Cairo Orientation: East Bank, Nile Islands & the Giza West Bank

Sprawling across both banks of the River Nile just south of where the river splits into the Rosetta and Damietta branches of the Delta, Greater Cairo is actually two governorates that function as a single metropolis: Cairo Governorate on the East Bank and Giza Governorate on the West Bank, linked by the green river islands of Gezira (Zamalek) and Roda.

Four Geographic Zones That Shape Every Cairo Trip

• Khedivial Downtown (Wust al-Balad) & Garden City (East Bank): Laid out in the 1860s by Khedive Ismail along Parisian-style boulevards radiating from Tahrir Square and Talat Harb Square, holding the 1902 Egyptian Museum and the riverside promenade of the Nile Corniche.
• UNESCO Historic (Islamic) Cairo & the Citadel (Eastern Ridge): Two kilometres east of Downtown, the medieval walled city stretches from the 11th-century stone gates of Al-Mu'izz Street and Khan el-Khalili south past Al-Azhar Park to the Saladin Citadel, Sultan Hassan Mosque, and Ibn Tulun Mosque.
• Old (Coptic) Cairo & Fustat (Southern East Bank): Five kilometres south of Tahrir Square on Metro Line 1 (Mar Girgis), the Roman towers of Babylon Fortress enclose the Hanging Church and Coptic Museum right beside the 641 CE Mosque of 'Amr ibn al-'As and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC).
• The Giza Plateau, Grand Egyptian Museum & Saqqara (West Bank): Fifteen kilometres south-west across the Nile bridges rise the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), and the desert necropolises of Saqqara, Memphis, and Dahshur.

Cashless Monument Rules & Grouping Your Days by Bank of the Nile

Every Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities archaeological site and museum in Cairo and Giza accepts bank cards only (Visa and Mastercard) at ticket windows or via official online e-tickets (`egymonuments.gov.eg`). To avoid crossing Nile bridge traffic twice in one day, keep your West Bank pyramid day separate from your East Bank museum and medieval walking days.