4-Day Cairo Pre-Cruise Holiday: Giza & Old Cairo
Three nights in one Cairo hotel, a full day at the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and a day in Islamic and Coptic Cairo, with guides, transfers and entrance fees included.
The short answer
4-Day Cairo Pre-Cruise Holiday: Giza & Old Cairo is a 4-day, 3-night trip to Cairo. It includes an Egyptologist guide, entrance fees and transfers. Prices start at £443 per person, two sharing (Essential, October–April).
02Overview
A first look
A few days in Cairo is a sensible way to begin a Nile cruise, and this stay is planned around that. You keep the same hotel for three nights, and the two sightseeing days cover the capital's main sites without too much rushing about.
On day 2 a private Egyptologist takes you to the Giza Plateau and the Sphinx, then to lunch and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Day 3 is spent in Islamic and Coptic Cairo, around the Citadel of Saladin and the old churches. We organise your airport transfers and your hotel, with breakfast. The cruise is not part of this holiday and can be arranged separately. You choose the standard of hotel when you book.
What lingers
- 01The Giza Plateau and the Great Sphinx with a private Egyptologist
- 02The Grand Egyptian Museum on the same day
- 03Lunch during the Giza day, with guide, entrance fees and transport included
- 04The Citadel of Saladin and the Muhammad Ali Mosque
- 05The Hanging Church and the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus
- 06Three nights in one Cairo hotel with breakfast and both airport transfers
Choose your comfort level
Prices are per person in GBP, from 2 people sharing a double room, including accommodation at the properties listed or similar.
| Comfort level | Where you stay or similar | Per personfrom, Oct–Apr | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentialfrom £4433★ hotels | £443May–Sep: from £402 | ||
| Comfortfrom £4764★ hotels | Cairo · 3 nightsJewel Sport City | £476May–Sep: from £460 | |
| Classicfrom £5315★ hotels | £531May–Sep: from £474 | ||
| Prestigefrom £6475★ deluxe hotels | £647May–Sep: from £676 | ||
| Luxuryfrom £1,1915★ luxury hotels | Cairo · 3 nightsSt. Regis Cairo | £1,191May–Sep: from £1,132 | |
| Signature Collectionfrom £1,601landmark hotels | Cairo · 3 nightsFour Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza | £1,601May–Sep: from £1,469 |
Hotels on bed & breakfast. You'll stay in these properties, or a similar choice of the same quality. Choose your date in the booking panel for the exact price.
- Private
Day by day
Detailed itinerary
4 Days / 3 Nights · Cairo · Giza Plateau · Egyptian Museum, Tahrir · Islamic Cairo · Coptic Cairo · Khan el-Khalili
- 1
Your private representative is waiting at Cairo Airport, helps with the bags and takes you to your hotel by car. You will be based here for the next three nights. The rest of the day is yours to recover from the journey. No meals are included, so ask the hotel where to go for dinner nearby. Tomorrow is your first day of sightseeing.
- 2
A full day with your English-speaking Egyptologist guide, beginning with a pickup from your hotel. Entrance fees and an air-conditioned vehicle are included. The Giza Plateau comes first, with the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx; allow 4 to 6 hours there. After lunch you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum and are driven back to the hotel. Bottled water is provided.
- 3
A six-hour day with your Egyptologist guide, with entrance fees for the Citadel and the mosques and an air-conditioned vehicle and driver included. You start at the Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifa'i Mosques, then climb to the Citadel of Saladin and the Muhammad Ali Mosque, known as the Alabaster Mosque.
After that you drive to Old Coptic Cairo to see the Hanging Church and the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, stopping for lunch in Old Cairo. Your driver then returns you to the hotel.
- 4
Once you have had breakfast and checked out, a private driver takes you to Cairo Airport for your flight. Please allow around 90 minutes for the journey, and give us your flight time at booking so the pickup can be set. If you are going on to a Nile cruise, tell us when you book, as the cruise is not part of this holiday and is arranged separately.
The fine print
What's included – and what is left out
Included
- Three nights in a Cairo hotel with breakfast
- Private airport arrival and departure transfers
- A full day at Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum with an English-speaking Egyptologist guide, entrance fees and transport
- Islamic and Coptic Cairo with an English-speaking Egyptologist guide, entrance fees and transport
- Standard site entrance fees, including the Citadel of Saladin and the mosques
- Lunch on days 2 and 3
- Bottled water on the Giza and Grand Egyptian Museum day
- Meet and assist at Cairo Airport
Not included
- A Nile cruise, which is booked separately
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egyptian entry visa
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Dinners and drinks other than those stated
- Travel insurance and personal spending
Field notes
From our Egyptologists
- 01
Go to Giza early, the plateau is hotter and busier after 10am.
- 02
At the Egyptian Museum, start with Tutankhamun’s objects before the galleries fill.
- 03
Khan el-Khalili is calmer late morning than after sunset.
- 04
Ask for a Nile-facing room if your hotel confirms the category in writing.
- 05
Pyramid interiors are tight, steep and warm, so decide before arrival.
Tailor it
Make it yours
You choose the standard of hotel when you book. Ask us about extra nights, adding a Nile cruise after your Cairo days, or a different mix of sightseeing.
Your own specialist deals with each request before you book.
Suited to
Is this for you?
