Centre des Arts
1 Mahad al-Swissri, Zamalek
Cairo, Egypt
02 340-8211
This gallery is run by the Egyptian government.  It gives up and coming local artists a chance to display their works, including the annual Youth Salon, which shows off young artists.

Coptic Museum
Fakhry Abd el Nour St. No4 Abbassia
Cairo, Egypt
02 363-9742
www.copticmuseum.gov.eg
The Coptic Museum is an interesting combination of the different cultures that have lived in Egypt through the centuries.  It is basically an art gallery organized by medium, with many works dealing with the ancient Egyptian gods or Coptic Christianity, sometimes with crossovers between the two.

Egyptian Antiquities Museum 
Midan El Tahrir
Cairo, Egypt 11557
02 578-2448
www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg
This is the most comprehensive collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts on the planet.  How comprehensive?  The museum has more than 120,000 different items.  It’s a good idea to buy a guide or hire someone, because you won’t be able to see everything here in one trip.  There’s an extra fee to see the mummy room, but even if you skip that you’ll still run out of time before you run out of things to see.

Gayer-Anderson Museum 
4 Maydan Ibn Tulun
Cairo, Egypt
02 364-7822
This museum is full of art from the time of the Pharaohs and more recent history.  It’s made of two joined houses and is also called Bayt al-Kiritliya.  The artwork is displayed in a very natural and open manner, so you’ll feel immersed in the history while touring the beautiful building.

Mashrabia Gallery
8 Shar’a Champollion
Cairo, Egypt
02 578-4494
This contemporary art gallery is in downtown Cairo.  It focuses on Egyptian artists and changes its exhibits every monthly.  The gallery also has a small gift shop.

Museum of Islamic Arts 
Shar’a Bur Sa’id at Maydan Ahmad Maher
Cairo, Egypt
02 390-9930
This art gallery is mainly focused on Egyptian art, but also has pieces from across the Middle East.  It’s all arranged according to the medium of the art and has more than 10,000 pieces, including superb woodwork and plaster examples.