The Golden Age of Travel – Luxury Tour in Egypt

We will pick you up from your chosen location. If you are flying into Cairo, this includes a full meet and greet service as soon as you disembark from your plane, including tourist visa if required. We will then transport you to the Marriott Gezira Hotel, your home for the next five nights.

This hotel’s central wing was built as the Gezirah Palace for the Khedive Isma’il Pasha in 1869 and converted to a luxury hotel in 1894. The palace has frequently been the host of royalty and celebrities.

Today, we will visit the last remaining Ancient Wonder of the World – the Great Pyramids at Giza. Take your time to appreciate the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. The northernmost and oldest pyramid of the group was built for King Khufu.

Called the Great Pyramid, it is the largest of the three. The middle pyramid was built for King Khafre, and the southernmost and last pyramid to be built was that of Menkaure. The largest of the three pyramids is truly an astonishing work of engineering. It was built over a twenty-year period.

The sides are oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass, and it was built using around 2,300,000 limestone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons. For centuries, the Great Pyramid was encased in smooth limestone, but this was plundered to build Cairo.

The Great Sphinx is part of Khafre’s pyramid complex. It represents Ra-Harakhte, the sun god, as he rises in the east at dawn, but the face of the Sphinx is a portrait of Khafre himself. It was carved from an outcropping of limestone left after quarrying the stone for his father’s pyramid.

Unfortunately, the great sphinx has deteriorated over the millennia and was extensively renovated in ancient times. More recently it was mutilated by the Sultan Mohammed an-Nasir in AD 1300; and lost its nose in 1798, when Napoleon’s soldiers used it for target practice.

There are several options to see the Pyramids and Sphinx in the way that suits you best – if you feel more adventurous you can try a horse or a camel, or if you prefer a more relaxed mode of transport, you can take a horse-drawn carriage.

No visit to Egypt is complete without seeing the astonishing collections in the Egyptian Museum. Don’t miss the King Tutankhamen exhibition or the incredible artefacts of King Akhenaton, the heretic pharaoh who created his own religion. Later on the tour, you will be visiting the city he built to worship his new religion.

After lunch at Studio Masr in Al Azhar Park, where you will have a fantastic view of the Mohamed Ali Mosque and the Citadel, we’ll head to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the home of the 22 mummies moved in the Golden Parade, as well as many other wonderful artefacts from Ancient Egypt and other periods in the history of this incredible country.

You will see many artefacts from Ancient Egyptian life including agriculture, writing, fashion and makeup as well as fascinating items from Coptic and Islamic Egypt.

Today, we will visit the ancient city of Memphis, and its necropolis, Saqqara.

Our first stop will be Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. During its golden age, Memphis thrived as a regional centre for commerce, trade and religion. Today it is an open museum containing a fascinating collection of scattered ruins, where you can feel the ancient history soak into your bones.

We will then travel the short distance to Sakkara, the vast, ancient burial ground serving the ancient city of Memphis. You will visit the famous step pyramids, one of which, the Djoser Step Pyramid, is the oldest complete stone building known in history. There are numerous tombs to visit with some stunning hieroglyphics, and the small but beautiful Imhotep Museum, named in honour of one of the most skilled architects of Ancient Egypt.

The Tombs of Beni Hassan are situated on the East Bank of the River Nile. This ancient necropolis was named after the nearby village of Beni Hassan, and the tombs here are some of the best examples of mortuary architecture in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.

The ancient site of Tell el-Amarna extends across several square kilometres of desert on the edge of the River Nile. Comprising monumental buildings, waterfront facilities, industrial areas, residential suburbs, and edge-of-town cemeteries, the site represents the complete ancient city of the New Kingdom founded by King Akhenaten.

Enjoy your last night in the Marriott Hotel.

Arrive at the famous Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, and enjoy a delicious champagne afternoon tea, in the grand tour style. The hotel is a historic British colonial-era 5-star luxury, located on the banks of the River Nile, with astonishing views of the river and across to Elephantine Island. Its guests have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Howard Carter, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, François Mitterrand, Princess Diana, Queen Noor and Agatha Christie, who set portions of her novel Death on the Nile at the hotel.

Free time in Aswan, optional tours available or enjoy cocktails on the terrace as you watch the feluccas sail by.

