Flights confirmed - My daughter and I are on the way!

Here is the insane plan:

Day 1
Arrive at 1:00AM
Check into hotel, rest.
Visit Giza and sites outside of the city
Depart via sleeper train to Luxor

Day 2
Arrive in Luxor
Visit Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens
Afternoon in Luxor
Visit Karnak & Luxor Temples
Depart via sleeper train to cairo

Day 3
Arrive Cairo, check into hotel, rest
Visit Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo, Khan Al-Khalili Bazaar
Evening Felluca Sail on the Nile
Rest

Day 4
Check out of hotel
Depart 3:00AM


I would very much appreciate feedback on absolute "Can't Miss Sites" as well as suggested itineraries. I have come across a few "planned tours" but, they seem to miss some sites which I would like to hit.

With such a short schedule I a hoping to plan a bit more than usual. yes, it is short; but, it is after all four (4) days more than zero! so, we will take and enjoy what we can

Advice, Suggestions ???

Recommended Tour Guides, Agencies??


Thanks!

I presume there are a couple days stuck between the 2 hrs 10 min between arrival and departure.

I would recommend you contact a reputable travel agent in Cairo. They can be very inexpensive, and very competent. I cannot tell if you are M or F, but if F, I would not consider not having an agent.

We were met at entrance from airplane, and put into hotel room with full transport and escort. The entire trip had 1-3 agents maintain us. the max group size was advertized to be 6, but apparently the agency decided that the two of us really need maintainance on our own.

I presume your travels will take at least 24 hrs, door to door. This is not a romp to Chicago, or London for that matter.

The most important advice I can give you is

1. do not drink the water

2. do not drink anything that might be diluted(juice) with water. I might not even drink coffee, unless the water was boiled, right now.

3. do not eat anything that might have been washed in water, and not thougherly cooked(salad)

4. do not brush your teeth rinsing with tap water.

5. do not put your hands in your mouth or nose, etc, after washing your hands.

I am not a cleanlyness freek, but Nile water is nasty enough under normal circumstances. right now, people are dumping the possible bird flu stuff into it to thicken the mix.

The trip is confirmed!!

Thanks for the water tips. Sounds like a few Central America trips - don't dring anything or use anything that does not come in a bottle (sealed)

Would appreciate any "can't miss" sight suggestions!

Trying to make the best of a very short journey.

I just retuned from a two-week stay in Cairo. I would say that it would extremely exhausting to try and do Luxor in one day. I did it last year (I travel there for work 2x yearly) and if i had the opportunity to do it again, I'd choose to stay overnight.

This past trip, I took an excurision to Alexandria via train and it was not as tiring as the Luxor trip. We saw some of the things there, but then again since you have a short time - I'd focus on the Cairo area. The things you shoud not miss would of course be the Pyramids, the Citadel, the Khan el Khalili (I hope I spelled it correctly). The Khan is a shopping area and can be quite touristy, but you have to see it.

I would contact a travel agency as someone previously mentioned. Or if you want, I have the numbers of a few taxi drivers that do tours around the city and can take you anywhere for very little. You could contact them prior to departing for Cairo and get some ideas on things to do. Let me know if interested.

Good luck with your trip plans!!!!

Let me give this a stab...

First off, how old is your daughter? The Egypt Museum in Tahrir Square is a must see, if only for the Tut treasures...but even a small child might get bored. If your time is limited, you can hit the highlights in under 2 hours.

Obviously the Pyramids. But don't rush them like most tourists do. Walk around them. Go inside, is possible. Get to know them. Take an overpriced horse/camel ride around the site. Gaze at the Sphinx. Spend hours (again, if your daughter is young, not so much...). They are truly amazing and nothing can prepare you for how immense they are. When you're done, have lunch/a drink at the Oberoi Mena House hotel, a stone's throw from the entrance. Seriously, don't rush this.

About Luxor: As amazing as it is, I'd save it for another trip; you just won't have the time, and there's plenty to see and do in Cairo. Let me know when you're going, and I'll give you the scoop (I've been there over a dozen times...).

