Written by mariam138

I don't think people give Cairo enough credit. In fact, when people think about Egypt, they just think about the Pyramids and the Sphinx (which is fair enough, those are cool too). But for me, Cairo will always be my favourite place in Egypt.

With my mum's side of the family born and raised in Cairo, I've spent many summers in Cairo with my cousins, aunt and grandparents. It really is a second home to me.

Now understandably, it would be quite difficult to navigate as a tourist as people only really speak Arabic and not much English. Even when I was younger I struggled to speak Arabic without the help of my family. But if you're brave enough, I would definitely try to visit Cairo at least once. The Egyptians are some of the friendliest people you'll meet and really pride themselves in their culture and hospitality. The sites are also stunning, especially down by the river Nile. Nowadays, there's plenty of restaurants and cafes by the Nile to sit and enjoy the views. The food is also great (maybe I'm biased as an Egyptian myself) - street food like Shawarma, any kind of fish, or just traditional Egyptian food (one of my favourites is a dish called Mumbar which is not something that exists in the UK at all). Cairo really livens up at night time though, with traffic not letting up until around 3 in the morning. Everything is open until midnight - cafes, restaurants, shopping centres - anything you want is still available. Music is everywhere, the atmosphere is just so lively and vibrant. I'm so happy that I get to call Cairo my second home, and can't wait to go back again soon.