Cairo buy · Money and Shopping in Cairo  TodayTourism All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels

Money and Shopping in Cairo


Money and Shopping in Cairo

Midan Talaat Harb
Midan Talaat Harb
ATMs are conveniently located in various places throughout downtown. A more secure option are the ATMs in the five star hotels. There also are numerous places that handle currency exchange, or you can try any major bank such as HSBC or Commercial International Bank for currency exchanges or redeeming travelers cheques. There also are a number of Citibank branches in Cairo. Foreign currencies can also be exchanged for Egyptian pound in all the Egyptian banks like Banque Misr , National Bank of Egypt , Banque De Caire , Arab African Bank , The United Bank , or the large branches of Bureau De Change. Be aware that many merchants will try and scam you out of as much as they possibly can. A particularly common trick are the papyrus museums. They come in many different flavours, but they often call themselves galleries, museums or workshops. You will be given a brief talk or demonstration on how papyrus is made, and warned against cheaper shops that make their papyrus from banana leaf (though no matter where you go, no-one has a sample to show you, questioning the legitimacy of this "warning"). Their prices will be in the hundreds, and you will be offered what appears to be an excellent discount. If you look around however, you will see most of what they offer is worth 1-5 pounds at the most. Tour guides, taxi drivers and hotel staff are all in on this, and will often get a 50% commission if they lead an unwitting tourist into this trap.
  • The Khan El-Khalili bazaar is a giant souq in Islamic Cairo. The merchants here are ravenous and skilled, so don't fall for the hard sell and be prepared to haggle. This is a great place to buy rustic glassware and perfume bottles. Be choosy.
  • Zamalek has a number of small, but high-end shops, along with shops selling crafts, jewelry and other items. Fair Trade Cairo in Zamalek is a great shop selling high quality crafts made by local artisans. Nefertari, also in Zamalek, has wonderful organic cotton linens, skin care products, and the like. There is also Nomad, that has a small, charming second floor showroom in Zamalek, as well as Nagada, and Khan Misr Taloun.
  • Diwan, in Zamalek, is a very nice primarily English-language bookstore.
  • Midan Talaat Harb and surrounding streets, including Talaat Harb Street, are home to countless shops, selling everything from shoes and books to sweets.
  • The Midan Ataba area in Downtown Cairo is home to large bookseller markets, where you can find inexpensive books, as well as electronics and clothing markets.

  • The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cairo


    Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cairo - updated Mar 2024

    SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Cairo hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!


    >>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<

    WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020


    Cairo Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

    Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | All Destinations