Hurghada
The stingrays this dive site is named after are most commonly seen in March and April, but there are plenty of other attractions year-round at this…
Must-see attractions in Egypt
Port Said
This building once served as home to Port Said's community of Franciscan monks. It's not open to the public but you can admire its typically European…
Giza
The Tomb of Seshemnufer IV, just southeast of the Great Pyramid, is almost always open. There are carved deer on the entrance room walls and a burial…
Sharm El Sheikh
Flat-topped reefs called 'ergs' harbour plentiful fish. Rough waters or southerly currents can reduce visibility here to nada. Depth: 10m to 15m. Rating:…
Northern Nile Valley
Meryre II was scribe, steward and 'Overseer of the Royal Harem of Nefertiti'. To the left of the entrance, you will find a scene that shows Nefertiti…
Cairo
With its beautifully restored Moorish-style facade, this building which once housed an Italian insurance company, is one of Qasr El Nil's most notable…
Cairo
The pleasant Gabalaya Park & Aquarium has landscaped gardens with aquariums set in rocks (though not many actual fish). It’s a great central spot to…
Bahariya Oasis
This ancient necropolis includes the 18th-dynasty Tomb of Amenhotep Huy. Overall it's a rather uninspiring site that will only interest the most avid of…
Old Canal Shipping Agency Building
Port Said
Once one of Port Said's grand and important buildings, the old Canal Shipping Agency building is a faded, peeling and beaten-up shell of what it was in…
Sharm El Sheikh
Mostly used as a drift dive, with coral pinnacles at the southern end and salad corals to the north. Depth: 9m to 24m. Rating: intermediate. Access: shore…
Sinai
This pretty palm-filled oasis is a relaxing spot and makes for a nice add-on if you're exploring the desert scenery of the region. It's 16km northwest of…
Nuweiba
This large sand dune marks the end of Nuweiba City and the beginning of the Tarabin beachfront area. If you're in the Tarabin area, it's a good swimming…
Western Desert
Occupying Sherif Ahmed’s house, which itself dates back to 1785, the museum’s everyday objects try to give life to the empty buildings around them.
Northern Nile Valley
The recently renovated Sohag National Museum displays local antiquities, including those from ongoing excavations of the temple of Ramses II in Akhmim.
Siwa Oasis
This tomb's name comes from its wall painting of a yellow crocodile representing the god Sobek. Many of the paintings inside are badly deteriorating.
Sinai
This sloping reef of hard and soft corals is home to plentiful flitting fishlife. Depth: 15m to 25m. Rating: beginner to advanced. Access: boat.
Cairo
Built in 1408, the facade of the Mosque of Gamal Ad Din has a row of shops below, the rent from which contributed to the mosque’s upkeep.
Mediterranean Coast
Marsa Matruh's main beach has decent sand and clear water, but during summer you'll have trouble finding space to throw down your towel.
Giza
On the east side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu note the solar barque pits that housed the giant ritual boats buried with the pharaoh.
Cairo
One of the first independent galleries, Mashrabia is bit cramped but represents the bigger names in painting, video and sculpture.
Cairo
The several galleries here host rotating contemporary exhibitions, but it was closed for restoration when we were last in town.
Cairo
Off Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni, as much a clubhouse as an exhibition space, frequented by Cairo’s art-world new and old guard.
Port Said
The old and decrepit Woolworth's building on Sharia Memphis is one of Port Said's most lovely, rickety colonial remnants.
Nuweiba
Tarabin's skinny strip of beach is a mix of golden sand and small pebbles and has a decent snorkelling reef just offshore.
Cairo
This Mamluk-era merchant's inn dates from 1481 and was undergoing a vast restoration project when we were last in town.
Cairo
The rather grand facade of the Cairo Stock Exchange was built in 1928 and merges neoclassical design with art nouveau.
Alexandria
This neoclassical monument is a tribute to the Egyptians who lost their lives in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel.
Sinai
The spring of Ain Khudra oasis is where Miriam was supposed to have been struck by leprosy for criticising Moses.
Western Desert
In Bashendi's carpet-making cooperative you can see rugs being woven and browse through the showroom.
Mediterranean Coast
Thanks to Bedouin raids and marble pilfering, not much remains of the once-grand Byzantine pilgrimage centre of Martyroupolis, although the outline of its…
Red Sea Coast
The Eastern Desert is scattered with numerous Islamic tombs and shrines. One of the best known is that of Sayyed Al Shadhili, a Moroccan holy man and Sufi…
Cairo
The quirky but flyblown Police Museum is located within the Citadel's old prison building. Inside are displays of famous political assassinations,…
Bibliotheca Alexandrina El Gouna
El Gouna
Also known as the Embassy of Knowledge and linked to Alexandria's modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina library, this peaceful oasis is El Gouna's sleepy…
Al Fayoum
Al Fayoum is famous for its more than 200 waterwheels, which have become a prominent symbol of the town and the oasis. These four rather rickety and…
Red Sea Coast
Sikait, about 80km south-west of Marsa Alam, is thought to have been the main settlement for the workers in the Roman emerald mines. It's about 80km south…
Siwa Oasis
This almost totally ruined temple was dedicated to Amun. It was originally connected to the Temple of the Oracle by a causeway and was used during oracle…
Cairo
In a city not known for green spaces, this zoo is a haven for local families who come here to picnic and kick a ball about as well as gawk at the animals…
Monastery of St Mena the Miracle Giver
Mediterranean Coast
This monastery, built in 1959, is a major pilgrimage site for Egyptian Coptic Christians. Aswan granite and marble were used to build the large cathedral…
Northern Nile Valley
Five kilometres south of Tihna Al Gebel, the Frazer Tombs date back to the 5th and 6th dynasties. These Old Kingdom tombs are cut into the east-bank…
