Compare 2 Cairo itineraries from tour guides

[Wakkyj]

I'm planning a 2 day (really 1 1/2 day) trip to Cairo while in port on a cruise in October. I've been in discussion with a few tour operators as well as I'm doing my own research and I would like your expert feedback on the 2 tour itineraries as, to me, the timing doesn't quite seem to work.

Logistics background: Arriving in Alexandria at 7am and leaving Alexandria at 6pm the next day. Staying overnight at Le Meridien Pyramids.

TOUR OPTION 1:

Day 1:

Leave Alexandria at 7:30 and drive to Giza
Giza - 3 hours approx including:
- Pyramid of Khufu and entrance
- Pyramid of Khefre
- Valley Temple
- Sphinx
- Solar Boat Museum
- camel ride
Lunch
Saqqara - 2 hours approx including:
- Step Pyramid
- Mastaba of Mereruka
- Pyramid of Teti and/or other Mastabas

Day 2:

Egyptian Museum - 2 hours approx
Lunch (Mena House)
Islamic Cairo - 1.5 hours approx including
- walking around are
- Khan el Khalili bazaar & Fishawy for coffee
Leave no later than 1pm for Alexandria

My concern here is that day 1 seems very light whereas Day 2 seems nearly impossible given that the Museum only opens at 9am (right?) and we need to leave by 1pm at the latest.

TOUR OPTION 2:

Day 1:

Leave Alexandria at 7:30 and drive to Cairo
Egyptian Museum - 2 hours
Lunch
Islamic Cairo - 2 hours approx including:
- Khan el Khalili bazaar & Fishawy for coffee

Day 2:

Saqqara including:
- Step Pyramid
- Mastaba of Mereruka
- Pyramid of Teti or other Mastabas, time permitting
Giza - including:
- See the 3 pyramids
- Enter the Great pyramid
- Valley Temple
- Sphinx
- Solar Boat Museum
- camel ride

Again it seems that day 1 is very light and day 2 is too busy. I'm afraid with both of these itineraries we'll end up cutting items in order to make it back to the ship on time.

I actually have my own thoughts on a preferred itinerary based on all your feedback from previous posts but thought I should go with the tour reco since they are the experts - not so sure now.

What do you think?

[MercedMike]

You have to pick out what you want to do, and how you want to do it. Remember that your itinerary has to include the logistics of getting to each site, parking, buying tickets and so on. If you want to go inside a pyramid, solar boat museum, aphinx and camel ride then three hours at the pyramids is a minimum amount of time.

Two hours at Sakkara should be plenty, but there is a certain amount of drive time involved.

How interested in the museum are you? Some people can easily spend two hours in the mummy room, others just breeze through. Two hours would give you half an hour in formalities, tickets, checking cameras, reclaiming cameras, etc., half an hour in the mummy room,half an hour for Tut, and a fast half hour breeze through of the other exhibits.

Islamic Cairo can also be just a fast walk through or a considerable length of time. I cherish the hour we spent sitting on the floor of the mosque while our guide explained the Seven Pillars of Islam to us, and then searched out an Imam to chant verses from the Quran for us. Others may just want to look at the decorations and leave.

The Khan el Khalili is an amazing place and deserves some time of its own. You don't list any shopping on your itin but it will surely be there.

The guides know how long the logistics of each site will take. YOU have to let them know how interested you are in particular sites and what your priorities are. There are so many things to do you have to pick and choose. More time at some means less time at others.

You can check out our particular customized tour at
http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html
as well as our longer tour at
http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egyptmain.html
with Islamic Cairo at
http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egypt9.html

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Wakkyj]

Originally Posted by MercedMike

You have to pick out what you want to do, and how you want to do it. Remember that your itinerary has to include the logistics of getting to each site, parking, buying tickets and so on. If you want to go inside a pyramid, solar boat museum, aphinx and camel ride then three hours at the pyramids is a minimum amount of time.

Two hours at Sakkara should be plenty, but there is a certain amount of drive time involved.

How interested in the museum are you? Some people can easily spend two hours in the mummy room, others just breeze through. Two hours would give you half an hour in formalities, tickets, checking cameras, reclaiming cameras, etc., half an hour in the mummy room,half an hour for Tut, and a fast half hour breeze through of the other exhibits.

Islamic Cairo can also be just a fast walk through or a considerable length of time. I cherish the hour we spent sitting on the floor of the mosque while our guide explained the Seven Pillars of Islam to us, and then searched out an Imam to chant verses from the Quran for us. Others may just want to look at the decorations and leave.

