Egypt for 5 days
 

Never been before but have relatives staying in Cairo so thought I would fly over from London where I am spending Christmas. Should I even go or wait till I have more time? And if so, where should I go?

From London, I think a 5-day trip is worthwhile. You could easily spend all 5 jam-packed days in Cairo, but I found it hectic and less than relaxing. Luxor might be a better choice, with a day in Cairo to see the pyramids. There are lots of packages that go just to Luxor. But there's nothing wrong with 5 days in Cairo.

Cairo was wonderful. I spent half day at the Pyramids in El Giza and spent 2 half days at the Egyptian Museum. Wish I had spent more time at the Old Bazaar. The Light and Sound Show at El Giza was magnificent. The Citadel was interesting. If you'd like to eliminate the hassel of depending on others to take you around, if you want to avoid the traffic jams and hectic schedule, you might like a private guide. We used Ahmed Hammet, highly recommended by several of my husband's colleagues. He took care of everything! He just picked us up in a clean airconditioned minivan (just 2 of us) with private driver and he took care of the rest. We did a lot in our 5 days in Cairo. We even took time to just relax on our own. I wouldn't have enjoyed having to hassle with taxi's, traffic etc. on such a short trip. Contact info: ahmed hamed" <[email protected] Send him an e-mail and see what he can organize for you and check out his quote. We thought it was extremely reasonable for everything being taken care of for us. Mention my name. He depends on referrals therefore he makes sure the trips are memorable and perfect.

Unqualified YES -- there is plenty to do in Cairo for five days, and you could even fly to Luxor (for one day if you take the earliest and latest flight, or two days). Even if you can't get to Luxor, you'll have a great time in Cairo for five days.

I second Cairo. There's lots to do there. I think that I would save Luxor for a second trip. I flew down to Luxor from Cairo for one very long day. Had to get up very early -- 4, I think, maybe earlier,and my plane didn't leave until 10:30 or 11:00.

If you wanted to leave Cairo, I'd go to Alexandria. It's a 3 hour drive (I think) through the delta. There's also a train.

Alex is a Mediterranean city. En route there's a small zoo of elderly circus animals which attracts Egyptian families and a wonderful fruit stand. One feels less like a tourist and more like a visitor there.

Last December, we were in Egypt for a week. Spent couple of days in Cairo.

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Yet once again I'm correcting something I posted earlier. When I flew to Luxor from Cairo, I had to get up very early (4:00 or earlier) and my plane back to Cairo didn't leave until 10 p.m. or later.