New help deciding on itinerary for overnight in Cairo!

[momof2ky]

We have contacted 2 tour companies and they are proposing 2 different itineraries. 1) Which do you think would be better? 2) Should we stay at the Mena House in Giza or the Fairmont Nile City in Cairo- this will be based on the itinerary as I know both are excellent hotels with totally different ambiances- I just need to know if we should stay in Giza or Cairo based on what you think.

 

Our ship does not get into Alexandria until 10AM...And we have to be back at 9PM the next day.

 

Itinerary 1- Day 01- drive to Cario, see the Citadel, the Mohammed Ali Mosque, lunch, Khan El-Khalili bazaars, Egytpian Museum, check into hotel for dinner.

Day 2 - drive to Memphis, step pyramid in Saqqara, lunch in Giza, Great Pyramids and Sphinx and then back to Alexandria,

Itineray 2- Day01:

Memphis's massive necropolis, "Step Pyramid , tomb in Sakkara, colossal statue of Ramses II , Temple , then drive to the Giza Plateau to visit the Great Pyramids, the tour includes visit to the valley temple facing the great sphinx with shopping tour at the traditonal bazaars aand From there you will be transferred to >>> your hotel

Day02:

The Museum of Egyptian antiquities, the Citadel , Mohammed Ali Mosque , Finally back to Alexandria

The other things we want to do are 1) take a camel ride- where do we do this- Giza or at the Step pyramid?? and 2) take a felucca ride ( just real short- like 30 minutes). We are not really museum people so I cant imagine staying over an hour or so there. We want to see the Bazaar, too. Is there anything else we are missing?

I just have no idea which is better with the times are ship is in port and where we should stay. We would love a really great dinner but all of our friends got sick last year on the same cruise in Cairo even though they were very cautious....

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Alistair]

We just had to make a similar decison and decided that your first option made more sense for us since we wanted to go shopping at the Khan Al Khalili Bazaar in Cairo in the evening. We didn't have an interest in going to the Pyramid Light and Sound show or the Nile dinner cruise so staying out by the Pyramids didn't work for us. If you plan to go shopping at the Khan Al Khalili Bazaar in Cairo and are staying out by the pyramids you'd have to be driven into Cairo from the Pyramids and back to your hotel by the pyramids, which with traffic, is going to be a half hour to hour trek in bad traffic each way. With your first option you're already in Cairo, have toured the things you're going to see during the day, then go shopping at the Bazaar in the evening and you'll already be near your Cairo hotel. The next morning you'd head out to the Pyramids first thing in the morning and begin your full day tour out there. If you are interested in the Pyramid Light and Sound Show or Nile Dinner cruise then you may want to tour the pyramids the first day, forget about the Al Khalili Bazaar and tour Cairo the second day. My understanding of Cairo is that everything is close in distance but long in travel time due to unbelievable traffic, so that has to be factored into all of your plans to optimize your time.

 

You may want to add the Solar Boat Museum to the day you're out by the pyramids - I understand it's phenominal. We will be staying at the Cairo Marriott which is a converted Saltan Palace and is supposed to be pretty wonderful - you might want to check it out if you have any hotel options.

 

Good luck with your planning and no matter what you decide, have a wonderful time!

[alexandra cruiser]

I agree with both posters, to answer about camel rides,,its at Giza and really more of photo op unless you arrange for longer one, but doubt you ll have the time...the felucca ride is about 1 hr. and can be shorter if no wind, which happened to us,,,,,if time is short, consider dropping this since you don t go far and basically a small sail boat....then again we were on a river cruise and had seen a LOT of the Nile river....definitely go to top floor of Museum,,,and find the room filled with mummifed pets,,,its unique,,,besides KIng Tut,of course...envy you, we spent 2 extra days there and still didnt touch the surface of Cairo...;)

[MercedMike]

The first question is, are those group tours on a bus, or are you arranging a private tour with your own vehicle and guide? I strongly recommend the latter. It is really not much more, and it permits you to design exactly the tour YOU want instead of the "standard" tour package, which is what both of those tours pretty much are.

 

Essentially both those tours consist of one day "in the field" with the antiquities, and one day "in the buildings" with the museum and the mosques. I really don't know that one is any better than the other. For a short camel ride (from just a picture to 15 minutes) you can easily get that at the high desert plateau above the pyramids. Have your guide arrange it. If you want a longer camel ride (but why?) you would probably have to make special arrangements.

 

The felucca ride is not exciting. The boats are old and shabby and you are cruising right through the center of the city, not with beautiful scenery. BUT -- it is a CRUISE ON THE NILE! Go for it!

