6-Day Cairo, Alexandria & Fayoum Holiday
The Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a private day out to Fayoum, then two nights in Alexandria. We arrange your hotels, transfers and guides.
The short answer
6-Day Cairo, Alexandria & Fayoum Holiday is a 6-day, 5-night trip to Cairo, Alexandria and Fayoum: 3 nights in Cairo and 2 in Alexandria. It includes an Egyptologist guide and transfers. Prices start at £877 per person, two sharing (Essential, October–April).
02Overview
A first look
Most first holidays in Egypt follow the same route. This one goes a little further afield. It begins in Cairo with a day at the Giza Pyramids, the Great Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum. On day three you leave the city for Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan with a private guide and driver, then return to your Cairo hotel.
The second half is on the coast. You travel by road to Alexandria, stopping at Wadi Natrun on the way, and stay two nights. There you see the Qaitbay Citadel, Pompey's Pillar, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Graeco-Roman Museum, before a final drive to Cairo Airport. The standard of hotel is your choice when you book; the route does not change.
What lingers
- 01The Giza Pyramids, the Great Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum in a single guided day, lunch included
- 02A private day in Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan with your own guide and driver
- 03A road journey to Alexandria through Wadi Natrun, then two nights by the Mediterranean
- 04Qaitbay Citadel, Pompey's Pillar and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa
- 05The Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Graeco-Roman Museum
- 06Five hotel nights, with private transfers at the start and the end
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 £8773★ hotels | Alexandria · 2 nightsSan Giovanni Stanley Hotel and Restaurant | £877May–Sep: from £827 | |
| Prestigefrom £1,1745★ deluxe hotels | Alexandria · 2 nightsHelnan Mamoura | £1,174May–Sep: from £1,187 | |
| Luxuryfrom £1,7515★ luxury hotels | Cairo · 3 nightsSt. Regis Cairo Alexandria · 2 nightsSteigenberger Cecil Hotel Alexandria | £1,751May–Sep: from £1,707 |
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
6 Days / 5 Nights · Cairo · Giza Plateau · Great Sphinx · Grand Egyptian Museum · Fayoum Oasis · Wadi El Rayan
- 1
Our representative greets you in the arrivals hall at Cairo Airport, helps with your luggage and takes you to your hotel in a private car, roughly an hour away. Nothing is planned for the rest of the day, so you can unwind after the journey. The pyramids come tomorrow, and an early night will be welcome.
- 2
Your Egyptologist picks you up from the hotel for a day lasting about eight hours. First comes the Giza Plateau, where you stand beside the three great pyramids and the Great Sphinx. You then have lunch at a restaurant with a view over the plateau. The afternoon is spent in the Grand Egyptian Museum, among the Tutankhamun treasures.
Entrance fees and bottled water are included, and you are driven back to the hotel at the end.
- 3
This is the day you get out of the city, to Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan. We plan nothing else for it, as the outing takes around ten hours from hotel to hotel. A private, air-conditioned vehicle collects you with your own English-speaking guide and driver, and lunch is at a local restaurant. It suits anyone who likes open country more than museums. You spend tonight in Cairo once more.
- 4
Following breakfast you leave your Cairo hotel and head north-west towards the sea. The route runs through Wadi Natrun and lunch is included. Travelling takes up most of the day, which leaves you time to check in to your Alexandria hotel and get your bearings. The city's sights are left for tomorrow.
- 5
You spend the whole day exploring Alexandria on foot. The Citadel of Qaitbay, a 15th-century fort at the harbour mouth, comes first, then Pompey's Pillar, a granite column dating from Roman times. Next are the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, a tomb complex that mixes Egyptian, Greek and Roman styles. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern library close to where the ancient one stood, is the last stop.
You return to your hotel for a second night in the city.
- 6
After checking out you visit the Graeco-Roman Museum, which tells the story of Alexandria under Greek and Roman rulers. The road back to Cairo follows, and a private transfer then takes you to Cairo Airport for your flight home. The museum visit and the drive are timed around your departure. As the journey from the coast is part of the day, book an evening or night flight.
The fine print
What's included – and what is left out
Included
- Five hotel nights, three in Cairo and two in Alexandria, with breakfast
- Private transfers from and to Cairo Airport
- Road travel from Cairo to Alexandria via Wadi Natrun and from Alexandria back to Cairo
- A day at the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum with a licensed Egyptologist
- Entrance to the Giza Plateau outdoor sites and the Grand Egyptian Museum
- A day in Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan with a private English-speaking guide, driver and vehicle
- Lunch on days 2, 3 and 4
- Bottled water on the Giza day
- Meet and assist at the airport
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egyptian entry visa
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Drinks and meals other than those stated
- The inside of the Khufu pyramid
- Travel insurance and personal spending
Field notes
From our Egyptologists
- 01
Go to the Grand Egyptian Museum while fresh and ask your guide to head straight for the Tutankhamun galleries.
- 02
Bring a sunhat for Wadi El Rayan, where the open water and sand reflect the light all around you.
- 03
Take care on the spiral staircase down into the Kom El Shoqafa catacombs and keep one hand on the rail.
- 04
Spend a minute at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's granite exterior wall, carved with characters from many scripts, before going inside.
