Best of Cairo and Alexandria

Breakfast at the hotel then we start exploring ancient Egypt with a visit to the famous Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Cheops which was built by manual labor, is the largest of the three main Pyramids and is the only survivor of the Seven Great Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramid of Chephren, which is the best preserved, and the Pyramid of Mycerinus. Nearby see the Sphinx, a marvelous sight carved out of a natural rocky outcrop, the lion’s body stretching 45m, with its paws 15m long. We will visit the Papyrus Institute and learn how paper was made in ancient times followed by shopping in the Papyrus Museum, Perfume factory and Jewelry shop.

Lunch will be provided at a local Restaurants.

Procced to visit Memphis & Sakkara.

Sakkara is 27 km journey away from Cairo. The highlight of this section is the Step Pyramid. Built for King Zoser, it is considered an important part in the process of the pyramid evolution.

Memphis was the seat of power of the Old Kingdom (2686—2181 BC) of Ancient Egypt, home to the pharaohs that raised the pyramids. Most impressive by far is the massive statue of Ramesses II that was uncovered here, measuring over 30 feet tall. Ramesses II ruled from Thebes, near present day Luxor, long after the height of Memphis’s power had waned in the 13th century BC, but this huge statue shows that the city remained important even 1500 years after the Giza Pyramids were completed.

Drive back to the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel in Cairo.

Early breakfast at hotel then drive to Alexandria via the desert road for a full day guided tour to visit the Bombay’s’ pillars, Alexandrina Bibliotheca, Qaite Bay citadel from outside & Al Montazah Gardens.

Alexandrina Bibliotheca; the New Library of Alexandria, the New Bibliotheca Alexandrina is dedicated to recapture the spirit of openness and scholarship of the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It is much more than a library as it contains 13 different departments. Besides, the New Library also hosts a number of institutions which is growing and it is becoming the nerve center of many international and regional networks.

Qaite bay Fort has been guarding the bay for centuries; at the end of the Cornish rises the crenellated walls of the Mameluk fortress built in 1480 on the site of the Alexandria lighthouse.

Pompeii Column and Kom el-Shuqafa Catacombs Thirty meters high and built from Aswan pink granite, the Pompeii Column is thought to have been a present from the people of Alexandria to Emperor Diocletian. The majority of the remains found around the column can be been at the Greco-Roman Museum. At the top of the hill lies the entrance to the Kom al-Shuqafa Catacombs dating from the first and second centuries. They have been discovered by chance at the beginning of 20th, century.

Montazah Gardens; is about 150-hectare park surrounding the palace of Khedive Abbas with its amazing architecture worth of Walt Disney. Visitors enjoy strolling in the gardens or swimming of the nice sandy beaches.
Lunch will be provided in a local restaurant.
Drive back to Cairo at the end of the day and overnight at the hotel in Cairo.

Breakfast at the hotel then start your tour to visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.

The Egyptian Museum was established by the Egyptian government in 1835. The present museum building was built in 1900, in the new classical style by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon. The museum exhibited collections now exceed 120,000 objects ranges from pre historic era to the Greco Roman period. It has 107 halls, and the ground floor houses huge statues. The upper floor houses small statues, jewels, Tutankhamen treasures. The museum also comprises of a photography section and large library.

Lunch will be provided at a local restaurant.

Proceed to National Museum of the Egyptian Civilization: The first museum of civilization in the Arab world, the NMEC will present a comprehensive view of Egyptian civilization from prehistory to the present day, taking a multidisciplinary thematic approach designed to highlight Egypt’s tangible and intangible heritage.
A museum of a new kind, unknown so far in Egypt and the entire Middle East region, the NMEC’s main goal is to “share knowledge”, to connect with the surrounding Egyptian society and to offer international visitors a richer and deeper insight into the meaning of Egyptian culture through the ages. With its various collections of objects and associated knowledge, spanning thousands of years, numerous cultures, ruling powers, systems of beliefs, religions, and aesthetic expressions, the NMEC will offer an exceptional and unique visit through Egyptian history with the aim to connect the country’s rich past to contemporary Egypt. Embarking all visitors on a journey through Egyptian history and culture, NMEC will provide invaluable insights into the long history of one of the oldest countries in the world, focusing on shifts of values and major changes as well as hidden continuities and traditions up to the present day.

Short drive to visit the Citadel and Mohamed Ali Mosque (Alabaster Mosque) followed by a visit to Khan El Khalili Bazaar.
The Citadel is one of Cairo’s most popular tourist attractions which houses a number of museums, ancient mosques and other sites, located on a spur of limestone that had been detached from its parent Moqattam Hills by quarrying. The Citadel is one of the world’s greatest monuments to medieval warfare, as well as a highly visible landmark on Cairo’s eastern skyline. Particularly when viewed from the back side (from the north), the Citadel reveals a very medieval character.
The area where the Citadel is now located began its life not as a great military base of operations, but as the “Dome of the Wind”, a pavilion created in 810 by Hatim Ibn Hartama, who was then governor. Indeed this area was well known for its cool breeze. These early governors, not realizing its strategic importance, simply used the pavilion for its view of Cairo. Between 1176 and 1183, Salah ad-Din (Saladin to Westerners 1171-1193 AD), an Abbasid Ruler, fortified the area to protect it against attacks by the Crusaders, and since then, it has never been without a military garrison. Originally it served as both a fortress and a royal city. Mohamed Ali Mosque (Alabaster Mosque) was designed by the Greek architect Yussuf Bushnaq, between 1830 & 1857 in the Ottoman style by Mohammad Ali Pasha, ruler of Egypt, and founder of the country’s last dynasty of Khedives and Kings. The mosque is the Tomb of Mohammad Ali and is also known as the Alabaster Mosque because of the extensive use of this fine material. Its two slender 270-foot minarets are unusual for Cairo. From the arcaded courtyard, visitors have a magnificent view across the city to the pyramids in Giza. Just off the courtyard is the vast prayer hall with an Ottoman style dome which is 170 feet above. The parapet to the southwest offers a good view of the Sultan Hassan and Ibn Tulun Mosques and of Cairo itself. Perhaps because of its location, it is one of the most frequented Mosques by tourists.

A Drive will take you to Khan El Khalili bazaars, which is one of the most famous worldwide with its amazing narrow alleyways. The visitor can discover small restaurants and workaday cafes where Egyptians & non-Egyptians come to smoke water pipes and enjoy some of the traditional Egyptian drinks in the cafes scattered around the area (Few years ago, Naguib Mahfouz himself used to come and sit beneath the huge, ageing and discolored mirrors of the café).
Your guide will explain the history of Al Azhar & El Hussein Mosque when coming into the area of Khan El Khalili & you will be given some free time to explore the area and visit any of the mosques if you wish

Drive back to the hotel.

Overnight in Cairo

Breakfast in the hotel and check out.
Transfer to Cairo airport for your final flight back home.

• Steigenberger Hotel, Ramses Hilton or similar 4✩ hotel in Cairo.

• Sheraton Cairo hotel, Sofitel Cairo Hotel or similar 5✩ hotel.