 

As far as a great dinner, Naguib Mahfouz in the Khan el Khalili was wonderful! Follow the basic rules for travelers:

 

1) Nothing to drink that is not bottled. No ice. Beer is best!

 

2) Nothing to eat that is not cooked thoroughly. No fruit unless you peel it yourself and then sanitize your hands before eating. No salad. We have never had a problem with local olives, though.

 

3) Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after eating and before and after using the bathroom. Sanitizer is not enough.

 

If you follow those rules carefully, I think a dinner at a good local restaurant is wonderful!

 

Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/holyland2.html

 

and also at http://www.bully4.us/egyptmain.html, go to the Cairo sections.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[momof2ky]

One is Egyptian Express and the other is Ramses....

 

It just seems like we have more time on the second day since our ship leaves at 9PM....I guess we would head back to Alexandria around 4ish to be safe?

 

Sunset when we are going it at about 6:10 PM so that means we only have from 1PM (ish) to 6PM to see the pyramids if we do it the first day, since our ship doesn't get in until 10AM.. (and how quickly can we get off??) We are on the Celebrity Equinox.

 

SO, fro consensus, it looks like we should see Cairo on the frist day, go to the bazaar, and museum. Then see the Pyramids the second day.

 

SO , 2 more questions then....1) should we stay in Cairo for the night or should we go to the Mena House so that we wake up closer to the pyramids? And, 2) if we get up early, say 8AM, do we have time to see the pyramids at Giza, Memphis, Sakkara, and Dashur to get back to Alexandria by 8PM??

 

Thanks!

[MercedMike]

One is Egyptian Express and the other is Ramses....

 

It just seems like we have more time on the second day since our ship leaves at 9PM....I guess we would head back to Alexandria around 4ish to be safe?

 

Sunset when we are going it at about 6:10 PM so that means we only have from 1PM (ish) to 6PM to see the pyramids if we do it the first day, since our ship doesn't get in until 10AM.. (and how quickly can we get off??) We are on the Celebrity Equinox.

 

SO, fro consensus, it looks like we should see Cairo on the frist day, go to the bazaar, and museum. Then see the Pyramids the second day.

 

SO , 2 more questions then....1) should we stay in Cairo for the night or should we go to the Mena House so that we wake up closer to the pyramids? And, 2) if we get up early, say 8AM, do we have time to see the pyramids at Giza, Memphis, Sakkara, and Dashur to get back to Alexandria by 8PM??

 

Thanks!

 

One thing to double check. When we toured with Egyptian Express (which is usually a bit more expensive) our Egyptologist (who was wonderful!) met us at the ship along with our driver(also wonderful but spoke little English). I have read some reports of tours where the driver met at the ship, but the Egyptologist did not join the tour until Cairo. You want to be sure which you are getting.

 

We loved the Mena House! Getting up before dawn to sit on the balcony and watch the Great Pyramid emerge from the darkness was a truly stirring experience! Be sure to pay extra for a pyramid view room.

 

You should have no trouble seeing all the major antiquities in one day. They are all close to each other. My suggestion would be to do it in chronological order. Start with Memphis, then tour a mastaba at Sakkara, then the step pyramid of Djoser, then to Dashur for the Bent Pyramids and Red Pyramids, and finally to the Great Pyramids at Giza and a camel ride. That should give you time for a lateish lunch and back to Alexandria. This is a LOT of pyramids for the average tourist but if your interests lie that way it is a fascinating dose of history and architecture.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[whale-watcher]

By all means go to dashur! We did this same itinerary on our second day and did not feel rushed. The pyramids at dashur, although smaller, had a more authentic feel to them (out in the desert, far from the chaos of Giza). Climbing into the tomb of the red pyramid (no crowds, just the four of us with a flashlight) was an amazing and memorable experience, not to be missed IMHO (if you are physically able).

[momof2ky]

ok. great! This is what I was waiting to hear! So we should go to dashur! So it seems to me we should stay at the Mena House theifrst night ( after seein gthe bazaar, the museum, and the mosque, ) and then go to all of the pyramids the second day. Right??????

[whale-watcher]

ok. great! This is what I was waiting to hear! So we should go to dashur! So it seems to me we should stay at the Mena House theifrst night ( after seein gthe bazaar, the museum, and the mosque, ) and then go to all of the pyramids the second day. Right??????

that was our exact itinerary, and it worked out well. We needed to get an early start the second day to fit in Dashur without feeling rushed. Bring flashlights for the red pyramid.

 

Have a great excursion!