Festive Egypt
Donât miss out on this yearâs Christmas festive season in Egypt !
Explore Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, and Luxor, the 4 major cities in which all the major must-see sights are gathered. From the Pharaonic to the Roman, the Christian, and the Islamic eras. Added to that is the Mediterranean ambiance that permeates the shores of Alexandria with its turquoise sea and brilliantly blue skies. Take in the Nile cruise and you have rich red sunsets and golden-hued landscapes.
- Meet and assist upon arrival and departure Pick-up/drop-off
- Transfer from/to Cairo International airport in air-conditioned vehicle
- 3 nights accommodation in Cairo at 5* standard hotel
- 1 overnight sleeper train ticket: Cairo â Luxor
- 1 overnight sleeper train ticket: Luxor â Cairo
- 3 nights 5* Nile Cruise sailing Aswan to Luxor
- Daily breakfast starting the second day.
- Breakfast & dinner on board sleeper train
- All meals included on board Nile cruise excluding any drinks
- Relevant transfers during sightseeing
- Currently applied entrance fees for the above â mentioned sightseeing.
- Full day Alexandria trip.
- 2 small bottles per person during trips
- Professional English speaking tour-leader and guide during transfers and sightseeing.
- Tipping including for all the involved during the tour excluding the tour guide and the tour leader
- Entry visa to Egypt
- International flight tickets
- Christmas and New Year Gala Dinners (to be advised at time of booking)
- Tipping for the tour guide and the tour leader
Board your international flight to Cairo airport where our representative will welcome and assist you through all formalities. You will be accompanied to your hotel and enjoy your first evening in Cairo.
Overnight in Cairo hotel.
No Meals.
Get ready to take a tour around the city founded by the Great Macedonian Emperor. Early in the morning, your guide will pick you up from hotel in Cairo to drive you to Alexandria by a private air-conditioned vehicle. First, you will be taken to see Pompeyâs Pillar, Roman triumphal column, which is among the worldâs largest monolithic columns. You will then head to the rock-carved Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. After lunch, you will visit the Citadel of Qaitbay, built in the 15th century on the exact place of ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria. The next stop will be at the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which houses millions of books in its six specialized libraries. In the evening you will return to your hotel in Cairo. Lunch to be served at a fine local restaurant.
Overnight in Cairo hotel.
Meals: reakfast, Lunch.
Rise and Shine to your first day of exploring Cairoâs Highlights. This morning you will be met at your hotel by your private guide for a full-day tour of the pyramids at Giza, Sphinx, and Egyptian Museum. Take in the fascinating great Pyramids from a different perspective as you ride a camel (Optional) through the Sahara desert at Giza, we will show you the best spots for a perfect photoshoot! get creative standing super close to the Sphinx while you take pictures at this breathtaking sight. We then take a short drive to the Egyptian Museum, where the endless halls of treasures will keep you mesmerized!
In the early evening, you will experience a different side to traveling in Egypt, grab your belonging before we head to the train station to board the sleeper train to Aswan.
Overnight onboard sleeper train.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner.
Upon arrival to Aswan, we will start our trip with a visit to the High Dam. Afterward, a short boat trip will take you and your private guide to the Temple of Philae which was the center of worship of the Goddess Isis and thus attracted pilgrims from all over the ancient world. The original island is now completely submerged by the waters of Lake Nasser. In a spectacular rescue operation, the great temples and monuments of Philae were relocated to the nearby Island of Agilkia, where they now are perched. After discovering and admiring the romantic Temple, your private vehicle will take you to your chosen cruise where we will get you checked in for your fisrt of many nights on board.
Overnight onboard cruise ship.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Optional tour to visit the Temples at Abu Simbel, the temples are carved out of solid rock upon the orders of Pharaoh Ramses II at a site south of Aswan in the land of Nubia. The site had long been sacred grounds to the goddess Hathor of Absek. However, the temple built by Ramses was dedicated to the sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Harokhte. Because of their far-away location near the Sudanese border, the temples were unknown until their discovery in 1813. All 3 temples were removed from their original sites in a gigantic rescue operation and moved further along to another site to avoid them being submerged by the High Dam waters. Sail to Kom Ombo with an evening visit to the temple dedicated to the two gods Sobek the crocodile God and Harveris the Sun God.
