytime when the market is open; the author went to the market in the afternoon the next day.
Tip
In Egypt, not all weddings serve full food - guests can only get a piece of cake and a drink; there is no alcohol at weddings.
Transport
Egypt's network of gas stations with coffee shops and pastries is a convenient stop on the road, for example, on the way from Minoufia to Cairo.
Timing
Minufiya (the capital of Shibin el-Kom) is a non-tourist place: there are coffee shops with specialty coffee and pastry shops, but there are almost no tourists.

Video on this route

EGYPT WITHOUT PYRAMIDS | Cairo, Egyptian Wedding and Homeland of Presidents

More routes nearby

Map