Egypt's arts and cultural scenes can keep even the most dedicated aesthete busy for a lifetime. For those with energy to burn, Cairo is on par with the New York's, Paris' and London' of the world. And if its an authentic life driven experience you seek, as you flit between various aesthetic realms, you will quickly find that virtually no city can hold a candle to Cairo, which is the real city that NEVER sleeps.
Foreigners may well wonder about the seemingly indefatigable Cairenes: how do they do it? The secret: nap time, either in the really hot afternoon otherwise anytime in the evening, which happens to be between 5 and 10 pm, before the real life begins.

The astounding volume and perfection of ancient Egypt's monuments, sculptures, and paintings are unmatched anywhere in the world. Modern Egyptian artists are fortunate indeed in their heritage, less so in their patronage since the days of the pharaohs, caliphs, sultans, and Kings. Nevertheless, Egypt does have a thriving arts community filled with people for whom creating is a passion. It is also home to, and inspiration for, a number of foreign artists.

It used to be a dirty job, but someone just had to do it. The best bars are mainly found at major hotels and nearby tourist areas. The same thing goes for Cairo yet Zamalek and the Pyramids Road are two areas where bars are widely spread.

What you will see on a Nile cruise boat, which is all most tourists see, ranges from the sublime to the silly, mostly falling closer to the latter. It is definitely worth the loss of a night's sleep, while in Cairo you can equally attend the Oriental/Las-Vegas-like productions of the big hotels.