Living in Cairo, Egypt — Part 2
If you’re reading this article and did not read Living in Cairo, Egypt — Part 1, please scroll back. The first article introduces my life in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. It paints a “background” picture for the events that follow.
April 29- May 15, 2022
We just returned home from our second visit back to Egypt since living there. I will never feel like a tourist; Egypt feels like a second home.
The biggest surprise was the new freeway system. Many new bridges, exchanges, and newly paved, wider lanes. There is a vast difference in traffic flow from Maadi to New Cairo. I remember being very afraid of the traffic my first year in Maadi. It was bumper to bumper, with people constantly blowing car horns or changing lanes. People did not drive within the white lines, and it was very common for three lanes to turn into four. Another common occurrence was someone stopping and backing up on the freeway because they missed their exit! I was horrified and honestly rode to school for months with my curtains closed on the bus. My attitude was that Egyptians were the worst drivers ever for the longest time. Then I realized it was just their way, and they must be skilled because I never saw an accident in my three years there. In any case, the new freeways are a tremendous improvement to Cairo’s traffic.
When visiting Cairo, we have never stayed in hotels. Instead, we stayed in Airbnbs in the neighborhoods where we lived. For $60 US dollars or more a night, you can expect an entire, lovely, two-bedroom apartment (not a studio). You will have a kitchen, living room, dining room, and full-sized bath. Apartments will either have a balcony, courtyard garden, or screened-in porch. I do not recommend this option for first-time “tourists” to Egypt. It could be a real culture shock for many reasons. A “seasoned” traveler to developing countries would adjust better.
Cairo has all the major, upscale hotels you would expect any major city to have. You have your choice of hotels on the Nile or near the Pyramids. From the Five Star Four Seasons on the Nile to the elegant Marriot Mena House that overlooks the Pyramids with a golf course and spa. Many other lovely hotel options vary in price. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Citystars Cairo before moving into our apartment when we first arrived in Cairo. The hotel is attached to the Citystars Mall, which has many restaurants to choose from and a cinema! It was a great way to “ease” into the new culture that was to be our new home.
While living in Maadi, a lovely weekend get-away was the LeMeridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa below.
During this stay, we visited many friends and walked to all our favorite restaurants and shops. We only ordered a car when necessary. Walking is our exercise during vacations. Always travel with good walking shoes!
A favorite American eatery and a tiny, unique gift shop.
A neighborhood vintage clothing and gift shop. A favorite coffee and sandwich shop.
No visit is complete without returning to the Pyramids. The main reason was to take pictures wearing the t-shirt of a friend’s restaurant in Charlotte, NC.
The Grand Mall. As described in Part 1.
Our favorite restaurant and bar! Located on Road Ten in Maadi. The best drinks I’ve had in all of Egypt. Great food and friendly staff. It opens for dinner at 4:00, Italian cuisine.
The owners of Bella Figure are lovely, and it is easy to reserve space for large groups. Since it was impossible to have individual, quality time with all our friends, we reserved a room for a dinner/social gathering before leaving. It was a wonderful time for all! May 2022
Although there are nice apartment buildings and beautiful homes/villas in Maadi, the streets are very dusty and need repair. The apartment building above, and villa below, are in the neighborhood we lived in.
The streets surrounding and leading up to the nicer neighborhoods were often dirty with trash. However, we did see some improvement in the amount of garbage that would sit on the streets for long periods. Another noticeable change was the number of dogs roaming the streets in small packs. I’m a dog lover, yet that was scary my first year. I soon realized the dogs were not pets; they just roamed the streets, not bothering anyone. I am not a cat lover, and many cats are still roaming the streets.
Many ex-pats are moving out of Maadi to New Cairo and beyond. As the name implies, the apartments and villas are new. They have beautiful gardens, and most are gated communities. They have sidewalks throughout, swimming pools, restaurants, and other amenities you would expect from gated communities in the States. The business district also has new, modern, high-rise buildings. We visited friends that lived in these communities. We both agreed that we would have lived in New Cairo if we had young children while living there.
Some of the gated communities in New Cairo are golf course communities. These courses have gorgeous, lush green landscapes. Because the locals do not golf, the courses are rarely crowded and populated by foreigners. They also have beautiful clubhouses with luxury spas. My favorite is the Katameya Dunes, which has a hotel and spa. I enjoyed the spa facilities during my visit.
Another lovely community is Madinaty. Approximately thirty miles from Maadi. A beautiful waterfall, gated entrance community. We visited one of our “surrogate” daughters there. Since our last visit, they have built a beautiful, huge mall named Open Airmall. It has lots of restaurants, shops, and trolleys to travel around the grounds.
In the article Living in Cairo, Egypt — Part 1, I mentioned including a twelve-hour layover (when possible) as you travel internationally. It’s a great way to visit a country you’ve never traveled to. We planned a twelve-hour layover in Paris, France, on this return visit to Egypt. My husband had never been to France, and he reserved tickets for us to visit the Louvre Museum when we arrived. Next, we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. We then ate at an outdoor café near the Eiffel Tower. It was a wonderful day!
Because we enjoy riding trains, we thought it was a good idea to take the train from the airport to the Louvre. Not! (Please take this advice.) If you are not fluent in French, take a taxi. We arrived at our destination and even figured out how to transfer trains on our return trip. However, it was a little frustrating, and it took time to navigate the train station and the walk to the Louvre. Don’t waste your time when cars are available as soon as you land. Also, make sure you are getting into a taxi, not a private vehicle, unless you ordered an Uber. My advice when traveling internationally is to contact a reputable car service or have your travel agency have a car available when you arrive. Most drivers will be holding a sign with your name as you exit the airport. At the end of my blog, I will be adding the name of a reputable car and travel service for Cairo.
