By type of trip
Nile Cruises Luxor to Aswan: Routes, Boats and Prices
Classic Egypt Tours: Cairo, Luxor and Aswan Itineraries
Nile Cruise and Red Sea Holidays: Two-Week Egypt Trips
White Desert Tours from Cairo: Oases and Desert Camping
Short Breaks in Egypt: Three and Four Day Cairo Trips
Tailor-made Egypt Tours: Private Trips Built Around You
Cairo · Islamic Cairo
The Cairo Citadel is a medieval fortress on the Muqattam Hills, begun by Saladin in 1176. Most people come for the Muhammad Ali Mosque, whose twin minarets you see from across the city, and for the view over Cairo. Entry costs EGP 550 for a foreign adult. The site opens daily from 8am to 5pm (egymonuments.gov.eg, checked October 2026). The mosque is included in the ticket. This guide covers what to see, what to wear, and which of our tours include it.
The Cairo Citadel is a hilltop fortress on the Muqattam Hills, on the eastern side of the city. Its full name is the Citadel of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, the sultan known in English as Saladin. You will also see it called the Salah al-Din Citadel or the Citadel of Saladin. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ranks it among the most impressive defensive fortresses of the Middle Ages.
Saladin ordered the fortress in 1176 but did not live to see it finished. Sultan al-Kamel ibn al-Adel completed it in 1207 and moved in. From then on it was the official residence of Egypt's rulers. That lasted until the mid-19th century, when Khedive Ismail moved the residence to Abdeen Palace in downtown Cairo.
Rulers kept adding to it for centuries. The ministry says the Citadel saw some of the biggest events in Egyptian history, up to the end of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. That dynasty held power from the early 19th century until the 1952 revolution. So the hilltop today mixes periods: a Mamluk mosque, an Ottoman-era mosque, a 19th-century palace and the great mosque that dominates them all.
The ministry lists the Citadel as open every day from 8am to 5pm. A foreign adult pays EGP 550 and a foreign student EGP 275. Egyptians pay EGP 60, or EGP 30 for students. Source: egymonuments.gov.eg, checked October 2026.
The Muhammad Ali Mosque keeps shorter hours. The ministry lists it as open from 8am to 4pm. If you arrive after 3pm, see the mosque first and the walls and museums after.
The museums inside have their own ministry pages, and their prices differ from the Citadel page. The Police Museum and Military Museum pages both list EGP 200 for a foreign adult. Both call it a joint ticket for the Citadel and the Police Museum. The Citadel page itself says EGP 550. Pay what the window shows, and ask there which museums your ticket covers.
The ministry's Citadel page gives standard hours only. If you travel during Ramadan, check the times on the day.
The Muhammad Ali Mosque is the building you see from all over Cairo. Muhammad Ali Pasha built it on the site of Mamluk palaces, and the ministry dates it to 1848. Our partner's itineraries spell it Mohamed Ali. Locally it is the Alabaster Mosque. The ministry links that name to the panelling that covers its walls inside and out. Beneath the panelling, the main building stone is limestone.
It follows a Turkish plan: an open courtyard and a prayer hall. The prayer hall is square. A large central dome rises over it, ringed by four half-domes, with four shallower domes in the corners. Stand in the middle and look up to see how the domes step down.
The twin minarets are the tallest in Egypt, says the ministry, at 84 metres each. Inside, look for the two pulpits, or minbars. The original is wooden and decorated in green. The marble one was added later.
The outer courtyard holds a copper clock tower. King Louis Philippe of France gave it to Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1845.
Muhammad Ali returned the favour on a far bigger scale. He gave France an obelisk of Ramesses II that stood in front of Luxor Temple. It now stands in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Its partner still stands at the front of Luxor Temple, so a Luxor visit shows you the other half of the pair.
The ministry names two more mosques. One is the mosque of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun. The other is the Ottoman-era Sulayman Pasha al-Khadim Mosque. Both are on the ministry's list of places to visit inside the Citadel.
The Military Museum was the first museum devoted to the history of the Egyptian military. It opened in 1937 in the Ministry of Defence building, moved to Garden City in 1938, and reached the Citadel in 1949. It fills al-Haram Palace, which Muhammad Ali Pasha built in the 19th century. The palace reopened after renovation in 1993. Weapons, uniforms, scale models and dioramas trace that history, with a focus on major battles and commanders. Outside, real tanks and aircraft from the October 1973 war stand in the open air. The ministry lists it as open from 8am to 4pm.
