The Abdeen Palace Museum: A Visitor’s Guide

Abdeen Palace is a Cairo hidden gem filled with royal treasures, lavish gifts and curiosities from the reigns of Egypt’s leaders.

This palace in the heart of downtown was once the Egyptian president’s sumptuous residence – and it’s now been transformed into a small and fascinating museum for history buffs and travelers off the beaten path.

The palace is filled with paintings, gold clocks and millions of francs worth of Parisian furniture. It houses a vast silverware collection, an arms collection and another exhibit devoted to the royal family.

There are also plenty of curiosities in the collection of gifts given to Egyptian leaders and presidents, including a Japanese model of a Samurai crown and a golden-plated AK-47 from Saddam Hussein.

There’s also a quirky exhibit of American buttons collected by King Farouk with funny quotes, cartoons and old U.S. campaign slogans.

Abdeen Palace is about a 20-minute walk from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. And it’s a perfect spot to take in some 19th century Egyptian history.

tickets: 100 EGP | open 9am to 3pm | on the map

Abdeen Palace was built in 1863 for Egypt’s royal family and later served as the president’s residency. Its 500 suites contain presidential gifts and royal treasures that offer a fascinating look at Egyptian culture.

The palace’s lower floors house a vast silverware collection including royal porcelain and table services. There’s also an arms collection and another exhibit devoted to the royal family.

There’s also a collection of presidential gifts given to Egyptian leaders and Hosni Mubarak, the last president to reside at the palace. The gifts include jewels and a Japanese model of a Samurai crown.

There’s also an odd collection of American buttons that King Farouk liked to collect – all pinned up on display.

The palace includes some beautiful gardens that are great for wandering.

Opening hours are from 9am to 3pm everyday except Friday. But note that the entrance is on a small street on the side of the palace – and the ticket booth is across the street from the entrance.

Abdeen Palace is about a 20-minute walk from Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum, so it’s an easy stop during an afternoon of downtown sightseeing.

To get there, take an Uber or the metro to the Mohamed Naguib station and it’s a short walk from there.