Cairo Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Cairo walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from the pink Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square to the medieval gates of Islamic Cairo and the domes of the Citadel. Cairo is huge, so the notes below split the stops into walkable sections joined by short rides, with timing, transport, dress, etiquette and the free sights worth knowing. For official information on monuments and museums, also check Egypt’s Monuments, the official site of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Route 1, downtown and the Nile (stops 1 to 3). Start at the Egyptian Museum when it opens and play the videos on the pink palace of antiquities, the Old Kingdom statues and the founding of the museum by Auguste Mariette. Many of the most famous treasures, including the Tutankhamun collection, are now shown at the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza, so check what is on display before you go. Step out onto Tahrir Square, then cross the Qasr el Nil Bridge to Gezira Island and the Cairo Tower, a concrete lotus with a viewing deck over the river.

Route 2, the bazaar and Al Azhar (stops 4 and 5). Take a taxi or ride-hailing car to Hussein Square and walk into Khan el Khalili, the great bazaar of Islamic Cairo, with its lanes of lanterns, brass and spices and the old Fishawy cafe. A five-minute walk brings you to Al Azhar Mosque, founded in 970, one of the oldest working universities in the world, with a marble courtyard and minarets from several centuries. This part of the Cairo walking tour is busiest in the evening, when the bazaar lights come on.

Route 3, Al Muizz Street to the northern gates (stops 6 to 9). Al Muizz Street is the medieval spine of the old city and the best long walk in Cairo. Head north past Bayt al Suhaymi and the sabil kuttab of Abdel Rahman Katkhuda to the Qalawun Complex, the Mamluk hospital, madrasa and mausoleum with its striped portal. Continue to the Mosque of Al Hakim with its two stone minarets, and finish at Bab al Futuh, the 11th-century stone gate in the walls of Badr al Jamali, next to Bab al Nasr.

Route 4, the Citadel (stop 10). The Citadel of Saladin sits on a spur of the Muqattam hills above the city, so treat it as a separate trip by taxi. The final videos cover Saladin’s fortress, the Ottoman-style Mosque of Muhammad Ali with its alabaster interior, and the views over Cairo from the terrace. On a clear day you can see the minarets of the old city stretching away below you.

For photos, the best viewpoints on this Cairo walking tour are the deck of the Cairo Tower at sunset, the Qasr el Nil Bridge with its bronze lions, Al Muizz Street after dark when the monuments are lit, and the Citadel terrace. Ask before photographing people, and be aware that some mosques and museums have their own photography rules.

With two days, do Routes 1 and 4 on the first day and the bazaar, Al Azhar and Al Muizz on the second, finishing in the evening. With one day, the old city from Khan el Khalili to Bab al Futuh is the core free walking tour Cairo visitors can manage on foot.

October to April is the most comfortable time for a Cairo walking tour, with warm days and cool evenings. From June to September the heat is intense, so walk early in the morning and after sunset, and rest in the middle of the day. Al Muizz Street and the bazaar are at their best in the evening, while the museum and the Citadel are better in the morning.

Mosques close to visitors during prayer times, and Friday midday prayers are the busiest of the week, so plan mosque visits for other times. During Ramadan, opening hours change, many cafes stay shut by day and the old city comes alive after the evening meal. Opening hours for museums and monuments also change by season, so check them on the official site before you go.

Cairo traffic is heavy, and crossing big roads takes care. Use pedestrian bridges or underpasses where you can, and cross with local people at busy junctions. The Cairo Metro is cheap and fast: Sadat station on Lines 1 and 2 is under Tahrir Square, next to the Egyptian Museum. For the old city and the Citadel, a licensed taxi or a ride-hailing app is the simplest choice, with the fare fixed in the app.

From Cairo International Airport, a taxi or ride-hailing car to downtown usually takes 45 minutes to over an hour, depending on traffic. If you are staying near Giza, start your Cairo walking tour with the Citadel by taxi and finish in the old city in the evening, so you avoid crossing the city twice in rush hour.

Dress modestly for the whole of this Cairo walking tour, and especially for Al Azhar, Al Hakim and the Citadel mosque. Cover shoulders and knees, and women should carry a scarf to cover their hair inside mosques. Remove your shoes before entering prayer halls, speak quietly and do not walk in front of people who are praying.

Cairo is a great food city. Try koshari, the mix of rice, lentils, pasta and spicy tomato sauce, ful medames for breakfast, fresh falafel called taameya, and mint tea or Turkish-style coffee at a traditional cafe in the bazaar. Drink bottled water, and choose busy stalls where food is cooked fresh. Small tips, called baksheesh, are part of daily life, so keep small notes for restroom attendants and helpers.

Shops in the bazaar and the cafes around Hussein Square stay open late, and the evening call to prayer echoing between the minarets of Al Azhar and the old city is one of the great sounds of Cairo. Pause and listen, keep your voice down near the mosque doors, and wait until prayers end before you go inside. Smoking is common in cafes, so sit outside if you prefer fresh air.

In the bazaar, agree a price before you buy and walk away politely if you are not interested. Ignore people who offer to guide you or say a sight is closed. Watch your bag in crowds, carry a copy of your passport, and use only official ticket offices. Pavements in the old city are uneven, so wear sturdy shoes and take water and sun protection between stops.

Many sights on this Cairo walking tour are free to enjoy. Walking through Tahrir Square, the bazaar lanes of Khan el Khalili and the length of Al Muizz Street costs nothing, and Bab al Futuh can be seen from the street. Al Azhar and Al Hakim mosques are free to enter outside prayer times. You pay for the Egyptian Museum, the Cairo Tower deck, the Qalawun Complex interior, Bayt al Suhaymi and the Citadel.

Students with a valid international student card often get reduced tickets at state museums and monuments, and some sites charge an extra fee for camera use. Prices and rules change, so always check the current details on the official site before your Cairo walking tour and buy only at official counters or online.

Accessibility in Cairo takes planning. Pavements are often broken or blocked, kerbs are high, and many mosques and old houses have steps. The Egyptian Museum ground floor is the easiest stop for wheelchair users, and a car can take you close to the Citadel entrance. Al Muizz Street is pedestrian, which helps, but the surface is uneven. Ask at each ticket office about step-free access.

After this Cairo walking tour, carry on with more free walks: the Istanbul walking tour, another great city of mosques and bazaars, and in North Africa the Tunis walking tour, the Fez walking tour and the Marrakech walking tour. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.