Downtown, Cairo, Egypt - It has been regarded as the urban center of Cairo since the 19th century and it is now where most of the Egyptian landmarks that located in Cairo are found.
Downtown, Cairo (وسط البلد in Arabic) has been built with using the help of French hands in order to impress on the importance of placing the European architectural style of buildings in the area as well as implementing some of the other European urban planning that include wide streets and the geometrical harmony.
Being the urban center of Cairo for all these years, downtown Cairo is still considered the center of Cairo in general when it comes to reaching out for other destinations and one of the places where a lot of tourists prefer to book their hotels in order to be close to as many landmarks and touristic places as possible.
There are different places to visit in Cairo in general but when it comes to the downtown area, there are a couple of things to be mentioned. Talaat Harb sqaure is one of the landmarks that mark the downtown area in Cairo. Talaat Harb sqaure is where the statue of Talaat Harb, the founder of Banque Misr is located; this is a place where you will pass by or else get the chance to see if you decided to sit in Groppi, the first and oldest ice cream shop to be found in downtown Cairo and the one that managed to live until today, that it started to become a landmark on its own.
Abdeen sqaure is another famous attraction in downtown, Cairo, Egypt, and this mainly goes back to Abdeen Palace that is placed there. There are several restaurants and cafes to be found in Abdeen square and there are some festivals that take place there as well. Abdeen Palace has been one of the famous residential palaces for the presidents of Egypt before it all moves to Etihadia Palace.
Qasr El Nil Bridge is not like a touristic place to head for but this is also a place where you will most probably pass by when you are going back and forth from downtown to other places like Zamalek. Qasr El Nile Bridge has been always famous with the lions that stand on its entrance, making it different from any other bridge that could be found in Cairo. This has always been considered the first bridge to link central Cairo, downtown, to other areas found around across the Nile River.
Tahrir square is one of the biggest squares that could be found in Cairo, Egypt, and it is found in downtown where some old buildings and attractions are found as well, such as the Egyptian Museum. This square is known to be the place for the political demonstrations done and the latest was the 2011 revolution in Cairo.
The Egyptian Museum (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pgdh-QkLrw) comes next on the list and this is the place where most of the Pharaonic antiquities are found and is also the place were lots of important pieces of Egyptian history is placed. The Egyptian Museum is one of those destinations and Cairo attractions that tourists place on the list of places to visit in Cairo, Egypt, and it also happens to be in downtown area.
There are some attractions that are located near the downtown area that people consider them part of it, such as Cairo Tower (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAI9u-yX4-4), which is technically placed on Zamalek Island but which people always consider it part of downtown since it is only minutes away and could be also reached by walking - of course according to which part of downtown you are staying at. Cairo Tower is believed to be the second most famous landmark in Cairo after the Pyramids although it is not that much old, and it is considered the longest building in Egypt and North Africa.
These are most of the things that one could manage to visit in the downtown area of Cairo. The most important thing to mention here is the Nile River which is considered part of El Zamalek Island, downtown, Maadi residence area; it is actually the river that links lots of areas together.
The best thing to do in downtown, Cairo, Egypt, is to walk through its streets in order to spot those old European buildings built there, experience walking through those Egyptian streets along with their shops, and finally getting the chance to see those squares with statues found around which you might not get the chance to enjoy while being in a car (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zlUl2rMTVo).
Egypt has always been known as the country that is stuffed with several museums, monuments, buildings, temples, and other attractions that reveal the rich history that it has and this always makes Egypt one of the Arabian countries in the Middle East that people would be willing to visit in order to enjoy what the old Pharaohs have previously done.
From the general tips that you should keep in mind when it comes to walking the streets of downtown is to take good care of your belongings and never be too easy with beggars.
Downtown, Cairo, Egypt, is a hell of an experience, if you have been there and walked through it, tell us about it all :-)
