InterContinental Cairo Semiramis

WELCOME

Cairo's grand Nile-front landmark, beside Tahrir Square

5★ City LandmarkBed & BreakfastNile-Front CornicheBeside Tahrir Square726 Rooms & Suites

Step onto your balcony at the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis and the capital arranges itself around you: feluccas tacking across the Nile below, Kasr el Nil Bridge sweeping over to Gezira island, and Tahrir Square with the Egyptian Museum a few minutes behind the hotel. Few addresses in Egypt put so much of the country within a short walk.

SettingCorniche El Nil, beside Tahrir Square

Board basisBed and breakfast

Rooms726 rooms and suites, all with balconies

DiningNine restaurants plus cafés and bars

PoolOutdoor terrace pool above the Nile

AirportAbout 45 minutes by road

There has been a Semiramis on this stretch of the Corniche since 1907, when the original hotel opened as one of the grand names of Egypt’s golden age of travel. The tower that stands here today opened in the late 1980s, rises 32 storeys above the river, and has been a fixture of Cairo life ever since. Its restaurants are as popular with well heeled Cairenes as with hotel guests, which tells you plenty about the kitchens, and the lobby hums from breakfast until well after midnight.

Who the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo suits

First time visitors who want the Egyptian Museum and Tahrir Square on foot rather than through a windscreen. Couples spending two or three nights in the capital before a Nile cruise or a Red Sea week, a combination we arrange constantly. And anyone who simply wants a full service five star base with a balcony over the Nile, a concierge who knows the city inside out, and enough restaurants that you never need to repeat a cuisine.

Our honest take

This is a big, busy, glamorous city hotel, not a boutique hideaway, and the style is classic international five star rather than cutting edge design. What you are buying is position, outlook and dining depth, and on those three counts, in our view, nothing in central Cairo beats it. Book a Nile view room, arrive in time for sunset, and you will understand why this address has held its reputation for nearly four decades.

Fancy it? Let us price it properly.

Call our Egypt specialists free on 0800 041 8400 or request your tailored quote online. Every holiday is ABTA and ATOL protected.

Sailboat on river by InterContinental Semiramis, with greenery in the foreground.

Sailing boat on river with InterContinental Cairo Semiramis and green trees in the background.

InterContinental Cairo Semiramis lobby: polished floors, seating area, and decorative lighting.

SLEEP

Balcony rooms and suites above the Nile

Accommodation spreads over 32 floors, and every one of the 726 rooms and suites comes with a private balcony, which is far from a given in central Cairo. Views split between the river and the city, and the difference matters, so tell us which you want when you book. All rooms have air conditioning, a smart TV, a proper working desk, minibar, tea and coffee tray, a safe and free WiFi.

Rooms at the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo

Classic Room, City View

Sleeps 2 · around 33 m²

The entry category looks across the rooftops of downtown towards the minarets of the old city. King or twin bedding, a comfortable sitting corner and that all important balcony for morning coffee above the din.

Private balcony over the city
King or twin bedding
Smart TV, minibar and safe

Classic Room, Nile View

Sleeps 2 · around 33 m²

The same room, transformed by what lies beyond the glass: the Nile, Gezira island and some of the best sunsets in Egypt. This is the upgrade we recommend to almost everyone.

Balcony facing the river
High floors on request
Sunset views towards Zamalek

Club InterContinental Room

Sleeps 2 · around 33 m² · Lounge access

Club rooms add entry to the Club InterContinental Lounge, with private check in, breakfast served in the lounge, afternoon tea and evening drinks. Worth it if you like your comforts handled quietly, away from the bustle downstairs.

Private check in and check out
Lounge breakfast and afternoon tea
Evening drinks in the lounge

Executive Suite

Sleeps 2 · around 66 m²

A proper suite over two bays: king bedroom plus a separate living room, two bathrooms and two Nile facing balconies. Streaming to the TV, generous wardrobe space and room to spread out after long sightseeing days.

Two balconies with Nile views
Separate living room
Two bathrooms

Higher suites

By request

Close to 80 suites run up through the tower, including grander Nile facing suites on the upper floors. If you fancy marking an anniversary or a landmark birthday in style, ask and we will quote.

Larger Nile facing layouts
Upper floor positions
Priced on request

Our advice: the Nile view is the reason this hotel exists, so pay the modest supplement and let us request a high floor. City view rooms are the value pick and still get the balcony, but the river side is the memory you will take home.

InterContinental Cairo Semiramis room: two beds, balcony, stunning city skyline view.

Experience a room with a bed, desk, and city-view balcony at InterContinental Cairo Semiramis.

InterContinental Cairo Semiramis suite with city view, round table, chairs, and floral desk.

InterContinental Cairo Semiramis room with a large bed, blue chair, and decorative elements.

