Qasr El Nil Bridge

Qasr El Nil is Cairo's most elegant bridge — guarded at each end by four bronze lions and stretching from downtown across to the leafy island of Gezira. It's a favourite Cairene sunset stroll: families, sweethearts and street vendors gather along the railings as feluccas drift below and the light turns the Nile to gold.

By day it's a busy artery; by evening it becomes a promenade, with the Cairo Tower rising on Gezira ahead and the water traffic sliding past beneath. Walk it slowly from the Egyptian Museum side toward the opera-house island, and you'll see the softer, romantic face of a relentless city.