Cairo holidays
Ancient monuments and a dense, modern capital share the same stretch of the Nile, with the pyramids of Giza on the city's edge and a fast-growing museum quarter around them.
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27°C NovemberBest Mar, Apr, Nov, Dec3–5 nights
At a glance
- history and archaeology
- museums and old-quarter markets
- short cultural breaks
Trip cost
- Return flight
- ≈€230
- Stay
- ≈€385
- Food & local
- ≈€70
Includes the return fare from London Gatwick. An estimate, not a quote — each booking happens separately with its supplier. How we work this out.
Prices shown on this page are indicative estimates in euros, not quotes. Every booking happens separately with its own supplier, at that supplier's own live price. How we work this out.
Stays
Stays in Cairo
Typically around €25/night, a Egypt-wide estimate · €55 mid-range — not a live listing price
Map
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Getting to Cairo
- AirportCairo International Airport (CAI)
- Transfer optionsTaxi
Cairo International Airport sits northeast of the city; taxis are the standard way into central Cairo, arranged directly or through hotels.
Indicative, per traveller. You book with Aviasales.
Areas of Cairo
A few places people base themselves, and who each tends to suit.
- Downtown / TahrirThe historic centre and the most practical base for reaching the Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and transport links on foot or by short taxi ride. It saves travel on old-city days but adds a cross-city transfer to Giza, so ask your hotel about the car journey.
- ZamalekA quieter island district on the Nile, suited to travellers who want tree-lined streets, cafes and easy river views away from the main traffic. It is also a cross-city transfer from Giza, so weigh the calm against the extra travel on the pyramid and museum days.
- Islamic CairoBest for visitors prioritising mosques, historic gates and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar over a modern hotel base.
- GizaThe practical choice for a stay built entirely around the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, further from the old city centre. It saves travel on the pyramid and museum days; expect a car transfer on the old-city days.
Cairo weather by month
Cairo is warmest in July, when daily highs average 40°C, and coolest in January at 20°C. February is the wettest month at about 11 mm, August the driest at 0 mm. Taking warmth and rainfall together, March, April, November, December score best for a trip.
- Best overall
- March · April · November · December
- Hottest
- July · 40°C
- Wettest
- February · 11mm
- January: average daily high 20°C, 5mm rainfall.
- February: average daily high 21°C, 11mm rainfall.
- March: average daily high 25°C, 5mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- April: average daily high 32°C, 2mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- May: average daily high 34°C, 0mm rainfall.
- June: average daily high 38°C, 0mm rainfall.
- July: average daily high 40°C, 0mm rainfall.
- August: average daily high 39°C, 0mm rainfall.
- September: average daily high 37°C, 0mm rainfall.
- October: average daily high 32°C, 4mm rainfall.
- November: average daily high 27°C, 1mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- December: average daily high 23°C, 6mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
How these figures are worked out
Monthly averages — ERA5 reanalysis, 2022–2024, a three-year average, not a standard 30-year climate normal or a forecast. Gold months are the best weather fit: each month scores on how close its average daily high sits to about 27 °C, with heavy rainfall counting against it, and months far outside that range are not ranked at all.
What each season is like
- Spring
- March and April warm up quickly; mornings stay pleasant for the Giza plateau before afternoon heat builds.
- Summer
- June to August is hot and dry with little relief in the middle of the day, so sightseeing works best planned around early mornings and evenings.
- Autumn
- September and October cool gradually from summer's peak, a comfortable and quieter alternative to winter's crowds.
- Winter
- December to February is Cairo's most comfortable season for sightseeing and its busiest with tour groups, with mild days and cool nights. Egypt's Coptic Christmas is on 7 January, a national holiday; a stay over 24–26 December falls before it.
Compare Egypt destinations
Still deciding? Other Egypt destinations, with the same weather and typical-stay data behind them.
| Destination | Aug | Typical stay |
|---|---|---|
| Hurghada | 36°C | 5–10 nights |
| Luxor | 43°C | 2–4 nights |
| Marsa Alam | 37°C | 5–9 nights |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | 41°C | 5–10 nights |
More from the UK
Good to know about Cairo
Why go
- The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx sit on the city's western edge, a short drive rather than a separate trip.
- The Grand Egyptian Museum, close to the pyramids, shows the Tutankhamun collection together for the first time since its discovery, according to UNESCO, while the older Egyptian Museum stays downtown.
- Islamic Cairo's mosques and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar sit within a walkable old quarter, with Nile-side Zamalek offering a calmer, greener base nearby.
- A workable 3-night shape: one day at the Giza pyramids, a separate day for the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the old city (Islamic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar) on the day you arrive or leave, as flight times allow. A fourth night gives the old city a full day, with Coptic Cairo or the Egyptian Museum downtown as an optional extra.
Worth knowing
- The Giza plateau and other major sites offer little shade, and midsummer heat makes a full day of sightseeing uncomfortable.
- Traffic and noise are heavy across central Cairo, and journeys between sights on opposite sides of the city take longer than the distances suggest.
- Persistent touting around the main tourist sites is common and can wear on a first visit.
- The Grand Egyptian Museum publishes its normal weekly timetable only; it does not confirm opening on 25 December, 7 January or any other holiday, so check the museum's own site for your exact dates before building a day around it.
- Tickets for the Grand Egyptian Museum are sold through its own ticketing site, linked under Official references. Plan the pyramids and the museum as separate days, with a separate transfer for each if your base is across town, and check the journey time with your hotel or driver rather than relying on the distance.
Official references
Authoritative pages worth checking before you go to Cairo.
- Grand Egyptian Museum ticketing site (opens in a new tab) — Grand Egyptian Museum
- Grand Egyptian Museum opening hours (opens in a new tab) — Grand Egyptian Museum