Enjoy your first night in this unique and famous hotel.

Our visits today will include:

Elephantine Island, which is located right opposite the Old Cataract Hotel, a short boat ride. On the southern end of Elephantine Island, you will find the site of ancient Abu, an important ancient trading town. You will also visit the Nubian villages of Siou and Koti making a peaceful change to the bustle of Aswan.

The Unfinished Obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk, its creation was ordered by Hatshepsut and is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. The obelisk’s creators began to carve it directly out of bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and the project was abandoned. The bottom side of the obelisk is still attached to the bedrock.

A short boat ride will take us to Philae Temple, built to honour the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped.

Aswan High Dam, Egypt’s modern example of construction on a monumental scale, the controversial Aswan High Dam and also Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest artificial lakes.

Today, we will travel by luxury air-conditioned vehicle to Abu Simbel Temple.

The four colossal statues of Ramses in front of the main temple are spectacular examples of ancient Egyptian art. By means of a complex engineering feat in the 1960s, the temples were salvaged from the rising waters of the Nile River caused by the erection of the Aswan High Dam. Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile, the temples were unknown to the outside world until their rediscovery in 1813

We will then return to the Old Cataract Hotel where you can enjoy your final night in this iconic location.

This morning you have free time in Aswan. Take an optional tour, stroll by the Nile, or simply relax in the beautiful gardens of the Old Cataract Hotel.

In the afternoon you will join your 5-star Nile cruise ship. Time of joining the cruise may vary due to sailing times.

During our three-day cruise, we will visit Kom Ombo and Edfu. Alternatively, relax on the ship and watch the world go by…

Built to overlook the Nile, the dual design of Kom Ombo Temple is dedicated to Sobek and Horus and is perfectly symmetrical along its main axis. It is one of the more unusual temples in Egypt.

Due to the conflict between Sobek and Horus, the ancient Egyptians felt it necessary to separate their temple spaces within one temple. The Kom Ombo temple has two entrances, two courts, two colonnades, two Hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries, one side for each god.

The Temple of Edfu is the second largest temple in Egypt. It is also known as the Temple of Horus (the falcon-headed God) and it is the most beautiful and well-preserved of all the Egyptian temples.

Cruise itinerary may vary due to sailing times.

Today we will arrive in Luxor and disembark from our cruise ship. The modern town of Luxor is the site of the famous city of Thebes, the City of a Hundred Gates. Although the mud-brick houses and palaces of Thebes have disappeared, its stone temples have survived.

Once we have disembarked from the ship, you will spend the rest of the day in beautiful Luxor. Optional trips are available.

Tonight, you will stay in the Sofitel Winter Palace Hotel, also known as the Old Winter Palace Hotel. It is a historic British colonial-era 5-star luxury hotel located on the banks of the River Nile just south of Luxor Temple. A regular guest at the hotel from 1907 on was George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, better known simply as Lord Carnarvon. Carnarvon was the patron of Egyptologist Howard Carter, who in 1922 discovered the intact tomb of Tutankhamun.

After the discovery was announced, the Winter Palace played host to the international press corps and foreign visitors there to follow the story. Carter used the hotel’s noticeboard to deliver occasional news and information on the discovery.

Time for disembarking the ship may vary due to sailing times.

Karnak is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban triad but also to the greater glory of pharaohs. The site covers more than 2 sq km; it’s large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals. At its heart is the Temple of Amun, the earthly ‘home’ of the local god. Built, added to, dismantled, restored, enlarged and decorated over nearly 1500 years, Karnak was the most important place of worship in Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Luxor Temple was built by Amenhotep but completed by Tutankhamun and Horemheb and then added to by Rameses II. The temple has been in almost continuous use as a place of worship right up to the present day. During the Christian era, the temple’s hypostyle hall was converted into a Christian church, and the remains of another Coptic church can be seen to the west.

Only recently opened to the public, the Avenue of Sphinxes or The King’s Festivities Road, also known as Rams Road 2.7 km long avenue which connects Karnak Temple with Luxor Temple. It was uncovered in the ancient city of Thebes (modern Luxor), with sphinxes and ram-headed statues lined up on both flanks.

