Cairo International Film Festival

This 10-day celebration of cinema brings together filmmakers, producers, directors, actors, writers, critics and movie lovers from around the world. Various venues showcase screenings of the latest flicks from the Arab world and beyond.

Cairo International Book Fair

One for the bibliophiles among you, CIBF is one of the largest book fairs in the world and, with over 2 million visitors per year attending, you'll need to work quickly to secure those used book bargains. Expect book signings, readings from up and coming authors and plenty of heated debate.

South Sinai Camel Festival

Several days of camel racing await the intrepid visitor who makes the trek to the South Sinai Camel Festival, held in the desert near Sharm El Sheik. Bedouin tribes gather from all over Egypt to pit their best beasts against one another to find the fastest camel. Whether you make like TE Lawrence and join in yourself is another matter.

Sham El Nessim

Sham El Nessim marks the beginning of spring, and the Egyptians have been celebrating it for over four millennia. Any public space is fair game, as people gather throughout the country to feast on traditional foods such as lupin seeds, colourful boiled eggs and fesikh, a highly pungent preserved grey mullet.

Cairo Jazz Festival

This 3-day festival takes place at Cairo Opera House, and features performances by popular Egyptian and international acts. There's also a series of workshops and master classes for budding young jazz musicians.

Kushari

Egypt's most popular street food is a veritable carb-fest consisting of rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas with tomato-vinegar sauce, and trying it is one of the most essential things to do in Cairo. Garnish with a little hot sauce and optional crispy onion.

_{Best eaten at
Koshary El Sabah, 51 Qasr El-Aini Street, Cairo}

Hawawshi

Question: What do you get if you take some minced beef and onions, stuff them inside a pita then bake until done? Answer: Hawawshi, your new favourite street food.

_{Best eaten at
Hawawshi Eid, Sharia Saray al-Ezbekiyya, Cairo}

Hamam Mahshi

The Pharaohs were fond of a pigeon, and this roasted dish of pigeon stuffed with cracked wheat and herbs is still an Egyptian delicacy to this day.

_{Best eaten at
Farahat, 126 Al Azhar Street, Cairo}

Ful Medames

This Egyptian breakfast staple consists of simmered fava beans with oil, lemon juice and garlic, often served with sliced hardboiled egg.

_{Best eaten at
Felfela, Hoda Shaarawy, Bab Al Louq, Abdin, Cairo}

Molokheya

This Ancient Egyptian dish is a slightly bitter green soup made from minced jute leaves, cooked with coriander and garlic then served over rice with chicken or rabbit. It's one of Egypt's national dishes, so it should feature on any good Egypt travel itinerary.

_{Best eaten at
Abou El Sid, Qesm Sharm Ash Sheikh, South Sinai Governorate}