Howdy all! Today I am continuing on right from yesterday’s post about my time in Cairo. Yesterday’s post recounted my experiences visiting the pyramids at Giza and Dahshur, but my second full day in Cairo had me nutting out some of the sights there.

Well, in all fairness it was just a handful of sights. The first one was the Egyptian Museum, which frankly you could lose yourself in for a full day easily if you wanted. It’s a mind-blowing museum and one that I visited despite my dislike in general of museums because you just HAVE to see it, it’s chock full of Egyptian relics from the many dynasties going back thousands of years. The British Museum may have a better collection, I don’t know, but here you see it in the country you SHOULD be seeing it, right? Egyptian relics, sarcophagi, gold, jewels, paintings and more have been pilfered from Egypt in the last 150 years or so, and you will find them in museums all over Europe but it’s 2024 now and I think we can all agree they belong in EGYPT.

I took the Metro and arrived at Tahir Square, which sits in front of the museum. It’s a major square in Cairo and is often the scene of rallies or protests. The Museum costs 30 Egyptian Pounds or less than $2USD to enter for an Egyptian or a citizen of an ‘Arab’ country (not sure which countries this extends too), and for others it’s 450 Egyptian Pounds, or a little under $15USD. Look, $15USD for such an incredible museum is not expensive.

The museum is just crammed with artefacts and antiquities. And people, the crowds are just incredible, you are squeezing and trying not to push the whole time. Guides are available, but frankly I would have forgotten almost everything by the time the tour finished. It’s very hard to relate such ancient history with life today.

I spent over two hours in there I think. Bang, so much of the day gone in a blink of an eye. Everywhere you go, a sarcophagus here, a sarcophagus there! It surely must hold the world record for sarcophagus density in one place! Scrolls, paintings, tombs, I just don’t know how I could use words to do the place justice. People clamour to see the Tutankhamun exhibit in its own little climate controlled room. This occasionally has done world tours to other museums. There’s a fair bit of decoration and gold. Photos and video not allowed.

There are two levels in the museum, and on the top level parts have unlabelled sarcophagi on shelves like they are waiting to be examined. The building honestly isn’t big enough to house everything effectively although they do do a decent job with the space they have available. It must be hard to leave without feeling completely overwhelmed as I did.

The Metro in Cairo is pretty decent. I used it through the day to get around. Walking along the Nile at some point is a must even if the sections I walked were having footpaths constructed.

I headed, eventually, to the Palace of Prince Muhammed Ali, or Menial Palace Museum. Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik was born in 1875 and lived until 1955 and was basically the Monarch of Egypt during British control of the country. In 1952 Egypt was declared a Republic and he lived the last three years of his life in exile in Switzerland, but you can visit this beautiful palace of his. I arrived just before closing time, and was quickly ushered through by a kind guy who worked there who could have turned me away. I was unaware it closed that day at 4pm. I had spent hours in the museum, getting lunch and finding my way across Cairo to get here.

I saw the throne room which was cool – not as overstated as I might have expected, and other buildings on the site. It was quite beautiful and I would recommend it to those visiting Cairo. The highlight is the gardens which are just exquisite, people were having their wedding photos taken there it seems like a prime location in Cairo for this activity.

Finally I made my way to Cairo Tower. I walked from the palace to the tower, it really didn’t look so far on the map! But it was! It’s perched in the middle of Zamalek Island on the Nile River. Inspired by the lotus, it’s got a sort of lattice work exterior, whilst reaching a height of 187 metres.

Frankly, it’s all a bit of a scam. Firstly I was told I couldn’t take my DSLR up the tower and had to check it in. Then I am told there is like a 90 minute wait to get up the tower!! There is a restaurant one level from the top observation deck, and a café too. They offer an express service if you pay 300 Egyptian Pounds instead of 250, which is about $10USD. So I opted for that.

I still had to wait 30 minutes to get in the lift to the top, but it was better than 90 or more minutes. At the top, the views are Spectacular and the observation deck is open – no glass, there is wire to stop people falling, and so the views are amazing. I wanted to be up there for sunset but missed it by about half an hour, but there was still a glow in the right direction and so I wasn’t too unhappy.

The deck is very tight though, there’s not a lot of room and to move around you don’t move quick! Guys dressed as pharaohs will pose for photos for free, they were selling something though not sure what.

Then to get back down, well, there was a long line curled around the central tower and we were told 90 – 120 minutes! Yes express up but not down. Our ticket though entitled us to a drink/snack in the restaurant – there was a whole group of us with this express/VIP ticket, so we thought we’d wait there. WRONG. There was a 2 hour wait for a table! So they let us take away our drinks, and somehow we ended up in the lift going down quicker than we had been told. Not sure how that eventuated a couple of the people with the VIP tickets got a little hot under the collar.

Walking back to the Metro on the island was cool at first, but then along a main road that crosses the Nile via the island was a bit harrowing. Those were the three things I did in one hectic Cairo day. I think I may have had another stop planned but time, as always, got the better of me. The tower took way longer than it should have. Great views, not sure it’s worth the time or hassle.

And like that, the next morning would bring the train to Luxor. I had given myself a whirlwind tour of Egypt, and every day was super busy. The city and the country are a bit of a challenge, I guess, as a tourist and perhaps a quick hit and run tour of Egypt is the best way to go. I thought so at the time. Not so sure now. Stay tuned for Luxor, more of Egypt, and the continuing adventure of my 2023 trip ‘Dhaka to Dakar’! Thanks for joining me today, take care wherever you are in the world and… May the Journey Never End!