15 Things to Do in Cairo Beyond the Pyramids

Everyone comes to Cairo for the pyramids and leaves having barely scratched the surface of the city itself. If you have two or three extra days, here's where locals actually spend their time. Start with Islamic Cairo — the stretch of Al-Muizz Street between Bab Zuweila and Bab Al-Futuh is a walkable open-air museum of mosques, madrasas and merchant houses, most of them still in daily use. Go in the late afternoon when the light turns golden on the stonework. For food, skip the hotel breakfast one morning and get koshary from a proper local spot — Abou Tarek near Tahrir Square is the classic choice, though every neighborhood has its own beloved version. The Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza has opened new halls that are worth a half-day on their own, separate from your pyramid visit. And in the evening, a felucca ride from the Zamalek waterfront gives you a completely different, quieter view of the city than anything on land.