jeepsterchick

Has anyone stayed at Ramses Hilton in Cairo? It says its a five min. walk to the Museum, but it looks like its locked in between lots of freeways - and I've read about the traffic. Is walking anywhere an option?
Thanks!

Grcxx3

No hotel in Cairo is "convenient" in terms of walking to the sites. The things you want to see are spread all over the city. Don't even try walking places - it's a nightmare!

Taxis are quite cheap. If the Ramses Hilton is the one I'm thinking of, a ride from the hotel to the museum shouldn't cost you more than $1-2 US. There are no meters in cabs, so if you get a cab from your hotel, make sure the concierge helps you negotiate a price before you go.

Dave_

The location is central and close to the Egyptian Museum as you describe although you will realise that a lot of the things to see in Cairo are very spread out anyway so I think actual location of your hotel is less of an issue.

The traffic is something you will get used to after a bit. You are right that the hotel is near some main traffic routes. These however will have sidewalks for you.

However the real fun starts when you come to cross the roads. There are very few traffic signals for pedestrians to have their turn (and since they're a relatively new concept, cars often don't take much notice of then). In many areas you just have to cross a lane or two at a time when there's a gap, you're not expected to get all the way in one go (if you were waiting for that, you'd be there all day and night!). The main road closest to my hotel had about five lanes going each way I think.

I guess that living in a big city I'm used to traffic so it didn't come as a big shock as it would to some people, just see what the locals do and follow suit. If you're from a rural or quiet community with not much traffic it may take some getting used to. I found I walked around a lot in Cairo, probably more than most people would, but I'd try and resist getting taxis absolutely everywhere or you will ultimately miss out on things Cairo has to offer. In any event, try the Metro, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Enjoy Egypt.

rfb

Dave is exactly right. Walking in Cairo is a new experience but great fun. Actually, the first time you have the nerve to cross the street by yourself is a very satisfying experience. I walk everywhere on vacation; I've done it all over Cairo and never had a problem.

Don't let the traffic intimidate you. Egyptian drivers aren't like the ones in New York and Rome who make a game out of how close they can come to hitting you. In fact, they cut foreigners a lot more slack than locals because they don't know whether you're smart enough not to run into them.

Somebody once told me that crossing the street in Cairo, you learn just how big an inch can be. Love that line, and it's true.

couboocou

I didn't stay there but passed by it a couple of times while in downtown Cairo near the Museum. Yes there is alot of traffic around the area but most all big hotels are situated in a similar way. You could walk from the hotel to the Museum easily. We walked from Grand Hyatt to the museum, not for everyone but do-able and it was fun to go running across the streets as cars zoomed past you... A near-accident experience occurred several times but I thought it was great and fun. Sometimes the police will help tourists cross the road...I saw an egyptian woman go up to the policeman on the street corner and he then walked onto the road to stop the traffic for her and others-

The only thing I would be concerned about is that if it is so close to the traffic you would want a room facing away from the traffic or on the upper floors, otherwise it will be difficult to sleep at night with all the honking at all hours of the night!

jeepsterchick

Thank you for all your thoughts. We are walkers, but I will assess our nerve once there. (Being from Oregon, it may just be too much for us!) I was very interested in the Grand Hyatt walk, that happens to be one of our destinations. Sure would be nice if they had a nice "bike path" along the river....guess not!
Thank you again, and I will let you know how it goes!