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must-see sites in Egypt/Cairo?
If you had two weeks to visit Egypt, what would you want to see? What, of all the many possibiliies, are the not-to-be missed sites? Which Cairo attractions are worth a visit, and which are not? Is the Nile cruise worth the time? And are there any little-known must-sees?
I'm dreaming and planning for spring 2013. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!
2012 Races:
Mar 24: Great Human Race 5K. April 28: 5K for Fitness
Re: must-see sites in Egypt/Cairo?
I went back in 1996 so it's been awhile- but I would say the no brainers are the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphnix. and you have to ride a camel at the pyramids. The Egyptian Museum was really interesting. Also the Cairo Tower gave you a great city view.
We took a Nile Rive cruise from Luxor to Aswan that was really fun, there are some amazing temples to see- the Karnak Temple in Luxor was one of my favorites. I also really liked Hatshepsut's Temple. I wish I remembered more- we were there for a month, so we did a lot.
The Nile cruise was cool, but make sure you get a room AWAY from the engine room. Two sleepless nights on vaca were NOT fun. (and I can sleep through a lot).
I would also suggest Giza, Egyptian Museum, Valley of Kings/Queens.
In addition to what everyone else said, I loved the temple at Edfu. That was part of the Nile cruise.
I also liked the market in Aswan - less stuff, but less chaotic than the ones in Cairo. Plus there is a guy who hand etches brass tables and he will customize them for you. I ended up giving my friend one for wedding with their names and wedding date.
Abu Simbel. Hands down it was the best thing I saw in Egypt.
I didn't love the Nile cruise so much. I thought it was rather boring.
I didn't find the sites in Alexandria to be all that exciting, but I did love feeling comfortable enough to really cruise around the neighborhoods alone and check out the local spots (back alley restaurants and the like.)
I visited a Coptic monastery and I thought it was pretty cool. The rules were more strict about covering legs and arms than the mosques I entered, but it was worth it to me. I also liked Coptic Cairo, but I know others feel it's just crowded and overrun, so it really depends on your interest. I also liked the Saladin Citadel which I know not everyone does.
I would definitely skip Marsa Matrouh. It was a complete waste of time in my opinion.
We went in 2010 and our itinerary was: 1 night in Cairo (basically just to sleep); fly to Luxor and do 3-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, fly to Abu Simbel for daytrip, fly back to Cairo for three nights. It was AMAZING.
Our first night in Cairo we just stayed at the Fairmont Heliopolis because it's near the airport. We literally flew from NY to Cairo, check in for the night, and flew out the next morning. The hotel was ok but it was great staying near the airport to catch an early flight out the next morning. The Nile cruise was overall good. The biggest pro is that it's a very nice way to get from Luxor to Aswan, and hit sites along the way that aren't necessarily in cities (Edfu comes to mind). The accommodations were nice and the price was right, but the food was sort of terrible. We spent the final three nights at the Fairmont Nile City in Cairo and it was truly unbelievable. We got a room on the gold level for 200-something a night and it was just awesome (gold level includes breakfast and evening drinks and snacks). We're not normally luxury hotel people, but for that price, to be in a luxe room overlooking the Nile was amazing. We had a private tour guide for the entire trip through Swain Tours, a company highly recommended by a family member/travel agent. We were very pleased with the tour, and though I am normally a do-it-yourself person, I was really happy to have a guide in Egypt.
Luxor - Luxor Temple, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Hatsepshut
Along the Nile - Edfu and Kom Ombo (temples from various time periods)
Aswan - we got off the river cruise in Aswan but didn't hang around - we flew from Aswan to Abu Simbel just for the day and it was breathtaking. I agree with pp - an absolute must if you can swing it! It's an enormous temple carved into a mountain in the middle of the desert, overlooking a lake separating Egypt from Sudan.
Cairo - Sakkara and the Great Pyramids of Giza, if you have time there is a small open air museum at Memphis, Citadel and Alabaster Mosque, Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, Khalili Bazaar, Hanging Church, Church of San Sergius, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Egyptian Museum (definitely pay the extra charge for entry into the mummy room)
Just typing this is making me relive that amazing trip. The only thing I did not love about Egypt was the food - I found it to be pretty heavy and greasy for me. We did have a nice experience we had was dinner at La Pacha 1901 - traditional Egyptian food on a stationary river boat on the Nile in downtown Cairo. It didn't put a damper on anything but I was glad I packed some snacks (as I always do)! We only had 8 days (including the day we flew in) so we limited our trip to the Nile Valley.
This. Absolutely. Your trip must include a visit to Abu Simbel. I think it is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
We visited most of the places in the previous posts, plus also spent time in Hurghada and Dahab which were much more Western than anywhere else in Egypt. Hurghada is a beach type town and Dahab is known for it's diving.
We also climbed Mt Sinai overnight and were at the top to watch the sun rise which was an amazing experience.
ETA: We spent a total of about 16 days there. We are also usually DIY people, but we had private guides almost every day and I was so glad that we did. It was well worth it, and not very expensive.
Other than the obvious Pyramids and Sphynx in Giza, we visited some of the lesser known ones in Saqqara and Dahshur. Much less crowded! The Egyptian Museum was good, but I wished it was more organized.
We did not do the Nile cruise but we did go to Luxor and that was a fantastic place. Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut, and Luxor Temple. We stayed on the West Bank and rode bikes to some of the sites. It was really fun and got us away from the crowds.
Then we went to Dahab - very laid back and just plain fun!
My friend is from Alexandria and loves it there. I never made it up that north so could not say but he is always showing me pics of the Library!
Oh, the koshari is supposedly one of their traditional street foods. It was absolutely yummy, but just be wary where you get it from. It was the only time I was very ill and needed my antibiotics after all my years of traveling and eating street food!
This has gotten a lot of great responses, so I don't have a lot to add. Definitely see Abu Simbel if at all possible. I also enjoyed Edfu and Kom Ombo, which we saw as stops along the way during our cruise. We loved the cruise and found it was a nice way to relax and just enjoy being on the Nile (while having both a pool and air conditioning!). Another highlight of the trip was taking a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. We were a little unsure about it because it was expensive and my husband and sister are both a little afraid of heights, but it turned out to be amazing.
I booked my trip through a great deal on Rue La La with Intrepid Travel, but even without Rue, the Intrepid 12-day trip is extremely affordable. Due to the decrease in tourism, we actually ended up having a private tour for our family of 4.
We have a lot of the details of our trip on our blog here: http://justanothertravelblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Egypt I hope it's helpful!