5 Days in Cairo
🐪 Complete Itinerary & Cost Guide
5 days in Cairo lets you go beyond the highlights — take day trips, revisit favourites, and enjoy slow mornings. Here's a realistic day-by-day plan plus what it costs.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
This plan covers the essentials without burnout. Adjust based on opening hours, weather, and your stamina. Most days are 4–6 hours of activity with long meals and downtime built in.
Settle into your hotel, grab a light lunch, then ease into Cairo with Pyramids of Giza + Sphinx at 8am opening (go straight past the touts). Don't overbook day one — jet lag is real.
Grand Egyptian Museum — Tutankhamun's full collection. Pair it with a sit-down lunch nearby and an evening walk through a different neighbourhood.
Khan el-Khalili bazaar + El Fishawy café (open 250 years). Take the morning slow and use the afternoon to explore a quieter district away from the tourist core.
Islamic Cairo walk along Al-Muizz Street to the Citadel. Pair with a long lunch — Koshary at Abou Tarek (the four-storey temple to Egypt's national dish), ful and taameya from street carts in Downtown, grilled pigeon if you're brave.
Hit one final must-see (Islamic Cairo walk along Al-Muizz Street to the Citadel), pick up souvenirs, and leave time for a relaxed lunch before your flight or onward train.
What does 5 days in Cairo cost?
Estimates below are per person, including accommodation, food, local transport, and ~1 paid activity per day. Flights to Cairo are not included — they vary wildly by origin.
Cairo survival tips
Use Uber/Careem for everything — white taxis "broken meter" you every time. The metro costs pennies and beats traffic to Coptic Cairo.
Koshary at Abou Tarek (the four-storey temple to Egypt's national dish), ful and taameya from street carts in Downtown, grilled pigeon if you're brave.
At the pyramids, the camel photo extortion is the classic: a "free" photo on the camel, then a demand for cash before they'll let you down. Also ignore anyone saying the entrance is "closed" — they're steering you to a stable or perfume shop.
When to go
October, November, December, January, February, March are the best months for Cairo — the climate is at its best and crowds haven't peaked. Avoid June–August (38°C+).