Cairo Travel Forum

Hi

I still haven't decided on a hotel but would like to know what area everyone recommends. We like to be in the main touristy area's with good touristy shops, restaurants, and bars close by. We don't need to be near any site's as they will all be included in the tour. Is there a old town area or something that is nice to stay in? We like to be able to go out at night to a nice restaurant and bar and walk home. During the day we won't mind getting a cab/public transport around the city.

Thanks!

Most of the hotels in Cairo are 'downtown' ie the nineteent-century town between the Fatimid city & the Nile, so unless you opt for one of the hotels near the pyramids (which are a long way from everything but the pyramids) this is where you'll end up. Plenty of shops, restaurants &c. Cairo isn't exactly crammed with bars...not the kind I'd like to hang out in, but many reastaurants catering for tourists sell ethanol-based beverages.

Two areas come to mind:
1) Zamalek - where you have a good concentration of restaurants and lodging places; it also serves as the diplomatic area.

2) Midan Tahrir/Downtown area - I could recommend Osiris Hotel near American Univ and Midan Tahrir/Egyptian Museum if you are seeking a budget option. Copy and paste this link to my tip for more details:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/7597d/1ea6ae/3/

Welcome to Egypt

DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN is the main touristy area that you will find ALL you might need good touristy shops, restaurants and etc.......

Zamalek is expensive area and not touristy as downtown+you can't find budget hotels there,also taxi from zamalek to any where like egyptian museum or pyramids would be more expensive. while in downtown you can walk to egyptian museum!

ask me any thing about thing and feel free to send me message : )

Rosegirl

Good to see more recommendation for Hotel Osiris. We have booked to stay there for three days in May. Have read a lot of good reviews on TripAdvisor. For reservation or just inquiry, you could email them directly to the address on their website.

The reason I have decided to stay in Downtown Cairo is that it's relatively closed to Coptic Cairo, Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo, in which I will be spending a lot of time. I'm one of those people who likes taking public transportation, walking around on my own and getting lost among the locals when I travel. One thing about staying in Downtown Cairo that someone has warned me about is the bustling noise from the streets but I have also read that if your hotel is on the fifth floor or above, it's not going to be much of a problem. Hope it helps.

Heidi