Cairo City Overview

The "Mother of all cities", as Cairo is known to Egyptians, is a sprawling metropolis lying on the banks of the River Nile. It is a city of minarets and graceful domes and dirt and pollution, of oriental bazaars and medieval buildings, and squalor and poverty. With a population of 18 million highly excitable, noisy, and "baksheesh" demanding people, Cairo is an exciting, frustrating, fantastically interesting city and one that should never be missed.

Daily Budget
Pick-pocketing and haggling are the two facets of life in Cairo that will never go away, so don't carry your money in your back-pocket (rather traveller's cheques and Master Card tucked somewhere safe) and settle down to some friendly if hectic bargaining. If you are prepared to rough it at the cheapest hostels/hotels, dine from vendors carts, and enjoy just one historical site a day life for the back-packer comes fairly cheap at about US$22-28 a day, with meals available at approximately US$2-4, Lodging at US$2-8, and entry to attractions about US$10.