How to Spend 2 Days in Cairo, Egypt: Your 48 Hour Cairo Itinerary

How to spend 2 days in Cairo, Egypt? This is an absolute dream destination for anyone interested in ancient history. And its capital city Cairo is the heart of the action. Home to ancient wonders like the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, side by side with modern day Egyptian life, this city will have you marveling at the scale of human history. Read on for how to spend 2 days in Cairo. I’ve also included some practical guidance below on money, safety and what to wear.

Remember to buy travel insurance for your trip. Receive a 5% discount on Heymondo travel insurance.

Read: What to Wear in Egypt as a Female Traveler

10 Day Egypt Itinerary: How to Spend 10 Days in Egypt: Epic Itinerary

2-Day Itinerary for Cairo, Egypt

Day 1 in Cairo

Great Pyramids of Giza

The Pyramids of Giza are an elaborate royal burial site located right on the outskirts of Cairo. I recommend getting up early as it gets hot quickly in the desert! Built around 4,600 years ago during the Old Kingdom era, their construction is still a mystery! (Maybe it was aliens!). The pyramids were filled with treasures that the ancient Egyptians believed their pharaohs would need in the afterlife. These items (now mostly moved to museums) give us a glimpse into a long-vanished world, in which people believed their rulers became gods after death.

The Sphinx

To the east of the pyramid complex you can find the Sphinx. This giant limestone lion with a human head represents the pharaoh Khafre. If you stand right in front of the Sphinx you can see the pyramids in the background, one of the most iconic photo spots in all of Egypt!

9 Pyramids Lounge

Visiting the pyramids is exhilarating but tiring! You can relax in the 9 Pyramids Lounge after all that time exploring in the heat. Sit back on colourful cushions and drink tea while enjoying the view of all three pyramids. They serve delicious Egyptian food such as meze, tagine and kebabs. Reservations are required.

Try Koshari for Dinner

If you’re only in Cairo for a short time you need to make sure you try the Egyptian staple dish: koshari. It looks more like the sort of odd dish that I’d have concocted at uni – but it somehow works and is delicious! It packs in a decent amount of carbs (several types of pasta are mixed together) – perfect after all that time exploring the sites. Abou Tarek koshari restaurant is the place to go.

Day 2 in Cairo

Ibn Tulun Mosque

Ibn Tulun Mosque is incredible peaceful and makes a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of this wonderfully chaotic city. You can climb up stairs to the top of the mosque walls for beautiful aerial views of the mosque itself and the city beyond. Please wear respectful clothing and women are encouraged to wear a scarf.

Khan El-Khalili souk

This open air souk is a real treasure trove of kitsch! I’m not sure that all the items for sale are genuinely from Egypt (I suspect most originate in Chinese factories!) but it’s a fun atmosphere! Khan El-Khalili souk is a bit of a maze but it’s not too big. If you do buy something, you should aim to pay around half of the original quoted price – you’re meant to haggle it’s how things work here. Don’t fall for the trick of being invited into the shop to drink tea – it’s generally a scam and you’ll leave with your purse considerably lighter!

Sip Coffee at Naguib Mahfouz Cafe

Egyptian coffee is quite the experience, and where better to try it than the Naguib Mahfouz cafe. Located in the heart of Khan El-Khalili souk, this cafe is a tribute to Naguib Mahfouz, the author of the Cairo trilogy who won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. He is known as one of the greatest contemporary writers of Arabic literature, and used to often frequent this particular cafe. The cafe itself will transport you back to old Cairo, with Arabic music, hookah pipes and opulent decor.

Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum houses a whole host of ancient artifacts and you could spend hours in here marveling at mummies, ancient funeral masks, papyri and various other antiquities. I’d suggest allowing yourself 3-4 hours. The Egyptian Museum is generally less crowded in the afternoon. It is open from 9am to 5pm every day and you will need to purchase a ticket. Further information here.

Practical Guidance for Cairo, Egypt

As well as the itinerary for how to spend 2 days in Cairo, I’ve also included some practical guidance below.

Is Cairo safe to visit?

At the time of writing Cairo is safe to visit. You should always check your own government’s travel advice (UK example here) before you travel in case of changes. Make sure that you have travel insurance. Just like any other large urban area, make sure to take sensible precautions. Scams are common. Note that if you take photos of people wearing traditional clothing at the pyramids they will expect you to give them a tip.

What to wear in Cairo

Cairo is moderately conservative, but also modern. I’d recommend wearing loose trousers / long skirts, but you don’t need to be obsessive about making sure everything is covered. Head scarfs are only really needed if visiting mosques or churches. You don’t need a scarf for the ancient Egyptian sites but I’d recommend bringing one anyway to protect against the sun!

Read: What to Wear in Egypt as a Female Traveler

What time of year should I visit Cairo?

October – April is the best time to visit Cairo as it is a little cooler than in the heat of summer. It gets way too hot to be enjoyable between May – September.

How do I get a visa for Egypt?

Most countries need a visa to enter Egypt (check your own country’s official guidance), but the process is generally easy. You can apply for either a single-entry or multiple-entry tourist visa that allow 30 days in Egypt. You can apply for an E-Visa online here. It’s also possible to apply for your Egypt visa on arrival at the airport.

Money in Cairo (Egypt): (EGP)

If you’re visiting Egypt you’ll need Egyptian Pounds (EGP). To get EGP at the best rates, I highly recommend getting a WISE card before you go. This allows you to convert money into Egyptian Pounds (or any other currency!) at the best rates and then spend on your Wise card as though it were a local bank card or withdraw cash in Egypt without hidden fees. Wise is a UK-based financial services company (available in most countries worldwide) and is highly regulated in the various regions it operates in (in the UK it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority).

Get your WISE card here.

Travel Insurance

Make sure that you have travel insurance to cover you for your trip. I can highly recommend Heymondo. I use them to cover me for all my trips and their app is very easy to use.

Purchase Heymondo travel insurance here.