Cairo

Cairo is loud, dusty, enormous, and one of the most electric cities on the planet. The pyramids sit at the edge of the traffic like an afterthought. The Nile cuts through the middle like a question nobody has answered in five millennia.

The new Grand Egyptian Museum finally gives the city an anchor worthy of what it holds. Pair it with a felucca sunset, a koshari stop in Downtown, and one entire afternoon in Islamic Cairo. Avoid the package bus tours — they are the fastest way to miss this city.