During Egypt’s New Kingdom, the Valley of the Kings became a royal burial ground for pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II, as well as queens, high priests, and other elites of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. Discovered by Howard Carter in an excavation expedition in 1922, one of the most important tombs found in the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun and all his treasures.

The Temple of Hatshepsut is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture. Take time to wander around this most astonishing of temples and remember the enigmatic and powerful woman who built it.

The Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu was an important New Kingdom period temple structure. Aside from its size and architectural and artistic importance, the mortuary temple is probably best known as the source of inscribed reliefs depicting the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III. With incredible hieroglyphics and architecture, this rarely visited temple is a must-see.

Overnight in Sofitel Winter Palace hotel.

Today we return to Cairo. You have free time in the afternoon to relax at the Mena House Hotel, or there are optional tours available.

With arguably the best views in the world, the Mena House Hotel was initially a hunting lodge built in 1869 for the Egyptian Khedive Isma’il Pasha. In 1890, the hotel opened Egypt’s first swimming pool! Mena House has hosted many famous and important guests, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Winston Churchill, President Richard Nixon, Agatha Christie, Cecil B. DeMille, Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra and Charlie Chaplin. Soak up the history in this iconic hotel.

Overnight in the Mena House Hotel.

This afternoon we will be focusing on the Egyptian Royal Family. Our first visit will be to Montazah Palace, set in extensive gardens and overlooking a truly beautiful stretch of coast. Built at the beginning of the 20th century by Khedive Abbas II, a relative of King Farouk, the palace mixes Turkish and Florentine architecture.

Once you’ve had a look at the palace, take a stroll around the gardens which are filled with many varieties of trees and plants, or stop for a cup of tea in one of the cafes. There are also several greenhouses, home to an impressive variety of plants.

Our last stop for today will be the Royal Jewellery Museum, which displays the collectables of the Egyptian royal family, founded by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1805 and which continued to rule for 150 years, until 1952. The palace itself serves as a striking backdrop to the magnificent possessions owned by the family.

The possessions amassed by the family over the period of their rule are on display in the various halls. The lavish lifestyle of the family is reflected in a gold chessboard, golden binoculars encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and gold cups inlaid with precious stones.

Also on display are elaborate jewellery sets commissioned by the greatest designers in Europe, which once adorned the queens and princesses of Egypt’s royal family. It also contains one of the most elaborate bathrooms you will ever see in your life.

Overnight in Steigenberger Cecil Hotel.

Tonight, we stay in another iconic and historic hotel. Since its opening in 1929, Steigenberger Cecil Hotel in Alexandria has been known for its superb location right on the harbour. Author Somerset Maugham stayed here, as did Winston Churchill and Al Capone. The hotel also appears in The Alexandria Quartet, written by Lawrence Durrell.

On our itinerary today will be:

Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria Library) – Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a major library and cultural centre and is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the largest libraries worldwide, which was lost in antiquity. An architectural marvel, the library has shelf space for eight million books, and also houses, amongst other things, a planetarium and four museums.

The Citadel of Qaitbay is a 15th-century defensive fortress established in 1477. The Citadel is situated on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbour. It is considered one of the most important defensive strongholds, not only in Egypt, but also along the Mediterranean Sea coast. It formulated an important part of the fortification system of Alexandria in the 15th century.

The catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, meaning “Mound of Shards, is a historical archaeological site and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. The necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funerary cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences.

Pompey’s Pillar is a Roman triumphal column set up in honour of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The giant Corinthian column originally supported a colossal statue of the emperor in armour.

The Alexandria National Museum contains around 1,800 artefacts that narrate the story of Alexandria and Egypt. The museum focuses on three collections – Pharaonic, Hellenistic and Roman periods, and the Coptic and Islamic worlds.

The Ancient Roman Theatre is an archaeological site featuring the remains of an ancient Roman theatre, baths & a villa with mosaics.

Overnight in Steigenberger Cecil hotel.

Today we return to Cairo and this marks the end of our grand tour. If you are leaving Egypt, we will take you to Cairo airport, right through to your gate. But why not extend your holiday in this remarkable country? See our website for many more tours, or consider a relaxing break on the Red Sea, where you can snorkel or dive, or just soak up the sun.