Egyptian Museum of Antiquity: this is the country’s most impressive museum facility without doubt and is home to a fantastic collection of over 120,000 artefacts. Objects on display hail from as far back as the earliest Egyptian dynasties up to the Roman period. A half day can easily be spent in the museum and still visitors would not have seen even half of its collection.

Pyramids of Giza: Egypt’s greatest tourist attraction is located a short distance from downtown Cairo and easily reachable via public or private transportation. The Giza Plateau is where the main sights are located and it’s here that visitors will find the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Sphinx and the Temple of the Sphinx. No holiday in Egypt is complete without a trip to see the Great Pyramids.

Bab Zuwayla: the old city of el-Qahira is no longer, however its southern gate, known as Bab Zuwayla, still remains. In the 19th century, Mitwalli, a local saint was said to have performed miracles close to the gate; and hence now the afflicted and aggrieved attach locks of their hair to the gate in the hope that the saint will offer them divine aid.

Bayn al-Qasryn: this was once the city’s focal point, the leading public square where markets and street entertainers presented their goods and talents to the people of Cairo. Today the square is home to three Mamluk palace complexes: the Madrassa and Mausoleum of Qalaun, the Mausoleum of an-Nasir Mohammed and the Khanqah of Sultan Barquq. Of these, the first is certainly the finest and is also the earliest, dating back to 1279.

Khan al-Khalili: plugged as one of the world’s largest markets and boasting UNESCO World Heritage site status, Khan al-Khalili is located in the Islamic district of the city and is the perfect place to appreciate the buzz of Egyptian life, do some serious people-watching and pick up some interesting items ranging from perfumes to coffee and tea to textiles. The site of Khan al-Khalili has been home to a market of some description since the 14th century.

Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan: between 1356 and 1363, the Mamluk ruler Sultan Hassan constructed this impressive building, which is hailed as one of the world’s largest Islamic structures in the world. Historians are in agreement that the mosque may have been built using stone taken from the pyramids at Giza.

Ibn Tulun Mosque: perhaps the finest mosque in the city and certainly the oldest intact mosque, this giant building is constructed from a mixture of wood and mud bricks. The architecture reflects Iraqi-influenced Islamic design as Ibn Tulin, the architect responsible, came originally from Baghdad.