has anyone been to the bazaar? where is it exatly? is it in downtown cairo? is it near the cairo musuem? days it is open and hours. coming in on a cuise and going to cairo musuem first and then would like to browse the bazaar. is this a feasible option? thanks

It is not downtown. We were just there with a tour group so I'm not sure exactly where it is but it is in the vacinity of the City of the Dead and the Citadel. I know we kept driving past it as we went to different places. When we went it was so uncomfortably crowded pushing, pawing..Too much humanity for me.

I will answer your post about the museum as it applies to the bazaar. If you have just one day, go to the museum. I can't answer your specific questions because again, we were with the group. But, you will need as much time as possible to see even a fraction of the exhibits. I have never seen anything like it!

It's close enough to be downtown that you can easily go to the Khan & the Museum in one day. Going to the Museum first is a good idea. If you get tired of it (it's huge, so you can get tired of it) you can taxi over to the Khan.

When you first enter, there will be a lot of touts who ardently will try get you to enter their store. It can be a little intimidating. Just walk through them or ask for the name of a specific store.

A while ago I added a post about shopping in the Khan. It has the name of some reputable stores where all of us Cairo ladies (both Egyptians & ex-pats) shop. I'm not sure of the title of the post. Try running Gozlan & see if you get it. Or maybe leather.

There's a nice clean restaurant in the Khan called the Naguib Mahfouz
Cafe with good food and clean,
American style bathrooms. You can sit in the entrance for appetizers and fruit juices, coffees, etc. Or there is another room for full blown meals. Have the shoe shine guy ahine your shoes. He'll let you take his picture but be sure to ask first. It attracts an international clientele. I often end up talking to the others in the cafe.

Khan e Kahalili bazaar is next to the Imam Hussain mosque also known locally in Arabic as the Syeda Hussain mosque. The bazaar it self is crowded and lots of touts and and do be aware of pick pockets. I don't find it a pleasant place to shop given the much nicer options available in Cairo. Do look at the shopping center behind the ramsis Hilton and also some of the nice shops in Mohandesin area.

I LOVE the Khan! I love exploring the little side alleys and going up the little stairways and finding cool shops. Yes, the shopkeepers (especially on the "main" streets) can be pushy - but they have never bothered me.

Of course, I have my favorite shops that I used to frequent (the glass shop with all the Christmas ornaments, the bedoin shop, the copper shop up on the 2nd level, the camel bone shop down a little side alley) - but I just love looking at it all!

Bookmarking

how far apart are the museum and the bazaar and mosques there - are they much better in a guided trip?

we have about 7 hours free in cairo in that area after seeing pyramids etc in the morning before we have to take a train from ramses station (which also seems quite close) - were thinking of a few hours in each - any thoughts?

10 or 15 minutes by taxi. You don't need a guided tour, although Debbie (Casual Cairo) does a nice one.

There are guides outside the Museum waiting for you to hire them.
A few hours in each ae fine.