Cairo in a day
Oct 19, 2012, 10:35 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 163
Cairo in a day
Hi all
I have a couple of friends who are visiting Cairo for just over 8 hours they , want to visit the Pyramids and the Museum , can anyone suggest how they go about doing this without being ripped off ,
Kind regards
ELO
I have a couple of friends who are visiting Cairo for just over 8 hours they , want to visit the Pyramids and the Museum , can anyone suggest how they go about doing this without being ripped off ,
Kind regards
ELO
Oct 19, 2012, 11:02 am
#2
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
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Check the Middle East board: there are a few good links in there to firms who can arrange a driver for the day. (Disclaimer: I went in 2009 so I don't know how much has changed since the Arab Spring.)
Rates for drivers all over Egypt, including Cairo, were quite reasonable IMHO. We paid about $50/day (250 EGP) for a Corolla-type vehicle to do a whole day of Pyramids: Giza, Saqqara, and Dahshur. That was from Central Cairo, so an airport origination might be a little higher but shouldn't be outrageously so. That was driver-only: no guide.
You could also haggle with regular Cairo cabbies outside the arrivals area. In theory, that might be the rock-bottom cheap (and most adventurous) way to do it. I just hated the older-style Cairo cabs and liked having a modern vehicle dedicated to me. For a short eight hours in the country, I'd pay extra for the convenience and peace of mind.
Oh, and skip the carpet factory that your driver will inevitably try to take you to. You may need to be strong about this, as "no trip to Cairo is complete without a trip to a carpet factory." Uh, yeah, it is.
We tipped our guy well and we bought his lunch, but we did NOT waste time at a carpet factory.
Rates for drivers all over Egypt, including Cairo, were quite reasonable IMHO. We paid about $50/day (250 EGP) for a Corolla-type vehicle to do a whole day of Pyramids: Giza, Saqqara, and Dahshur. That was from Central Cairo, so an airport origination might be a little higher but shouldn't be outrageously so. That was driver-only: no guide.
You could also haggle with regular Cairo cabbies outside the arrivals area. In theory, that might be the rock-bottom cheap (and most adventurous) way to do it. I just hated the older-style Cairo cabs and liked having a modern vehicle dedicated to me. For a short eight hours in the country, I'd pay extra for the convenience and peace of mind.
Oh, and skip the carpet factory that your driver will inevitably try to take you to. You may need to be strong about this, as "no trip to Cairo is complete without a trip to a carpet factory." Uh, yeah, it is.
We tipped our guy well and we bought his lunch, but we did NOT waste time at a carpet factory.
Oct 19, 2012, 11:42 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: LAX,CLD,SAN
Programs: UA 1k
Posts: 138
I know a guide there. His email is [email protected]
and his phone number is Tel # Egypt: +20123121551. He will pick you up at the airport in a aircon Mercedes van, and you will get not only a well-educated English speaking guide, but a Driver/Security.
My family has used his services a couple of times--last time was last April.
he is dependable, great English and will not try and take you anywhere you don’t want to go (just tell him exactly what you want). Inside the museum he has connections (no waiting) and access to things that most people don’t get to see. Example: Our guide he provided us (Mehmet) was a PhD Egyptologist with perfect English and family living in Newport Beach California. He knew everyone who worked at the museum and had people open cases so that we could see small items up close. As well as things that were in storage.
But this will cost you. $200/day. I’m not sure if that is what you are looking for. But you will be treated like a VIP from start to finish.
Best of luck!
and his phone number is Tel # Egypt: +20123121551. He will pick you up at the airport in a aircon Mercedes van, and you will get not only a well-educated English speaking guide, but a Driver/Security.
My family has used his services a couple of times--last time was last April.
he is dependable, great English and will not try and take you anywhere you don’t want to go (just tell him exactly what you want). Inside the museum he has connections (no waiting) and access to things that most people don’t get to see. Example: Our guide he provided us (Mehmet) was a PhD Egyptologist with perfect English and family living in Newport Beach California. He knew everyone who worked at the museum and had people open cases so that we could see small items up close. As well as things that were in storage.
But this will cost you. $200/day. I’m not sure if that is what you are looking for. But you will be treated like a VIP from start to finish.
Best of luck!
Oct 19, 2012, 2:51 pm
#7
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Mercedes van with a driver plus a guide who has hookups at the museum and won't try to hard-sell you a carpet?
That sounds like $200 very well spent... ^
That sounds like $200 very well spent... ^
