Your Comments on Cairo Itin

Old Aug 29th, 2022, 01:45 PM
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Your Comments on Cairo Itin

I have a first trip to Egypt planned for this winter. We will be there for 17 days and are using Djed to plan our trip & for our private guides. I am having trouble sorting through their itinerary for our short time in Cairo. I will say I am concerned about doing too much as this is the start of a trip after our flight from the US. We arrive at 8 pm in the evening and I worry there is too much on their day 2 which is our first full day. They have us with a free day on Day 4 due to flight times. (We prefer not taking early am flights. I'm thinking some of their itinerary from days 1 and 2 might be moved to day 4. I am copying their itin for Cairo here and would love your thoughts and recommendations on it. FYI after we return to Cairo for our last day there are other activities. ARe there sites you think we should drop or ones you believe we should add? Thanks for your time and thoughts.

Day 2 ≈ ≈ Giza and Saqqara Monuments
Visit the sole surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, Giza’s Pyramids, and the surrounding area. Arrive early if you want
to get one of the limited tickets to visit their interiors. The Giza plateau is huge; musts are the 3 pyramids, the Sphinx, and
the Valley temple. After as much walking and exploring as you like, journey through the countryside to Dahshur. Visit the
Dahshur necropolis and venture into the heart of the Red or Bent Pyramids, where a sense of antiquity and romance still
lingers. Then it is on to the necropolis of Saqqara, with some extraordinary funerary Old kingdom monuments, including
the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, rock tombs and temples.
Optional – Inside the Great Pyramid of Cheops – Entry fees EGP 440, approximately USD 27 per person
This day excursion does not include a visit to the inside of the Great Pyramid. If you want to visit it, you’ll need to buy
additional tickets, your tour guide will assist at the ticket office. Enjoy access to both the grand gallery and royal burial

chamber of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. There is not much to see inside, but the experience of going up the 100-meter-
long corridor is a marvellous experience. Please note that guide explanation are not permitted inside the Great Pyramid.

Optional – Saqqara farmhouse lunch, excluding drinks – USD 23 per person
Enjoy a traditional Egyptian lunch at a family run country farmhouse, amongst beautiful palm trees in a lush greenery on
the desert wilderness of Saqqara. Lunch is a rustic dining experience around a communal table in the farmhouse. The
menu focuses on Egyptian food, from old-fashioned classics to hearty farmhouse fare. The family living in this farmhouse
only cooks for amount of people that are coming, so advanced booking really is essential, at least 5 days in advance.

Day 3 ≈, ≈ The Old Coptic Quarter and Medieval Cairo
Dig into the layers of Cairo’s old city by visiting the historical Coptic churches around the Roman fortress of Babylon, the
Holy Family’s Cave and the absorbing Coptic Museum. Spend the afternoon exploring Cairo's Islamic art treasures,

including a walking tour of Cairo’s narrow medieval streets. Visit some of the superb mosques, among them the 14th-
century Sultan Hassan Mosque. Inside the grounds of Cairo's Citadel, there are medieval mosques and several old
palaces. Drive to Bab al-Fotouh and enjoy a walking tour into Al-Muizz Market Street with its mosques, mausoleums, and
antique shops. Amazing sounds and smells surround you in the narrow alleyways that will lead you to the Khan el-Khalili
souks. These streets, alleys and cafes are where Nobel Prizewinning novelist Naguib Mahfouz found his inspiration for his
novels and short stories. End your day at Cairo’s oldest coffeehouse El Fishawy and enjoy a fresh mint tea, their house
speciality since 1737!

On our return at the end of our time
Day 16 ≈ Fly to Cairo – The Grand Egyptian Museum or the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square
This morning, transfer to Aswan Airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, head to Giza. Your private Egyptologist
guide will take you on a fascinating journey of exploration and discovery around the Grand Egyptian Museum. This lavish
museum will house more than 100,000 pieces of artefacts and age-old antiquities, including the entire collection of
Tutankhamun’s golden treasures. The sheer size of the place can be overwhelming. However, our Egyptologist guide will
give you a private introduction to the collection, from little-known but important objects to pieces that have amazed the
world. You will then have some free time to explore on your own. This is a private guided tour—so you can see the most,
in the best way. The museum is huge, so make sure you give enough time to do it justice. The much-awaited Grand
Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open in November 2022. If not open, you will visit the Egyptian museum of Antiquities
in Tahrir Square. After your visit, your driver will take you to your hotel. Your evening is at leisure.


