Middle East - Anthony Ham [112]
Other drinking spots include:
Odeon Bar (Map; 2576 7971; 6 Sharia Abdel Hamid Said; 24hr) Musty old-timer on a downtown rooftop, good for an emergency drink any time of the day or night.
Deals (Map; 2736 0502; 2 Sharia Sayyed al-Bakry, Zamalek; 6pm-2am) Rowdy and smoky den, jam-packed at weekends, pleasant at other times.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Sufi Dancing
There are regular, impressive displays of feverish Sufi dancing by the Al-Tannoura Egyptian Heritage Dance Troupe ( 2512 1735; admission free; 7pm Mon, Wed & Sat Oct-May, 8pm Jun-Sep) at Wikala of Al-Ghouri (Map) in Khan al-Khalili. Make sure you’re there at least one hour before to score a seat.
Belly-Dancing
The best belly dancers often perform at Cairo’s five-star hotels. The current favourite is Haroun El-Rashid nightclub (Map; 2795 7171, ext 8011; Corniche el-Nil, Downtown; admission E£300-630; 11pm-3.30am, closed Fri & Mon) at the Semiramis Intercontinental, where the famous Dina undulates. Performances usually don’t begin until around 1am.
For something a little more prosaic, bordering on the sleazy, try Palmyra (Map; off Sharia 26th of July, Downtown; admission E£6; 10pm-4am). In a cavernous, dilapidated 1950s dance hall, it has a full Arab musical contingent, belly dancers who get better the more money is thrown at them, and an occasional singer or acrobat. A similar option around these parts is Scheherazade (Map; 1 Sharia Alfy, Downtown; admission E£5; 10pm-4am), with an elegantly decorated interior, though a less than elegantly behaved clientele.
Cinemas
To catchup on the latest Hollywood fodder, try the Ramses Hilton I & II cinemas (Map; 2574 7435; Sharia Galaa) at the Ramses Hilton shopping mall. Tickets to day sessions cost E£10, evening showings E£25.
Live Music
For live music try the Cairo Jazz Club (Map; 2345 9939; 197 Sharia 26th of July, Agouza) or After Eight (Map; 2574 0855; 6 Sharia Qasr el-Nil, Downtown; minimum charge Fri-Wed E£60, Thu E£90; 8pm-2am). Table reservations recommended at both.
Several nights a week, concerts of everything from electronic fusion to classical to Nubian music are held at the El Sawy Culturewheel (Map; 2736 6178; www.culturewheel.net; Sharia 26th of July, Zamalek). The Cairo Opera House (Map; 2739 8144; www.operahouse.gov.eg; Gezira Exhibition Grounds) has two auditoriums hosting performances by the Cairo Opera and Symphony Orchestra, as well as concerts by local and international jazz and classical musicians.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
EgyptAir (Corniche el-Nil Map; 2577 2410; Nile Hilton, Corniche el-Nil, Downtown; Sharia Adly Map; 2392 7680; 6 Sharia Adly, Downtown; Sharia Talaat Harb Map; 2393 0381; 9 Sharia Talaat Harb, Downtown) has a number of offices. The main sales office is on Sharia Adly.
Bus
Cairo’s main bus station is the Cairo Gateway (Turgoman Garage; Map; Sharia al-Gisr, Bulaq), 1km northwest of the intersection of Sharias Galaa and 26th of July. It’s too far to walk from central Cairo – the best way to get here is by taxi (E£5 from Downtown). While the majority of buses leave from here, there are two other bus stations: Al-Mazar bus station (off Map), near the airport, where some international services depart and where most other services stop en route out of Cairo; and Abbassiyya (Sinai) Bus Terminal (Map; Sharia Ramses, Abbassiyya), where all of the services from Sinai arrive (confusingly, these leave from Cairo Gateway).
For details of international bus services from Cairo, Click here.
ALEXANDRIA & THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST
All services leave from Cairo Gateway. West Delta Bus Co ( 2575 2157), commonly referred to as ‘West Delta’, travels to Alexandria (E£23 to E£25, 2½ hours) roughly every hour between 4.45am and 1.15am. Superjet ( 2575 1313) runs just as frequently (E£25). Six services a day go on to Marsa Matruh (E£40 to E£46, 5½ hours).
LUXOR & ASWAN
Upper Egypt Bus Co ( 2576 0261) buses depart from Cairo Gateway. There’s one daily service going to Luxor (E£91, nine to 10 hours) at 5pm, going on to Aswan