Montazah Palace Gardens

Khedive Abbas Hilmy (1892-1914) built Montazah as his summer palace, a refuge when Cairo became too hot. Sited on a rocky bluff overlooking the sea, it's designed in a pseudo-Moorish style, which has been given a Florentine twist with the addition of a tower modelled on one at the Palazzo Vecchio. Now used by Egypt's president, the palace is off limits to the public but the surrounding lush groves and Montazah Palace Gardens, planted with pine and palms, are accessible.

They're popular with courting couples and picnicking locals.There's also an attractive sandy cove here with a semiprivate beach (around £E10 to use it, although it's not particularly clean), and an eccentric Victorian-style bridge running out to a small island. If you ignore the fast-food restaurants, it makes a pleasant escape from the city-centre's traffic and build-up. A second royal residence, known as the Salamlek and built in an Austrian style, has now been converted into a luxury hotel.