Captivating Cairo
TOUR TITLE: CAPTIVATING CAIRO
TOUR CODE: Oriental Destinations-EG 4
PRGM: CAIRO – ALEXANDRIA
DAYS: 4 NTS/ 5 DAYS
CAIRO is a vibrant, exhilarating, exotic, fascinating and welcoming city. Home to the best Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic sights in Egypt, this city is where you never know what incredible, half-forgotten monument you might stumble across while wandering around.
The second largest city in Egypt, ALEXANDRIA, known as “The Pearl of the Mediterranean”, has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern; its ambience and cultural heritage distance it from the rest of the country although it is actually only 225 km. from Cairo. Alexandria is a city to explore at random. It’s as important to enjoy the atmosphere as it is to see the sights.
DAY ONE: CAIRO
Welcome to Egypt and the start of your holiday!
Arrive Cairo International Airport. You will be met by your tour coordinator who will assist you through the immigration and baggage controls. Transfer to your hotel and check-in. Relax and soak up the atmosphere in this ancient city.
Overnight: Cairo
Meal Plan: Nil
DAY TWO: CAIRO
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to enjoy the Captivating city of Cairo.
THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA The sole survivors from the ancient Greek-listed Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids of Giza are the planet’s oldest tourist attraction! Constructed from over 2.5 million limestone blocks it is thought to have taken more than 20 years to construct.
They are Egypt’s most visited monuments and among the world’s greatest tourist attractions.
THE SPHINX is carved from a single piece of stone. It is a lion with the head of a pharaoh thought to be the portrait of Chepren.
CHURCH OF ST.SERGIUS (ABU SERGA) – A 5th century basilica built over crypt where the Holy Family is believed to have stayed during their flight into Egypt.
CHURCH OF ST.MERCURIUS (ABU SEFEIN) – boasts a unique collection of Coptic art including 175 icons that depict scenes from the old and new testaments, wall paintings, etching and stained glass.
BEN EZRA SYNAGOGUE Modest in appearance, delightful in interior and boasting of legends, the Ben Ezra synagogue is the supreme Jewish monument in Cairo. Legends claim that the synagogue is built on the spot where pharaoh’s daughter found Moses in the bulrushes and where Jeremiah spoke to survivors after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
The most important recent event is the finding of medieval manuscripts in 1894. The collection, called Geniza, , counted more than 250,000 pages, dating to the period between 1002 and 1266.
AL AZHAR UNIVERSITY AND MOSQUE: Al-Azhar is today the most important religious university in the Muslim world, with as much as 90,000 students. It is perhaps the oldest university in the whole world. The heart of Al-Azhar is the mosque quarters. Unlike so many mosques around the Muslim world, it is fully open for visitors. The architecture is stunning, the size of the roofed hall is quite impressive.
THE KHAN EL KHALILI: The most famous of oriental bazaars it is a treasure of trove of medieval craftsmanship. Shop to your total hearts content- for the Egyptian artifacts…or order yourself a sheesha, indulge and watch the world go by…both very enjoyable pass times!!
Transfer to hotel
Overnight: Cairo
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch during Tour
DAY THREE: CAIRO/ALEXANDRIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Alexandria for over day tour.
THE CATACOMBS OF KOM EL SHOUKAFA – Kom El Shoukafa is an underground wonder world of ornate carvings and paintings and a mixture of Roman and Egyptian designs. It is the largest Roman Funerary complex in Egypt. And dates from the second century A.D. This warren of tombs, on three levels, also contains the Triclinium, where relatives used to sit on stone benches to feast the dead, and a central tomb with reliefs of bearded serpents. Inside are 2nd century A.D. statues of Sobek and Anubis wearing roman armor.
CITADEL OF FORT QAITBEY – This citadel is the further most edifices on the harbors arm. The fort is on the original site of the Pharos, Alexandria’s ancient lighthouse, built in 279 BC to a height of 12 meters and topped with the statue of Poseidon. Although Pharos was restored at various times it had finally crumbled by the time the original fort was built here, in the 1480’s. This magnificent structure houses Fort Qait Beys naval museum.
THE ROMAN THEATER – Discovered in 1964, after 30 years of excavation, this well preserved ancient Roman Theater with the marble seats, galleries and sections of mosaic flooring, was probably a roofed theater used for musical performances and based on the inscriptions carved on the seats, wrestling contests. The theater had a capacity of 700 to 800 seats and in Ptolemaic times it was park of Pan, a pleasure garden surrounded by Roman villas and baths. Return to Cairo. Evening at leisure.
THE GREAT LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. The Library was part of a larger research institution called the Mouseion, which was dedicated to the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts
Overnight: Cairo
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch in Alexandria
DAY FOUR: ALEXANDRIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Day at leisure
Overnight: Cairo
Meal Plan: Breakfast
DAY FIVE: DEPART
Breakfast at the hotel. Checkout of rooms at noon. Rest of day at leisure.
According to your flight timings, transfer to the airport for your final departure
Meal Plan: Breakfast
END OF SERVICES
INCLUSIONS:
- 04 nights’ accommodation in Cairo
- International Flights
- Meal plan as per the program
- All transfers in Cairo and Alexandria
- English speaking Egyptologist Guide
- Comprehensive sightseeing as per the program
- All entrance fees, service charge, current taxes, and vat.
- Meet and assist by our local Oriental Destinations representative
EXCLUSIONS:
- Visa Fees
- Personal expenditure of any kind
- Tips, drinks, extra meals, and any personal expenses
NOTE:
- Book early as the demand for flights and accommodation is very high
- Blackout dates offer doesn’t apply
- Rates may vary at the timing of booking due to dollar fluctuation
