ALIA & CHARLIE
ALIA & CHARLIE
11.29.2024
CAIRO, EGYPT
Events
Pick up from Sofitel at 5:00 PM
Sightseeing Activities
(all optional!)
Tuesday, November 26
Walking Street Food Tour of Downtown Cairo
1 pm - 6 pm
(Uber over to meeting point on Tahrir Square)
Wednesday, November 27
Walking Tour of Old Islamic Cairo + Khan el Khalili Market + Lunch
10 am - 3 pm
(10 am departure from Sofitel)
Drinks with Alia & Charlie!
(Location tbd)
Thursday, November 28
Tour of the Giza Pyramids
Breakfast at 9 Pyramid Lounge Restaurant with Alia & Charlie
9 am - 2:30 pm
(9 am departure from Sofitel)
Where to Stay
Higher end
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Garden City
~$500 / night
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View of the Pyramids
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Garden City
Mid to high priced
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Zamalek. This is our preferred place to stay and we have a room block! Get in touch if you are interested.
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Zamalek
Mid priced
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Zamalek
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In Zamalek (Airbnb style)
Zamalek
Zawal (Prints & Homegoods)
Mounaya Gallery (Clothes & Homegoods)
Madu Cairo (Clothes & Homegoods)
L’Oiseau du Nil (Clothes & Homegoods)
Siwa Creations (Clothes & Homegoods)
Malaika Linens (Homegoods)
Okhtein (Bags)
Mix and Match (Clothes)
Adam Elwan (Jewelry)
Azza Fahmy (Jewelry)
Where to Shop
Downtown
Cinema Radio Boutiques
Garden City
Cairopolitan (Souvenirs)
Where to Travel Outside Cairo
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Luxor & Aswan
Both are 1hr way by plane from Cairo.
Stay at El Moudira Hotel or the Winter Palace (Sofitel) in Luxor.
In Aswan, stay at the Old Cataract Hotel (Sofitel) or have a drink on its legendary terrace overlooking Elephantine Island.
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Nile Cruise
The most beautiful trip down the Nile, take it on a dahabeya!
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Siwa Oasis
The most magical place, completely disconnected from modernity! Stay at an ecolodge (no electricity), the most famous one is the Adrere Amellal, but there are many more budget options!
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Fayoum
Perfect for a two-day trip (2hr-drive from Cairo). Stay at the farm to table Kom el Dikka where you can learn how to make bread, jam, do pottery, horseback, and go on expeditions in the desert. Have their duck and stuffed pigeon!!
Or stay at the fancier spa hotel Lazib Inn.
Or glamp in the middle of the desert at Remal el Rayan camp!
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Alexandria
Stay at the elegant beachfront Four Seasons San Stefano or at the historic Steingenberger Cecil Alexandria.
Things to do: have the best fish meal at the White & Blue Greek Club, visit the Library of Alexandria, the Citadel of Qaitbay.
What to Read
Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz
Cairo Modern, Naguib Mahfouz
Miramar, Naguib Mahfouz
Beer in the Snooker Club, Waguih Ghali
The Cheapest Nights, Yusuf Idris
The Smell, Sonallah Ibrahim
The Map of Love, Ahdaf Soueif
Traces of Enayat, Eman Mersal
What to Watch
Alexandria Why? - by Youssef Chahine (1979)
There is a Man in our House - by Henry Barakat (1961)
A Rumor of Love - by Fatin Abdel Wahab (1961)
The Night of Counting the Years - by Shadi Abdel Salam (1969)
Yomeddine - by Dina Emam (2018)
In the Heliopolis Flat - by Mohamed Khan (2007)
Why Did You Make Me Love You - by Sandra Nashaat (2000)
Ice cream in Gleam - by Khairy Beshara (1992)
The terrorism and the Kebab - by Sherif Arafa (1992)
Downtown Girls - by Mohamed Khan (2005)
What to Know
AIRPORT - Cairo International Airport is the only international airport servicing Cairo; if you’re flying in from Dubai you can fly into Sphinx International Airport as well.
VISAS - For US and EU citizens, visas are bought on arrival at the airport and cost $25 USD in cash (bring exact change). Make sure to have a print out of the accommodation you’re staying in; you’ll be asked to provide an address at Customs.
AIRPORT TRANSFER - You can order an uber to / from the airport, book a London Cab Egypt for a more comfortable ride (https://booking.londoncabegypt.com/) or ask your hotel to reserve an airport transfer for you.
RECOMMENDATIONS - Do not drink the tap water in Cairo. When ordering a juice or lemonade, ask for it to be made with bottled water and avoid ice cubes that are not made with bottled water. Also avoid eating salads and uncooked vegetables.
WHAT TO WEAR - We are not imposing a specific dress code, we’d love everyone to dress up to party, look beautiful, and wear what makes you happy! It might get a little chilly at night so make sure to bring a shawl to keep warm!
