4 Days: Cairo Short Break

Tour Experts Egypt’s representative will meet and assist you at Cairo International Airport to facilitate the arrival procedures, and then he will escort you to your 5-star hotel in Cairo. At the hotel, you will get your welcome drink while our representative is finishing the check-in process and then review your holiday itinerary with you to schedule and confirm your pick-up times for each tour.

Overnight in Cairo.

Egypt is most famous for its pyramids (the only remaining wonder of the seven wonders). And with Tour Experts Egypt you will have the chance to visit the Giza Plateau in the el-Giza district, to admire the three Giza pyramids of Cheops, Chepren and Mycerinus and marvel at these massive ancient burial tombs, built around 2,500 BC. Once you’ve taken in the ancient wonder, you will feel nothing but wonder seeing the huge building which was built by small tools and human power and listening from your guide to many stories about the times when the pyramids were built.

Afterwards you will head to the nearby plateau where you can capture the towering pyramids rising up from the golden sands with the city skyline as a backdrop and enjoy your adventure on a camel (additional cost) in the Sahara desert around the pyramids, the Queens’ small pyramids, the Valley Temple of King Chephren and the Sphinx. Get free time to enter one of the pyramids (additional cost) and explore its empty inner chambers independently (your guide is not permitted to enter with you).

Next, gaze up at the colossal Sphinx, the enigmatic statue of a human-headed lion that guards the pyramids, where your guide will explain the folklore around this massive lion with the head of a king as you take a closer look. And if you wish, visit the Solar Boat Museum (additional cost); home to the funerary boat of Khufu, the Pharaoh for whom the Great Pyramid was built. Admire the beautiful wooden boat, once used to transport Khufu’s body to the site, and learn how its remnants were discovered and reassembled.

Next, visit Sakkara, is one section of the great necropolis of Memphis and the home of Egypt’s oldest pyramid that was constructed in around 2,650 BC, and is recorded as the oldest major stone structure in Egypt. Admire this incredible, stepped structure as you learn how it was built by the architect Imhotep for the Pharaoh Djoser, and enjoy time to explore at leisure. Three major discoveries have recently been made at Sakkara, including a prime minister’s tomb, a queen’s pyramid, and the tomb of the son of a dynasty founding king.

Then, continue to Memphis, Egypt’s ancient capital and administrative center during the Old Kingdom until around 2,200 BC, and is the legendary city of Menes, the King who united Upper and Lower Egypt. Early on, Memphis was more like a fortress from which Menes controlled the land and water routes between Upper Egypt and the Delta. Having probably originated in Upper Egypt, from Memphis he could control the conquered people of Lower Egypt. View the UNESCO-listed sculptures and ruins in its outdoor museum, and behold the star turn: a spectacularly large, fallen statue of Ramses II. Lastly, your guide Will transfer you back to your hotel.

Overnight in Cairo.

Visit the Egyptian Museum, the world’s largest repository of more than 165,000 age-old Egyptian artifacts. Knowing where to start can be daunting, so let your guide introduce you to the highlights, including the star attraction: the treasures of Tutankhamun.

View the Tutankhamun exhibits, an array of antiquities (his spectacular, solid gold death mask, six gilded coffins, chariot, golden throne and funerary treasures) from the reign of the boy Pharaoh and famed ruler, and learn about his short and troubled reign.

Explore masterpieces of the ancient Egyptian civilization as your guide recounts their history, and view age-old mummies of Egypt’s Kings, the ancient mummified animals and the pyramids’ builder’s statues. The museum also houses near-countless other treasures including tombs, funerary paintings, jewelry and mummies from the prehistoric Egyptian period through to the Roman era. In addition to other prize exhibits, such as Pharaonic sarcophagi and everyday objects.

If you wish, visit the Royal Mummies Room (additional cost), another museum showpiece. Enter this climate-controlled room to view the mummies of Egyptian rulers such as Ramses II, builder of the Luxor’s Karnak Temple. After introducing you to the main attractions, your guide will give you free time to explore further, at your leisure.

Next, see the citadel of Saladin (dating back to 12th century) that was built by the Sultan to protect Cairo against potential crusades and remained the residence of the ruler of Egypt till the middle of the 19th century.

Inside the citadel you will see the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Aly (19th century) representing the Ottoman style of architecture and widely recognized as the most important mosques in Cairo, the Mosque of Ibn Qalaoun (14th century) representing the Mameluk style of architecture, and the panorama area for a wonderful view of Islamic Cairo.

Your next step, you will explore Coptic Cairo, also called Old Cairo, where you can see some world-famous churches. Scholars believe that the holy family stayed for a long time inside this area and Prophet Moses was found in this place.

Admire the Roman Fortress of Babylon (1st century A.D.), the Hanging Church of Virgin Mary (3rd century A.D.), the Church of Abu Serga (4th century) with the Holy Family Crypt (where the holy family took shelter when they escaped from Palestine), the Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra (9th century). Lastly, your guide Will transfer you back to your hotel.

Overnight in Cairo.

Tour Experts Egypt’s representative will escort you to Cairo International Airport where you will catch your flight back home.