Fairmont Nile City

A tower on the Corniche

Fairmont Nile City opened on 6 October 2010, in the 25-storey, 105-metre building set between the two office towers of the Nile City complex. It stands on the east bank of the Nile, in the Ramlet Boulaq district, north of downtown. The hotel is run by the hotel group Accor under its Fairmont brand.

The interiors are by Hirsch Bedner Associates, an American interior design firm specialising in hotels. The Michelin Guide, which awarded the hotel one Key (its hotel distinction) in 2025, describes rooms in cream and black tones with high-gloss wood, a nod to Art Deco.

With 562 rooms and suites, meeting rooms and wedding halls, this is a large city hotel. People come for the river view and for everything they can find without leaving the building.

An evening without leaving the building

In the evening, Cairo traffic stretches every journey: the hotel's advantage is that it brings together around ten restaurants and bars, all also open to outside guests.

• Bab El Nil serves Egyptian and Middle Eastern food, with live music in the evening. It is the place for a first Egyptian dinner.
• Saigon offers pan-Asian sharing plates, facing the Nile.
• Gingko pairs contemporary Peruvian cooking with international influences, on a terrace above the river.
• L'Uliveto is the in-house Italian: a large breakfast, Mediterranean lunch and dinner, then a cocktail bar in the evening.
• La Mie is a French-style bistro and café.
• Onyx Lounge serves afternoon tea daily from 3 to 5 pm, at 430 Egyptian pounds (EGP) per person or 780 EGP for two, by reservation.

Between 5.30 and 7.30 pm, the "Golden Nile Hour" at Onyx Lounge and Gingko accompanies the sunset over the river. The hotel advises booking Bab El Nil, Gingko and L'Uliveto on weekend evenings, which in Egypt means Friday and Saturday. In summer, the hotel holds Egyptian nights. The building also houses a casino. All times are local.

The Sky Pool and the spa

The pool is on the roof, on the 25th floor. It opens daily from early morning until sunset and serves a menu of hot and cold dishes. From there you see the Nile and the city rooftops, and the Giza pyramids on clear days. Booking is required: do it as soon as you arrive.

The Fairmont Spa opens daily from 6.30 am, to hotel guests and visitors alike, from age 18. It has a private hammam and a hydrotherapy circuit; the gym, open around the clock, is on the same floor.

Which room to choose

The standard categories are all 33 m²: the difference is the view. City-view rooms are the cheapest, "Partial Nile View" rooms see the river at an angle, "Full Nile View" rooms face it. For a two- or three-night stay built around sightseeing, the full Nile view is the option that changes the stay the most, at sunrise and sunset alike.

Fairmont Gold is a hotel within the hotel, across three floors: separate check-in, a private lounge with breakfast, a light dinner, an all-day honour bar and evening canapés, a 24-hour butler and a dedicated concierge. The Gold Signature Room (56 m²) has a balcony over the Nile. For a family, the Gold Premium Nile View Suite (102 m²) has two bedrooms.

Sabaro's view

For whom: travellers who want an urban base facing the Nile; couples and families who prefer to dine in after a day of sightseeing.

Strengths: the 25th-floor pool; the choice of restaurants, Egyptian, Asian, Peruvian and Italian; Fairmont Gold for those who want more personal service; a score of 8.5/10 on Booking.com based on nearly 4,900 reviews.

Good to know: the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum are on the other bank, in Giza; the hotel is large and hosts many events; each category comes as a smoking or non-smoking room, to be specified when booking.

Our advice: combine two nights here, for downtown, historic Cairo and Old Cairo, with two nights in Giza for the pyramids.