Duration: 8 hours
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

An eight-hour layover tour from Cairo airport to the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx, the churches of Coptic Cairo and the lanes of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

Three very different Cairos fit neatly into an eight-hour layover. Your guide meets you at the airport after passport control and drives you to the Giza plateau, where you walk around the Great Pyramid, see all three pyramids from the viewpoint and finish face to face with the Sphinx.

Coptic Cairo is next, a quiet walled quarter on the site of the Roman fortress of Babylon. The Hanging Church is perched above one of the old gatehouses, and nearby the Church of St Sergius stands where tradition says the Holy Family sheltered during their flight into Egypt.

The day ends in Khan el-Khalili, the bustling medieval bazaar, with time to bargain for lanterns, spices or silver. Lunch can be added, and you're back at the airport about eight hours after pickup.

Highlights

The Great Pyramid and the panoramic viewpoint
The Great Sphinx
The Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo
The Church of St Sergius and its Holy Family tradition
Bargaining in Khan el-Khalili

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Airport → Giza → Coptic Cairo → Khan el-Khalili → Airport
Meet your guide at Cairo airport and drive to the Giza plateau for the pyramids and the Sphinx. Continue to Coptic Cairo for the Hanging Church and the Church of St Sergius. Finish in Khan el-Khalili before the transfer back to the airport, about eight hours after pickup.

What's included

Pickup and drop-off at Cairo International Airport
Air-conditioned car with driver
Licensed tour guide
Entry ticket to the Giza plateau
Shared small-group tour

Not included

Lunch and drinks (lunch available as an extra)
Entry inside the pyramids (optional tickets)
Egyptian visa, if your nationality needs one
Tips for guide and driver

What to bring

Passport, and a visa if your nationality needs one
Comfortable walking shoes
Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Clothing that covers shoulders and knees for mosques and churches
Small Egyptian pound notes for tips and toilets

Pickup & meeting point

Your guide meets you in the arrivals hall at Cairo International Airport once you've cleared passport control, and brings you back in good time for your onward flight.

Children up to 11 pay the child rate