4 days itinerary of Cairo and Giza - The Perfect Egyptian Adventure

“I haven't come to you only to take , I haven't come to you empty handed : I bring you poetry as great as yours but in anther tongue , I bring you black eyes and golden skin and curly hair , I bring you Islam and Luxor and Alexandria and Lutes and tambourines and date-palms and silk rugs and sunshine and incense and voluptuous ways” ― Ahdaf Soueif, In the Eye of the Sun

We decided to plan our trip with Egypt Day Tours. The narration below will aptly depict the helpfulness and kindness of the tour company and their 'Egyptologists' to make our trip a most amazing one. We flew Emirates from Dubai and were joined by my brother-in-law from India and a close friend from Abu Dhabi. We landed in Cairo to be met by our airport representative, who was waiting for us, holding a sign with our name and helped us quickly through the immigration and customs. He then took us to our hotel Le Meridien Giza. After checking-in, we met our Egyptologist 'Bassem Mohammed Naguib' - our guide for Cairo, a young guy, in his 30s, equipped with vast knowledge of the region, history and culture coming from years of research study on the subject EGYPT. A very fine gentleman, who was extremely accommodating and gave us important DOs and DON'T tips in a rather hassle-pro, vendor driven area like Giza. We kick started our tour at 1:30 pm.

Let's begin this 4 days itinerary of Cairo and Giza, a majestic Egyptian adventure.

1. Giza

Giza is a historic city located on the western bank of the Nile River, just southwest of Cairo, Egypt (a 15 minutes drive from Cairo City Center and 45 minutes from Cairo International Airport). I'm hoping that everyone would know Giza for its Great Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These majestic pyramids, constructed as tombs for pharaohs, serve as evidence of the remarkable engineering and architectural prowess of ancient Egypt. Giza also houses the mystifying Sphinx, a massive limestone statue with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh. Undoubtedly, it ranks as the ultimate enigma and thrill for history buffs and globetrotters across the globe.

1.1 Great pyramids of Cheops, Chefren, and Mykerinus

Bassem first took us to the Great pyramids of Cheops, Chefren, and Mykerinus. The Great Giza Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) alone took 23 years to build by 130,000 labourers. Orienting it perfectly north, each stone used to construct the pyramid weighed roughly around 2.5 to 15 tonnes on average and is made of 2.3 million such stones.

1.2 Sphinx of Giza

Bassem then took us to the iconic Sphinx of Giza, a mythical statue made of a single limestone is a statue of a creature of head of a human and body of a lion.

1.3 Camel ride at the Pyramids Area

After marvelling at the sight of the 1st pyramid, a heavy dose of the history and a million selfies, we took a Camel ride at the Pyramids Area into the desert which was an optional tour. The other option is going into the tomb, but honestly you would want to save that for the Luxor tombs as this one has no inscriptions, no paintings, is mushy, claustrophobic and top it all no Mummy ! We paid 50 EGP per person for the ride and to get a full view of the 3 pyramids in a line.

1.4 Sound and Light Show

Following an enchanting day, we were captivated by the mesmerizing Sound and Light Show – an absolute must-see! Delve into Egypt's history through Sphinx's eyes in a thrilling 1-2 hour laser depiction of dynasties. Don't forget to bring a shawl or sweater during winter; the desert chill can be bone-chilling.

For just USD 15 per person, the sound and light show will take you back to the period of the pharaohs, the story being narrated by the sphinx, unraveling the primordial secrets and baffling tales.

Show timings are 18:30 in winter and 19:30 in summer and available in 10 languages.

You may book your tickets on their official website: https://soundandlight.show/en

After the mesmerising Sound and Light show, a friend's recommendation to eat at Abu Shakra restaurant in Cairo city, landed us at a branch in Giza itself, saving us time to travel to the city center. Try the Kebab platter and Lentil soup to enjoy a sumptuous meal.

