Egypt stopover - help with itinerary
 

Hi,
We are visiting Greece in May 2013. Since we are taking Egypt Airways (and there is a minimum 22 hr layover in Cairo), we are thinking of stopping in Cairo for 2/3 nights before going to Athens (reaching Cairo at 1.30 pm and flight out from Cairo is at 10.30 am). Since there won't be time to see Luxor/Alexandria, we will stick to Cairo only. My questions are :

1) How many days should be enough for Cairo - 1.5 or 2.5 ? So far, I have planned to see the Pyramids in Giza, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, the Khan-el-Khalili market and the Cairo Tower. I am assuming that we can do the Egyptian museum on the day we arrive followed by Khan-el-khalili. The next day we could do the Pyramids and Sphinx.

2) The other interesting options are Coptic Cairo, Mohammed Ali Mosque, Mosque of Ibn Tulun and the Sound and Light show at the Pyramids. Are these unmissable ? Am I missing out on anything else ?

3) Is the Egyptian museum open on Fridays ?

Thanks

1) better 2.5.

Regarding the Egyptian Museum: if you land at 1:30pm you won't be in town before 3pm. Then you have to check in at your hotel and you might be at the museum only at 4pm. There just isn't enough time to visit the museum on the day you arrive. Better going to Khan-El-Khalili on the first day and do the museum on the second day starting in the morning.
The opening hours are here: http://www.sca-egypt.org/eng/MUS_Egyptian_Museum.htm
It's open every day.
Regarding things to see, check my Cairo page at http://www.molon.de/galleries/Egypt/Cairo/

Unless things have changed, I would not recommend doing the Khan on a Friday. When I lived there, lots of shops closed on Fridays.

Maybe, for Friday, your best bet might be Coptic Cairo or the pyramids (not sure about the light show). Then do the Khan, the museum, and maybe the mosques on Saturday.

I recommend contacting Debbie Senters of Casual Cairo Detours (and Casual_Cairo on this forum) to help arrange your trip - to take best advantage of your time.

Coptic Cairo and the Mohammed Ali Mosque are definitely interesting sites. I can't speak for the Sound and Light show at the pyramids, but I would do that if I ever return to Cairo. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you :-)

Grcxx3 - you are thinking Sunday for NOT visiting the Khan. Everything is open there on Friday after prayer. (I bet you are saying - "Oh yeah, that's right!") You've been gone too long, you need to come back!

For my time, I'd advise to put the Sound and Light show and the Cairo Tower both on a back burner and see how you feel about it when you get here. You can arrange either or both quickly once here if you find you have the time, the weather is conducive to them, and you have the will to do everything. Check you YouTube for Giza Sound and Light videos so you have a REAL idea of what it is all about. It isn't for everyone. Some people really hate it, while others really love it. You should research it first. The Cairo Tower is NOT worth the cost if the weather is not good.

I recommend spending as much time in Cairo as you can manage. There is so much to do and it does take more time to get between sites sometimes than most people plan for.

We did the Bazaar on a Sunday and but for the jewelry shops, everything else was opened when we arrived early and by the time we left mid-afternoon the place was very very crowded, mostly locals.

But as Debbie says... spend as much time as you can in Cairo, but take into consideration the often horrific traffic getting from place to place if using taxis, or arrange for a guide/driver to get you where you need to be.

Enjoy.

<<I bet you are saying - "Oh yeah, that's right!">>

Yup - slapping my head! I guess we just never went down to the Khan on Fridays because that was the first day of the weekend. The "Maadi ladies" preferred going during the week when the kids were in school!

<<But as Debbie says... spend as much time as you can in Cairo, but take into consideration the often horrific traffic getting from place to place if using taxis, or arrange for a guide/driver to get you where you need to be.>>

Traffic is awful whether your are in a taxi or with a guide. A good guide and driver will not waste your time however. A taxi may purposely waste your time, but you'll probably never know it as you don't know the city. If you want to take your chances with a taxi, you could waste time because it is better for the taxi driver, not JUST because of the traffic. ;)

Thanks for the help :-)