Where to stay in Cairo
Save time searching for the best hotel in Cairo. We've put together a handy guide for you, and we'll also throw in some tips on the best hotels in the city. Choose hotels, hostels or private apartments from classic portals like booking.com or agoda.com.
Where to stay in Cairo
Cairo can be divided into 5 main areas to stay in and outside of which you shouldn't venture. While Cairo isn't an outright dangerous city, outside of these districts it doesn't really look inviting in places and staying anywhere other than these areas will only be for the hardened of nature.
Centre
The best place to stay is definitely right in the centre of Cairo, which is represented by Tahrir Square and the main streets of Talaat Harb and Kasr al Nile. The centre ends with 26th of July Street in the north and El Tahrir Avenue in the south.
The centre of Cairo is full of shops, restaurants and very accessible by metro and bus.
Dokki district
One of Cairo's better neighborhoods is on the left bank of the Nile (opposite the center) towards Giza. Dokki is a residential area for the middle and upper-middle class, and you'll find several embassies (including the Czech one) and a few hotels. There is no shortage of shops or dining, there is one metro line running through here and compared to the centre, Dokki is quieter at night.
Zamalek Island
Cairo's largest island is one of the best addresses in the city. Its northern part in particular is full of embassies, shops and international restaurants, and Cairo Metro Line 3 runs through it.
Giza
If your main goal in Cairo is to visit the pyramids or the Great Egyptian Archaeological Museum, then it pays to stay right near them in the west of Giza, a complete suburb of Cairo.
In close proximity to the pyramids you will come across several luxury multinational hotels and really cheap local guesthouses.
Heliopolis
You'll also find a relatively large number of reasonably priced hotels in the Heliopolis district in the north of Cairo, between the city centre and the airport. This is a more upmarket residential area for the upper class with the headquarters of many major companies. The local hotels thus cater more to business travellers, but if you want to stay in a hotel near the airport and also towards the centre, Heliopolis can be an interesting option.
There is a metro line running through here, however the journey time to the centre will be at least 20-25 minutes.
Tips for the best hotels in Cairo
To help you find your way around, we've selected the best hotels in several categories.
Cheapest accommodation
For the cheapest accommodation with private bathroom in your room in Cairo, check out 25 usd and 60 usd for a night in a 2-bed room. Most of the time, however, you have to reckon with not very clean facilities or a bad location.
For example, we would recommend these hotels with decent ratings:
- Grand Pyramids View Hotel *** - a smaller hotel in Giza right at the south entrance of the necropolis
- Heritage Hostel Cairo - a newly renovated hostel near the central Tahrir Square also offers separate rooms with private bathrooms
- City View Hotel *** - a simple hotel with a great location in Tahrir Square
The Golden Middle Way
If you want to stay close to the centre in a nice apartment or a regular 3* hotel, expect prices between 60 usd and 80 usd per night in a room for 2.
However, the quality of local hotels is usually not up to international standards and, on the other hand, hotels of multinational chains are definitely not the "happy medium" in terms of price in Cairo.
- Cairo Capital Plaza *** - quite modern and clean hotel in the centre of Cairo on the main Talaat Harb street
- Nile Villa Hotel *** - smaller hotel with nice and modern rooms in a quiet area on Rhoda Island
International chains
Are you one of those travelers who prefer quality that you know what to expect from everywhere in the world? Taking into account the size of Cairo, there are not a large number of hotels of multinational chains operating here, and even for this reason the average prices are higher: between 110 usd and 270 usd per night for 2. We choose the best located and rated ones:
- Golden Tulip Hotel Flamenco **** - the cheapest of the larger chains, located in a quieter part of Zamalek, relatively far from Cairo's attractions
- Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo ***** - the best of the hotels near the Giza pyramids with good prices from 110 eur
- Ramses Hilton ***** - the hotel with probably the best location in Cairo, right on Tahrir Square and overlooking the Nile River
Prefer luxury 5* hotels? Some of the best value for money hotels include Kempinski Nile Hotel ***** on the banks of the Nile just a short walk from the centre of Cairo.