Yes, if
- Travellers who want a Cairo base before a Nile cruise or another trip, with two guided sightseeing days. Suits couples, friends and solo travellers who are happy with walking and a full sightseeing day.
Maybe not, if
- Travellers who prefer a slow pace, or who need step-free access to every site. Day 2 is long.
Honest assessment
The honest pluses and minuses, as our own team sees them after running this trip.
Highlights
- Three nights in one hotel, with no repacking
- Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo in four days
- No internal flights, so the days stay simple
Things to Consider
- Day 2 is a full day, with the Giza visit and the museum
- No Nile cruise is included
- Uneven stone, steps and little shade at the major sites
Where it fits
A good fit for the days before a Nile cruise or as a short Cairo break. The cruise is booked separately.
Worth knowing
How this compares
Many Cairo programmes split the pyramids and Old Cairo across hotels or add flights. This stay keeps you in one hotel for three nights and covers both by road. The standard of hotel is your choice; the sightseeing does not change.
Compare
Similar tours to compare
On the ground
Your route
Snapshot
Good to know
- Travel style
- Guided Cairo stay with day tours
- Accommodation
- One Cairo hotel for three nights, standard chosen at booking
- Destinations
- Cairo · Giza Plateau · Egyptian Museum, Tahrir · Islamic Cairo · Coptic Cairo · Khan el-Khalili · Cairo International Airport
- Includes
- 3 nights in one Cairo hotel with breakfast · Private airport arrival and departure transfers · Giza and Grand Egyptian Museum day with a private Egyptologist · Islamic and Coptic Cairo day with a private Egyptologist · Standard site entrance fees · Lunch on days 2 and 3
- Best for
- Travellers about to start a Nile cruise · First-time visitors to Cairo · Travellers interested in history
- Guide languages
- English
The morning of
Meeting point & timing
- Where
- Cairo International Airport (CAI), Arrivals HallMap
Before you go
What to pack & wear
What to bring
- Passport and any visa or travel documents
- Comfortable walking shoes with good grip
- Sun cream, SPF 30 or higher
- Sun hat and sunglasses
- Refillable water bottle
- Any regular medication
- Small day bag
- A scarf or shawl for visits to mosques and churches
What to wear
- Light, breathable clothing for sun and heat
- Closed shoes that slip off easily at mosques
- Clothing that covers shoulders and knees at mosques and churches
- A hat and sunglasses
- A light jacket for chilly mornings in winter
Children & families
Children are welcome. Every child has a seat in the vehicle, so transport and guiding are charged at the adult rate at any age. Entrance tickets are free for children under 6 and full price from 6. Hotel prices depend on the child's age and the room used, so we give you the exact figure once you tell us the age at booking. Day 2 is long, so consider whether it suits your child.
Accessibility
Who can join this
This holiday involves a good deal of walking and some steps, including the climb up to the Citadel, uneven stone and sandy ground at Giza, with little shade. The churches of Old Cairo have steps and narrow passages. Vehicles are private and air-conditioned, but we cannot promise wheelchair access at every site. Tell us what you need when you book and we will say honestly which parts suit you.
– Responsible travel
How we travel here
The holiday uses one hotel for all three nights and private road transfers, and vehicle types vary, so we make no claim about carbon savings. Sightseeing is led by local Egyptologists and arranged through local suppliers in Cairo, so much of what you spend stays in the places you visit. We ask guests to bring a refillable water bottle and to dress modestly in mosques and churches.
Licensed Egyptologist guides
State-licensed, and people we have worked with for years
Fair wages on the ground
Drivers + guides paid above market
Site preservation
We follow the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' site rules: marked paths, no touching reliefs
Local teams, real help
Our own offices in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh
If plans change
Cancellation and refunds
If you cancel, your refund depends on how soon you let us know and on the kind of holiday. See our current cancellation and refund terms
Asked & answered
Frequent questions
01Is a Nile cruise included?
No. This is a Cairo stay that suits the days before a cruise, but the cruise is booked separately. Ask us and we will talk you through the options.02How many nights do we stay, and where?
Three nights in the same Cairo hotel, with breakfast. You never change hotels.03Which hotel will we have?
You choose a standard when you book, from budget to luxury, and we confirm the hotel for your dates. The itinerary and sightseeing are identical at every standard.04Are there any flights on this holiday?
No. Both sightseeing days are by road from Cairo. International flights to and from Egypt are not included.05Is day 2 too long?
It is the longest day, as it covers Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum with lunch between them. Most guests think it worthwhile. Day 3 is shorter.06What is not included?
International flights, the Egypt visa, tips for guides and drivers, dinners and drinks other than those stated, the inside of the Khufu pyramid, travel insurance and personal spending.07Is the sightseeing private?
Both sightseeing days are led by a private Egyptologist, and the airport and hotel transfers are private.08When is the best time to go?
October to April is cooler and the most comfortable for walking around the sites. Summers are hot, so days start early.09Will I make my flight home?
There are no internal flights on this holiday, so the only leg to the airport is the road transfer from your hotel on day 4, planned at around 90 minutes. International flights are booked separately and are not included. Give us your flight time, leave plenty of time for check-in and make sure your travel insurance covers a missed connection. If a Nile cruise follows, we sort out that connection with you separately.
Last updated Product ID: TOU-CAI-889532
At a glance
- Length
- 4 days · 3 nights
- Starts
- Daily
- Includes
- Egyptologist guide, entrance fees, transfers