Staying In Cairo
Cairo is a very big city that you have to know a lot of thing about it before Visit Egypt
There is a difference between Cairo as a governorate and Cairo as a Capital of Egypt, means that Cairo as a Capital is called "Greater Cairo", this includes 3 different governorates ( Cairo , Giza and Qaliubeiah) with total inhabitants of more than 18 million. more info here:
Egypt holidays, cheap holidays, packages to Egypt 2012Downtown
Is the commercial heart of the city of Cairo the capital of Egypt, including the neighborhoods: Downtown Cairo - Darb al-Ahmar - Moski - Caliph - Mokattam - Bab - Zainab. Of the oldest neighborhoods of Cairo and Ariqaha planning and architecture was built by Khedive Ismail during the opening of the Suez Canal to be the interface of an honorable Egypt was planned and designed on the latest European architectural styles has been the introduction of lighting in the streets before they enter the streets of ParisThis is the area radiating from "Tahrir Square" (the location of the Egyptian Museum), traffic is heavy and it is a very busy area with shops and banks, travel agents etc. Not a quiet place but certainly convenient, being in the actual modern center of the city with easy access to the Metro (underground railway) and the main Railway station at Ramses.
Note: Metro lines do not go everywhere in Cairo, there are only 2 lines and they do not go to the Pyramids area for example. The 3rd line is still underconstruction, but will eventually go as far as Heliopolis, Cairo Airport and Mohandeseen.
The main concentration of budget hotels / hostels is to be found here, some newly established and popular (i.e. Let Me Inn, Paris Hotel, Osiris Hotel, Sara Inn Hostel) and others with a long history and reputation (i.e. Victoria Hotel, Windsor Hotel and Pension Roma, Garden City House, Cairo Khan Hotel). There is a wide selection and it is best to study the TA member reviews to see what suits your needs and budget.
Hotels in Downtown are relatively close to sites such as : Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo, Citadel of Saladin, Ibn Touloun Mosque, Khan Khalili Bazaar).
The more luxury type of large tourist hotels in the area are : Four Seasons Nile Plaza, The Nile Hilton (which will only operated till the end of 2008 and is then being taken over and renovated by Ritz Carlton), Ramses Hilton and Semiramis Inter Continental, all are close to the down town area.
Zamalek
This is a high class residential area on the island of Gezirah. A very central location, which is more green and pleasant than the down town area, with less traffic and noise and plenty of nice shops and good places to eat.
The selection of hotels available in this area is limited. The Marriott Cairo & Omar Khayyam Casino is 5 star and boasts lovely gardens / pool area and a historical main building. The Hotel Longchamps is another good option for those looking for a small friendly good standard of hotel. There are other options too, including Golden Tulip Flamenco, Horus House Hotel and Mayfair Hotel.
At the far end of the Gezirah Island, is located Sofitel El Gezira Hotel, formerly called Gezira Sheraton, it is a 5 star hotel.
One of the big advantages of the Zamalek area is that it is pleasant to walk around and there are good shops and places to eat out.
Also in Zamalek there is Cairo Tower, the highest building in Cairo, 186 m. high it is nice to go up to have wonderful panoramic view of Cairo.
Giza
Giza is on the west bank of the Nile, while Cairo is the east bank.
This is a legally a separate "governorate" than Cairo, though they are now physically joined together as one, due to the rapid expansion. Giza starts at the Nile and continues until reaching the Pyramids ("El Haram" in Arabic). So this can be confusing for a lot of people, and needs some explanation. Trip Advisor has a separate forum for Giza where you will find all the hotel reviews.
A long straight street runs from near Cairo University all the way to the Pyramids, aptly called "Pyramids Street", the traffic is usually heavy and normally takes about 40 minutes to get from one end of Giza to the other. The area around the Pyramids is not really attractive or easy to walk in, but it does contain some very pleasant hotels with good views of the Pyramids and nice pool and garden areas. The most famous hotel is The Mena House. Other good tourist group hotels are The Meridien , The Moevenpic, Sofitel Le Sphinx and Intercontinental Pyramids Park hotel.
Other cheaper hotels are : Zoser Partners hotel, Hussa Hotel (also known as "Gawharet Al Ahram") and another hotel (now under renovation) called Le 3 Pyramids Hotel.
The Pyramids area is well connected to the City Center by the Ring Road, with a good traffic, it takes about 30 minutes.
Refer to the Giza forum for reviews of all the hotels.
Heliopolis
This is a pleasant district very close to Cairo Airport. The 2 airport hotels are not of a good standard, but nearby you can find others, for example Concorde El Salem, The Meridien and The Karvin Hotel (small and friendly business hotel). See TA member reviews on the Cairo Forum. Just outside Heliopolis is Mirage City (on the ring road), the JW Marriott Hotel is there, a quiet resort with nice pools and an artificial beach.
Conclusion :
Pyramids
If you are mainly interested in relaxing with views of the Pyramids, slightly cleaner air and less traffic noise and easy road access to Saqqara, Dashur and Alexandria, then the Pyramids area will suit your needs.
Down Town
If you prefer to be in the center of the city with a wide selection hotels (especially budget) and very easy access to all the main sites of Cairo and transportation links, then Down Town will suit your needs.
Zamalek
If you want to be central but prefer to be able to walk around easily and enjoy the local area, then Zamalek will suit your needs.
Heliopolis
A good pleasant area to stay ,but very far from the places of interest in Cairo. It is the nearest district to Cairo International Airport.
by: Egypt holidays
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