Tailor it
Make it yours
You choose the standard of hotel when you book. Ask us about adding a night in Cairo before your flight home, extra nights in either city, or a Nile cruise.
Your own specialist deals with each request before you book.
Suited to
Is this for you?
Yes, if
- Travellers who want the best of Cairo plus something less usual: a day in Fayoum and two nights on the Mediterranean coast. Suits couples, friends and solo travellers who are happy with several hours in a vehicle.
Maybe not, if
- Travellers who need step-free access to every site, or who want a slow pace. Days 3 and 4 mean long hours on the road.
Honest assessment
The honest pluses and minuses, as our own team sees them after running this trip.
Highlights
- Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Fayoum and Alexandria in six days
- Two nights in Alexandria, so it is not a rushed day trip
- A private guide and driver for the Fayoum day
Things to Consider
- Day 3 is a full day out of Cairo and day 4 is mostly spent on the road
- No spare night in Cairo before the flight home
- Uneven ground and steps at Giza and in the Alexandria catacombs
Where it fits
A good fit if you have a week or less and want Cairo, a day out of town and the Mediterranean coast. It does not include the Nile temples or a Nile cruise.
Worth knowing
How this compares
Many Egypt holidays treat Alexandria as a long day trip from Cairo. This one gives it two nights and adds a private Fayoum day, so the pace on the coast is gentler. The hotel standard is your choice; the route stays the same.
Compare
Similar tours to compare
On the ground
Your route
Snapshot
Good to know
- Travel style
- Guided multi-day land holiday
- Accommodation
- Cairo and Alexandria hotels, standard chosen at booking
- Destinations
- Cairo · Giza Plateau · Great Sphinx · Grand Egyptian Museum · Fayoum Oasis · Wadi El Rayan · Wadi Natrun · Alexandria · Pompey's Pillar · Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa · Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Includes
- 3 nights in Cairo hotels and 2 in Alexandria hotels, with breakfast · Private airport transfers · A day at Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum with an Egyptologist · A day in Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan with a private guide and driver · Road travel from Cairo to Alexandria and back · Lunch on days 2, 3 and 4
- Best for
- Travellers who want more than the pyramids · Visitors who enjoy a coastal city · Return visitors and short stays
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 light layer for the coast, where evenings can feel breezy
What to wear
- Light, breathable clothing for sun and heat
- Closed shoes for the Giza Plateau and the catacombs
- Clothing that covers shoulders and knees at mosques and museums
- A hat and sunglasses
- A light jacket for Alexandria 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. Days 3 and 4 involve long spells in the vehicle, which younger children can find tiring.
Accessibility
Who can join this
This holiday involves walking on uneven stone and sand at Giza, steps and long corridors in the museums and the Alexandria catacombs, and several hours in a vehicle on days 3, 4 and 6. The Giza Plateau offers little shade. Vehicles are private and air-conditioned, but we cannot promise wheelchair access at every site, and the catacombs in particular involve steps. Tell us what you need when you book and we will say honestly which parts suit you.
– Responsible travel
How we travel here
Most of this holiday is by road and vehicle types vary, so we make no claim about carbon savings. Guiding is by local Egyptologists and guides, and arrangements are made through local suppliers in Cairo, Fayoum and Alexandria, so much of what you spend stays where you visit. We ask guests to bring a refillable water bottle and to take litter away with them at Wadi El Rayan.
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 the day in Fayoum a tiring one?
It is a full day, about ten hours, with plenty of time in the vehicle, and we plan nothing else for it. You have a private guide and driver and return to your Cairo hotel for the night.02How are the nights divided between the cities?
Three nights in Cairo (days 1, 2 and 3) and two in Alexandria (days 4 and 5). Day 6 finishes with the transfer to Cairo Airport, so there is no sixth night.03Which hotels will we stay in?
You choose a standard when you book, from budget to luxury, and we confirm the hotels for your dates. The itinerary and sightseeing are the same whichever standard you pick.04Are guiding and entrance fees included?
On day 2, yes: an Egyptologist, entrance to the Giza Plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and lunch. On day 3 you have a private English-speaking guide and lunch. For the Alexandria days we confirm guiding and entrance arrangements with you before you pay.05Will I make my international flight?
Your flight home is booked separately from this holiday, and day 6 includes the road journey from Alexandria to Cairo. There is no spare night in Cairo at the end, so choose an evening or night departure rather than a morning one. If you are changing planes elsewhere, take travel insurance that covers missed connections.06What is not included?
International flights, the Egyptian visa, tips for guides and drivers, drinks and meals other than those stated, and the inside of the Khufu pyramid.07Is the sightseeing private?
Yes. You have your own guides and drivers on the sightseeing days, and transfers are in private vehicles.08When is the best time to go?
October to April is cooler and the most comfortable for walking. Alexandria can be breezy and damp in winter, so pack a light jacket. Cairo and Fayoum are hot in summer, so days start early.
Last updated Product ID: TOU-CAI-743760
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days · 5 nights
- Starts
- Daily
- Route
- Cairo → Fayoum → Alexandria → Cairo
- Nights
- 3 Cairo · 2 Alexandria
- Includes
- Egyptologist guide, transfers