Cairo: Coffee, Stone and Time

Evelyn and I chose a private driver for the day in Cairo for the same reason many travellers eventually do: simplicity. Cairo is exhilarating, but it’s busy, layered, and loud in a way that rewards local knowledge. Having a driver meant the freedom to move at our own pace, without negotiating traffic, directions, or timing.

Our morning began not at the pyramids, but with coffee. Caf Café Sphinx sits directly opposite the Great Sphinx, one of those places where the setting does most of the talking before the menu even arrives. We settled into an outdoor table with uninterrupted views of the plateau. It’s impossible not to pause when the Sphinx is staring back at you across the road, calm and unmoved by the swirl of modern Cairo around her.

The coffee was surprisingly good—strong, well-made, and welcome after an early start. Tour buses rolled in and out, camels shuffled past, and vendors began setting up for the day. The atmosphere was part anticipation, part disbelief. It’s one thing to know you’re near the pyramids; it’s another to sip coffee with a 4,500-year-old monument in your line of sight.

When we were ready, our driver was waiting exactly where we’d agreed. That reliability mattered. Cairo rewards patience, but it also rewards planning.

We entered the Giza complex through the main gates and began at the Sphinx itself. Seeing her up close is different from every photograph. The scale is deceptive; she feels both monumental and strangely intimate. Time has softened her features, but her presence remains absolute. Standing there, surrounded by visitors from every corner of the world, it was impossible not to feel the weight of history layered beneath our feet.

From there, we drove deeper onto the plateau toward the Great Pyramid of Khufu. As the road curves, the pyramid slowly reveals itself in full—and it still steals the breath. The sheer size defies logic. Stone blocks stacked with such precision that they have outlasted empires, religions, and languages.

We walked slowly, circling, stopping often. There’s no need to rush here. The desert light changes constantly, and each angle offers a different mood—harsh, soft, golden, stark. Evelyn stood quietly for a long moment, simply looking. I, inevitably, reached for the camera, knowing no image would fully capture the scale.

Having a private driver allowed us to leave when we felt ready, not when a schedule demanded it. No whistles, no herding, no hurry. Just space to absorb what we’d seen.

On the drive back into Cairo, traffic thickened and the modern city reclaimed our attention. Motorbikes weaved, horns sounded, and apartment blocks rose where sand had been only kilometres before. The contrast was striking—and somehow fitting.

By mid-afternoon, we were back at our hotel, tired but deeply satisfied. Coffee with the Sphinx. Standing before the Great Pyramid. A day made seamless by local knowledge and thoughtful pacing.

Some places demand effort. Others reward stillness. Giza does both—and doing it with the right driver makes all the difference.

Shukran شكراً - Lindsey