5-Day Egypt Food Holiday: Cairo & Alexandria
Tasting walks in Cairo and Alexandria, a felucca on the Nile at sunset and half a day among Alexandria's landmarks. Hotels, private transfers and a guide are all included.
The short answer
5-Day Egypt Food Holiday: Cairo & Alexandria is a 5-day, 4-night trip to Cairo and Alexandria: 3 nights in Cairo and 1 in Alexandria. It includes an Egyptologist guide, entrance fees and transfers. Prices start at £735 per person, two sharing (Essential, October–April).
02Overview
A first look
The quickest way into Egypt is through its kitchen. This five-day holiday opens with a tasting walk around Cairo on the night you land. Day 2 takes you along Al-Muizz Street and into Khan El Khalili, and ends with a felucca on the Nile as the sun goes down.
On day 3 you travel by road to Alexandria, where a guide leads you through its street food, seafood and old cafés. Day 4 is a half day among the city's landmarks, followed by the drive back to Cairo. We arrange your hotels and every private transfer. You pick the standard of hotel when you book; the tastings and the sights do not change.
What lingers
- 01A private tasting walk around Cairo on your first evening
- 02Al-Muizz Street and Khan El Khalili with a guide
- 03A felucca on the Nile at sunset
- 04Street food, seafood and old cafés on foot in Alexandria
- 05Qaitbay Citadel, the Roman Theatre and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in half a day
- 06Four hotel nights and all transfers arranged, with no internal flights
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 £7353★ hotels | Alexandria · 1 nightSan Giovanni Stanley Hotel and Restaurant | £735May–Sep: from £690 | |
| Prestigefrom £9855★ deluxe hotels | Alexandria · 1 nightHelnan Mamoura | £985May–Sep: from £1,007 | |
| Luxuryfrom £1,5465★ luxury hotels | Cairo · 3 nightsSt. Regis Cairo Alexandria · 1 nightSteigenberger Cecil Hotel Alexandria | £1,546May–Sep: from £1,495 |
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.
- New
Day by day
Detailed itinerary
5 Days / 4 Nights · Cairo · Al-Muizz Street · Khan El Khalili · Nile Felucca · Alexandria · Qaitbay Citadel
- 1
Our representative greets you in the arrivals hall at Cairo Airport and drives you to your hotel; meet and assist is included. When you have unpacked, your private tasting walk begins at the hotel entrance. You stroll through the streets of Cairo after dark, sampling local dishes as you go. These are tastings rather than a full dinner, so you may want to eat a little more later.
Flights land at all hours, so we time the start of the walk around yours.
- 2
After breakfast you explore Islamic Cairo on foot with an Egyptologist guide. Al-Muizz Street, with its mosques, gateways and old houses, brings you to Khan El Khalili, the city's famous bazaar, where there is plenty to browse: spices, lanterns, sweets. Transport and guiding are included. Towards evening you step aboard a felucca, the Nile's traditional sailing boat, for a sunset sail.
You then return to the same Cairo hotel.
- 3
Once breakfast is over, a private vehicle takes you from Cairo to Alexandria, Egypt's Mediterranean port. On arrival, your guide leads a tasting walk covering street food, seafood and an old-fashioned café. Just as in Cairo, these are tastings and not a set lunch or dinner, so you will want to organise any other meals yourself. You spend the night in an Alexandria hotel near the sea.
Do tell us about any dietary requirements when you book; vegetarian options are plentiful, though we cannot guarantee allergen control.
- 4
A half-day tour of Alexandria with an Egyptologist guide, with entrance fees and transport included, takes in Qaitbay Citadel, the harbour fort built where the great lighthouse once stood. Next comes the Roman Theatre, and you end at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern library on the seafront. Afterwards your driver takes you by road back to Cairo and your hotel.
Much of the day is spent in the vehicle, so it is a long one, but the sightseeing itself is unhurried.
- 5
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then check out. A private driver brings you to Cairo Airport for your flight, with help with your luggage and a representative at the terminal. We time the transfer to your departure, so the morning has no fixed schedule. If you have spare hours, the hotel can look after your bags. Nothing else is planned for this day.
The fine print
What's included – and what is left out
Included
- Four hotel nights with breakfast: two in Cairo, one in Alexandria and a final night in Cairo
- Private transfers between the airport, your hotels and the two cities, in an air-conditioned vehicle
- A private tasting walk in Cairo after dark and a tasting walk of street food, seafood and cafés in Alexandria
- Islamic Cairo on foot and a felucca on the Nile at sunset
- Alexandria half-day tour: Qaitbay Citadel, the Roman Theatre and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Egyptologist guide and entrance fees on the sightseeing days
- Meet and assist at Cairo Airport
- All service charges and taxes
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egyptian entry visa
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Meals other than the tastings and hotel breakfasts, and drinks you order yourself
- Travel insurance and personal spending
Field notes
From our Egyptologists
- 01
Arrive for the evening tasting walk with an empty stomach; a heavy hotel meal beforehand spoils the fun.
- 02
Walk Al-Muizz Street late in the afternoon, when the stonework turns golden and the crowds thin out.
- 03
Pack wet wipes for the Alexandria street food stops, where many dishes are eaten standing at the counter.
- 04
Ask your guide for the best vantage point over Qaitbay Citadel and for the mosaics at the Roman Theatre.
Tailor it
Make it yours
You choose the standard of hotel when you book. Tell us about vegetarian or other dietary needs, and ask about adding a day for the Giza Pyramids or the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Your own specialist deals with each request before you book.
Suited to
Is this for you?
