Pharoahs & Pyramids

Day 1: Arrival In Cairo ( / / )

Welcome and assistance by the local tour coordinator at Cairo airport in the arrival's hall, entry formalities and transfer to the hotel of your choice. Visa Purchase: your travel coordinator will pre-purchase visa stamps prior to your arrival. ​ A vibrant, exhilarating, exotic, fascinating and welcoming city. Home to the best Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic sights in Egypt, this city is where you never know what incredible, half-forgotten monument you might stumble across while wandering around., visit the capital's medieval markets by Khan El-Khalili, or walk down the Nile promenade. There are also plenty of cinemas, theatres and modern malls. Go for an opera or enjoy oriental music dance shows. Good for short breaks and long stays; you’ll get to see the Giza Pyramids, thousands of ancient artifacts in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and much more.​ Overnight in Cairo.

Day 2: Cairo (B/L/)

Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for your full day tour to Giza & Sphinx. ​ ​The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built over 4,500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were father, son and grandson respectively. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest - Khufu's - constructed from over two million stone blocks. Optional entry into Cheops Pyramid for a glimpse of the interior structure. Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. This story of the Sphinx is told on the 'Dream Stela' that was placed between the Sphinx's paws by King Tuthmoses IV.​ Lunch at a local restaurant. ​Transfer back to the hotel. Dinner under your own arrangements.​ Overnight in Cairo.

Day 3: Cairo (B/L/ )

Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo & Bazar Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.​ Tour 7,000 years of history at the Egyptian museum, home to the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world. ​ Continue to the Citadel, a medieval fortress perched high on limestone hills above Cairo, which was built in 1176 to protect the city from crusaders. Continue to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363, is one of the finest in Egypt and houses the mausoleum where Sultan Hassan's sons are buried. The more recent Refaie Mosque, which was completed in 1912, has well-preserved, colorful decoration. Lunch at local restaurant. Finally, visit the fascinating Khan El-Khalili Bazaar is reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 14th century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions. Wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets to find workshops and stalls selling anything from woodwork and glassware to leather goods and perfumes.​ Optional: Visit to the citadel complex houses various mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum. With its grand, soaring architecture and rich decoration. Transfer back to the hotel. Dinner under your own arrangements.​ Overnight in Cairo.

Day 4: Cairo – Optional: Alexandria – Cairo (B/ / )

Catacombs of Kom El Shufaga, Roman Amphitheater, Alexandria Library Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel and departure to Alexandria, a drive of about 3 hours. Visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shugafa, the largest Roman burial site in Egypt and the final resting place for 300 individuals, whose tombs are cut into the bedrock in massive tiers, descending 35 meters (115 feet) into the ground. There is even a banquet hall where grieving relatives paid their last respects at a funeral feast. The artisans who built the tombs in the second century combined ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman motifs.​ Continue to the Roman Amphitheater, the only one of its kind in Egypt. With room for 800 spectators on white, marble seats, the acoustics are such that if you stand on the stage and whisper, a person in the back row should be able to hear you. Lunch at local restaurant ​. In the afternoon, visit the Alexandria library and museum, a modern, disk-shaped inclined building towards the sea, built on the believed site of the Great Library of Alexandria, a seat of ancient learning which unfortunately burned to the ground in the fourth century. The new research library carries on that legacy of learning by including exhibition spaces, a planetarium and a conference center.​ Return to Cairo. ​ Dinner under your own arrangements.​Overnight in Cairo.

Day 5: Cairo (B/ / ​)

Breakfast at your hotel and check-out. ​ Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo Airport by air-conditioned vehicle. ​