Wadi Degla Nature Reserve

A striking-looking pyramid-shaped monument, standing 36 meters high. President Anwar Sadat is also buried here.

A museum dedicated to the 1973 war against Israel. Airplanes, tanks, and other hardware from both sides are on display. Inside the building, there are videos and murals. This museum is very similar to the one in Damascus, Syria, but of course Cairo is safer to visit these days. Both museums were built with the help of North Korean architects, and the influence shows.

Erected by Baron Empain, this utterly bizarre structure was inspired by Angkor Wat and the Hindu temples of Odisha, and looks thoroughly out of place in Cairo. You can take a peek from the road, but alas, the interior has been off limits for years.

Once a grand hotel that opened in 1910, the Uruba Palace is now the official residence of the Egyptian President. The hotel fell into disuse in the 1960s, and for a brief period, the palace was home to the Federation of Arab Republics. In the 1980s, the palace was restored and became the official residence.

The old center of Heliopolis, with beautiful Andalusian style architecture and lots of old churches and cultural centres from the days of cosmopolitan, multicultural Cairo.

Annual cultural festival that takes place each spring, centering on Heliopolis’ Baghdad Street. The festival features Egyptian performing artists.