DINE

Nine restaurants, from Thai to Lebanese, most with a river view

Bed and breakfast at the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo

We sell the Semiramis on a bed and breakfast basis, and breakfast here is a genuine event. It is served as an open buffet in Night & Day, with chefs cooking to order at live stations: eggs and omelettes any way you like, Egyptian specialities such as foul and falafel, cold cuts and cheeses, fresh bakeries and a long counter of juices, with river views from the window tables. Evenings are then yours, and with nine restaurants in the building plus the whole of downtown Cairo outside the door, bed and breakfast is exactly the right board basis for this city.

The restaurants

Night & Day

International · Buffet and à la carte · All day

The all day restaurant, running from early breakfast through lunch to late dinner, with generous buffets, fusion dishes and superb views over the river. Reliable, easy and exactly what you want when jet lag bites.

Birdcage

Thai · À la carte

A Cairo institution, rated for years among the best Thai restaurants in the city, with Thai chefs behind the menu and dishes running from classic curries to contemporary plates. Book ahead, locals fill it at weekends.

Pane Vino

Italian · À la carte

Freshly made pasta, proper pizza and a well chosen wine list, looking out over the Nile. The adjoining Pane Vino bar and terrace becomes one of the liveliest corners of the hotel come evening.

Sabaya

Lebanese · À la carte

Classic and contemporary Lebanese cooking: hot and cold mezze, charcoal grilled kebabs, marinated seafood and bread baked fresh to the table. In our view the pick of the house for a long, shared dinner.

The Grill

French · À la carte · Dinner only

The fine dining flagship on level three, pairing contemporary French cooking and steakhouse classics with a 180 degree view of the river and a live pianist. Widely regarded as one of the most romantic tables in Cairo.

India along the Nile

Indian · À la carte

A stylish resto bar on the lobby level serving dishes from across India’s regions, with a lounge pouring signature cocktails alongside street food style bites. Open for lunch and dinner.

Cafés and bars

Café Corniche, coffee and patisserie with an Oriental twist
Pane Vino Bar, cocktails and wine beside the Nile
Nile Terrace, open air bar by the pool, shisha included
Club InterContinental Lounge for Club room guests

The hotel is fully licensed throughout, with wine, beer and cocktails served in the restaurants and bars.

Worth knowing: the restaurants here are destinations for Cairenes as much as for hotel guests, which keeps the kitchens honest. Ask the concierge, or us, to book The Grill and Birdcage a day or two ahead, especially towards the weekend.

Outdoor pool at InterContinental Cairo Semiramis, with lounge chairs by the river and bridge.

Elegant dining at InterContinental Cairo Semiramis, with a large monochrome face mural behind.

RELAX

A terrace pool over the river and the Semiramis Spa

Sightseeing in Cairo is glorious and tiring in roughly equal measure, and this is a hotel that understands the recovery side of the equation.

The terrace pool

An outdoor pool sits on the hotel’s broad terrace above the Corniche, ringed by sun loungers and served by the open air Nile Terrace bar. The setting is the point: you swim with the river traffic sliding past below and the towers of Gezira across the water. The pool is open year round and heated in the cooler months, and Cairo’s winter sunshine makes a lunchtime swim entirely realistic even in January.

Semiramis Spa

The hotel’s spa blends contemporary design with treatments drawing on Egyptian and Asian traditions: signature massages, facials, hydrotherapy and rituals for couples, delivered in treatment rooms that look over the Nile. A steam room, sauna and hammam complete the full Middle Eastern wind down, and our customers tell us an evening massage after a day at the Pyramids is money extremely well spent.

Outdoor pool overlooking the Nile, heated in the cooler months
Nile Terrace bar and shisha beside the pool
Semiramis Spa with steam room, sauna and hammam
Massages, facials, hydrotherapy and couples treatments
Modern gym with cardio and weights

EXPLORE

The best doorstep in Egypt for museums, mosques and Pyramids

Cairo rewards a well placed base more than almost any city on earth, and few bases are better placed than this one. Two of the capital’s essential sights are on foot from the lobby, and everything else is a straightforward drive.

On foot from the hotel

Tahrir Square is around five minutes’ walk, and the Egyptian Museum on its northern side about ten. The Tutankhamun treasures have moved out to the Grand Egyptian Museum, but the salmon pink original on Tahrir remains an atmospheric classic, packed with statuary, mummies and a century of archaeological history. Kasr el Nil Bridge, guarded by its bronze lions, starts beside the hotel and carries you over to Gezira island for the Cairo Opera House and the leafy streets of Zamalek. Feluccas sail from moorings along the Corniche a short stroll away, and in our view an hour under sail at sunset is the single best thing you can do within ten minutes of the front door.

