Best hotels and hostels in Cairo

Hotel Longchamps is a favourite of returning visitors to Cairo. The comfortable, stylish rooms are spacious, well maintained and come with full mod-cons of a flat-screen TV, a minibar, and, lo and behold, kettles...

Run by a French-Egyptian woman with impeccable standards, the Roma brings dignity, even elegance, to the budget-travel scene. The towering ceilings, fresh white-painted walls, antique furniture and filmy white...

Modern, backpacker-friendly Bella Luna offers great value for money with bright and large simply furnished rooms, all with bathrooms that come with piping-hot water. In the cleanliness stakes for Downtown's...

This modern mid-rise does a lot right; one of the reasons it's used by many tour groups. Staff here are charming and on the ball, and while the large rooms may be boring beige, they all come with TV, mini-fridge,...

A serious step-up in room quality for Downtown, Golden's fresh, modern rooms are tiny but come with blue-tiled contemporary bathrooms and good facilities: fridge, satellite TVs, and (miracles never cease) a...

Built in 1869 as Khedive Ismail’s hunting lodge, Mena House dazzles with intricate gold decoration and air that perpetually smells of jasmine. The grandest palace-wing rooms are borderline-kitschy Arabian Nights...

The newly renovated rooms at this homely option are a great option – all large and classically styled with kettles, brand new mattresses on the beds, and chic beige-tiled bathrooms. Older rooms are much simpler...

The high-ceilinged, colour-saturated rooms at this old-school hostel are exceedingly simple but brim with old-fashioned character. All share toilets but air-con rooms have shower cubicles, and some now come with...

Ride the hand-cranked elevator up to rooms that ooze old-timer charm, with dark furniture and scuffed-wood floors (room 25 is our favourite). The air-con is noisy, and management is prone to adding surprise extra...

On the top floor of a commercial building, the Osiris enjoys great city views. In the spotless rooms, colourful appliqué bedspreads and palm-frond shelves add dashes of traditional flavour, though the single...

Historical atmosphere is thick in the lobby and public areas, which all occupy a 19th-century palace. The rooms, though, are all in two modern towers; many have tiny bathrooms, but touches like plasma-screen TVs...

This sophisticated customer has been shaking up the Downtown hotel scene since it opened in early 2017. From the vast, modern minimalist lobby with casual bar to the spacious, contemporary styled rooms, the...

With only nine rooms, this is an intimate choice in a prime position just off Midan Tahrir. There's a cheery blue-and-white theme running throughout with pot plants adding a cosy home-from-home feel. Rooms are...

After a very swish head-to-tail refurbishment, Cairo's Nileside Sheraton reopened in mid-2017 and is now home to some of the city's chicest rooms. Spacious and well designed – all soothing neutral tones and...

With only five rooms (three with private bathroom), this place is a cosy choice. All rooms are large, high-ceilinged, very simple and clean. There's a cute lounge to hang out in, scattered with kitsch Egyptian...

Of the two Four Seasons in Cairo (the other is in Giza), this one has a more modern vibe (check out the cool Omar Nagdi painting behind reception), and a handier location, 15 minutes’ walk from the Egyptian...

Tired from long travels? Rest up here in a room with superb views and let the staff look after you. This hotel, on the tip of Gezira island, is delightfully quiet, but it can be hard to get a cab out. There are...

Just a step from the madness of Midan Tahrir, City View is a well-run place with friendly, helpful management and views across to the Egyptian Museum. Rooms are cosy and come with good facilities of mini-fridge,...

Distinctly out of the tourist fray. Some rooms are quite dark, but standards are generally good and the place is kept shipshape and clean. The challenge is finding it: turn north on Sharia Al Mansouria (east...

Not far from Ramses Station, the Victoria is a grand old palace where the simple but decently clean rooms run off long halls lined with clouded mirrors. Don't expect much service-wise (reception staff are not...