This blog post is a mix of days spent in Cairo. The mosques and churches were seen with a private tour guide and driver, which isn't too expensive and worth it to have that personalized exploration of the major sites. We used Uber to visit other parts of the city on our own, which is an even cheaper way to get around.
Old Cairo
Khan el-Khalili is the souk or bazaar district. Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi is the main street of the old Cairo area to the north of this area. It divides the souk from the interesting stuff for tourists to the east and the general flea market items to the west (first pics below). Keep your phone map app handy if your sense of direction isn't great.
mixed grill lunch
I think it was worth the walk to the 2 old gates and wall in the north of old Cairo
Zamalek
Zamalek is an island neighborhood in the Nile River. It has the Cairo Tower and the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art to the south. The north has a great area to walk around and see even more art. There's at least one public exhibition space and many private galleries selling art. It was a more relaxing place to walk around and eat at restaurants compared to the heavy tourist areas. There weren't many street vendors pressuring you like the other parts of the city where they expect tourists.
Museum of Egyptian Modern Art
Watch Wednesday on Netflix (great show) and you'll instantly think of Thing
They had a great display/lounge space setup for sculptures in the atrium.
They've started some much needed remodeling at this not very well visited museum. The price is really cheap and there weren't tourists when we went, so it's a relaxing place to be.
another Thing sculpture!
some example entrances to private galleries and antique shops you can explore (no inside pics)
Aisha Fahmy Palace
Citadel & Mosques
If you see a tour available for the Citadel of Saladin, then do it to see two beautiful old mosques and a cool view of Cairo. It isn't just a tour of a medieval fortification.
Churches
We saw two churches during the tour day with the citadel, mosques, and Egyptian Museum. Guided tour days are long with many things to see.
The first church was a Coptic Church built over a cave where the holy family is believed to have stayed for 3 months.
The second was a 10th century Greek Orthodox Church for Saint George (of the "and the dragon" fame) which was rebuilt in 1909 after a fire. There's a cave church area underneath where I think our guide said he lived for a bit.
St. George's Church
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