Yes, if
- Food lovers and curious first-time visitors who want to get to know Cairo and Alexandria through what people eat. Suits couples, friends and solo travellers who like walking at an easy pace.
Maybe not, if
- Travellers who need step-free access, who have severe food allergies requiring strict control, or who want the pyramids and temples as the main attraction.
Honest assessment
The honest pluses and minuses, as our own team sees them after running this trip.
Highlights
- Street food, seafood and old cafés in two cities in five days
- No internal flights, and every transfer arranged
- Cairo's old quarter, a felucca and Alexandria's main sights alongside the food
Things to Consider
- Days 3 and 4 involve long drives between Cairo and Alexandria
- Tastings are not full meals, so most lunches and dinners are your own
- No strict allergen control at street stalls; the pyramids are not included
Where it fits
A good short break for food lovers, or an add-on to a longer Egypt itinerary. The pyramids are not included, so add a day if they are on your list.
Worth knowing
How this compares
Most Egypt holidays are built around temples and museums. This one is built around food and old streets, with no internal flights, and the tastings are small samples rather than full meals. The standard of hotel is your choice; the walks and sights stay the same.
Compare
Similar tours to compare
On the ground
Your route
Snapshot
Good to know
- Travel style
- Guided food and culture holiday
- Accommodation
- Cairo and Alexandria hotels, standard chosen at booking
- Destinations
- Cairo · Al-Muizz Street · Khan El Khalili · Nile Felucca · Alexandria · Qaitbay Citadel · Roman Theatre · Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Includes
- 4 hotel nights with breakfast: Cairo, Alexandria, Cairo · Private tasting walks in Cairo and Alexandria · Islamic Cairo on foot and a felucca at sunset · Alexandria half-day tour with an Egyptologist · All airport and inter-city transfers by private vehicle · Meet and assist at Cairo Airport
- Best for
- Food lovers · First-time visitors after a short break · Travellers who would rather walk than ride a coach
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
- Wet wipes and a small pack of tissues
- Sun cream, SPF 30 or higher
- Sun hat and sunglasses
- Refillable water bottle
- Any personal medication, including your usual remedy for an upset stomach
- Small day bag
What to wear
- Light, breathable clothes for sun and heat
- Closed, comfortable shoes for cobbles and uneven pavements
- Clothing that covers shoulders and knees for Islamic Cairo
- A hat and sunglasses
- A light layer for evenings on the Nile and beside the sea in Alexandria
Children & families
Children are welcome. Each child has a seat in the vehicle, so transport and guiding are charged at the adult rate at any age. Hotel prices depend on the child's age and the room used, and we give you the exact figure once you tell us the age at booking. The tasting walks are on foot through busy streets, and day 1's is in the evening, so they suit school-age children better than toddlers.
Accessibility
Who can join this
Most of this holiday is spent on foot. Old Cairo and Alexandria have uneven pavements, cobbles, steps, narrow crowded lanes and busy roads, and you board the felucca from the riverbank. The vehicles are private and air-conditioned, but we cannot promise wheelchair access on the walks or at every landmark. Vegetarian food is easy to find in Egypt. We cannot guarantee allergen control at street stalls and cafés, so please tell us about any dietary need or allergy when you book and we will explain frankly what the tastings can accommodate.
– Responsible travel
How we travel here
There are no internal flights on this holiday. Hotels and tastings are with local businesses, and the walks favour small stalls, cafés and family-run places so that your spending stays in the neighbourhood. Transfers are by private vehicle and the type varies, so we make no claim about carbon savings. Please bring a refillable water bottle and take your rubbish with you from the street.
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
01Does the food holiday include full meals?
No. The tastings on days 1 and 3 are walks with small samples at several stops, not a sit-down dinner or lunch. Breakfast comes with the hotel on days 2 to 5. Lunches and dinners are yours to arrange, and your guide is happy to recommend places.02Can you look after vegetarians and other diets?
Vegetarian food is easy to come by in Egypt, and we can ask the guide to pick stops that suit you. We cannot guarantee allergen control at street stalls and old cafés, so please tell us about any dietary need or allergy at booking.03Is it safe to eat street food in Egypt?
Your guide chooses busy, popular places where the food is cooked fresh, which is sound advice anywhere. If your stomach is sensitive, bring your usual remedy and stick to bottled water.04Will I make my international flight?
There are no internal flights on this holiday, so the main risk is road traffic. Your final night is in a Cairo hotel after the drive back from Alexandria, and the airport transfer is timed around your flight. Your international ticket is booked separately from this holiday. If you are connecting onwards on day 5, pick an afternoon or evening departure, and take travel insurance that covers missed connections.05How far is the journey to Alexandria?
It is a drive of several hours each way, and you make the journey on both days 3 and 4. Traffic sets the time. Those two are the longest days of the holiday.06What sort of hotels will we stay in?
You choose a standard when you book, from budget to luxury, and we name the Cairo and Alexandria hotels for your dates. The tastings, sights and transfers are identical at every standard.07Do we see the pyramids?
Not on this holiday. It focuses on food and the old streets of Cairo and Alexandria, so the Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum are not included. Ask us and we can add a day for them.08What is not included?
International flights, the Egyptian visa, tips for guides and drivers, lunches and dinners other than the tastings, drinks you order yourself, travel insurance and personal spending.
Last updated Product ID: TOU-CAI-529206
At a glance
- Length
- 5 days · 4 nights
- Starts
- Daily
- Route
- Cairo → Alexandria → Cairo
- Nights
- 3 Cairo · 1 Alexandria
- Includes
- Egyptologist guide, entrance fees, transfers