Egypt

Once you have arrived at the Arrivals Hall, after your short bus trip from your aeroplane, you will be welcomed by our Oriental Tours representative, who will be standing inside the doors holding a board showing your name. He will then help you purchase your visa (if applicable), get your currency exchanged to Egyptian Pounds (known as LE, which is short for Livre Égyptienne), and then take you through Passport Control. From here he will assist you with collecting your luggage, before escorting you to our waiting, air-conditioned, vehicle outside. You will then be taken to your hotel, with our representative explaining details of your package to you, en route, as well as answering any questions you may have. Upon arrival at your hotel he will assist you with check in, continue answering any questions from you.

Once you have had your breakfast your guide will meet you and take you on a full day tour of Cairo. First of all you will be taken to Giza to see the world famous pyramids and sphinx. You will gaze in awe at the magnificent Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops): the last of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids of Khafre (Chephren), and Menkaure (Mycerinos), and then gaze in delight at the spectacle of the supreme Sphinx.

From here you will be taken to the town of Mit Rahina, once known as Memphis and the capital of ancient Egypt, stopping for lunch (optional) on the way. The museum here houses many large artefacts, all situated in a wonderful garden, as well as the Colossi of Ramses II inside the museum building.

Once you have had your breakfast your guide will meet you and take you on a full day tour of Cairo. First of all you will be taken to the Egyptian Museum (or as it is officially known: The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities!). Marvel at the thousands of artefacts from Egypt’s almost eternal history, 160,000 items spread out over 107 rooms, and then be prepared for your face to face encounter with the golden Death Mask of Tutankhamun.

A quick break for lunch (optional) and you will then be taken to the Citadel of Saladin, built on Cairo’s highest point: Mokattam Hill. Saladin erected the Citadel to protect Cairo, from the crusaders, between 1176 and 1183 CE and nowadays it houses 3 mosques (the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Al-Nasir Muhammad Qala’un Mosque, and the Mosque of Suleyman Pasha), 4 museums (Al-Gawhara Palace Museum, the Carriage Museum, the Egyptian Military Museum, and the Egyptian Police Museum), fortifications, walkways and a cafeteria.

It is called the Hanging Church because it was built on the southern gate of the ruins of the Roman Fortress of Babylon. From here you will go to the Church of St. George. Tradition has it that St. George was kept in a prison close to the church and martyred there. The next stop is the Church of Abu Sarga (St. Sergius). It is the oldest church in Egypt, dating back to the 5th century CE, and it owes its fame to having been constructed over the crypt of the Holy Family where they stayed for three weeks during their escape to Egypt. Finally you will visit the newly refurbished Coptic Museum. Originally built at the end of the 19th century CE, it now occupies an area of 8,000 square metres, which includes the buildings and garden. The Coptic Museum holds about 16,000 works of art, though only 1,200 are exhibited. It is also home to some 6,000 papyrus manuscripts, including the Psalms of David and the manuscripts of Nag Hammadi.

After breakfast our representative will arrive at your hotel to transfer you to Cairo International Airport for your departure flight, or to take you to any pre-arranged optional extra visits to fill in your time before transferring you to the airport. Bon voyage, and thank you for travelling with Oriental Tours Egypt.