Islamic Cairo is fantastic, near the Hussein/Al Azhar/Khan al Khalili area. Don't get ripped off in the market, but do browse and poke around. The mosques in this area are hundreds of years old and still used as places of worship and education. (But make sure your shoulders/knees are covered...no shorts here, or anywhere in Cairo, really.) Have tea (and a waterpipe?) at Fishawi's in the Khan. It's been open 24/7 for hundreds of years, and while touristy, is a serious local haunt too. If you want non-street food, try Naguib Mahfouz's cafe, in the heart of the Khan.

You really must do a felucca (sailboat) ride on the Nile, one of the most sublime experiences at sunset. Just remember: (a) don't touch the water, (b) bargain bargain bargain, then bargain some more, (c) don't get bullied into paying more than you agreed to, and (d) make sure to be explicit about how much time you get and where you go. But certainly do it!

If I were you:

Day 1: wake up late, go to Islamic Cairo and the Khan, shop, bargain, visit Al Azhar, have lunch at Naguib Mahfouz (or try the fateer joints near the entrance to the Khan)...afternoon to relax in a cafe or your hotel, then felucca ride/walking around town at night

Day 2: now that you're rested, hit the Pyramids as early as possible, before the busses arrive...then relax over lunch while the hordes descend, returning when they leave. Be sure not to miss the solar boat museum on the far side of the biggest pyramid...the oldest intact boad in existence, over 5,000 years old...super neat! Late afternoon to relax (you'll need serious down time in Cairo), before dinner...maybe on a floating restaurant? A trendy Lebanese place (I can recommend)? If your daughter is young, you might want to hit Felfela's Village on the way back from the Pyramids, kind of a Middle Eastern Chuck E. Cheese.

Day 3: Egypt Museum, more walking, maybe Sufi dancing (only on Wednesday)? Could also check out "Old Cairo" with its Synagogue and "Hanging Church." Or maybe the City of the Dead, with its tombs and mausoleums? Another terrific Islamic Cairo stop is the Gayer Anderson House (a James Bond film was filmed there) and nearby Ibn Toloun mosque with its unique external spiral staircase minaret.

Hope this helps... Feel free to reply with other quesitons.

Thanks for the excellent advice anb the suggested itinerary!

My daughter will be 8 in April and really is interested in touring. It is a mix of Wow! Dad, look at that - I'm tired - Piggy back rides We arrive April 1st (no fools joke)

Have not decided on a place to stay. Torn between going all out at the Hyatt or staying at a hostel and saving a ton of dough! Have done both and enjoyed both.

The Egypt Museum, Sail Boat, Pyramids and Islamic Cairo are definately on the list! I appreciate the Oberei Mena House reference and will keep eyes and plans open for this.

Would love to somehow do Luxor. I have so many places I would like to see and no guarantee I wil be back.

About places to stay: There are certainly cheap places to stay in Cairo... But you might be surprised how cheap it is to stay at one of the top 5* hotels. My advice? Go to the reception desk of one of the biggies (Cairo Marriot in Zamalek is the best by far: http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/CAIEG) and causally ask what their best deal is for paying in cash... The website rate at the Marriott is currently $110/night; I'll bet you could do better in person. Keep in mind, $110 is for what is arguably the best hotel in central Cairo; anywhere else in the world it would be several times this price. You could find a room for much, much less, but I wouldn't let my daughter stay in a room that went below $40. But that's just me.

Here's the thing with Luxor: You'd have to fly both ways; the train is 12 hours each way. But flight schedules are weird: you either leave Cairo before 6am, or after 7pm. So that means if you wanted a full day in Luxor - and you do - you'd have to take an evening flight, stay the night, then fly back either in the evening, or the next after (i.e., 2 nights in Luxor). It's doable, but you're now looking at a very different vacation: mostly Luxor with a dab of Cairo. Of course, you could fly right to Luxor from Cairo when you arrive (1st flight is 5am), crash in Luxor, then have a couple of days to play before heading up to Cairo for the Pyramids and then home...

Of course, there's enough in Luxor to fill a lifetime... : )

Oh, but one thing: This isn't the high season, so first thing, I'd find out from EgyptAir what their schedules are like for the days you'll be traveling. (Another thing you can do is fly to Aswan with the Abu Simbel 1 hour add-on, then continue on to Luxor the same day. Too fast, IMO, but you can get a lot in!)

Let me know what you think about the Cairo vs. Luxor thing...

