Cairo Things to Do Tips by hayward68

A fascinating jumble of laneways and passages packed full of tiny shops. I did quite a bit of shopping in here. Follow the street along and you'll also find a local market where there are less tourists.

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A 185m tower built in 1961, it pierces the sky and dominates the skyline along the Nile. There's a jerky revolving restaurant at the top and also a cheaper cafeteria.

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Other Contact: Costs 10LE

It's known in Arabic as Abu al-Hol (Father of Terror) but was named the Sphinx by the Greeks because it resembled a certain mystical monster. It's carved almost entirely from one piece of limestone. There are many theories of why it was carved, but you'll have to decide which one you like best. It's nose and beard were used as target practice by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire, though many argue it was Napolean responsible.

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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.
More pics in travelogue.

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Take the opportunity while it's still available to actually enter one of these marvels. You must get to Giza early to buy a ticket as only so many are sold per day. We went into the pyramid of Cheops and it was such a cool experience. Well, maybe cool isn't the right word as it is stuffy, hot and claustrophobic inside. Be prepared to bend over double as you climb an incline inside up to the center of the pyramid. Pictured are two members of my group. It's a little out of focus because no flash is allowed and it was a slow shutter speed.

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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. One of the highlights is the Tutankhamen section where you can finally gaze upon that famed mask.
One of my favourite parts though, was coming face to face with Ramses II in the Mummy room. Unfortunately you couldn't take your camera inside this room. It costs extra to enter the Mummy Room.
More pics in travelogue.

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An interesting mosque up at the citadel. The ceilings inside are beautiful and it also has some gorgeous chandeliers.
See more pics in travelogue.

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This is the view over Cairo from the Gawhara Terrace at the previous mentioned mosque. It was also the first time I saw the pyramids which were visible in the distance. You can't see them in the pic though because of the haze.

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