April 2026
20 Apr – 25 Apr · 5 days · Sunny, 30°Spent 5 nights in Cairo recently and IMO the scams and traffic are way…
Spent 5 nights in Cairo recently and IMO the scams and traffic are way overstated. I had a great time!
Taxi scams at the airport were the same as half the planet. AirPods in, Uber out, zero issues beyond finding the driver.
I stayed in Zamalek in the heart of the city. It’s a small island on the Nile, totally walkable, lots of cafes and food, student population, and a very nice area.
The Pyramids have a new entrance now. It’s a bit of a trek but no queues, clean, nice experience, and no touts out front.
The Egyptian Museum in the center is mostly leftovers now. GEM is the place to go. Big new museum near the Pyramids with all the King Tut artifacts.
Meeting locals was proving difficult so I took a food tour to glimpse some real culture. Tried a few local dishes and met some nice people.
Final takeaway: I could have stayed way longer and I recommend going. My working theory for why Cairo gets such a bad rap is because it is a city with world wonders that attracts Europeans who have barely stepped outside of Europe before. If you’re comfortable with Bali touts and Saigon traffic, Cairo will feel tame.
10/10 would Egypt again.