Overnight onboard cruise ship.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Morning tour to Edfu Temple by horse and carriage. Continue sailing towards Luxor enjoying free time and lunch. Your afternoon tour is to the East Bank of Luxor. Entry is down the avenue of Ram Headed Sphinx to reach the Monumental Temple of Karnak and then continue onto Luxor Temple. A free evening to enjoy this vibrant and fascinating city.
Overnight onboard cruise ship.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
The tour starts bright and early today to avoid the noontide heat of the Valley of the Kings. Your guide will take you on a tour to explore a number of Tombs â the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens, and the Colossi of Memnon. Each of these sites still stands tall and is well preserved.
Overnight on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
After breakfast, we head back to Cairo. There once checked in, the rest of the day/evening is yours unless you choose one of our optional tours: Cairo city tour that includes Coptic and Islamic Cairo or the Khan el Khalili Bazaar if you havenât seen it yet. Check them out and others on our list.
Overnight at Cairo hotel.
Meals: Breakfast.
Your tour. officially comes to an end. Your private driver will take your to Cairo airport to board your flight back home.
Meals: Breakfast.
Please visit https://visacentral.com/egypt-visa
Please note your passport should be valid for 6 months after the end date of your visa.
Egyptâs national airline is Egypt Air. Most major international airlines fly to Cairo.
Please check with your travel agent or your favourite travel website for more
information.
On Health â Bring a supply of your medication if you take any on a regular basis as well as a copy of your prescription. However, please be assured that your hotel or our staff will find you a specialized doctor should the need arise.
On Clothing â Upon visiting mosques, please dress conservatively, i.e. half/long sleeved shirt and no shorts. In public areas, this would also be our advice. However, in some touristic areas such as the seaside, it perfectly fine to wear shorts and sleeveless shirts. Please remember to remove your footwear upon stepping into a mosque.
On Photography â Taking photos inside many temples is restricted, so please follow the advice of your guide and the keeper of the sites. In some places, please be aware that the government will charge you for taking photographs. Due to new policies put in place by the Ministry of Tourism, cameras are not permitted at all in the Valley of the Kings. Please exercise caution and respect when taking photographs of anything other than tourist sites. It is forbidden to take photographs of the police, anything of a military nature or indeed bridges, airports and public works. Respect should be given to Egyptian women, use discretion. Always ask permission before taking photos of people and expect to be asked for a tip in return.
Always carry local currency as it will make your life easier, especially when paying for groceries, taxis, touristic venues, museums and souvenirs. In big shops, restaurants and hotels you may use your credit cards.
On Tips â If you feel generous enough to tip one child, then expect to be followed by a hoard of others expecting to be tipped as well. Make sure you have a lot of small bills for such ventures as tipping is sort of expected and even the smallest bill (one pound) will be welcomed.
On Transportation â Taxis are a problem as they do not have a counter and pricing can be very tricky. Best is to use Uber or Careem or else have your hotel get you a cab and negotiate the price before you go on your ride.
In general, always take a bottle of water on your expedition. The heat will get to you.
On the Egyptian Language- Learn the basic words: Laâ (no) and shukran (thank you). You will be needing them.
On Dining Out, first time travelers are at a loss. It is best to seek out a hotel chain or a well-reviewed restaurant (ask around if you can) then you can be assured to get good, clean food. The price will be worth it. Never drink tap water! Wash and shower with it, but do not drink it.
On independent travel, for a first timer it is not advised. It much better to take a guide. You donât need to book a package tour, groups can be arranged here. First and foremost, prepare yourself for a culture shock. Many seasoned travelers arrive and find it is unlike any other country they have previously visited.
On Organizing your Trip â Alone or in a couple or with friends and you wish to organize everything yourself, please let the hotel know of your plans before leaving. Should you get lost, the hotel will be able to act on your behalf. Also arm yourself with hotel address and telephone number, always, as you may need it. Be aware that you might be ripped-off. Like many tourist destinations, Egypt has its âwolvesâ, preying on unsuspecting, trustful travelers. Often the total cost will be more than if you had arranged it through a travel agent or your hotel and a lot less enjoyable.
