TOUCHDOWN
So many Cairos, so little time: the Egyptian capital is one of the world’s great all-night-party cities (above, top right) and yet also boasts the earliest Christian churches in the world and an Islamic citadel that even Richard the Lionheart couldn’t conquer. And, of course, there are the ancient Pyramids…

SLEEP
Sofi tel Le Sphinx (Alexandria Desert Road 12556, +20 (2) 383 7444) actually overlooks the Pyramids. Non-residents may argue that you’re spoiling the view but guests get to wake up to the pyramid of Khufu, mightiest of the big three on the Nile’s west bank. Alternatively the Nile Hilton [1113 Corniche el-Nil 1113, +20 (2) 257 80444] is next to the Egyptian Museum and the river, plus it sits opposite the stylish new opera house.

EAT
A Nile dinner cruise aboard The Maxim is something of a cliché (belly dancer and whirling dervishes come as standard) but the food is good; the set menu starts at £23. Specialising in Egyptian cuisine, Felfela is a chain restaurant, but don’t let that put you off. The branch at 15 Hoda Shaarawy Street [+20 (2) 392 2833] is kitsch but excellent value, and close to the Egyptian Museum, too.

THE SIGHTS
On your fi rst trip, why would you want to avoid the pyramids bordering Cairo and, of course, the Great Sphinx of Giza (above left). Go the whole way with schmaltzy music and commentary at the nightly Sound & Light show – it’s defi nitely a good introduction. Shows run from 6.30pm (7.30pm in winter) and admission is £3. By day, admission is £4; entrance to the Khufu’s pyramid is £9 extra. Numbers are limited to 300 entrants a day, so try and arrive early.

THE MUSEUMS
The Egyptian Museum [+20 (2) 575 4267; www.egyptian museum.gov.eg, admission £2, mummy rooms £3 extra] boasts the largest collection of pharaonic artefacts in the world, though only 120,000 (less than half) are on display at any one time. Arrive early to avoid the huge queues for Tutankhamun’s death mask. Alternatively, the Mahmoud Khalil Museum [Sharia Kafour 1, +20 (2) 336 2458; admission £2] houses a superb collection of post-Impressionist paintings.

ON TOUR
You can’t hope to cram in Salah ad-Din’s citadel, Mohammed Ali’s mosque, the 14th-century bazaar and the four Coptic Christian churches, allegedly the oldest in the world (above right, bottom) without a tour guide. Min-Travel [+20 10 104 3006; www.min-travel.com] offers an air-conditioned bus tour of all of the above for £27.

SHOP
Lehnert & Landrock [44 Sherif Street, +20 (2) 393 5324] is a great place to fi nd old books and prints (one of the original owners, Rudolf Lehnert, photographed Egypt in the 1920s), but beware; it closes for Egyptian lunches (2-4pm). The Dr Ragab Papyrus Institute [Corniche el-Nil, +20 (2) 336 7212] offers quality papyrus paintings (left) and is named after the man who reintroduced papyrus-makingto Egypt (he only died in 2004).

WHAT’S NEW
The Pharaonic Village on Jacob’s Island, Giza [+20 (2) 571 8675, admission £3], may be a touch Disney but how else will you see how Egyptians might have lived 5,000 years ago? For the biggest buzz head to the new Cairo Opera House on Gezira Island [+20 (2) 739 0114; www.cairooperahouse.org], an Islamic take on the Paris Bastille.