Quick Stop in Cairo
 

Can a complete CAI-Pyramids-CAI round trip be done in 3 hours at 6a on a Sunday morning? If not, are there any sites which can be done in that window?
Also... Are the tourism numbers still low at the pyramids or have they started to rebound?

I am in CAI at the moment and with the risk of traffic I would say no. It is horrendous!

About how much time would you recommend then?

I'd still call that risky.

However, there is a stretch of road - called Al Ahram - leading up to the Great Pyramid from which you can snap a couple of photos without entering.

Well to give an example from downtown to the Airport took 2 hours yesterday. I would reckon you would need a good 6 hours to be on the safe side.

Understand that Sunday is a regular work/weekday in most Islamic countries. Friday would be the day to avoid traffic in the morning.

I also have a stopover at CAI in early August. However, mine is much longer, about 20 hours from 6am to 2am the following morning. This sounds like plenty of time to see the pyramids, but what is the best way to go about doing this? I suspect long stopovers at CAI aren't too uncommon. Does the airport offer any daytrips through the city or pyramids that I can take advantage of? Of am I on my own here?

I have always used Viator for transfer and know they are very reliable so you could probably arrange a trip through them. There is also a great new Le Meridien connected to Terminal 3 which has a nice sports bar.

http://www.viator.com/Cairo/d782-ttd

I have the same times for a stopover in Cairo in late June. I am coming in from JNB on my way home to the US. As a single woman I decided it was best to book a car, driver, and tour guide. The cost was $147 for twelve hours. They tailored the tour to suit what I wanted to see and are very responsive to emails. Their email is [email protected]. They have nothing but rave reviews on every sight I checked. They just redid their website so you should ask them what the cite is. All reports are that everyone feels safe but if you don't hire a local guide you will be greatly harassed by salesman at the sites.

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That's not a BAD price for 12 hours and all. Where did you have the driver take you?

I take the tour at the end of this month and that is the price for twelve hours. We are going to Saqquara, Dashur(sp), the museum, the bazaar and hopefully several mosques or as many as time allows. It also includes any entrance fees.

Sorry, didn't mean to question you. I meant it's not a BAD price!

Did you get to see the pyramids?

Do people here know that Egyptair provides a free hotel and meal vouchers for any stopover over 8 hours. I recently took advantage of this on my latest trip to JNB. The procedure is in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...egypt-air.html

Also on our way there we booked a 14 hour tour that included tours to Giza, Memphis, Saqqara, Darshur, Felucca ride and Khan el-Khalili. We paid $95 each for a two person private tour with all entrance fees covered with lunch and snack included. The best part as opposed to our first trip to Egypt was that there was no side tours to Papyrus or Perfume Museums, just the tour and the guide was amazing. It is great time for visitors to get a great price on a custom tour.

Sorry, the pyramids at Giza are also on the itinerary. I don't go until the end of this month so I haven't seen anything yet. The tour also includes lunch. industry_killer got an even better price. It really doesn't cost much. If you can stay one night I would highly recommend it.