Multi-Day Tours in Cairo

Multi-day tours in Cairo are built on three fixed days. The first is the west bank: the Giza plateau, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum. The second runs south to Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur. The third is the old city, with the Citadel, Islamic and Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili. After day three Cairo becomes a launch pad for overnights. Alexandria is 220 km away by the desert road, two to three hours by car. Luxor is an hour by air, or a night on the sleeper train from Giza station, which pulls in early the next morning. The desert, Siwa and Sinai are longer private runs.

Cairo multi-day tours are mostly private, and the shorter ones run two to five days. Some of the shorter ones are simply consecutive day tours from your own hotel and say that nights are not included; hotel nights come with the overnight trips, the flights to Luxor and the longer packages. A common two-day plan pairs Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum with a Nile dinner cruise that night, then spends day two in Islamic and Coptic Cairo. A third day adds Saqqara and Dahshur, or Alexandria with the Qaitbay Citadel and the Bibliotheca. A camel ride at Giza and a felucca on the Nile are the usual extras.

Practical. Cairo is comfortable from November to March, with January highs near 19C and lows near 10C. July reaches 35C, and dust storms can blow in from March to May. Alexandria is cooler and far wetter, about 210 mm of rain a year against Cairo's 25, so pack a jacket for winter days there. Pickups are often at 8:00. Several listings say entrance fees depend on the options chosen and that the basic ticket does not cover everything, so check what the price includes. The sleeper train books out around Easter; fix Luxor dates early.