The main reason for returning to Egypt this trip was to attend the Engagement Party of one of our “surrogate” daughters. It was held on a large party boat on the Nile. The boat sailed for two hours round trip. When the boat was filled with guests, it left the dock. The engaged couple stood on the pier waving to their guests. Of course, we were all baffled! Then, they stepped into a speed boat which circled our boat as they waved to all the guests before climbing aboard. It was sooo much fun! The party was just as festive. Lots of dancing and quality time with friends and relatives.
While living in Egypt and returning to visit, the times I’ve cherished most were having meals with friends and relatives.
This was an authentic Egyptian meal prepared for us and my cousins (visiting from the USA) when we lived in Egypt.
This was an authentic Egyptian breakfast served to us at our friend’s home during our last visit, May 2022.
So Many Things to Do…
Old National Museum
There were many favorite places and activities during our three-year stay in Cairo. Visiting the old National Museum was my favorite. If you are a “museum person,” you will feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you enter the building. Many of the statues are bigger than life; all are intricately carved. The museum itself was enormous in size and filled with ancient artifacts. However, we were told that the old museum only displayed a fraction of the artifacts owned by the museum. That was hard to believe! The good news is that the new, more extensive museum is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2022. (Not to be confused with the new National Egyptian Museum of Civilization) in Old Cairo. Check the website for GEM’s opening.
If you have never visited Egypt, it would be worth the wait. The new museum, called the Grand Egyptian Museum or GEM, is in Giza and overlooks the Pyramids. We saw the outside of the museum, and it looks spectacular and massive in size. I can’t wait to travel back and have a tour.
Old National Museum
Felucca Boat Ride
There were also many favorite boat rides on the Nile. Most weekends, we would take a one-to-two-hour Felucca boat ride. The cost was the equivalent of ten US dollars an hour, total, not per person. (plus excellent tips, of course!)
The boats were large, old, wooden sailboats without motors. They could accommodate up to sixteen people comfortably. We usually took boat rides in the evenings to watch the sunset with friends while having a picnic dinner.
When we lived there, TGIF Friday’s, the American restaurant chain, had a restaurant with a large deck overlooking the Nile. The inside looked like any chain in the States. Unfortunately, it has closed. We always came earlier than our date with friends to order food for the boat ride. Each Felucca had benches on the side and a table in the center. It was perfect for a picnic dinner while cruising the Nile.
A Felucca ride with friends during our visit a few weeks ago, May 2022.
There are a variety of boats available to rent. From small, catered dinner party boats to large, reception/birthday-sized party boats. Although each will increase in price, they are all very affordable compared to boat rentals in the States.
Traveling Throughout Egypt …
Nile Cruise
Of course, the ultimate Nile experience is the Nile Cruise. A very large riverboat with sleeper cabins. It is a mini version of a cruise ship. It has fewer amenities, of course, but still classy. Our cruise was in 2015. We flew from Cairo to Aswan, then cruised to Luxor. From Luxor, we flew back to Cairo. I can’t begin to describe the beauty of the temples in Luxor. You stand in awe in front of the bigger-than-life statues and the tomb of King Tut.
Below are photos that were taken of our riverboat.
There are many Day Trip options from Cairo
Ain Sokhna
With a group of ten, we rented a tour van to Ain Sokhna for the day. It is approximately one and a half hours from Cairo. We spent the day on the water. Very relaxing. May ’22
Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria has a lot of history, but it was just beautiful for me!
We would take a train and spend the day there.
The restaurants overlook the Mediterranean Sea, and the view is breathtaking. There is a long walkway along the sea and smaller beachfront restaurants for light snacks and soft drinks. This was one of my favorite getaways when we lived in Egypt.
Fayoum
Fayoum
A peaceful Desert Oasis south of Cairo with a natural waterfall in the middle of the desert! It is incredible and beautiful to see. You can picnic, ride horses, and relax for a day.
Dahab
We would probably name Dahab the most relaxing place ever. It is a world-class scuba diving destination. You meet people from around the world there. When you arrive, you feel like time has stood still. There are no high-rise hotels, no chain stores, or restaurants. Just local vendors selling their goods, lots of Scuba Diving shops offering lessons and snorkeling adventures. There are local restaurants of every kind, from seafood to Mexican to Asian cuisine. Our favorite hotel was the Coral Coast Hotel. We spent so many school vacations there with friends. It is an hour plane ride to Sharm, then approximately another hour or so drive by car to Dahab.
The Box Meal
A tiny favorite restaurant in Dahab was the Box Meal. Some of the best Asian cuisine I’ve tasted. It takes a while to get your food as they cook everything from scratch while you wait. My favorite ice cream place was called Ice Bubbles.
Keep in mind that all these adventures are done on a teacher’s Salary. From other international travels, I can honestly say that Egypt gives you the most adventure for your money.
Lastly, it is essential to be in good hands while traveling…
The website for touring Egypt is:
This tour company and car service are co-owned by Samir and his brother Ayman. Samir (above) has provided us with local car service since we moved to Cairo in 2015. His drivers are polite, accommodating, and drive nice cars. Two other things that impress me are that you always text the owner directly with your car service needs. They also handle day trips to tourist sites or trips to the mall. You are always told the amount of your trip in advance. The picture above is our recent trip to the airport as we were leaving Cairo. Samir’s local phone number for car service is +20 127 120 1330. The website has beautiful pictures of their packaged tours.
This has been a lot of information to take in. However, if you ever had thoughts of traveling to Egypt, I hope I have opened your eyes to the exciting adventures that await you!
Safe Travels!
Please turn phone sideways if writing is off.