2. Old Cairo

Early next day, we visited the Old part of Cairo, as Egypt was one of the first countries to embrace Christianity. I love the old city charm, especially in Cairo's historic old town. It feels like a journey back in time with its narrow streets, ancient sites, and bustling markets. We visited the Church of Abu-Sergah and St. Barbara, The Hanging Church, and we will also visited The Old Jewish Synagogue Ben Ezra Synagogue.

2.1 Abu Serga church

Abu Serga church is situated in Old Cairo ; it is considered one of the oldest churches in Cairo. The church most probably dates back to the 4th century. The church's location is traditionally believed to be where the Holy Family—Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus Christ—found rest at the end of their journey into Egypt while fleeing from King Herod.

2.2 Hanging Church

The Hanging Church is also referred to as the Suspended Church or Al-Moallaqa. It is called the Hanging Church because it was built on the southern gate of the Roman Fortress. Logs of palm trees and layers of stones were constructed above the ruins of the Roman fortress to be used as a fundament. The Hanging Church is a unique church and has a wooden roof in the shape of Noah’s ark.

2.3 The Old Jewish Synagogue Ben Ezra Synagogue

The Ben Ezra Synagogue has an interesting past. At first, it was a Christian church, but then the Jewish community bought it in the 9th century and turned it into a synagogue. This change shows how different religions peacefully coexisted in Cairo. What I found most intriguing is that the synagogue is famous for its genizah, which was like a storage room filled with old documents and texts, including ancient Hebrew writings. These writings help us learn about Jewish history and culture.

3. Old Cairo - Egyptian Museum & Khan El-Khalili bazaar Early next day, we got to visit the Egyptian Museum and were amazed with the treasures of Tutankhamen. With a visit later to Khan El Khalili, Bassem saw us off for the last time because we planned to spend a whole day shopping and get back ourselves to the hotel. Dinner was at the Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant in the heart of Khan El Khalili. We later called an Uber to drive us to Le Meridien at Giza. An approximate time of 25 minutes (no traffic luckily) and we paid EGP 50.

3.1 Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo if not done, then you truly didn't visit Egypt ! No Egyptian trip is complete without a visit to the Egyptian museum. The museum building is approximately a 100 years old and houses nearly 120,000 artefacts. It contains the world's most largest collection of pharaonic antiquities.

The ground floor houses all collections as per chronology and the first floor houses the exhibits of the treasures and tomb collections of the boy King Tutankhamun. There are also wooden displays of daily life, gold statuettes of Gods and Goddesses, and a unique and rare collection of Faiyum Portraits. One section of the upper floor also houses many of the New Kingdom royal mummies which needs a separate entrance ticket.

Open daily: 9:00 AM-7:00 PM

More about the museum: https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/museums/egyptian-museum

The new Grand Egyptian Museum is due to open in November 2023. Currently they are conducting limited tours to test site readiness and the visitor experience ahead of the official opening. More on it - https://www.visit-gem.com/en/home

3.2 Khan El-Khalili bazaar

Khan El-Khalili bazaar is a must do place in Cairo for locals and tourists alike. Unlilke the stories heard of, the shop owners don't trouble you, but yes they call you to their stalls, they will offer you to smell the scent of spices, try their Egyptian outfits, showcase their local artwork (mostly Chinese made), and negotiate brutally, in the end to give you a happy price.

The energy and electrifying atmosphere and the many beautiful objects that can be purchased will have you lost for hours. You can buystatuettes, spices, carpets, galabiyyas, magnets, souvenirs, silver jewellery, t-shirts, belly dancing costumes, or anything for that matter, however you need to haggle your best.

When your shopping’s done, don't miss out on a fine dinner at the Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant and dessert from the Egyptian Pancakes house called El Husseini Fataeer for its feteers.

4. Sakkara & Cemetery of Memphis

Sakkara is part of the ancient city of Memphis. It's like a time machine that lets you explore Egypt's ancient past through remarkable remnants of temples, tombs, and monuments. Saqqarah, (Saqarah or Sakkara) is located in the Giza Governorate and is a 45 minutes drive from Cairo.