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Old Sep 1st, 2022, 04:08 PM
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We stopped in London for four nights en route to Egypt so we did not have jet lag in Cairo. I highly recommend a short stay in Europe before you arrive in Cairo and are swept up jet lagged when seeing one of the most important sites in Egypt.Otherwise it is almost the exact same itinerary we had with Odysseys Unlimited.Fabulous trip.


Last edited by HappyTrvlr; Sep 1st, 2022 at 04:11 PM.
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Old Sep 1st, 2022, 05:46 PM
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Originally Posted by HappyTrvlr
We stopped in London for four nights en route to Egypt so we did not have jet lag in Cairo. I highly recommend a short stay in Europe before you arrive in Cairo and are swept up jet lagged when seeing one of the most important sites in Egypt.Otherwise it is almost the exact same itinerary we had with Odysseys Unlimited.Fabulous trip.
Thank you. That would have been a good idea, but too late. We already have our ff tickets.
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Old Sep 7th, 2022, 04:38 PM
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The proposed day two is way too much. We also visited the Giza Plateau on the morning following our arrival and went early to avoid any crowds. Our visit took about four hours, including going inside the Great Pyramid. We enjoyed a lazy lunch at the Mena House overlooking the Pyramids and spent the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square to round out our day.

We spent a full day at Saqqara and Danshur and could have easily spent more time. Having a full day in Saqqara is not unthinkable as it is a large site. In any case I would not do all of it in one day.

How much time you spend in what is marketed as medieval Cairo depends on the amount of time you want at the markets. A half day is a good time to visit the mosques and other notable places, with more time to shop if you’d like.

One place not on your list that we enjoyed is Manial Palace. Manial Palace felt like an oasis in busy Cairo.

In terms of your day four, I would be wary of scheduling too much. Perhaps the situation is better now but we had our flights changed by Egyptair multiple times leading up to the day of the flight, including an evening departure that became a morning one.

Hoping the Grand Egyptian Museum opens in time for your visit. Should be a real treat.
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Old Sep 7th, 2022, 04:51 PM
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Thanks, tp! I appreciate it. This is helpful. I really felt it was way too much but had no clue what could be chnaged or how long it takes at any one place. Your point about the flight is a good one given already the flight I planned to take is gone.
What travel plans do you have?
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Old Sep 7th, 2022, 06:52 PM
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Glad I could be helpful. Feel free to ask questions here or contact me directly as I’m not checking here as often.

As for me I am actually pursuing a Cambodia and Thailand option as well as a Sicily and Malta option, but won’t commit for another 2-3 weeks. Have refundable hotel options secured though.
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Old Sep 8th, 2022, 05:12 AM
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Originally Posted by tripplanner001
Glad I could be helpful. Feel free to ask questions here or contact me directly as I’m not checking here as often.

As for me I am actually pursuing a Cambodia and Thailand option as well as a Sicily and Malta option, but won’t commit for another 2-3 weeks. Have refundable hotel options secured though.
Sure, I may do that at some point. Trip isnt until January so I hae plenty of time to fiddle with the days,
Both are good options for you. I think I recall some questions re Cambodia. I looked at going to Malta once but never made it. Love Sicily.
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Old Sep 8th, 2022, 05:34 AM
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I'm following along, too! This is helpful - and we'll be in Egypt in November!
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Old Oct 24th, 2022, 09:25 PM
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Brilliant, But forget about the grand museum opening. There are no indicators that it will open before 2023.
Muchmore; Add the NMEC museum to your itinerary. It is fabulous and it houses the Egyptian mummies from two years now
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Old Oct 24th, 2022, 10:22 PM
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Originally Posted by AlanoudZayed
Brilliant, But forget about the grand museum opening. There are no indicators that it will open before 2023.
Muchmore; Add the NMEC museum to your itinerary. It is fabulous and it houses the Egyptian mummies from two years now
re the grand museum. My trip is January 2023. When is the planned opening?
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Old Oct 26th, 2022, 01:44 AM
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Originally Posted by yestravel
re the grand museum. My trip is January 2023. When is the planned opening?
I really do not know! and actually, nobody knows! It was a set of delays over the last two years that looks to be extended.
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