The Police Museum sits in the northern part of the Citadel. Each hall covers a period: police in ancient Egypt, in the Islamic period, and the history of firefighting. It shows fire engines from the 18th and 19th centuries, plus uniforms, weapons, and major modern crimes and assassinations. Models cover the struggle against colonial rule, which culminated in a battle at Ismailia on 25 January 1952. The ministry lists it as open from 8am to 5pm, with the ticket window closing at 4pm.
The building has a find of its own. It stands over the Lions Tower, uncovered while the museum was being built. Carved lions at the top point to the reign of the Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Baybars, whose emblem they were. The ministry says it is the only Mamluk-era tower of the Citadel to survive.
The ministry also lists the Al-Jawhara Palace Museum. Its website gives no hours or details for it, so ask at the gate whether it is open.
Time the visit around the mosque, which closes at 4pm, an hour before the rest of the site.
If you are going on your own, start early enough to see the mosque before it closes at 4pm. The site opens at 8am. Haze is the main risk to the view, and on a bad day it hides most of the city. A clear day gives you the full panorama.
On our tours the Citadel shares a day with Coptic Cairo and one of the big museums. The Cairo days run as private tours, so ask your guide on the day if you want longer at the mosque or a museum.
Dress for the mosque, and you are dressed for the whole Citadel. Women need hair, arms and legs covered. Men need long trousers and sleeves. A large light scarf solves most of this for women.
Shoes come off at the door. An attendant minds them and will expect a tip. Carry socks, because summer courtyards get hot and the carpets are dusty. Larger mosques on the visitor circuit often keep wraps at the door, but practice varies, so bring your own.
Avoid prayer times. Keep your voice down inside, and ask before you photograph anyone at prayer. Outside the mosque, the Citadel is an open hilltop site. Wear shoes you can walk in, and carry water and a hat in the warmer months.
Yes, as part of a second day in Cairo. The view over the city is the strongest reason to go. The Muhammad Ali Mosque is the landmark, and its interior is impressive in a heavy, later-Ottoman way.
If you have one day in Cairo, spend it on Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Our things to do in Cairo guide ranks the Citadel below al-Muizz Street, so treat it as a stop on a guided day. Most guided Cairo days include it anyway, ours among them.
It works best combined with what lies around it. The Sultan Hassan mosque stands below the hill. Coptic Cairo follows the Citadel on every one of our trips that includes it. The Cave Church is on the same Muqattam Hills, and it pairs well with the Citadel. For the medieval streets of al-Muizz and Khan el-Khalili, plan a separate afternoon. Our things to do in Cairo guide ranks them all.
Ten of the trips we sell with our partner, Memphis Tours, include the Citadel. Each one names the Muhammad Ali Mosque inside it, and each follows it with Coptic Cairo the same day. On all ten, the Cairo days run as private tours with an English-speaking guide. Prices are from-prices in US dollars, per person, land only.
Cairo only: the Cairo Short Break, 5 days, from US$935. The Citadel is on day 3, after the Egyptian Museum and lunch.
With a Nile cruise, it also falls on day 3, after the Egyptian Museum: Cairo and a Nile Cruise, 10 days, from US$2,635. Cairo, Luxor and a Nile Cruise, 12 days, from US$3,160. Cairo, a Nile Cruise and Hurghada, 13 days, from US$2,945. Cairo, Luxor, a Nile Cruise and the White Desert, 14 days, from US$3,815. Cairo, Luxor and a Nile Cruise, 15 days, from US$3,985. The Grand Tour of Egypt, 16 days, from US$3,910.
Three trips save it for a last Cairo day, after the Royal Mummies at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea, 8 days, from US$2,040, on day 7. A Nile Cruise and Two Days in Cairo, 9 days, from US$2,385, on day 8. Cairo, a Nile Cruise and Hurghada, 11 days, from US$2,560, on day 10.
Four Cairo trips go without it: the Cairo and Luxor Short Break, 5 days, the 7- and 8-day Cairo and Nile cruise trips, and the Nile Cruise and Hurghada, 10 days. If you want the Citadel on one of those, ask us to add a Cairo day.