4.1 Step Pyramid at Saqqara

Saqqara is a historic site famous for its Step Pyramid, one of the world's earliest large stone structures. The Step Pyramid at Saqqara was the first pyramid built 4,600 years ago for the 3rd Dynasty pharaoh Netjerikhet, commonly known as Djoser. Just as its name implies, this structure comprises six tiers of stone that gradually decrease in size as they rise, ultimately reaching a height of approximately 200 feet or 60 meters. During our visit to the Step Pyramid, interior access was restricted. However, it is now accessible to the public for exploration.

4.2 Open air museum in Saqqara

We then visited the open air museum in Saqqara and that museum houses a mammoth statue of Ramsses II. This massive statue of Ramsses II has an imposing height of approximately 10 meters (33 feet). It is constructed from a single massive block of quartzite stone, weighing an astounding 90 tons. This magnificent piece of ancient Egyptian art and engineering showcases the remarkable craftsmanship and the scale of monumental sculptures during the reign of Ramsses II. There is also a statue of a Sphinx made out of one complete stone of Alabaste.

Ramsses II or Ramesses the Great, was one of ancient Egypt's most powerful rulers. He ruled during the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, for over six decades, which is approximated to be from 1279 BC to 1213 BC. His reign was during the New Kingdom period.

4.3 Cemetery of Memphis

The Cemetery of Memphis is an old burial place near a village called Mit Rahina in Egypt. It's like a treasure chest for archaeologists and dates back to a very long time ago, around 3100 BCE. This cemetery was where people from the ancient city of Memphis, which was an important place in Egypt, were buried. Now, when people visit, they can see the remains of old tombs, temples, and other ancient things that tell us about how Egypt used to be a very long time ago.

Last Day On this particular day, I arose at 5:30 am and spent two hours entranced by the world-renowned Giza pyramids, which I could see right from my hotel room balcony. I aimed to cherish every moment before bidding farewell to this heavenly place, with a promise to return someday.

After breakfast, our dedicated airport representative, Ramee, was on hand to escort us to Cairo airport for our final departures to our respective destinations.

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We thank our tour agency EGYPT DAY TOURS for the lovely execution of the meticulously planned itinerary and the time invested by our Egyptologists Bassem and Sayed to dispatch every little information they had to make our tour worthwhile, comfortable, inspiring and most of all comfortable and accommodating considering we had a baby on board. Hats off to Egypt Day Tours !

Egypt Day Tours

https://www.egyptdaytours.com

Email: info@egyptdaytours.com

Phone: 24/7 Support number (Call /Whatsapp / Viber) +201006808857

WATCH OUT FOR:

• Unless you plan to buy the souvenir or artefact sold by a vendor, it is better to avoid showing any intent or interest in it.

• Being from India myself and I've witnessed the hackling and hounding for money culture and I do understand why they do it, so I totally sympathise with them, however it is also my advice to you to not encourage these vendors from gifting you anything for free or for your baby, as they might come back hounding you for money post your tour.

• Also try to avoid wearing their headgear, even if they insist on trying, for they wont take it back and you will be forced to pay for the headgear.

• Please do mention Egyptian Pound or Sterling Pound and not just Pound for any transaction

• Please mention per head price and total price and confirm the same before taking on anything

• Tipping is a mandate in Egypt. It would be nice to budget aside money for tipping for the guide, driver, cleaner, server, camel rider, horse cart rider, boat rider, washroom cleaners, porters and anyone that offers a service.

• Unfortunately, we did face some racism on board the cruise, where we were clearly informed that sofa tables were for special guests like the British nationals, while tables and chairs for Asians.

WHAT TO WEAR:

• Women preferably wear loose baggy pants, loose fully covered tops to avoid any kind of public lewdness, more specifically in local areas in Cairo.

• In Tourist friendly areas like Luxor and Aswan, you may wear shorts and dresses too.

• On board the cruise, you may also wear your bikins and swimsuits in the pool area

• Always carry a scarf/stole to cover your head while entering places of worship like the mosque or church etc.

TRAVEL WITH A BABY: Good tips available for all ages of babies to travel easy and safe. http://www.babycenter.com/0_travel-with-baby-how-we-can-help_7155.bc

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