Le Riad Hotel de Charme

Ultimate Egypt

Ultimate Cruise + 1 more + 2 more

Egypt’s exceptional diversity of attractions makes long itineraries extremely rewarding, and there is plenty of luxury for those looking to splash out on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

16 days

from £4,960 pp

Simply Egypt

Express Beach + 2 more + 3 more

Cairo's iconic sights paired with pure Red Sea relaxation.

11 days

from £3,520 pp

Egypt's Modern History

Off-the-beaten-track Cruise + 2 more + 3 more

A delightful introduction to the fascinating events that have shaped Egypt since Biblical times

10 days

from £3,915 pp

Highlights of Egypt

Classic Cruise + 3 more + 3 more

Culture in Cairo, cruising the Nile and relaxation by the Red Sea

11 days

from £3,415 pp

Family-Friendly Egypt

Family Beach + 1 more + 2 more

A journey through Egypt’s best bits, designed for all the family.

12 days

from £3,650 pp

Classic Egypt

Classic Express + 3 more + 3 more

Big-name ancient highlights and a classic Nile cruise

8 days

from £2,810 pp

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in Egypt

Downtown Cairo Food Tour

A walking food tour allows you to really engage with the local people and fully immerse yourself in the lively streets of Downtown Cairo. You'll mingle with locals, learning about the diverse Egyptian culture and sampling some of the most exquisite local delicacies, including Egyptian sausages, Koshari and taamiya. Not only do you get to sample a wide variety of dishes, but you also go behind the scenes to learn how some of these dishes are made. This immersive experience into the Egyptian culture is definitely worth including during your stay in Cairo.

Mosques of Islamic Cairo

Make time to get inside some of the city’s oldest and most interesting buildings as you explore the evocative streets of Islamic Cairo. Cairo isn't a city short on mosques, and the views across the skyline from any elevated vantage point reveal countless spires and minarets clawing skywards beyond the urban fug of the teeming streets. Yet for many visitors, this is as close to the mosques as they get. Those that do make the effort to get closer are justly rewarded, for there is no quicker way to leave the dust and hassle of the city behind than to step inside one of these serene havens. Within easy reach of the Citadel lies the unmistakable double façade of the Sultan Hassan and Rifa’i mosques, which at first glance seem like part of the same structure, so similar is their outward appearance. However, while only the thinnest of paths separates the towering walls of these two mosques, so does over 500 years of history. Although the Sultan Hassan Mosque opened its doors to worshippers in around 1360, the Rifa’i Mosque was not built for another 550 years, designed to stylistically complement rather than oppose its neighbour. Both are exquisite in their conception and completion, the tiniest details of the intricately marbled floors and painstakingly carved mashrabiyya woodwork a marvel to the eye. Not far away is the stunning Mosque of Ibn Tulun, one of the oldest but most beautifully composed mosques in the Middle East. The structure is essentially a wide-open plaza that is the perfect antidote to this cramped city. With its distinctive spiral minaret inspired by the Great Mosque of Samarra, the complex feels almost suspended in time.

Memphis

Memphis is important for its past role as the capital of Ancient Egypt for nearly 1,000 years, and the city for which Saqqara was the royal necropolis. It was also the spiritual centre for the worship of Ptah, the god of creativity and art. The great temple to Ptah forms the heart of the open-air museum at Memphis; statues and sphinxes are dotted throughout the ruins and a large modern building covers a colossal statue of Ramesses II (the Great). Much of the city’s previous pomp and grandeur has been lost to the ages, but it still makes for a fascinating visit to complement the more renowned big hitters for history buffs and those with a hankering for all things Ancient Egypt.

The Pyramids & Sphinx of Giza

There are endless clichés and statistics associated with the Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza: the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, as old as Stonehenge, and the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, to name but a few. However, it’s only when you stand between the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Khafre, craning your neck to see their summits and picturing them dazzling white in their original limestone cladding, that you can really appreciate why these ancient tombs have fascinated and captivated people from the moment they were built. Facing away from the Pyramid of Khafre is the Sphinx with its slightly smug and knowing expression. A stone Mona Lisa, it is immediately apparent why it has inspired all manner of myths, riddles and legends. Today, standing on the edge of the Giza Plateau with the suburbs of Cairo curling around their base on one side and the sands of a vast, echoing desert stretching to the opposite horizon, they remain a place that everyone should try and see once in a lifetime.