Where to Stay in Cairo

Leafy island in the Nile filled with embassies, older apartment blocks, cafés and boutique hotels. Long-time favourite with expats thanks to relatively walkable streets, slightly cleaner air and a good mix of restaurants and laptop-friendly cafés.

Southern, greener suburb with tree-lined streets, villas and low-rise apartment buildings. Popular with NGOs, embassies and families. More relaxed and residential than the centre, with plenty of international schools, cafés and coworking spaces.

Historic downtown grid of boulevards and belle époque buildings around Tahrir Square, plus quieter Garden City by the river. Once faded but now undergoing a slow revival with renovated buildings, cafés and boutique hotels. Very central and atmospheric but noisy and busy.

Master-planned eastern suburbs with gated communities, malls, universities and newer apartment complexes. Car-dependent but more modern and spacious than central Cairo. Popular with higher-income locals and expats working in tech, finance or universities.