Must-see attractions in Egypt

  • Abu Mena

    Mediterranean Coast

    Thanks to Bedouin raids and marble pilfering, not much remains of the once-grand Byzantine pilgrimage centre of Martyroupolis, although the outline of its…

  • Tomb of Sayyed Al Shadhili

    Red Sea Coast

    The Eastern Desert is scattered with numerous Islamic tombs and shrines. One of the best known is that of Sayyed Al Shadhili, a Moroccan holy man and Sufi…

  • Police Museum

    Cairo

    The quirky but flyblown Police Museum is located within the Citadel's old prison building. Inside are displays of famous political assassinations,…

  • Bibliotheca Alexandrina El Gouna

    El Gouna

    Also known as the Embassy of Knowledge and linked to Alexandria's modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina library, this peaceful oasis is El Gouna's sleepy…

  • Waterwheels

    Al Fayoum

    Al Fayoum is famous for its more than 200 waterwheels, which have become a prominent symbol of the town and the oasis. These four rather rickety and…

  • Sikait

    Red Sea Coast

    Sikait, about 80km south-west of Marsa Alam, is thought to have been the main settlement for the workers in the Roman emerald mines. It's about 80km south…

  • Temple of Umm Ubayd

    Siwa Oasis

    This almost totally ruined temple was dedicated to Amun. It was originally connected to the Temple of the Oracle by a causeway and was used during oracle…

  • Cairo Zoo

    Cairo

    In a city not known for green spaces, this zoo is a haven for local families who come here to picnic and kick a ball about as well as gawk at the animals…

  • Monastery of St Mena the Miracle Giver

    Mediterranean Coast

    This monastery, built in 1959, is a major pilgrimage site for Egyptian Coptic Christians. Aswan granite and marble were used to build the large cathedral…

  • Frazer Tombs

    Northern Nile Valley

    Five kilometres south of Tihna Al Gebel, the Frazer Tombs date back to the 5th and 6th dynasties. These Old Kingdom tombs are cut into the east-bank…

  • Stanley Beach

    Alexandria

    On a tiny bay with the old Stanley Bridge soaring above it, this beach has a modest patch of sand for bathing backed by three levels of beach cabins. The…

  • King Farouk's Rest House

    Giza

    East of the Great Pyramid of Khufu is a ruin of a different era: King Farouk’s Rest House, a grand neo-Pharaonic structure built in 1946 by Mustafa Fahmy…

  • Ezbekiyya Gardens

    Cairo

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

  • Nugrus

    Red Sea Coast

    The ruins of the actual emerald mines for which the region was once famed can be seen on the slopes of Nugrus, where the ground is littered with pottery…

  • Tanta Museum

    Cairo Outskirts & the Nile Delta

    The Tanta Museum is closed, and there's no known date for its reopening. If it is open though, it houses a good collection of artefacts found in the area…

  • El Qadim

    Red Sea Coast

    Located 7km north of Al Quseir in a small bay abutted by the Mövenpick Resort, this dive site boasts a complex network of interconnecting caves and…

  • El Kaf

    Red Sea Coast

    An easy plunge 10km south of Al Quseir that appeals to divers of all levels, El Kaf is a canyon pitted with small caves and passages, and accented by…

  • Shorbagi Mosque

    Alexandria

    The picturesque Shorbagi Mosque lies at the heart of the old Ottoman Anfushi district. Built in the mid-18th century, it shows how salvaged remnants of…

  • Hurghada Public Beach

    Hurghada

    Hurghada's public beach is not so appealing – it is often full of litter, and foreign women may feel uncomfortable about the attention they will attract…

  • Gawhara Palace & Museum

    Cairo

    South of Mohammed Ali’s mosque is the Gawhara Palace & Museum, a lame attempt to evoke 19th-century court life, but it’s most often closed. There are…

  • Al Fath Mosque

    Cairo

    On the south side of Midan Ramses is Cairo’s pre-eminent orientation aid, Al Fath Mosque. Completed in the early 1990s, the mosque’s minaret is visible…

  • Karba Matthba

    Red Sea Coast

    The mysterious ruins of what must have once been a substantial villa or complex sit on top of an isolated desert ridge. From here there are incredible…

  • Mosque of Al Qaid Ibrahim

    Alexandria

    This massive mosque, built in the 1940s, is a major landmark. It played an important role in the 2011 revolution as a gathering point for many of the city…

  • Old Police Station

    Red Sea Coast

    Originally an Ottoman diwan (council chamber), the once grand old police station on Al Quseir's waterfront is now a picturesque but dilapidated shell.

  • Public Beach

    Sharm El Sheikh

    Definitely not one of Sharm's prettier swaths of sand. Note that women swimming here in bikinis or other revealing attire are likely to feel uncomfortable.

  • Carriage Museum

    Cairo

    Houses a collection of carriages used by Egypt's royalty from Khedive Ismail to King Farouk. Like many of the Citadel museums though, it's often shut.

  • Tomb of Ankhmahor

    Cairo Outskirts & the Nile Delta

    The tomb of Ankhmahor contains similar precise friezes to the Tomb of Kagemni, but is closed because of deteriorating conditions.

  • Arab League Building

    Cairo

    This building (a good landmark in the vast Midan Tahrir area) hosts occasional gatherings of leaders from around the Middle East.

  • Mosque of Suleiman Pasha

    Cairo

    Sulieman Pasha, governor of Cairo's Janissary troops, built this small Ottoman-style mosque in the early 16th century.

  • Statue of Mohammed Ali

    Alexandria

    This statue of Mohammed Ali, Egypt's modernising 19th-century ruler, presides over Midan Tahrir.

  • Ruins

    Dahab

    This fenced-off area contains the very sparse ruins of an ancient Nabataean trading post.

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