And if you do go to Luxor... There's really only one place to stay: http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/hotels/HKLXRHH/

Not as cheap as other choices, but for the money ($158/day for the time you're there), it's absolutely unbeatable: bungalows on the bank of the Nile. Really, you'd love it...

Since the OP is asking for destination information, and since we frown on double posting, I'm going to merge this with his thread in the Middle East forum.

SanDiego1K
Senior Moderator

Thanks Mikagirl ! Please pass along how you did Luxor in a day. This may be the only way that we can do it Any suggestions of what you enjoyed in Cairo while there??

Is EgyptAir the only show in town these days??

Thanks as219 for the wonderful post!

I have a res for the Hyatt; but, the Luna Hostel has started to look atractive. The $$$$ savings could easily be applied to Luxor flights

My youngest and I have stayed in many hostels and quite a few fine hotels. At 8 she is quite adapted to the variety. I am sure to book private rooms w/shower though. Except for Iceland and that plce was just a blast.

After all, there is plenty of time to sleep on the 15 hour flight home or on the train back from Luxor

I found the well-known pyramids to be rather disappointing given that they are on the edge of what many might consider a slum. However this was at the end of the 80's so things may have changed for the better (or worse....).

I did really enjoy the pyramids at Sakkara which are also not that far outside Cairo and where there seemed to be less people (both tourists and people trying to hassle you for money). I can certainly recommend a trip to Sakkara. Here's a link to some more info:

Sakkara

We took our 8 year old to Cairo and I would echo everything that AS219 has said. The things our children most enjoyed were:-

- Pyramids especially going inside and the Solar Boat
- Felucca ride
- Egyptian Museum

Our hotel arranged a private guide and transport at a very reasonable price and it made all the difference. He was able to get us into tombs that are usually closed to the public and we bypassed all the queues. Our children also learned so much from him - it was worth every penny.

The only thing we did that I would not recommend was Cairo Zoo. We thought our children would enjoy it but it was dreadful and quite upsetting for our little girl as some animals were clearly in distress.

I agree with AS219 that I would not stay in a hostel in Cairo with an 8 year old.

Whatever you decide have a great trip.

There used to be an airline called "ZAS Air" or something like that... But no more. EgyptAir is the only provider of Cairo-Luxor-Aswan-Abu Simbel service (European charters go there, but directly from Europe only).

About hostels: Seriously, have you ever stayed in a cheap hostel in a developing world megacity? If not, you're in for a shock: Cairo hostels - even 1 and 2 star hotels - are nothing, I mean nothing like what you'd find in Europe. I've been to Iceland, including the hostel in Reykjavik -- trust me, it's a 5-star compared to most of what you'll find in Cairo. Seriously. And keep in mind that many hostels - Luna included - are downtown, in loud surroundings. You'll need earplugs at the very least. Walk into one of the big chains and offer to pay cash, seriously; they'll give you a discount right there. Live for a few days like a Pharoah, because you'll not find such bargains elsewhere (except maybe Bail).

Not sure about Mikagirl's post, about Luxor in a day, but I can make a suggestion: for about $50, you can hire a decent car for a day throgh Thomas Cook Travel (in the Winter Palace hotel) that will pick you up at your hotel at 5am, bringing you back at the end of the day. With that, and a little pre-planning, you can hit practically all the temples and tombs in the Valley of the Kings (and Queens) you want to see (don't forget the Tombs of the Nobles -- fantastic!). You can do cheaper by haggling directly with a cabbie, but trust me, if your time is limited, you want reliable and no hassles. I'd think a $30 premium to get the most our of your day in Luxor is worth at least that money...

Snoopy's suggestions about Saqqara (Egyptians pronounce this "Sa-AH-rah") vs. the Great Pyramids are well taken, and yet... There's a reason everyone goes to Giza over Saqqara -- the latter takes a day to visit by car, and is off the beaten track. Totally worth it, after you see the mamma pyramids. Worth the trip, but not at the expense of the Tut treasures in the Egypt museum, Islamic Cairo and Giza (don't forget lunch at the Mena House!). Sadly, Snoopy is right about the hordes that go there: You really can't believe anything anyone says out there -- they are not your friends, they want your money. But if you can ignore them, the best tourist trap on the planet is yours!

I got some great advice concerning my upcoming trip in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ighlight=Cairo

Cheers