Rhapsody Shore & Land Excursions > Egypt - Suez > Classic Cairo

Classic Cairo

Depart from Suez in luxury a/c motor coaches en route to Africa's largest city, the teeming metropolis of Cairo. Your first stop will be at Giza Plateau where the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pyramids of Giza still stand. Your coach will park at the base of Chephren's Pyramid and time will be allocated to explore the site on your own.

Continue down the valley where the guardian of this mortuary complex, the mighty Sphinx lies watching the passage of time and men in eons of silence its expression an enigma yet to be unravelled.

Take time out to relax and enjoy a delicious lunch buffet at a leading 5* deluxe hotel. After lunch drive to Tahrir (Liberty) Square, the heart of down town Cairo.

Visit the National Archaeological Museum and acquaint yourself with Egypt's ancient history, spanning a period of over 50 centuries. The Museum is the repository of the world's largest and richest collection of Egyptian Antiquities amongst them the priceless collection of King Tutankhamen. Visit a Papyrus Institute where the art of paper making from reeds discovered by the Ancient Egyptians will be demonstrated for you. Limited time for souvenir shopping will also be allocated before you commence the return drive to the ship.

 

Special Notes:
Comfortable walking shoes and a sun hat recommended.

No cameras and videos allowed in the museum.

The museum is not a/c but natural ventilation produces cooling breezes. Only the hall of the Tutankhamen collection and the Royal Mummies are a/c.

Entering the hall of Mummies requires an extra fee and it is not part of the guided tour. Ticket purchasable from within the museum at the entrance to the mummies. The mummies are viewed as you walk past them, and it doesn't take longer than 10 minutes.

There's an elevator in the museum but at times is not in operation. However, museum personnel help carry confined and assistance requiring visitors upstairs.

The visit to the interior of the Pyramids is not part of the tour and requires and extra fee. Not recommended for people suffering from claustrophobia or have back and/or knee problems. The corridor is dark and low and at most of the time visitors have to stoop or bend their knees while they walk. The main chamber is totally empty. Very humid and dark inside. No cameras or videos allowed inside.

A lot of vendors sell all sorts of souvenirs at the Pyramids, especially at the Western Plateau. What is being sold as papyrus at extremely cheap prices are nothing but painted banana leaves, not real papyrus.

Please always consult and seek the advice of your guide.

The sequence of visits may vary, depending on the prevailing traffic conditions in Cairo however all features and inclusions will remain unchanged.

 

Tour Timings:

Tours begin at times suitable for the ship's arrival in port. The breakdown of the excursions is as follows:
00hr00 -> Depart from Port Said Port
00hr00 -> 03hr15 Drive from Port Said port to Pyramids area
03hr15 -> 04hr45 Visit Pyramids/sphinx area
04hr45 -> 05hr00 Drive time from Pyramids to hotel
05hr00 -> 06hr00 Serving lunch at hotel
06hr00 -> 06hr45 Drive time from hotel to Museum
06hr45 -> 08hr15 Visit The Egyptian Archaeological Museum
08hr15 -> 09hr00 Drive time from Museum to Papyrus Institute
09hr00 -> 09hr45 Visit papyrus Institute and shopping at Oriental bazaars
09hr45 -> 13hr00 Drive time from Papyrus institute to Port Said port

 

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