Up Town Hotel — Hotel in Cairo

The entrance of the hotel is a bit questionable, with trash, dust, and dirt, but the inside is clean. The breakfast is satisfactory, usually consisting of two slices of bread, cheese/ham/jams, two eggs, and a drink.

I took a few tours organized through this hotel: the Pyramids of Giza, a dinner cruise on the Nile, a Cairo city tour, and a trip to Alexandria. On the first tour, our first stop was at another tour agency, where they tried to sell us a new tour for the Pyramids of Giza. The first option was to see the pyramids by car (meaning, without paying the entrance ticket), take photos at the viewpoint for $60 per person, with a camel ride included. Another option involved paying the entrance fee to the pyramids, among other alternatives that I can’t recall. We explained that we had already paid for the full tour and didn’t understand why we needed to pay again. The agency employee became irritated, raised his voice, and said that if we didn’t accept, the camel ride would cost much more, over 1000 Egyptian pounds. The tour guide was also disappointing, providing only basic information we already knew from elementary school history. She was always in a rush to leave and even discouraged us from entering the pyramids, saying there was "nothing to see." During lunch, we barely had 10 minutes before she started hurrying us. The tour, which was supposed to end at 5 p.m., actually ended at 2 p.m.

The Nile cruise went well and was enjoyable. On the third tour, I had requested to add visits to the City of the Dead and the City of Garbage, but the guide claimed he knew nothing about it and said he had already shown us the City of the Dead (we had only driven through it for five minutes). He eventually took us to the City of Garbage, but I wasn’t sure if it was a communication issue between the hotel and the guide or if he was just trying to secure a tip. Moreover, after visiting the Coptic area, the guide took us to a spice shop that wasn’t on the itinerary, probably owned by a friend, where he likely received a commission.

Before the Alexandria tour, we requested a breakfast box since we needed to leave by 8 a.m. Initially, the receptionist confirmed that the box would be prepared, but when I checked again, there was a different person at the desk, who suggested we go to breakfast around 7:30 a.m. We waited until 8:12 a.m., but no one showed up, so we left for Alexandria without breakfast, even though we had paid for it.

On the Alexandria tour, we didn’t buy tickets for Pompey’s Pillar because, according to the guide, “there’s only the pillar,” nor for the Qaitbay Citadel because “it’s more of the same,” and not for the library, as he said we could see the reading area from the outside without paying. I also asked to visit a beach, but the one he took us to was filthy. Additionally, during both this tour and the Cairo city tour, the guide told me I had to pay for parking at every stop, which seemed quite unusual.

The highlight of all the tours was the driver, Hany Saleh, who accompanied us on every trip. He was extremely kind and helpful. At the end, he even helped us buy tickets for Luxor, driving us to the station and assisting with the purchase.

In summary, I recommend the hotel with some reservations (the breakfast situation was frustrating), I do not recommend the guides, but I highly...

The entrance of the hotel is a bit questionable, with trash, dust, and dirt, but the inside is clean. The breakfast is satisfactory, usually consisting of two slices of bread, cheese/ham/jams, two eggs, and a drink.||I took a few tours organized through this hotel: the Pyramids of Giza, a dinner cruise on the Nile, a Cairo city tour, and a trip to Alexandria. On the first tour, our first stop was at another tour agency, where they tried to sell us a new tour for the Pyramids of Giza. The first option was to see the pyramids by car (meaning, without paying the entrance ticket), take photos at the viewpoint for $60 per person, with a camel ride included. Another option involved paying the entrance fee to the pyramids, among other alternatives that I can’t recall. We explained that we had already paid for the full tour and didn’t understand why we needed to pay again. The agency employee became irritated, raised his voice, and said that if we didn’t accept, the camel ride would cost much more, over 1000 Egyptian pounds. The tour guide was also disappointing, providing only basic information we already knew from elementary school history. She was always in a rush to leave and even discouraged us from entering the pyramids, saying there was "nothing to see." During lunch, we barely had 10 minutes before she started hurrying us. The tour, which was supposed to end at 5 p.m., actually ended at 2 p.m.||The Nile cruise went well and was enjoyable. On the third tour, I had requested to add visits to the City of the Dead and the City of Garbage, but the guide claimed he knew nothing about it and said he had already shown us the City of the Dead (we had only driven through it for five minutes). He eventually took us to the City of Garbage, but I wasn’t sure if it was a communication issue between the hotel and the guide or if he was just trying to secure a tip. Moreover, after visiting the Coptic area, the guide took us to a spice shop that wasn’t on the itinerary, probably owned by a friend, where he likely received a commission.||Before the Alexandria tour, we requested a breakfast box since we needed to leave by 8 a.m. Initially, the receptionist confirmed that the box would be prepared, but when I checked again, there was a different person at the desk, who suggested we go to breakfast around 7:30 a.m. We waited until 8:12 a.m., but no one showed up, so we left for Alexandria without breakfast, even though we had paid for it.||On the Alexandria tour, we didn’t buy tickets for Pompey’s Pillar because, according to the guide, “there’s only the pillar,” nor for the Qaitbay Citadel because “it’s more of the same,” and not for the library, as he said we could see the reading area from the outside without paying. I also asked to visit a beach, but the one he took us to was filthy. Additionally, during both this tour and the Cairo city tour, the guide told me I had to pay for parking at every stop, which seemed quite unusual.||The highlight of all the tours was the driver, Hany Saleh, who accompanied us on every trip. He was extremely kind and helpful. At the end, he even helped us buy tickets for Luxor, driving us to the station and assisting with the purchase.||In summary, I recommend the hotel with some reservations (the breakfast situation was frustrating), I do not recommend the guides, but I highly...

Up Town Hotel is located right in the heart of Cairo, just off Tahrir Square, with the entrance on the left side of the Attijariwafa Bank, on the 5th floor. The location is undeniably central, which is great for sightseeing – but it comes at a cost.

When you're traveling, what you usually expect from a hotel is the ability to clean up, take care of yourself, rest, and get a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, this wasn't always possible here. Even though my room faced an internal courtyard, the noise was relentless – day and night – with constant car horns echoing from the street. While Cairo is known for its traffic, a hotel in such a location should invest in proper soundproof windows. Without them, restful sleep is nearly impossible.

Another major issue was the water supply. On the day I arrived, there was no running water at all – not even cold – due to a building-wide outage. After a long journey, I was really looking forward to a shower, but the water didn't return for over two hours. On another day, water was unavailable from morning until evening, making it impossible to brush teeth, wash hands, or freshen up before heading out. In a country like Egypt, where hygiene is particularly important, this is a real concern.

Other minor inconveniences included a non-working TV remote (which I ignored) and very thin doors that do not block hallway noise – you can hear every neighbor coming and going. That said, the hotel staff are quite skilled at allocating rooms to minimize disturbance between guests.

Breakfast was served on the rooftop terrace. It was tasty and freshly prepared by a very kind lady who remembered guest preferences – a nice personal touch. However, it's worth noting that breakfast is not a buffet and tends to be repetitive over multiple days.

The air conditioning and fridge worked well, and the internet connection was reasonably fast. I’d rate the cleanliness at around 3.5 out of 5.

All in all, it’s an acceptable option considering the price and location. However, I would not recommend it for families with small children (who may struggle to sleep) or for travelers with strict hygiene standards. If you choose to stay here, be prepared – and don’t forget...