Cairo in 2 Days: everything you need to know

Is two days enough time to see everything Cairo has to offer? 48 hours is enough to see most of the wonders of the city and cross the most important things off our list, but, obviously, we will have to leave some things behind. To make the most of these 2 days, I have prepared an itinerary designed to make the most of your time and get to know Cairo's monuments and must-see places.

The first 24 hours in the capital of Egypt have a clear objective. To get to know the part related to Ancient Egypt:

• Pyramids of Giza: the first stop is for the most important monuments of Cairo. These are located in a complex on the outskirts of the city about 15 kilometres from the centre of the capital that you can reach by any means of transport, especially if you book an excursion to the Pyramids of Giza from Cairo. You can visit the burial chambers inside the pyramids, but the entrance fee is separate.
• Cheops is the most famous and important pyramid and entry to its guts costs about 3 euros per person at about the exchange rate. However, the queues are longer and, as time is limited, my recommendation is that if you want to enter one, you should opt for the Mykerinos pyramid. Less crowded but equally interesting. The pyramids are not the only interesting point of the complex, the next one is below.

The Sphinx

Although located in the same complex as the pyramids, the Sphinx deserves a separate mention. It is one of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world and is believed to represent the Pharaoh Khafre.

The Sphinx can be admired from its base and you will be awed by its imposing presence. In addition to the absence of its nose, which is on display in London, it is common to see scaffolding around it being used for restoration and maintenance work on a spectacular but seriously endangered monument.

Saqqara and Memphis

40 minutes from the pyramids of Giza are Memphis and Saqqara. These two sites are also essential for learning about ancient Egyptian civilisation. In fact, Memphis was the ancient capital of the empire.

The best way to get from Giza to this point is to hire a joint tour to visit the pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis. But there is also the option of taking a taxi which, if you negotiate the price, can be very economical.

Memphis was once a city full of palaces and monuments, while today it is a town of low houses, but it houses a museum with some of the city's most important remains from its golden age. Its open-air museum features a 10-metre figure of Ramesses II as well as sphinxes, mummification tables and obelisks.

After seeing Memphis it's time to cross the Nile and in about 20 minutes you'll reach Saqqara. Saqqara is home to the oldest building in the world: the funerary complex of Pharaoh Zoser, which dates back to 2650 BC. The other must-see is the Step Pyramid, which was the tomb of Pharaoh Zoser and one of the first pyramids ever built.

Egyptian Museum

No visit to the Giza Pyramids and Memphis and Saqqara complex is complete without a visit to the Egyptian Museum. This museum houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world and you can book a tour combining, for example, a trip to the Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum from Cairo.

In total there are more than 130,000 artefacts of various kinds from all periods of Egyptian history. The museum is located in Cairo, so it is necessary to return to the city. To see it in detail we would need almost 2 days of this itinerary, so we must prioritise certain pieces. The most relevant and well known are those belonging to the pharaoh Tutankhamun. The pharaoh's golden funerary mask is, besides being the symbol of the museum, the most valuable. His coffin and throne are also the most important pieces of all those found in his tomb.

• How much does it cost? It costs around 3 euros per person, and if you want to enter the room known as the mummy room you have to pay an extra 5 euros. You can also book a guided tour of the Egyptian Museum for around 40 euros. Highly recommended if you are a fan of Egyptian art.
• Museum opening hours: open until 7pm Monday to Wednesday and until 9pm on Thursdays and Sundays. On Fridays and Saturdays the museum closes at 16:00.
• Where is it? It is located in Tahrir Square and the best way to get there in Cairo is by metro, taking lines 1 or 2, with the red and yellow colours, to the Sadat station stop.

Dinner in Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square itself is an ideal place to end the day after seeing the museum. It's an area with a great atmosphere and several places to dine, as well as being close to the Nile, which is also a good area to visit afterwards.

After an intense first day immersed in ancient Egypt, it's time to get to know downtown Cairo. On a much quieter second day, with less travel, you'll tour the most important historical sites within the city's borders.

These include Saladin's fortress and the churches and sites in the Coptic Christian quarter. To round off your visit, it's best to visit the Khan Al-Khalili Bazaar and take home a souvenir of Egypt's capital.

Coptic Quarter

A visit to the Coptic Quarter is a must, as it is one of the main tourist attractions in Cairo. It's located south of the Saladin Citadel, about half an hour by bus or 15 minutes by taxi.

This neighbourhood is the home of the Coptic Christians and a place of special significance for Christians in general, as tradition has it that it was the place where the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) took refuge during their stay in Egypt. This is why the neighbourhood is full of churches and monasteries linked to this tradition.

