While people of different generations and walks of life have visited the zoo at least once in their life, and some a lot more, not many know that there’s more to it than just the animals. In fact, there’s a secret world once you enter the door of the Citadel Grotto.

The garden was established by Khedive Ismail in 1867, but it wasn't until 1902 that it was opened to the public, the same year that the Giza Zoo was also made public.

Moving out of Zamalek and across the river to Giza, we come to El-Orman.

Moving out of Zamalek and across the river to Giza, we come to El-Orman.

Put your right foot on the spinning wheel; use your two hands to shape the clay into a small circle and keep spinning and shaping till you have the perfect creation of a vase, cup, plate or ashtray.

Taking a short walk, El-Horreya Park is right at the other end of the street, across from Cairo Opera House. Hidden at the corner of the street, unlike El-Andalus, El-Horreya is quite spacious.

Starting off in the heart of the city, Zamalek has a lot to offer when it comes to parks and green space. At the entrance of Zamalek from Qasr El-Nil, at the southern tip of the island, you can find both El-Andalus and El-Horreya parks. El-Andalus can be accessed from the main gate on Gezira Street, across from Novotel Hotel. A ticket to get in costs EGP 5. At the entrance, you can spot small Pharaonic statues in the different areas of the park and cozy wooden kiosks with decks on both sides. Although the garden might be smaller than some of the other public gardens in the city, it is very well-maintained. If you continue to the right from the gate, you can find steps that take you to the upper section of the park, where the Andalusian style has a strong presence. While the lower part of the garden is perfect for a short walk, the upper section has a different kind of charm. Movie buffs will recognise that part of the park from some of the old classics, and even from more recent features like Samir, Shahir, and Bahir (2010). The gardens is built on different levels and the pathways and a central fountain are decorated with beautiful tiles. You can also take a seat on the beautifully decorated mosaic decks and enjoy a magnificent Nile view. The garden also features Andalusian-style arches with statues of lions in front of a statue of the so-called “prince of poets” Ahmed Shawky, with a line from one of his famous poems engraved on the back. You can spend hours up there just enjoying a quiet moment in green space with a breathtaking Nile view. While most of the park remains open until late in the evening, the upper garden closes its doors at around 5pm.

As Egyptians plan their escapes from jam-packed Cairo during weekends, or for the lucky ones, extended weekends, more and more are looking to head to new locations that put serenity and peace at the heart of the trip.

The reality of most camping trips is, it doesn’t matter what time you end up falling asleep. The sun will seep through the thin walls of your tent shortly after sunrise, tickling you into consciousness. So you sit up, slither out of your sleeping bag and, in my case, grab the gas stove and the coffee maker.

Al-Sakakini Palace in the Al-Daher area of central Cairo is safe and sound after a fire caused by a short-circuit erupted Monday night in the guardroom of the palace's basement.

If you are driving to Salah Salem or Downtown Cairo from Maadi, you have definitely come across or passed through the steel bridge that you can take from the square at the end of the Maadi corniche.

When crossing Salah Salem Road at any time of the day, you cannot miss the iconic Citadel of Salah El-Din dominating the eastern edge of the city. One might think this is the best this side of the city has to offer, but there's a world behind the beautiful fortress that holds a fine collection of Cairo's Islamic architectural gems.

The North Coast of Egypt, or Sahel as it is widely known in Arabic, is mostly associated with a vibrant lifestyle and hip social hubs.

Alexandria, Egypt’s second biggest city and the capital of the country in ancient times, is famed for its rich history and glorious past.

"A place acquires its value from the people that live in it," goes the Egyptian proverb, and Cairo is a vivid example.

When the Iraqi football team won the 2007 Asian Cup, cafes, restaurant terraces, and parking lots were filled with Iraqis, Palestinians and Egyptians celebrating the Mesopotamian nation’s victory over Saudi Arabia; the scene of celebration was not in Baghdad, however, but in Egypt’s 6 October city.

Of all of Egypt’s affluent neighbourhoods, Zamalek is likely the first to come to mind when thinking about the country’s upper-class areas.

If you have time to drive a bit further along the Gulf of Suez, you can find the Red Sea paradise of El-Gouna around 500 kilometres south of Cairo. El-Gouna is just 20 kilometres north of Hurghada; the resort was developed in the 1990s by Egyptian business tycoon Samih Sawiris and Orascom Hotels and Development.