The ones recommended are: Yellow Fever (common to most parts of Africa), Tetanus and Hepatitis. Otherwise, just take the usual precautions when travelling to hot parts of the world. Drink bottled water, avoiding ice and unless you are in a well-known hotel and restaurant, avoid eating uncooked greens. Avoid roadside food stands. Bring a good insect repellent as the evenings might be full of mosquitoes. At all cost, avoid contact with street dogs, rabies is still a risk in Egypt. Make sure you have condoms on you, they are also available in all pharmacies. Carry a small medical kit for your needs, with painkillers and diarrhea tablets at hand at all times. We also advise you to carry a travel insurance.
It has never been a problem, however you have to put up sometimes with annoying verbal harassment and this happens to Egyptian women as well. The best thing is to ignore and go on. It can sometimes get really irritating but reacting does not work. There is nothing forbidden in Egypt. You do not need to cover up or anything of the sort, yet to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to yourself, do please cover your shoulders and cleavage and do not wear shorts. It is just a matter of feeling comfortable and fitting in. Best footwear are sneakers as there is a lot of walking and it is dusty and sometimes the streets are in poor condition and dirty.
The high-season is October to May, making June to September (the summer months and the hottest) the low-season and therefore prices are at their lowest.
Spend a couple of nights in Cairo, take the sleeper-train to Aswan, spend another two nights there while visiting Abu Simbel and the Philae Temple, maybe Kom Ombo too. Then you can take a cruise down the Nile to Luxor, spend two nights visiting the Valleys of the Kings and Queens and the Karnak Temple Complex. Then you can return to Cairo and from there head to a Red Sea resort, either on the Sinai Peninsula or the coast, for a few nights.
Even though we arrange tours⊠the best BUDGET way is to do it yourself.
It is easier to sit back, have someone make all arrangements for you and just zip, worry-free from place to place (and some people wouldnât do it any other way; it is a vacation after all LOL). But if youâre willing to put in the work, are flexible, easily adaptable, easy going and youâre willing to deal with haggling etc. it is not impossible to do Egypt without an operator.
In 10 days you can definitely visit three cities. You can even add Aswan in there. For most first-time visitors, 2 days in Cairo is enough. It is an overwhelming city, especially if youâre going about on your own.
If youâre going to do this yourself, I suggest at least securing ground transportation for the day. That can be a hired private car or taxi but you donât want to be wasting time flagging down and haggling with taxis at every turn. Having pre-arranged transport will take lots of the hassle out of doing things yourself. Having a good guide book is essential but if you can, book a guide or two to break up the monotony and really help with understanding the sites and bringing them to life. There are many good budget hotels in Luxor, Cairo and Aswan, which can be booked on sites such as hostelworld.com. You pre-pay 10% of the booking when itâs made and then pay the rest on arrival. The hostels do tours as well.
If youâre a student, be sure to bring your ISIC card for 50% discount on tickets to the sites.
If you decide you need help arranging all or part of the trip, donât hesitate to contact us.
The best time to visit Egypt is from October to May. It is the peak travel season, temperatures are milder though comparatively warmer than in the northern hemisphere. This is our High-Season with its two busiest periods: the Christmas/New Year period and the Easter Period, whereby hotels and cruises will put their prices up. This can mean that some hotels become really expensive, so making your reservations very early, even for the budget hotels, is strongly advised. The other 4 months are the low-season so to speak. May to September are the height of Egyptian summer, with very high temperatures, especially in Upper Egypt (Luxor and the southern parts of the country). However, this is the time for you to see Egypt in virtual peace and quiet, giving you the advantage of seeing the sites without any hassle either from school children or crowds of tourists.
Egypt offers a wide variety of 3-star hotels. The prices range from $12 to $20 per person per night in a double room. I would suggest you check hotel directories for rates and locations. Backpacker services are not popular in Egypt, although a few are available.
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