Shahrazad

Cairo


Worth visiting for the gorgeous interior alone, this old-school hall got a makeover in recent years, and its Orientalist fantasia, complete with red-velvet drapes, feels substantially less seedy than other Downtown dives. This doesn’t necessarily inspire a classier air in the patrons, however. Occasionally the venue hosts a DJ night for an artier crowd.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Shar Hashamaim Synagogue

0.17 MILES

One of the few remaining testaments to Cairo’s once-thriving Jewish community, this art-nouveau-meets-ancient-Egypt Sephardic synagogue is very seldom…

2. Contemporary Image Collective

0.23 MILES

This art initiative often hosts excellent temporary art and photography exhibitions; check the website to see if anything is showing while you're in town…

3. Ezbekiyya Gardens

0.33 MILES

The Ezbekiyya Gardens, designed in 1870s, were once considered among the finest gardens outside Europe. They once covered more than 20 acres, with exotic…

4. Italian Insurance Building

0.37 MILES

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…

5. Cairo Stock Exchange

0.38 MILES

The rather grand facade of the Cairo Stock Exchange was built in 1928 and merges neoclassical design with art nouveau.

6. St Joseph's Church

0.4 MILES

This Florentine-style Roman Catholic church is a major landmark along Sharia Mohammed Farid. It dates from 1909 when Cairo was home to a sizeable Italian…

7. Townhouse Gallery

0.43 MILES

Set amid car-repair shops, Townhouse is Cairo’s most cutting-edge space, with a regular program of temporary exhibitions, often with an emphasis on video…

8. Postal Museum

0.46 MILES

A quirky, old fashioned two-room museum home to dusty cases of highly detailed models of post offices and tiny dioramas of postal services throughout the…