A Cairo day through Coptic Old Cairo and Islamic Cairo

A 3rd-century Coptic church suspended over the ruined gatehouse of a Roman fortress. Enter through a stepped courtyard painted in ochres and blues; the interior has cedar iconostasis screens and ivory-inlaid pulpits. Free.

Next door to the Hanging Church. The definitive collection of Coptic Christian art, textiles, illuminated manuscripts, and Gnostic papyri. Ninety minutes. Small entry fee.

The northern gate of the 11th-century Fatimid city wall. Climb to the top for a view along the Islamic Cairo rooflines. Walk south from here along Muizz Street after.

An old Cairene restaurant near the Egyptian Museum, open since 1959. Traditional plates — foul, tameya, molokhia, fatta. A tiled dining room hung with bird cages. Cash preferred.

The southern gate of the medieval city. Climb the minaret for the view over Islamic Cairo's rooftop domes and minarets. The Sultan Mu'ayyad Mosque next door has the matching twin minaret.

A kilometre of continuous medieval Islamic architecture — the highest concentration anywhere. Walk north from Bab Zuweila to Bab al-Futuh. At dusk the lights come on along the stone façades and the street fills with locals.

A modern riverside restaurant at the northern tip of Zamalek island. Mediterranean plates, a Cairo skyline across the Nile. Book a river-facing table. Shisha available after the meal.