Take the 5:15 PM or 6:00 PM train from Alexandria (Misr Station) to Cairo Central—direct, 2.5–3 hours, approximately 25 EGP (~$0.80). Arrive around 8:30 PM. Uber or microbuses to Islamic Cairo neighbourhood (Al-Gamaliya district), the medieval heart of the city and the most walkable, museum-dense area. Check into your Airbnb by 9:30 PM. Grab street food dinner at Felfela (Khan el-Khalili edge, famous for koshari and falafel)—order koshari for 15 EGP, eat standing at the counter. Walk the lantern-lit Khan el-Khalili bazaar (still buzzing at 11 PM), sip mint tea at a street stall, soak in the chaos.

Start with coffee at Café Naguib Mahfouz (inside Khan el-Khalili; order a traditional Turkish coffee for 10 EGP) while watching vendors set up. Walk directly to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (5-min walk, Tahrir Square side-exit through residential streets). Spend 2.5 hours on the mummy room, Old Kingdom sculptures, and Tutankhamun's gold—free entry for students with valid ID, otherwise 300 EGP. Pro tip: arrive by 8:45 AM to beat crowds.

Lunch at Um Ali (near Tahrir, street-level casual joint, 20 EGP for sweet pastry/feta combo). Walk to the Coptic Cairo neighbourhood (15-min walk south along the Nile-adjacent streets). Tour the Hanging Church (free entry, 10 AM–5 PM, stunning 7th-century basilica suspended above street level) and the adjacent Ben Ezra Synagogue (20 EGP, modest donation). Explore the narrow cobbled streets of this Christian enclave; it feels frozen in time.

Street food dinner at Ful & Ta'ameya carts near Coptic Cairo (6 EGP for a wrap of fava beans and herbs). Head to Al-Azhar Park (free entry after 5 PM; bus or 20-min walk north)—Mamluk-era gardens overlooking Islamic Cairo's minarets at golden hour. Sit on stone benches, drink sugarcane juice from a vendor (5 EGP). Return to Islamic Cairo, explore the Al-Muizz Street night markets (jewelry, textiles, spice stalls), grab hibiscus tea.

Coffee at a hole-in-the-wall ahwa (traditional coffeehouse) in your neighbourhood—order coffee and a cigarette (or just coffee) for 5 EGP; sit with locals playing dominoes. Visit the Islamic Art Museum (Bab al-Khalq, 10-min walk or one metro stop south; 300 EGP)—less crowded than the Antiquities Museum, world-class ceramics, glass, metalwork. Arrive by 9 AM.

Lunch at Koshary Abou Tarek (Champollion Street near Tahrir, legendary hole-in-the-wall, 15 EGP for a giant serving). Browse the American University in Cairo Bookstore (5-min walk, free entry, excellent for maps and local reading on Egyptian history). Walk through the colonial-era Downtown Cairo streets (Adly, Qasr el-Nil)—belle époque architecture, street vendors, hidden cafés.

Dinner at Ahmed Maher (Talaat Harb Street, roasted chicken and grilled liver, 30 EGP for a full meal with bread and salad). Catch sunset from Gezira Island (walkable via the 15 May Bridge; cross via pedestrian underpass)—stroll the green spaces, watch felucca sailboats on the Nile. Grab sugar-coated donut from a street vendor (2 EGP) on the way back.