Mamluk masterpieces, Ottoman houses and the busiest medieval street in the Arab world — a walking tour through Cairo’s living old city.
The 14th-century Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
The view from the minarets of Bab Zuweila
The Qalawun complex and its hospital founded in 1284
Bayt al-Suhaymi, an Ottoman merchant’s house
Tea at a traditional coffee house
Medieval Cairo was the largest city in the world west of China. Much of it still stands — and is still lived in. We start under the vast portal of the Sultan Hassan madrasa, cross to the Bab Zuweila gate and climb its minarets, then walk the length of al-Muizz Street, from the Qalawun complex to the Bab al-Futuh.
How I run this tour
It is private: just you, your companions, me and a driver.
The timings are a plan, not a schedule — we slow down wherever you want to.
Questions are the point. Nothing is too basic or too nerdy.
“The stones are 4,500 years old. The stories should still feel alive.”
Hour by hour
How the day unfolds
09:00
Sultan Hassan & al-Rifai
Two mosques facing each other across five centuries.
10:15
Street of the Tentmakers
The last covered market of appliqué craftsmen.
11:00
Bab Zuweila
Climb the twin minarets for a view over the old city.
11:45
Al-Muizz Street
Qalawun, Barquq and the madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad.
13:00
Bayt al-Suhaymi
Courtyards, mashrabiya screens and a garden.
13:45
Mint tea
Rest at a coffee house near al-Hussein.
The fine print
What’s included
Included
Karim as your licensed guide
All entrance tickets
Mint tea and a sweet
Not included
Transport to the meeting point (can be arranged)
Gratuities for driver and boatmen (optional)
Meeting point
Meet at the Sultan Hassan Mosque gate
Karim sends the exact pick-up time on WhatsApp the evening before. Running late or changed hotels? Just message — plans bend.
“Pick-up was on time to the minute, the car was spotless and the lunch spot was a highlight in itself. Book this — you won’t regret it.”
KKen WatanabeJapan · Sep 2026
“Honest, funny and incredibly knowledgeable. He told us which add-on tickets were worth it and which weren’t, and never once took us to a shop we didn’t ask for.”
CChloé MartinCanada · Aug 2026
“Travelling with two kids (8 and 11), I was worried about long days. Karim turned it into a treasure hunt and they still talk about the “king’s secret boat”.”
AAna SouzaBrazil · May 2026
“I came for the monuments and left with a real feeling for Egypt today. Karim answered every single one of my (many) questions.”
