Cairo in a day?

[MSPCUBS]

I will be on the Jade in January. It stops in Alexandria for 2 days. I know most people go to Cairo for an overnight, but I am wondering if you can do a decent tour in 1 day. I know it would be a very long day, but I am not much into museums (did see the King Tut exhibit when it was in Chicago). I would like to spend the 2nd day seeing Alexandria. Is this doable? Will a tour company do 2 separate day tours?

Thanks for any information and opinions.

[paul929207]

Yes, you can see Cairo in a day, but you will not see nearly as much. It is at least two hours from Alexandria to Cairo and when you get there it takes forever to get from site to site.

[eh2zed]

Most cruise ships do only do a long one day stop in Alexandria and therefore the tours are a long day tour. You can on these tours see the Giza pyramids, Sphinx, Museum of Antiquity and maybe one other site. Private one day tours will see one or two additional siters. We did a private.

So yes you can do Cairo in one day and use the other for Alexandria. No doubt you will see more on the 2 day Cairo tour.

[whale-watcher]

We are debating this same question. We hate to cut our visit in Cairo short, but on the other hand, hate to miss out on whatever there is to be seen in Alexandria.

[kofamily44]

We did the opposite and that is from Cairo to Alexandria. It was very

long day and it takes two and half hour plus driving time each way.

We started early but traffic was heavy. Once on the highway it

was easly sailing. Alexandria could be seen in about five hours.

 

You can do Cairo in one day but you wouldn't see much. It

is so large and traffic can be difficult.

 

The Pyramids of Giza, the museum, and the great khan al khalili bazaar are

a must but the papyrus museum and rug factories are tourist

traps and take up precious time from your tour.

 

Stay hydrated and aware of your surrounding.

 

Thekofamily

[cruisemom42]

As others have said, it is possible. The drive is 2+ hours each way. What are you most interested in seeing in Cairo? The museum is one of the greatest in the world, and I couldn't imagine getting any idea of the scope of Egypt's history without visiting it.

[MSPCUBS]

Thanks for the info. I definitely don't want to short-change Cairo and since I will be going with my 81 year old Mom, the 2 day option is probably the best.

[dorijo]

Does anyone know if the traffic will be as bad on a Sunday day and night as during the week?

[Tulsa Cats]

Since you saw the King Tut exhibit in Chicago, I assume you have an interest in the Boy King. We visited Egypt three years ago and saw Tut in the museum and the next year saw the Chicago exhibit. If you saw Chicago, YOU SAW NOTHING. Seriously. Even if you do a quick Cairo museum visit and see only the Tut room, no visit to Cairo would be complete without it. It's remarkable ! It's truly awesome. I'm anxious to see it again. Good luck and happy cruising. We're on the Sept. 29 cruise

[MercedMike]

Thanks for the info. I definitely don't want to short-change Cairo and since I will be going with my 81 year old Mom, the 2 day option is probably the best.

 

Even in an overnight tour, you will still have to pick and choose. There are sooooooo many things to see and the time is short. However you can see a great deal more if you overnight.

 

I seriously recommend you and Mom look for a private tour. Maybe you can find a small group on your roll call tour. Since I am a bit mobility limited it is important to me to be able to go at my own pace, not rush after a guide.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html for a sample of what is possible in a two day tour.

 

HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!