Attractions

Cairo

Cairo isn't a gentle city. Home to more than 16 million Egyptians, Arabs, Africans and sundry others, the 'Mother of the World' is an all-out assault on the senses. Chaotic, noisy, polluted, totally unpredictable and seething with people, the sheer intensity of the city will either seduce or appal.

Cairo has plenty of fine 19th-century buildings, modern art and sculpture, precious green spaces and ancient districts (Islamic Cairo is a Unesco World Heritage site). Then there's the Pharaonic sites that stretch south of the city, not to mention Those Pyramids and That River.

Alexandria

Ruled by Cleopatra and rival to Rome, Alexandria is often said to be the greatest historical city, but with the least to show for it. Founded by Alexander the Great, it bears no trace of him; it’s the site of one of the wonders of the ancient world, but there’s barely a notable monument remaining.

Today it’s a provincial city, overcrowded with people and short on prestige. The arrival of a dynamic new city governor in the late 1990s has seen it undergoing something of a rebirth; money has been spent on the place. Buildings have been spruced up, trees planted and public spaces beautified.

Aswan

Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city, has long been the country's gateway to Africa. The prosperous market city straddles the crossroads of the ancient caravan routes, at the 'other' end of the Nile. In ancient times it was a garrison town of importance to early Coptic Christians.

The Nile is glorious here as it makes its way down from the massive High Dam and Lake Nasser - watching the feluccas glide by as the sun sets over the Nile is an experience you're unlikely to forget. A visit to the Tombs of the Nobles is worthwhile, a highlight being the Nubian Museum.

Luxor

Built on the site of the ancient city of Thebes, Luxor is one of Egypt's prime tourist destinations. People have been visiting the magnificent monuments of Luxor, Karnak, Hatshepsut and Ramses III for thousands of years. Feluccas, old barges and luxury hotel ships cruise to and from Cairo and Aswan.

The lonely statues of the Colossi of Memnon are the first things most people see when they arrive on the West bank, though the Valley of the Kings, including the spectactular tombs of Nefertari (closed indefinitely since January 2003) and Tutankhamun, are the big attraction.

Port Said

Situated on the northern entrance to the Suez Canal on the Mediterranean coast, Port Said is a very young city by Egyptian standards. Founded in 1859 by ruler Said Pasha when excavations began for the Suez Canal, the original settlement was established on land reclaimed from Lake Manzala.

Port Said was bombed in 1956 during the Suez Crisis, and again in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel; the damage can still be seen here and there, although the city was extensively rebuilt. Ferries cross Lake Manzala to Al-Matariyya and across the canal to Port Fuad.