In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United States
Cairo, New York
Cairo
One night, not three: Cairo is a bed-and-bar stop for the northern Catskills. Come for a festival weekend or a ski base, skip it as a sightseeing town.
Cairo is a small Greene County town of about 6,600 people on NY-23, at the foot of the northern Catskills. There is almost no sightseeing in the town itself: the draw is cheap beds, a handful of bars, and the Irish-festival village of East Durham next door. Most travellers use it as a base for Windham and Hunter ski mountains, Kaaterskill Falls and the Hudson Valley, and stay one or two nights.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Cairo
- Best months
- Jun–Oct for hiking and festivals; Jan–Mar for skiing
- Avoid
- Nov (closed trails, no snow), muddy late March
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–190 excl. bed · High $190+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee to go | $3–5 |
| Diner breakfast | $12–18 |
| Draft beer in a bar | $6–9 |
| Bar burger or pizza | $14–22 |
| Ski lift ticket, Windham or Hunter | $90–130 |
| Fuel, per gallon | $3.20–3.80 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ALB · Albany International
- About 45 min by car via I-87 and NY-23; the usual arrival airport.
- SWF · New York Stewart International
- About 1 h 15 min by car; fewer flights.
- HPN · Westchester County
- About 2 h by car; use only if the fare is much lower.
Typical fares
- Albany airport → Cairo, taxi or rideshare
- $60–90, about 45 min (check)
- Cairo → Windham, taxi
- $30–45, about 20 min (check)
- Amtrak Hudson → New York Penn
- from about $40, about 2 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car. There is no useful local bus; NY-23 runs through the town and I-87 (Exit 21) is about 15 min away. Taxis and rideshare are thin outside festival weekends, so book returns in advance. In winter, snow tyres or all-wheel drive help on the mountain roads.
See and do
Known for
- Base for the northern Catskills
- East Durham Irish festival weekends
- Bars along NY-23
- Ski access to Windham and Hunter
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Windham | Car west on NY-23, about 20 min | About 25 min |
| Kaaterskill Falls | Car via NY-23A to the trailhead lots, then walk | About 40 min |
| Hudson | Car east on NY-23, about 30 min | About 35 min |
| Albany | Car north on I-87, about 40 min | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Cairo village on NY-23
- Motels and inns on the main road; walkable to the bars and the supermarket, but traffic noise on the front rooms.
- East Durham
- 5–10 min east by car; resort-style inns and the Irish pubs, busiest on festival weekends.
- Windham and Hunter
- 20–30 min by car; ski lodges and condos, better for winter and for hiking trailheads.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the nearest petrol station? | Where's the nearest gas station? |
| Can I get a taxi to Windham? | Can you call me a cab to Windham? |
| Is the trail open today? | Is the trail open today? |
| The bill, please | Can we get the check, please? |
| Do you take card? | Do you take cards? |
| Is there snow on the road? | Are the roads clear up the mountain? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No rideshare at 1 am: agree a pickup time with a local taxi before you go out.
- NY-23 has fast through traffic and few crossings; walk to the bars with a light.
- Cell coverage drops in the mountain valleys west of town.
- Festival weekends sell out beds months ahead: book early or sleep in Windham.
Low crime, real hazards are the road and the weather: fast traffic on NY-23, unlit shoulders at night, ice on mountain roads from November to April, and no cell signal in some valleys. Tell someone your trail plan.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cairo, New York yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Base for the northern Catskills
- East Durham Irish festival weekends
- Bars along NY-23
- Ski access to Windham and Hunter
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Greene County tourism: www.greatnortherncatskills.com/
- New York State Department of Transportation — 511: 511ny.org/
- Albany International Airport: www.albanyairport.com/
- Wikivoyage: Cairo (New York), revision 5093126 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5093126
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Cairo, New YorkCairo
Can you take me to this address, please?
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Cairo; your country's embassy or consulate is in New York City or Washington, DC.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink at the bar, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cairo-new-york). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.