Cairo, Vibrant and Budget-Friendly, Is Ready Again for the World Stage

Omar pulled up in his red Toyota on the edge of the traffic circle in Tahrir Square, where just six years earlier, he and tens of thousands of other Egyptians had converged to protest the presidency of Hosni Mubarak. I hopped in and we sped north up the Nile Corniche, windows down, taking in the lights of downtown Cairo and enjoying the softest of breezes coming off the Nile — after another 95-degree day, any respite was welcome.

Traveling with his wife and young family, Omar (he asked me to only use his first name because of ongoing political tensions in the country) sat next to me on the flight into Cairo and was chatty and outgoing when I asked him to recommend things to do in the capital. Now, in the car, he was introspective about the past and his role in the protests. “It was incredible, as a people, to discover how much power we had,” he said. “I can’t explain it.”

But his memory of the Arab Spring is bittersweet. “We didn’t really understand what would happen,” he said. The economy has suffered since the uprising: Egypt’s currency is now worth less than half what it was in 2011, and a once-reliable stream of tourists has slowed to a trickle. Violent events like the recent attack on a mosque in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 305 worshipers, haven’t helped.

But Cairo itself is as engaging as ever, and I felt no less safe traveling around the ancient capital as I have in any American or European city. The staggering amount of history, with its impressive relics and monuments, remains a dramatic accompaniment to serene desertscapes and welcoming people. The best part is what a trip to Cairo will do (or rather, won’t do) for your bank account: It’s a great destination for bargain seekers, in no small part because of dwindling tourism numbers (5.4 million tourists traveled to Egypt in 2016, less than half the number before the Arab Spring).

A couple of logistical notes before leaving the airport: I picked up a SIM card in the lobby — eight gigabytes of data from Vodafone set me back 130 pounds (a little over $7). Also, don’t worry about getting a visa ahead of time: American citizens can purchase a visa stamp upon arrival for $25 at a kiosk before passport control.