Yes. The ministry's page for the mosque says entry is included in the Citadel ticket (egymonuments.gov.eg, checked October 2026). You buy one ticket at the gate and walk in.
A foreign student pays EGP 275, half the adult price. The ministry's ticket site, egymonuments.com, sets an age limit of 24 for student single tickets. Carry a valid student card.
The ministry says the Cairo Pass covers all archaeological sites and museums in Greater Cairo, except the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The Citadel is one of the counters that sells the pass. A ministry document marked Last Update 2023 gives the price as $130, so confirm it at the counter. Whether it saves money depends on the exchange rate. Our Luxor Pass and Cairo Pass guide does the sums.
Yes. Single tickets for ministry sites can be booked on egymonuments.com, the ministry's ticket site. You can also buy at the gate. On our tours the visit is part of the listed sightseeing.
The ministry's Citadel page lists vehicle tickets: EGP 25 for a taxi or car, EGP 75 for a minibus and EGP 100 for a bus (egymonuments.gov.eg, checked October 2026). Its Police Museum page gives lower figures, so check at the gate.
No. Qaitbay Citadel is in Alexandria, at the western tip of the eastern harbour. It was built in the 1470s for Sultan Qaitbay, on the site of the Pharos lighthouse. Our 15-day Cairo, Luxor and Nile cruise trip visits both.
The ministry's Police Museum page says phone photography is free there. The Military Museum page lists a photography ticket: EGP 50 for foreigners, or EGP 300 for video. The Police Museum page asks you not to photograph other visitors or staff. The Citadel and mosque pages give no photo rules, so follow any signs and ask before you photograph people at prayer.
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
Written and checked by the Nile Trip Guide editorial team · Last reviewed . Entry rules, prices and opening hours change — check anything critical against the official sources linked on this page.
Plan this trip
A real itinerary with real prices, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged until you say yes.
5 days · Short break
Five days in Cairo and nowhere else: Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili. Four nights in one hotel, and every sightseeing day run privately.
from US$935 / per person
8 days · Nile & Red Sea
No boat on this one. Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a night in Luxor for both banks, two nights on the Red Sea, then back to Cairo for the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Royal Mummies.
from US$2,040 / per person
9 days · Classic Egypt
The standard Cairo and Nile cruise route with the day most itineraries cut: a second Cairo day at the end for the Royal Mummies, the Citadel and Coptic Cairo.
from US$2,385 / per person
10 days · Classic Egypt
Five nights in Cairo either side of a four-night sail from Luxor to Aswan. The Cairo days are private, just your party and a guide; the sightseeing off the boat is shared with a small group.
from US$2,635 / per person
11 days · Nile & Red Sea
The 10 day Nile-and-Red-Sea route with one more day in Cairo at the end, spent on the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Royal Mummies. Two days in Cairo, three nights on the river, three on the sea.
from US$2,560 / per person
12 days · Classic Egypt
The standard Cairo-and-cruise route with two extra nights in a Luxor hotel before boarding, which is what buys you the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum, and a day out to Dendera and Abydos.
from US$3,160 / per person
13 days · Nile & Red Sea
Thirteen days that give the ancient sites a week and then stop moving: Cairo, a flight to Aswan, three nights sailing down to Luxor, and three nights on the Red Sea at Hurghada before flying back for a last day in Cairo.
from US$2,945 / per person
14 days · Desert & oases
Fourteen days that add the Western Desert to the usual route: Cairo, two days of Luxor on land, four nights sailing to Aswan, then a drive west to Bahariya and a night out among the white chalk formations.
from US$3,815 / per person
15 days · Classic Egypt
Fifteen days of the ancient sites without a beach stop: Cairo, two days of Luxor on land, four nights sailing to Aswan, a Nubian village, then back to Cairo for Alexandria, Saqqara and Dahshur.
from US$3,985 / per person
16 days · Classic Egypt
Sixteen days and very little left out: Cairo, a flight to Aswan, three nights sailing down to Luxor, two more days of Luxor on land, three nights on the Red Sea, then back to Cairo for Saqqara and Dahshur.
from US$3,910 / per person
