No one would claim that the modern centre of Cairo is beautiful. Certain streets do have a worn charm and there is the odd architectural gem. But for the most part the city centre is under siege from neglect, unregulated planning, and the destructive demands of the automobile. Yet anyone who spends more than a little time here quickly realizes that what central Cairo lacks in initial appeal, it more than makes up for on further acquaintance.

Tahrir Square is to Cairo what Times Square is to New York: not a grand plaza with stature and fountains, but a clamorous crossroads, filled night and day with people and a great deal of traffic. Every visitor spends time around Tahrir, if for no other reason than this is where you will find the famous Egyptian Museum.

From a landing opposite the hotels it is possible to rent a felucca, the graceful lateen-sailed boats that have been plying the Nile since antiquity. For a charge of around five dollars an hour a captain will take a party out, tacking back and forth across the river. Watching the sun set over the city skyline while languidly drifting on the Nile makes for a stress-relieving end to a busy day’s sight-seeing.