Cairo and Alexandria Tour from Alexandria Port
Day 1 - Cairo Tour
Cruise Ship Pickup from Alexandria Port
Our friendly and knowledgable tour guide will pick you up from Alexandria Port to begin your day tour of the magnificent Cairo. The journey to Cairo will take approximately 2 hours in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle.
Cairo Tour to the Great Pyramid of Giza
Also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops, the Great Pyramid is the oldest and largest of the Pyramids of Giza. Composed of over 2.3 million blocks of granite weighing 25-80 tonnes each, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one that still remains largely intact, the Great Pyramid never fails to astound and amaze. Built over a 20 year period, the Great Pyramid initially stood at 146 meters, making it the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
Our highly-trained Egyptologist tour guide will be able to give you any information you need on the Pyramids including supposed construction methods (nobody really knows for sure), materials used, labour used and why the pyramids were built.
There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid, the lowest was cut into the bedrock beneath the pyramid, with the Kings chamber and Queens chamber higher up in the structure. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only pyramid in Egypt known to contain both ascending and descending passages.
The main part of the Giza complex is a set of buildign that include two mortuary temples, three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples and smaller tombs for nobles.
Visit the Sphinx on our Cairo Sightseeing Tour
Translated as "The Terrifying One" but more commonly referred to as the Sphinx, this limestone statue of a mythical creature with a lions body and human head stands on the west bank of the Nile in Giza.
Believed to have been built by the ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdon during the reign of Pharoh Khafra around 2558 BC (the Pharoh who built the second pyramid), this amazing statue stands 20m high and 73 meters long and is the oldest known monumental sculpture in the world.
Throughout Egyptian history the Sphinx has been revered with ancient Egyptians looking up at it with "divinity", and even to today it remains shrouded in mystery, with basic information like when it was built and by whom still debated. There are even theories of Kings being buried in it!
The Sphix is an awesome sight and rich in history, over its lifetime being buried in sand for hundreds of years and then dug back out. There are also stories of Napoleon's soldiers shooting cannonballs at the great Sphinx and breaking off it's nose.
Khafre's Tremples
At the base of Khafre's pyramid, the second tallest of the Pyramids of Giza, lies Khafres temple complex. These have remained in much better condition that other temples in the area and is the best example for us to explore. Built from megalithic blocks, weighing up to 400 tonnes each, this beautiful temple houses five storage chambers, an entrance hall, a columned court and an inner sanctuary to explore.
The interior of the temple has been remarkably well preserved and the temple of Giza are an amazing sight that have to be seen.
A Delicious Lunch
We'll stop for a buffet lunch in Cairo, with time for a rest and drinks.
Egyptian Museum Tour
Inside this massive and world-famous museum you'll find the most important pieces of Egyptian history including Pharaonic antiques and the treasure of Egypt's best known King, Tutankhamen. This massive museum in Tahir Square was established in 1902 and includes seven floors filled with fascinating artefacts such as two statues of King Tutankhamen made of cedar wood and covered in fine gold, a statue of King Akhenaton, Ushabtis statues that belonged to the Nubian kings, a mummy of a child and a small plychrome glass vase.
During the Egyptian revolution of 2011the museum was broken into and two mummies were destroyed as well as around 50 objects being lost and several damaged. Since then 25 of those objects have been successfully recovered.
The Egyptian Museum spans across 2 floors, the ground floor housing numerous objects including papyrus with written Greek, Latin, Arabic and ancient Egyptian, and coins, again not only Egyptian ones but also Greek, Roman and Islamic, highlighting Egypt's rich history. The ground floor also houses larghe statues, tables and coffins.
On the first floor you'll find artefacts from the final two dynasties of Egypt including items from the tombs of Pharohs Tutmosis III, Thutmosis IV, Amenophis II, Hatshepsut, and the courtier Maiherpri, as well as many artefacts from the Valley of the Kings, in particular the material from the intact tombs of Tutankhamun and Psusennes I. Two special rooms contain a number of mummies of kings and other royal family members of the New Kingdom.
The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is a fascinating place that allows you to see all the antiques that would have been buried in the ancient kings of Egypt's tombs and pyramids as well as some of the mummified kings themselves.
Optional Dinner Cruise Down the Nile
Why not finish a brilliant day in Cairo with a marvellous dinner cruise down the Nile, this is'nt included as standard in the tour as some people prefer to do their own thing and explore Cairo city at night. Your comfortable hotel in the center of Cairo will be organised as part of the tour.
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Day 2 - Alexandria Tour
You'll start the day with breakfast in your Cairo hotel before travelling back to Alexandria in a modern, air-conditioned EgyptExcursions vehicle.
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa Tour
One of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult with influences of Imperial Rome and Anceint Greece - around the time of Alexander the Great.
These magnificent underground tombs start with a circular staircase leading down into the bedrock which was used to transport Egypt's dead down the middle of it and into the burial chamber. Lost over the centuries, the Catacombs of Alexandria were redescovered in 1900 when a donkey fell into the access shaft.
These beautiful tombs were originally developed to house 1 family, however for reasons as yet unknown to us they were eventually used to house many more people. Inside the tombs are many rooms including the Hall of Caracalla, containing the bones of young Christian men massacred by order of the Emperor Caracalla in 215 AD - a Roman emperor remembered as one of the the most unpleasant to have ruled the empire due to the many massacres he authorised.
Spread across 3 levels cut into the bed rock, the third level is now completely underwater. A stone staircase descends to the second level which is eerily alive with sculptures and elaborate carvings in the walls. Along the passageways you'll discover three huge stone coffins along with many carved recesses in the walls for mummies to lay rest.
Stop for Lunch
We'll stop for a delicious lunch in a restaurant whilst admiring some of Alexandria's finest views such as the Alexandrian Library.
Visit the Citadel of Qaitbey
We'll proceed with our sightseeing tour of Alexandria from Cairo to the Citadel of Qaitbey, a picturesque fortress built during the 14th century to defend Alexandria from the advancing Ottoman Empire. The project turned out to be in vain as the Ottomans took control of Egypt in 1512, but this impressive and beautiful fortress has remained strategically located on a thin belt of land extending into Alexandria harbour.
The splendid fortress left today is not original, having been extensively damaged from the British bombardment of Alexandria during a nationalist uprising against the British hegemony in 1882 the fortress was rebuilt around the turn of the 20th century.
The fortress of Qaitbey was built on the site of the famous Pharaohs Lighthouse - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and actually includes stones salvaged from the huge tower that once stood there.
Today you can explore inside and outside the fortress and the small naval museum, whilst enjoying the beautiful sea views, shops and ice cream shops.
Back to your Cruise Ship
After exploring Cairo and Alexandria on this once-in-a-lifetime tour we'll take you back to your cruise ship in Alexandria port ready to continue your cruise holiday after exploring some of Egypt's magnificent sights.
