SKVEG 002: Great Tour of Egypt’s Biggest Cities: Cairo and Alexandria

This 6-days tour of Egypt takes you to the best tourist sceneries in the two biggest cities in the “Land of the Pharaohs” – Cairo, Egypt's Capital City and Africa’s largest city; and Alexandria, Egypt's major port which was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

Day 1: Cairo

On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you’ll be welcomed by our representative and then transferred to your hotel within Cairo City in an air-conditioned coach. Overnight at your Hotel.

Day 2: The Pyramids of Giza/Sakkara

After breakfast at your Cairo hotel, we’ll take you for a full-day tour to Sakkara, the vast Necropolis of ancient Memphis. Sakkara (Saqqara) is one of the most extensive archaeological sites in Egypt.

Sakkara is best known for the Step Pyramid, the oldest known of Egypt's 97 pyramids. It was built for King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty by the architect and genius Imhotep, who designed it and its surrounding complex to be as grand as it was unique and revolutionary. Imhotep was the first to build stone tombs in honor of the king's majesty. His many titles included 'Treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt', 'Administrator of the Great Palace', and 'Imhotep the Builder, the Sculptor, the Maker of Stone Vessels'. Imhotep may have also designed the pyramid of Djoser's successor, Sekhemkhet.

Three major discoveries have recently been made at Sakkara, including a prime minister’s tomb, a queen’s pyramid, and the tomb of the son of a dynasty-founding king. Each discovery has a fascinating story, with many adventures for the archaeologists as they revealed the secrets of the past.

We’ll drop you at you Cairo hotel and you’ll have a free evening to relax on your own.

Day 3: Cairo and Alexandria

After breakfast in your Cairo hotel, you’ll check out and begin your road journey to Alexandria, the city on the Mediterranean founded by Alexander the Great.

Our driver/guide will help you check into your hotel in Alexandria. We’ll then take you for a tour of Alexandria with visits to the catacombs of Kom El Shokafa and Pompeii's Pillar – followed by an outing to the Roman Amphitheater and the Fort of Qait-Bay.

We recommend that you have a free evening and you can explore this beautiful waterfront city on your own. You can enjoy freshly-grilled fish dinner in one of many open-air restaurants in Alexandria. But before dinner, you can go to the Mediterranean and enjoy an evening breeze and ocean waves.

Day 4: Alexandria/Cairo

You have breakfast in your hotel and then check out. Today, we have decided to take you for a tour to the Royal Library of Alexandria. The Royal Library of Alexandria was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II after his father had built what would become the first part of the library complex: the temple of the Muses – the “Musaion”.

The library's collection was already famous in the ancient world, and became even more so in later years. It is impossible, however, to determine how large the collection was in any era. The collection was made of papyrus scrolls, and later, parchment codices, which were predominant as a writing material after 300 AD, may have been substituted for papyrus.

The library and parts of the collection have been destroyed by fire on a number of occasions, however the details of the destruction (or destructions) remain a lively source of controversy. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of the old library.

Our tour will take you to the Royal Palace of El Montazah, which was one of the palaces of the former Egyptian royal family (the descendants of Muhammad Ali). You will also have a chance to take a dip in the Mediterranean and turn a golden brown in the warm Egyptian sunshine.

We will arrive in Cairo late in the evening and help you check into your hotel. You have the evening free to yourselves.

Day 5: Cairo City Tour

After breakfast at your hotel, we’ll embark on a full day tour of the best ancient sceneries of this great capital city. We’ll start with the Islamic Cairo, where the 12th Century Citadel of Salah El-Din stands, followed by a visit to the most famous Coptic Christian church in Cairo, where the Romans constructed the fortress of Babylon.

Known as the Hanging Church, Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest churches in Egypt and the history of a church on this site dates to the 3rd century.

We’ll also tour the Egyptian Museum, where the treasures of King Tut Ankh-Amun and most of the pharaohs are kept.

You have a free evening on your own.

Day 6: Cairo and Depart Home

After breakfast at your hotel, our driver/guide will transfer you to Cairo International Airport for your flight back home