The Khan el Khalili is an amazing place and deserves some time of its own. You don't list any shopping on your itin but it will surely be there.

The guides know how long the logistics of each site will take. YOU have to let them know how interested you are in particular sites and what your priorities are. There are so many things to do you have to pick and choose. More time at some means less time at others.

You can check out our particular customized tour at
http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html
as well as our longer tour at
http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egyptmain.html
with Islamic Cairo at
http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/egypt9.html

Have a GREAT cruise!

Mike, I always enjoy seeing your pictures. Gets me so excited for the trip! In fact I have my own itinerary in mind (same elements, different order). But when I saw the itinerary the tours provided after seeing my priorities I began to doubt myself. I just don't see their logistics working out for day 2 though, especially in tour 1 considering that we need to leave by 1pm.
I think I'll go with my gut and create my own itinerary.

[cruisemom42]

Originally Posted by Wakkyj

I'm planning a 2 day (really 1 1/2 day) trip to Cairo while in port on a cruise in October. I've been in discussion with a few tour operators as well as I'm doing my own research and I would like your expert feedback on the 2 tour itineraries as, to me, the timing doesn't quite seem to work.

Logistics background: Arriving in Alexandria at 7am and leaving Alexandria at 6pm the next day. Staying overnight at Le Meridien Pyramids.

TOUR OPTION 1:

Day 1:

Leave Alexandria at 7:30 and drive to Giza
Giza - 3 hours approx including:
- Pyramid of Khufu and entrance
- Pyramid of Khefre
- Valley Temple
- Sphinx
- Solar Boat Museum
- camel ride
Lunch
Saqqara - 2 hours approx including:
- Step Pyramid
- Mastaba of Mereruka
- Pyramid of Teti and/or other Mastabas

Allowing for a minimum of driving time and assuming you keep to this schedule (you probably will not), you'd be finishing up at Saqqara -- by my estimate -- at around 6pm. You still have to drive back to Cairo and check into your hotel. If doing Khan el Khalili is important to you (I highly recommend it) and you are not too tired, you might consider doing it in the evening.

Day 2:

Egyptian Museum - 2 hours approx
Lunch (Mena House)
Islamic Cairo - 1.5 hours approx including
- walking around are
- Khan el Khalili bazaar & Fishawy for coffee
Leave no later than 1pm for Alexandria

This day makes less sense to me. If your lunch is at the Mena House hotel at Giza, you'd have to drive from Cairo to Giza for lunch, then back to Cairo for the Islamic Cairo walking tour and Khan el Khalili. Which is crazy, as the traffic between Cairo and Giza is some of the worst in a city that's known for bad traffic. Also, if I recall correctly, Giza is more or less on the way out of town to Alex. So you'd have to drive back that way AGAIN....

My concern here is that day 1 seems very light whereas Day 2 seems nearly impossible given that the Museum only opens at 9am (right?) and we need to leave by 1pm at the latest.

TOUR OPTION 2:

Day 1:

Leave Alexandria at 7:30 and drive to Cairo
Egyptian Museum - 2 hours
Lunch
Islamic Cairo - 2 hours approx including:
- Khan el Khalili bazaar & Fishawy for coffee

Yes, I agree this day is light. But in light of my comments on Day 2, I think you could actually consider adding something at the end of the day, rather than taking anything away from Day 2. I might suggest swapping the Museum from morning to afternoon. It is much less crowded then. Perhaps you could add a visit to the Citadel/Alabaster mosque in the morning, then visit Khan el Khalili and have lunch there at Fishawy or the Naguib Mahfouz restaurant, then head to the museum...

Day 2:

Saqqara including:
- Step Pyramid
- Mastaba of Mereruka
- Pyramid of Teti or other Mastabas, time permitting
Giza - including:
- See the 3 pyramids
- Enter the Great pyramid
- Valley Temple
- Sphinx
- Solar Boat Museum
- camel ride

You can get an early start to Saqqara (if your group is agreeable), then head back to Giza and do the pyramids, etc. As I mentioned above, it makes more sense to do this on the last day because it puts you closer to Alex and avoids some really terrible traffic and backtracking.


Again it seems that day 1 is very light and day 2 is too busy. I'm afraid with both of these itineraries we'll end up cutting items in order to make it back to the ship on time.

I actually have my own thoughts on a preferred itinerary based on all your feedback from previous posts but thought I should go with the tour reco since they are the experts - not so sure now.

What do you think?

Cairo is a logistical nightmare. I'm not sure any of us know more about traffic times and so on than the agencies there, but I'll give you my thoughts (see above) for what they are worth....