There are several interesting points within the ancient walls of Babylon that border this quarter. The first is the Hanging Church. So called because it was built over the gate of the wall, it is also known as the church of Santa Maria.

The other two churches to visit are the church of Santa Barbara, in honour of the martyr after whom it is named, and the church of San Sergius and San Bacchus. The latter is the oldest in the Coptic quarter and was built over the cave in which, according to legend, the holy family hid. But there are not only churches, there are also mosques such as Amr Ibn Al As, which was the first mosque built in Egypt, and synagogues such as Ben Ezra. There are countless religious sites to see and one point that unites them all is the Coptic Museum.

Saladin Citadel

It was the same ruler who gave it its name who commissioned the construction of the Citadel of Saladin in Cairo in the 12th century to protect himself from attack by European empires. Today, this walled complex is the most visited monument in the city of Cairo. There are many sights inside the Saladin Citadel and it is best to visit at your leisure.

There are several buildings to visit, starting with the imposing Gawhara Palace and continuing with the beautiful mosques:

• Sultan Hassan Mosque, Ibn Tulun Mosque and Al Rifa'i Mosque are the most important mosques inside the citadel.
• In addition to these buildings there are also museums that house items related to the history of the place. These museums are the carriage museum and the military museum. The latter is the most interesting of these museums as it is the one most closely linked to the history of the fortress.

But the Citadel of Saladin is more than just a collection of buildings. Another of its main virtues lies in its location, as it sits atop Mokattam Hill in the centre of Cairo and offers one of the best views of Egypt's capital. It's almost obligatory to walk along the ramparts and stop to enjoy the view. General admission is around 7 euros for the whole complex.

Islamic Quarter

This quarter stretches through the centre of Cairo from the foothills of Saladin's Citadel, making it an interesting place to visit. It owes its name to the fact that it was once one of the most important Islamic centres in the world, but it is really more of a medieval quarter with a lot of charm.

Among its streets you will find many mosques, squares, shops and very interesting places. Its mosques are perhaps the most important, but many of them do not allow entry to non-Muslim tourists as they are sacred places for their religion. But the neighbourhood offers much more:

• We can visit, for example, Midan Al Hussein Square where two of its most important mosques are located and it is also a place where many restaurants and terraces are concentrated. Al Azhar Park is also located in this neighbourhood and is one of the main parks in Cairo.
• I also recommend you to go through Sharia Al Muizz Li Din Allah Street where there are a large number of mosques and very interesting shops and where you will reach our next destination, the Khan El Khalili market. Also known as Khan El-Khalili Bazaar.

Khan El-Khalili Bazaar

Also known as the Khan El-Khalili Market, this place was the cradle of trade in Egypt and the entire Middle East in ancient times. Today, it is a huge bazaar filled with shops of all kinds and cafes that make it the ideal place to shop and relax with a coffee and sweets to round off a two-day trip to Cairo.

The market is located in the centre of the Islamic part of Cairo, in a walled area that adds to its ancient and traditional atmosphere. Inside the El-Khalili Bazaar there are almost a thousand stalls where you can find everything from typical food and spices to handicrafts, fabrics, jewellery and perfumes. Anything you can imagine is here.

Visiting in the afternoon or evening is ideal, as you can stroll around the stalls at your leisure and complete your visit with dinner in some of its legendary cafés where, as well as traditional dishes, you can enjoy traditional teas and smoke the typical shishas. For this reason, it is undoubtedly one of the best things to do at night in Cairo.

It is undoubtedly the perfect place to say goodbye to Cairo after 48 hours and take home a traditional souvenir of a trip that you are sure not to forget.

To get the most out of a 48-hour trip to Cairo, there are a number of things to keep in mind. Here are some tips that can help you:

• The most important thing to optimize your time is to get your tickets for the monuments in advance to avoid queues and to know how to move from one place to another. Cairo is a chaotic city and if you don't know how to get around you can lose a lot of time. For the most touristy places there are usually tourist buses that go directly to the most popular places and the best way to get around the city is by taxi or metro.
• Although it is obvious, I remind you that Cairo is very hot and that in places like the pyramids of Giza there is little shade. Be prepared with hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. In any case, if you have to pick a month, choose the winter months to visit the Egyptian capital.
• Remember that in religious sites such as churches and mosques, arms and legs should be covered. This is particularly sensitive for women, so it is advisable to wear a scarf to cover up in these cases.