Duration: 6 days · 5 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

Five nights in one Cairo hotel with private touring: Giza, Saqqara and Memphis, a day in Alexandria, Coptic and Islamic Cairo, then the Egyptian Museum and the royal mummies.

This is an unhurried way to get to know Egypt's capital, with one day out on the Mediterranean coast. You stay in the same Cairo hotel all week, so there is no packing and unpacking, and each touring day has its own theme.

The first full day covers the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, then Saqqara and Memphis, with lunch along the way. Next you drive north to Alexandria for the Roman theatre, the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Qaitbay Citadel at the harbour mouth, followed by a day among the churches, synagogue and great mosques of Coptic and Islamic Cairo.

Museums close the trip. At the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square you walk among thousands of years of statues and grave goods, and at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization you come face to face with the royal mummies in their quiet, dimly lit hall.

Highlights

Giza pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple
Saqqara's Step Pyramid and Memphis
A day trip to Alexandria
Coptic Cairo, Sultan Hassan and the Citadel
The royal mummies at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
Five nights in one Cairo hotel

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport, helps you through passport control and baggage, and drives you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned car. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the journey. Overnight in Cairo.
2
Day 2
Giza, Saqqara & Memphis
Pickup at 8:00 for the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the Valley Temple and the Sphinx. Lunch is at a local restaurant (drinks are extra), then you continue to Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara and to Memphis for the colossus of Ramses II and the alabaster sphinx. Overnight in Cairo.
3
Day 3
Day trip to Alexandria
A 7:00 departure for the drive of about three hours to Alexandria. You visit the Roman theatre, the three-level catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Qaitbay Citadel on the Mediterranean and the mosque of El-Mursi Abu el-Abbas, with lunch included. Back in Cairo by 19:00; on Fridays the Bibliotheca is closed and you see it from outside.
4
Day 4
Coptic & Islamic Cairo
From 9:00 you explore Coptic Cairo: the churches of Abu Serga and St Barbara, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Then the mosque of Amr ibn al-As, the oldest in Egypt, the 14th-century Sultan Hassan mosque-madrasa, al-Rifa'i Mosque and the Citadel with Muhammad Ali's Alabaster Mosque, ending in Khan el-Khalili. Lunch is included. Overnight in Cairo.
5
Day 5
Egyptian Museum & National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
A 9:00 start at the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, with your Egyptologist guide explaining the collection. You then cross the city to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where the royal mummies hall brings you face to face with the pharaohs themselves. Overnight in Cairo.
6
Day 6
Departure from Cairo
A last breakfast in Cairo before our driver takes you to Cairo International Airport, timed around your flight. Our representative helps you with check-in and departure formalities.

What's included

5 nights in a 3-star Cairo hotel with breakfast (4- and 5-star hotels on request, at extra cost)
Private air-conditioned transport in Cairo, including the round trip to Alexandria
Meet-and-assist service on arrival and departure
Private guide for all visits (English, Spanish or German)
Lunch on days 2, 3 and 4
Bottled water on every tour
Entry fees for the sites in the itinerary
All taxes and service charges

Not included

International flights and Egypt visa
Drinks with meals
Optional excursions
Tips for guides and drivers
Travel insurance
Personal expenses

What to bring

Clothes that cover shoulders and knees, and a scarf for women in mosques
Comfortable walking shoes
Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
A light jacket for Alexandria's sea breeze in winter
Passport valid for at least six months

Pickup & meeting point

Arrival pickup at Cairo International Airport: our representative meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and helps you through passport control and baggage.

Children up to 11 pay the child rate