-
500 Hotels in Egypt
Book your Hotel in Egypt online. No reservation costs. Great rates!
Booking.com/Egypt-Hotels -
MasterCard Official Offer
Book a Hotel Stay in the US & Save When You Use Any MasterCard.
www.starwoodpromos.com/MasterCard
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1: Egypt is a popular destination in African travel and it’s little wonder with such a unique culture and history that the rest of the world would die to emulate. Most of Cairo's hostels and budget hotels are located in the city centre. Start with a gentle walkabout in your local area. Cairo is an extremely busy, fast paced city and making your way around the city can take a small bit of getting used to. The view from the deck at Cairo Tower which stands proudly on El Gezirah Island offers the best views found anywhere in the city. On a clear day look around and you can not only see the entire city, but the nearby pyramids and the entire Nile Delta also. If you’re feeling peckish, another of Cairo's more unique ways to enjoy a meal is on a cruise down the River Nile. You can check with local tour operators once you get there, but the vast majority of companies offer reasonably-priced packages. Returning after the sun has set, it is a pleasant way to spend your first evening.
Day 2: Cairo city centre has a plethora of mosques, churches and monuments to keep you occupied. Best known of these and one which dominates Cairo's hazy skyline is the Citadel. With its numerous bubbling white dome roofs, this building really is a spectacle. If you want to do a bit of shopping in Cairo there is no better place to do so than at Khan al-Khalili market - you name it and you will find it here. Cairo isn't all sightseeing though and there is some fun to be had with lots of bars and nightclubs scattered throughout the city centre. Midan Tahir in downtown Cairo has one of the best selections of bars in the whole city and is particularly good for those playing host to live acts.
Day 3: OK, you’ve managed to resist it this long, spend your last day taking mental pictures of ancient beauty to bring back with you (or some real ones of course). Start the day you visit the Pyramids with a trip to the Egyptian Museum on Midan El Tahir. This museum is best known for being the home of Tutankhamen's treasures. Along with the ancient pharaoh's riches you will also find a collection of fascinating relics which date back to before 1000BC and learn more about the Pyramids. When you finally make it to the Pyramids and see them for the first time, savour the moment - they are regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Of all the pyramids, Khufu (or Cheops) which was built for the pharaoh of the same name is the largest, and hence most impressive. Of course the Sphinx is just as engrossing. Standing majestically just before Khufu's pyramid, many legends surround it. Most of these are in regards to whether or not there hidden passageways or rooms within, even though none have ever been found. Others concentrate on the special powers it holds. It is the Sphinx which looks most impressive at the nightly light and sound show staged. What a day to end your Egyptian taster.
Day 4: Catch one of the morning trains to Alexandria from Rameses Station. Upon arrival in Alexandria, buy your return tickets to Cairo if you haven't already got them; then walk from the station to Kom el Dikka and check out the Villa of the Birds. If you got a really early start, you'll have plenty of time to walk down through Attarine past the junk stores, pausing for a cup of coffee at one of Alexandria's old coffee shops before lunch in Saad Zagloul Square. After lunch, head over to Pompey's Pillar and the catacombs at Kom al Shaqqafa. Dinner is going to be fish (what else?) at the Fish Market or Abou Ashraf, depending on your idea of what makes a good view. After, roam from Saad Zagloul Square to Cap d'Or for a beer and have fun.
Day 5: Today is the day for museums. Spend the morning browsing through the excellent Graeco-Roman Museum and, if you have the time, the Cavafy Museum, before heading out to the Greek Maritime Club for lunch. After lunch, it's just a 2-minute walk up to the Qaitbey Fort. Afterwards head to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina for a look at the mosaics in the basement and then to the Royal Jewellery Museum. Head back to the station back to Cairo for the evening.
Day 6: Arriving in the oases of Bahareya around noon, try to sneak in a visit to the Golden Mummies before lunch at your hotel. After lunch, do the tombs of Banentiu and Zed-Amunefankh. End the day with a trip to a hot spring before dinner.
Day 7: After breakfast, head south with a guide to the Black Desert for lunch. Take in the Tomb of Amenhotep or Temple of Alexander the Great on your way out of town. In the afternoon, head down to the White Desert for the sunset and an evening meal amidst the spectacular white inselbergs. Wrap up tight in the camel's-hair blankets; that sand that was burning your toes during the day retains almost no heat once the sun is set, and the desert night can get pretty chilly.
Day 8: Arrive in Farafra and check into your hotel for a rest and some lunch. Visit the Palm Groves and Ain Romana in the afternoon. Look up Badr at his museum on the way back to the hotel. After dinner, a nice soak in Bir Sitta will take care of the knots and bruises that you picked up yesterday.
Day 9: First thing in the morning, head up the hill behind the Badawiya to the Al Haya/Farafra Development Association store to do a little shopping. Head back to Bahareya by road midmorning. Try lunch at Bayoumi's Popular Restaurant for a real taste of the oasis, and then climb Black Mountain before a short afternoon nap so that you can stay up late and track down Abdel Sadek el Badramany at the Concert Bar for some Bedouin music.
Day 10: If you're particularly keen on seeing Abu Simbel, take the early morning flight there instead of doing Philae. You can then head to Philae after dinner for the sound-and-light show.
Day 11: Aswan may be relatively close to Luxor, but it is very different. Take a moment to shift gears and appreciate that the pace of life is a lot slower here. Head south to the Philae temple complex first thing before the day starts to heat up. If you're going to check out the High Dam, do so on the way back from the temples, but a better way to spend your hour before lunch would be to stop by the Unfinished Obelisk. Lunch in the air-conditioned comfort of the Mövenpick, and spend the heat of the afternoon at the Nubian Museum. After that, head down to the old Aswan Museum at the southern end of Elephantine Island. The gardens around the museum are a great place to see out the day. Around sunset, catch a faluca, disembarking on the Corniche close to the Blue Moon for a simple fish dinner. Spend the evening doing a little shopping in the souk.
Day 12: Start the day with an after-breakfast boat ride to the West Bank and a hike up to the Tombs of the Nobles. If you've got the gas, hike over to the abandoned Monastery of St. Simeon; if not, take a boat to the jetty. After lunch, while away the heat of the afternoon lolling in the shade of Kitchener Island, and then, if you have time before your plane or train, head over to the Panorama Bar for an unparalleled view up and down the river and a couple of pre-trip drinks.
Day 13: Time to end your Egyptian adventure, unless you’ve scavenged some more time off work of course.