Hotel prices in Cairo
While Egypt's otherwise cheap prices might lead you to believe that even accommodation in Cairo won't be expensive, this isn't entirely true. There are relatively few classic hotels for the number of visitors to the city and therefore prices are kept relatively high.
You'll pay around 40 usd to 55 usd per night in a double room for a standard local 3* hotel within the usual tourist-friendly districts.
The better hotels of the multinational chains then usually offer rooms from 90 usd per night.
However, especially in the centre and near the pyramids you will also find really cheap guesthouses or hostels from 10 usd per night.
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3 comments
Thanks everyone for the tips and experiences, I finally booked the 2 bedroom apt., thanks to Zoharejda for the tip. They even sent me their number on WhatsApp already, so hopefully we'll settle down 😀
Fingers crossed. Just don't get discouraged and ruin your holiday. The Egyptians are a real pain in the ass, we had a lot to do last year to enjoy it. :D
Outside of the tourist destinations, it's fine, they don't deviate from the normal you'd expect. And unlike 20 years ago, they're more civilized, so in the countryside they don't stare at you like a calf at a new gate from 5-10 cm right in your face, nor do they shower the kids with pale face etc.
However, I hear they have made trains many times more expensive for foreigners - any experience in this regard will be useful.
Friends, please advise. Can anyone advise me on accommodation in Cairo where you have actually stayed realistically, it was not a scam, it was acceptably clean and at a reasonable price? I've been scrolling through the booking like mad and it seems to me that 80% of the offers are pure scams and even for the existing ones, 90% of the reviews are fake.
I've had bad experiences in Jordan so would like some real experience of an existing person.
Thanks.
I can't recommend a specific one, but the price-performance ratio in Kahir is a tragedy. If you want something where you don't have to shield yourself from everything around you, it's going to be relatively expensive. You'll either have to accept lower quality or a higher price.
Hey, Cayman,
Last year I changed, I think, three hotels (not that I was so boiled from Cairo, but I had to). The stars are just for decoration.
It depends on what you expect and at what price. I'm a fairly civilized pig, I can sleep anywhere, but the differences are abysmal perhaps everywhere in Africa.
The first night in Heliopolis, Beyrut Cairo Hotel, for about 1300 CZK per night. I flew into CAI late at night, so I took it for a ride. Elsewhere in Arab countries it shouldn't cost more than half that amount.
Then two nights at Atlas Int. Hotel downtown, for about 700 CZK per night. That was pretty good, I vaguely recall the neighborhood wasn't the best.
Last night without a reservation in a supposed 5* in Dokki, due to proximity to the embassy offices. That was about a grand, but by European standards a rather below average 4 star.
I don't remember anything about the quality of the breakfasts, but I've never had any either (or anywhere else in the world).
In general - don't take anything under 5k Czech, it must be a sock shop. Outside Cairo, of course, prices are elsewhere. Now is probably the best time, I found it safe even in the dark in the evening. On the main streets in sight of armed militia, cajts, etc.
Hi, we stayed in a 2 bedroom apartement in the center of Cairo, Garden City. The house was awful, but the apartment was pretty okay - except for a few minor things. But it existed!!! The other accommodation was the Blue Scarab Pyramids View in Giza, so we were severely vy.... there, the hotel did exist on the sign but it was a hotel within a hotel, our booking from Booking was useless, local scammers took us up on it straight away and offered us all sorts of disgusting rooms (horror!!!) all over the street, discounts, begging, threatening, calling managers. In the end we ended up in a pretty run down hotel of some cousin's brother about 1 and a half km from the pyramids, completely wiped out but happy to be staying. Booking promised a solution within five days, since then I eliminate his services, the compensation was 25 Euros. So Egypt never again. And be warned, the reviews on Booking about accommodation in Giza probably mean nothing, because you can't get to your booked hotel anyway, we weren't the only ones there who dealt with the fact that the hotel doesn't exist, but there are plenty of willing "accommodationists" around you right away.
