Cairo is one of the greatest cities to explore, but it is not a fairytale city, with beautiful minarets and pitturesque bazars. Of course it has those, but they are not the essence of Cairo. Cairo is exciting, alive and with over 10 million people an overcrowded city.
The city of Cairo is also full of sights of different kinds. There are remains from the Pharaonic days, there are museums, there are loads of islamic monuments. See the special sights section for details for all these attractions.
Just walking around downtown and in the older residential parts inside the wall of the city where craftsmen work on the sidewalks outside their homes is also a real pleasure. It is easy to meet real Cairenes that are eager to discuss anything with you. Some of them try to lure you to their carpetshop, others are really interested and interesting to talk with.
Be sure to visit the bazar of Khan el Khalili to do some shopping, see shopping section for details.