With a driver and guide

Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, about 45 minutes by road
Grand Egyptian Museum, the vast new home of the Tutankhamun collection, about 45 minutes
Khan el-Khalili bazaar and the Al Azhar quarter, about 20 minutes
Citadel of Saladin and the alabaster Mohamed Ali Mosque, 20 to 25 minutes
The ancient churches of Coptic Cairo, about 15 minutes

We arrange guided excursions to all of the above, with qualified Egyptologist guides, entrance tickets and door to door transfers in air conditioned vehicles. Tell us what you want to see when you enquire and we will build it into your quote, whether that is a half day at the Pyramids or a full Cairo programme across two or three days.

PRACTICAL

On the Corniche El Nil, where downtown meets the river

The address is Corniche El Nil at the point where downtown Cairo meets the embassy quarter of Garden City, with the river on one side and Tahrir Square behind. This is the genuine centre of the modern city: ministries, grand faded apartment blocks and banks by day, families promenading along the Corniche in the evening. Ask us to request a high floor, then enjoy the show from the balcony.

Distances from the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo

Tahrir Square	About 5 minutes on foot
Egyptian Museum, Tahrir	About 10 minutes on foot
Cairo Opera House and Zamalek	Across Kasr el Nil Bridge, a pleasant walk or short drive
Coptic Cairo	About 15 minutes by car
Khan el-Khalili bazaar	About 20 minutes by car
Citadel of Saladin	20 to 25 minutes by car
Pyramids of Giza	About 45 minutes by car, traffic depending
Grand Egyptian Museum	About 45 minutes by car
Cairo International Airport	Around 22 km, 30 to 45 minutes by road

We arrange air conditioned transfers from Cairo International Airport with an English speaking driver, so you are met in arrivals and delivered to the lobby with no haggling and no guesswork. Transfers, guiding and any onward flights to Luxor or the Red Sea all sit inside one ABTA and ATOL protected booking.

ANSWERS

InterContinental Semiramis Cairo, your questions answered

Everything our customers ask before booking the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo, answered straight. If your question is not covered, call us and a specialist who knows the hotel will pick up.

Does the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis have Nile views?

Yes. Every one of the 726 rooms and suites has a private balcony, facing either the city or the Nile, and dedicated Nile view categories can be booked. Several restaurants, the terrace pool and the Semiramis Spa treatment rooms also look over the river.

How far is the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis from Cairo airport?

Cairo International Airport is around 22 km away, which usually means 30 to 45 minutes by road depending on traffic. We include transfers with our holidays, so you are met in arrivals and driven straight to the hotel.

Can you walk to the Egyptian Museum from the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo?

Yes. The classic Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square is about ten minutes on foot from the hotel, and Tahrir Square itself around five. Bear in mind the Tutankhamun treasures now sit in the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza, which is about 45 minutes away by car.

How far are the Pyramids of Giza from the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis?

The Giza plateau is about 45 minutes by road from the hotel, depending on Cairo traffic. We arrange guided excursions with Egyptologist guides, usually combining the Pyramids and Sphinx with the Grand Egyptian Museum in a single day.

What does bed and breakfast include at the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis?

Breakfast is a full open buffet served in the Night & Day restaurant, with live cooking stations for eggs and omelettes, Egyptian specialities such as foul and falafel, fresh bakeries, cheeses and juices. Evenings are left free, so you can explore the hotel's nine restaurants or eat out in the city.

Which is the best room type at the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis?

For most of our customers a Classic Nile View room on a high floor is the sweet spot: the same size as the entry room, transformed by the river outlook from the balcony. For more space, the Executive Suite adds a separate living room, two bathrooms and two Nile facing balconies, while Club rooms add lounge breakfast, afternoon tea and evening drinks.

Does the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis have a pool and spa?

Yes. An outdoor pool sits on the terrace overlooking the Nile, open year round and heated in the cooler months, with the Nile Terrace bar alongside. The Semiramis Spa offers massages, facials and hydrotherapy plus a steam room, sauna and hammam, and there is a modern gym.

Is the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis a good base before a Nile cruise?

It is the classic first stop. Most of our Cairo customers spend two or three nights here to cover the Pyramids, the museums and the bazaar, then fly to Luxor or Aswan to join a Nile cruise. We arrange the whole itinerary, with flights, transfers and guiding, under one ABTA and ATOL protected booking.

How many restaurants does the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis have?

Nine, an unusual spread for one hotel: Night & Day for international buffets, Birdcage for Thai, Pane Vino for Italian, Sabaya for Lebanese, The Grill for French fine dining and India along the Nile for Indian, plus cafés and bars including the Nile Terrace by the pool. The hotel is fully licensed.

Before you go: carry small notes for tipping, it smooths every wheel in Egypt. Book The Grill early in your stay rather than your last night. Prebook Grand Egyptian Museum tickets, which we can arrange with a guide. And keep one sunset hour free for a felucca, in our view the best use of an hour in central Cairo.

Ready for Cairo? Let us build your quote.

Call our Egypt specialists free on 0800 041 8400 or request your tailored quote online. Every holiday is ABTA and ATOL protected.

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