EGYPT TREASURES - CAIRO & LUXOR

Depart London Heathrow for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight: Fairmont Nile City Hotel (or similar)
Meals : Breakfast

See the 4,500 year old Pyramids on the Giza Plateau, the Grand Pyramid being the only survivor of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", as well as the legendary Sphinx, just to the east of the 2nd pyramid, acting as the guardian of the Pharaoh's enormous funerary monument. Visit the Valley Temple and explore the Sphinx, located in what was once a quarry to the east of Chephren's pyramid. There are many theories about the origin of the Sphinx. One suggests that the workers shaped the body into a lion and gave it their current king's face to act as a guardian of the necropolis. Explore the many other legends surrounding this timeless, regal figure.

Lunch at a local restaurant in Giza.

Optional Camel Ride and entry to Cheops Pyramid (extra cost)

Visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) complex, a cultural hub that includes one of the largest museums in the world, displaying the diverse heritage of a single civilisation. The museum contains over 100,000 artefacts reflecting Egypt's past from prehistory up to the Greek and Roman periods. See the exhibit of the boy-King Tutankhamun which houses over 5,000 artifacts recovered from his tomb, including his gold mask. As you enter the museum, you will be amazed by the colossal statue of King Ramses II and the 87 huge royal artefacts exhibited at the grand staircase leading up to an impressive 28-meter-high glass facade overlooking the pyramids of Giza.

Overnight: Fairmont Nile City Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Giza

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is a prominent cultural institution that was established to showcase and celebrate the rich history and cultural heritage of Egypt from ancient times to the present day. The museum's amalgamation of historical artefacts, interactive displays, and educational resources allows visitors to gain a thorough understanding of Egypt's past and its influence on contemporary society. One of the highlights of a visit to the NMEC is the Royal Mummies Hall, where visitors can see the mummies of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and royalty. The hall also provides insights into the mummification process, rituals, and the lives of these historical figures.

Old Cairo begins with the Fortress of Babylon, built by Emperor Trajan in AD 100 to defend the frontiers of his empire. Within its walls stands the Church of St Sergius, believed to have been built by Roman soldiers in the third or fourth century before being converted into a Coptic church. Soldier-saints Sergius and Bacchus inspired the dedication of the church, which marks the spot where Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus supposedly rested during their flight into Egypt. Much rebuilt and restored since mediaeval times, it remains a fine example of early Coptic architecture. Nearby, the Hanging Church takes its name from its position suspended above the gatehouse of the fortress. Thought to originate in the seventh century, this basilica-style church was once the seat of the Coptic Patriarchate.

Round off your day in old Cairo with a visit to Khan El-Khalili, reputedly the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Founded in the 14th century as a caravanserai watering spot, it has since grown into a vast labyrinth of narrow lanes lined with workshops and stalls selling woodwork, glassware, leather, perfumes, fabrics, and Pharaonic curiosities. Lunch at a local restaurant in Cairo.

Overnight: Fairmont Nile City Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Cairo

Transfer from Cairo hotel to airport. Flight to Luxor (price not included in the package). Transfer from Luxor airport to hotel.

Visit the Temple of Luxor, which was built by Amenhotep III in 1380 BC and expanded by later pharaohs, its great purpose the Festival of Opet, a celebration that lasted 27 days at its height. A three-kilometre avenue of human-headed sphinxes once linked it to Karnak, and within its grounds the Mosque of Abu'l Haggag still honours a 13th-century saint venerated by the people of Luxor to this day.

Then visit Karnak Temple, a vast sacred complex shaped by generations of pharaohs over 2,000 years. The Hypostyle Hall alone, with its 134 columns rising 23 metres, demands a moment of stillness. So does the Sacred Lake, where priests once purified themselves before rites. At its height, Karnak commanded tribute from more than 65 cities.
Lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor.

Overnight: Hilton Luxor (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor

After tomb robbers stripped the pyramids bare, the ancient Egyptians chose secrecy over spectacle, burying their pharaohs in hidden tombs cut deep into the cliffs of Thebes, on what is now the West Bank of Luxor. Go there to see the Valley of the Kings, where those tombs survive remarkably intact, their walls still vivid with painted scenes and filled with offerings for the afterlife.

Pause at the famed Colossi of Memnon, two towering statues of Amenhotep III that once guarded the entrance to his magnificent mortuary temple. Renamed by the Ancient Greeks in honour of their Trojan hero Memnon, the statues later became a Roman tourist attraction. You can still see the graffiti of prominent travellers carved into the sandstone today.

Then visit the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut - Egypt's only female pharaoh - whose brilliant white terraces rise dramatically from the desert floor against a backdrop of towering limestone cliffs. Built to honour Hathor, goddess of love, and Anubis, god of the dead, it served both religious and funerary purposes. After her death, her jealous stepson Tuthmosis III defaced her image throughout, in an attempt to erase her memory forever.

Lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor.

Overnight: Hilton Luxor (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor

At Dendera, the Temple of Hathor is among the best-preserved in Egypt, dedicated to the goddess of love, music and motherhood. Its walls and columns are covered in intricate relief carvings and hieroglyphs, and on the ceiling of one of its inner chambers you will find a replica of the famous Dendera Zodiac, the original of which is now on display in the Musee du Louvre, in Paris.

At Abydos, one of ancient Egypt's most sacred sites, the Temple of Seti I still stuns with its bas-reliefs and inscriptions. Look for the Abydos King List, a chronological record of the pharaohs carved into the wall, and one of the most significant historical documents to survive from the ancient world.

Lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor.

Overnight: Hilton Luxor (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor

Transfer from hotel to Luxor airport.

Meals: Breakfast in hotel