The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Egyptian cinema has always drawn deeply from the streets, cafés, and real-life neighbourhoods, turning everyday places into iconic backdrops for unforgettable stories. Whether you’re a film buff or simply curious about where your favourite scenes were shot, here are seven real locations featured in Egyptian films and series that you can still visit today.

1- Abo El 3arosa House – Heliopolis

via Google Images

The family home from the popular TV series Abo El 3arosa is located in Heliopolis, one of Cairo’s most aesthetically pleasing districts. The house reflects the warmth and chaos of a traditional middle-class Egyptian household. Much of the series revolves around family dynamics, societal pressures, and love, all grounded in this very home.

2- Café Riche in Keira & El-Gin – Downtown 

One of Cairo’s most legendary cafés, Café Riche, was a key location in the historical thriller Keira & El Gin. It served as the meeting point for revolutionaries during the British occupation. Beyond fiction, the café has real-life significance, having hosted intellectuals like Taha Hussein and Naguib Mahfouz.

3- Sabe3 Gar Building – Maadi

The old, elegant building used in the series Sabe3 Gar is located in Maadi. The show depicted the lives of residents in neighbouring apartments and their intertwined stories. The building’s vintage design and quiet surroundings added authenticity to the narrative.

4- Yacoubian Building – Downtown 

One of the most iconic filming locations in Egyptian cinema, the real Yacoubian Building in Talaat Harb Street, inspired both the novel and the 2006 film The Yacoubian Building. The film tackled issues of corruption, sexuality, and class conflict in modern Egypt. The actual building, once a symbol of elite glamour, became the perfect metaphor for Cairo’s social complexities and shifting identities.

From historic cafés to iconic apartment buildings, these locations are more than just backgrounds; they are active characters in the stories they helped bring to life. Visiting them offers a rare opportunity to walk through Egypt’s cinematic memory and see Cairo through a director’s lens.