We are planning a trip to Egypt and see there are some fab hotels in Giza, well reviewed and very reasonable but am wondering about staying in Cairo as there is so much to do there as well and traveling to Giza for tours.

We do like to go to local places for evening dinner and I would think Cairo would have more to offer.

Your thoughts?

Hi, jacketwatch,
I know I’ve shared my thoughts elsewhere with you, but I was curious if you had an itinerary. It might help to figure out what you want to see first which may determine your decision. Are you planning on going elsewhere - Luxor is really one of my favorite places - so much to see there. And we really enjoyed the dahabiya down the Nile. It was sooo cool to say that were floating on the Nile!

If you want to see the pyramids right away and go south to Saqqara (a fantastic site), Giza might be easier. And who knows? Maybe the new museum, GEM, will FINALLY Ave officially open when you go (though somehow, I doubt it). I think you know I stayed in an apartment in Giza at the beginning of our trip and we did go to some small nearby restaurants though it’s not an area that is easy to walk around. You really do need to take cabs to get to places though we never did!

At the end of our trip, we stayed on Zamalek, the large island that’s part of Cairo. It’s much calmer than downtown Cairo and it’s very easy to walk around the streets here. We did eat in several restaurants which we were able to walk to. This is probably the best area to stay in if you choose to stay in Cairo.

I didn’t stay downtown so don’t know what it’s like to stay there, it’s very spread out. We had a driver sho took us from place to place so did not explore on our own. Certainly, we enjoyed the chaos of Islamic Cairo, visiting the large bazaar, the Coptic quarter (we loved it) and of course, the Egyptian Museum and the new NMEC (fabulous - National Museum of Egyptian Civilization- this is where all the mummies are located!). But,,again, the city is very spread out and you’d really want a driver or take a taxi to get from place to place.

Thank you.
I Hadn’t thought about Luxor. I’ll look into that.
A Nile cruise is on our list.
Also thinking of somehow including Petra as well.
We have friends who want to go but we are concerned about regional problems now.

I’m curious - if you’re okay traveling to Egypt during this period, why not Jordan? The US State dept actually has a higher alert level for Egypt than Jordan (though it’s over a year old) and there is a worldwide alert to be cautious while traveling.

We traveled to Jordan and then to Egypt - Petra is wonderful as is Wadi Rum, if you can coordinate it. The overland route between the countries is very long. You’re better off flying to Amman and then having a driver for Petra, which is easily done. Then (suggestion here) are a stop at a Dead Sea resort for 2 nights and drive to the airport from there. We stayed at the Movenpick and loved it!

Actually we are not ok at the moment about traveling to that region. I'm hoping things will settle down. Ideally we would go in the winter mos. so it won't be too hot.
We have been to the Dead Sea before BTW.
I see reviews for the Movenpick are very good.
Maybe we could get a flight to Amman from ORD, get a connection from Amman to Cairo and them return to ORD from CAI.
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We’re not typically “resort people” but Movenpick was a wonderful end to the Jordan portion of our trip.

We flew from NYC to IAD to AMM, then AMM to CAI, and CAI to Venice as a stopover before returning to NYC.

I'm pretty sure you read my TR but if it’s been a while, here it is again!

Egypt and Jordan: it was truly amaazing!


I’m,pre

If you want a mix of sightseeing and local dining, staying in Cairo might be the better option. Cairo has a vibrant dining scene with lots of local spots to explore, plus you'll be close to all the city attractions.

Giza is great for the pyramids, but it’s quieter in the evenings. You can easily travel to Giza for your tours during the day—it’s not far at all. This way, you get the best of both worlds: Cairo’s energy and Giza’s history

I think so too!

Giza and Cairo are very close, so travel between them isn’t a big deal. Cairo has more options for evening dining and local spots.

That’s what I’m thinking as well. There would be more to do in Cairo.

The distance between Cairo and Giza isn’t far but the traffic is horrendous* so it does take longer to get between them than you’d expect. Still, between the 2, Cairo has more to offer. If you have the time, I really liked starting our trip in Giza and then ending in Cairo.

And for the record, I noticed my above comment mentioned that we stopped in Venice on the way back. Not true. We stopped in Vienna!

*not unlike traffic in India!

Thank you. Been to India 8 times so yes I can relate to the traffic there.

I am wondering if we stay din Giza and wanted to to into Cairo in the evening would the traffic be less? I'm thinking if we went to Giza from staying in Cairo that traffic in mid morning would be rough or does it make any difference?

It seems to me by staying in Cairo we can have a nice evening w/o going too far. It would be nicer and easier to get back to our hotel that way.