I wouldn't say "never again", but decide on the spot and after viewing. It works almost everywhere, the capacities are huge...
Cairo is really hellish in this regard. Even though I once slept at the Intercontinental in Heliopolis for $300 a night, a chunk of the ceiling fell on me in the shower. And from the looks of it, the hotels I had reviewed don't exist anymore, or they have different names, or the recent reviews are pretty crazy.
Well, those reviews are often written by people who have comparisons from Western Europe and expect God knows what.
I slept at Panorama View Pyramids in December 2023 and it was surprisingly OK. No scam, room basic but clean. Only the restaurant was kind of expensive but you can eat elsewhere. https://maps.app.goo.gl/VhDX1kwv...eview.copy
I slept in December 2021 in City Hostel, which is not a hostel (it has only separate rooms, some with private bathrooms). A cheap room without a window, with shared bathroom and breakfast cost 10 USD (they showed me one first), but I got a free upgrade to a 3-bed room with bathroom from the booking office. My window faced a quiet alley, but the other rooms faced a busier street. It's close to a metro station, the staff spoke some English, and luggage storage after check-in was free. It was luxury by my standards and I can't complain about anything, although the breakfast probably wasn't anything special (I don't remember that, but I've revived the rest after reading my review at the time).
Hey. Hey,
we stayed in Giza, specifically Pyramids View Inn and everything was absolutely ok. It's clean, breakfast was fine, the rooms are European style (something between 2-3*) and they have two statues at the entrance, so you couldn't miss it and the surrounding hustlers/cheaters were unlucky :)
Then we stayed at Le Meridien Cairo aiport and they keep the world standard.
Aguero: unfortunately he is full in our date :-(( But thanks anyway for the tip
Vojtěch Hajek: this one is also full :-(((
For myself, I can recommend Soul Pyramids View (August 24) - modern new rooms, most of them overlooking the pyramids of Giza, parking in the courtyard, wifi, quiet at night, breakfast on the stress with a view good, dinner average and expensive..
Lenka: this one looks good, but $1125 for 4 nights is too much for me to pay :-)
I understand :) i paid around 75 usd/night with breakfast.. 2 adults + child. I have a whatsapp for them, try contacting them at +20 109 884 2414
Kajman77 - I'm glad it helped you, don't be scared when you see the house, the hallways and entrance are crazy... It's pretty hard to find too, we were driven by a taxi driver and wandered around desperately. Some things were really bad on the first day, the wifi didn't work at all, but we wrote on WhatsApp and everything was sorted out with the owners right away, then we asked for a second heater, it was delivered right away. They also have strange habits in the house, there's a "reception", actually a "homeless man" lives there and keeps an eye on it, but he also offers to take out the garbage (as long as he doesn't resell it - we experienced that in Giza, they waited in front of the hotel to see if we gave them garbage - I sorted it and then they sold it). There is an excellent baker a short walk from the house on the main, the shops are well stocked too, good veg and there is a Christian on the right of the house on the main selling beer and wine and has everything at very decent prices - shop two steps down. If you cross the main there are food markets, we ate there every day, never got ripped off and it was fine (compared to Giza where we were just ripped off) and we were fine. Otherwise, as it says, the neighborhood is residential, embassies etc, no.... just Cairo, buy food for the dogs and cats, it's a bit emotionally taxing all over. But on the other hand, it was still good here.. so enjoy and let me know how it was then.
Thanks a lot for the info. We're going with kids, we've already done some of it, but we've just had a bad experience in Jordan, one accommodation didn't exist at all, but at least they put us up somewhere else, the other one in Amman completely blew us off, we ran around like crazy, in the end we hurriedly looked for other (read more expensive) accommodation... so I don't trust those Arab guys anymore :-)