I was in Cairo for a couple of weeks earlier this year. I stayed in the Hilton WTC (World Trade Centre) Residence, which is like a serviced apartment on the Nile. My children, aged 14, 10 and 3, all loved it. They liked the chaos of jumping into cabs and negotiating the fare, almost all of the food and we all liked Khan el-Khalili market. My older kids enjoyed the spectacle of me haggling for stuff and pointing out how badly I was doing. There are a surprising amount of fast food places if you need them and you can get the supermarkets to deliver food and booze to you for a nominal charge. We also had a great time going to the historical sites.

Hilton WTC Residence, 1191 Cornich El Nile, World Trade Center.
Telephone: +20 2 580 2000
Khan el-Khalili market is just north of the Citadel in the centre of Cairo.

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Definitely check out the mosque and university of Al Azhar. Al Azhar is the oldest Islamic university of the Islamic world, and a beautiful building.

The market of Khan Khalili is great to visit, but closed certain days, so try and find out when. It's got lots of different things; be sure not to get cornered by sales people. If you wander far beyond the main strip, you'll find a local Cairene food market and its fascinating to walk through it, really lots of fun.

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Cairo is Africa's biggest city and one of the great cities of the world, where donkeys compete for road space with beaten up Peugeot 504s and clapped out Ladas. The first thing we did in Cairo was head to the market to meet the people. They were as expected - chaotic and eclectic. It's not everyday someone chops a camel head up with an axe right next to the cafe where you are eating. But the clothes seemed cheap and the spices exotic. And every deal seemed to start with a chat, a smoke, and a cup of coffee before business was discussed, which makes sense.

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