Luxor and Cairo
Mar 8th, 2007, 01:10 PM
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Luxor and Cairo
Hi,
We are heading to Egypt and would like to get your insights on our travel plans. We are arriving on a Sunday morning and leaving on Friday afternoon. Our aim is to see as much of the culture and history as we can and just enjoy the local life. (no beach though).
As soon as we arrive to Cairo we are taking a plane to Luxor. How many days should we stay there? Would you recommend to go to Aswan and Abu Simbel? If yes, what's the best way to get there and for how long?
When we return back to Cairo, we want to see the pyramids (in Giza?). Is this a on day trip? What else is on your "must see" list for Cairo?
Thanks a million!
Cassie
We are heading to Egypt and would like to get your insights on our travel plans. We are arriving on a Sunday morning and leaving on Friday afternoon. Our aim is to see as much of the culture and history as we can and just enjoy the local life. (no beach though).
As soon as we arrive to Cairo we are taking a plane to Luxor. How many days should we stay there? Would you recommend to go to Aswan and Abu Simbel? If yes, what's the best way to get there and for how long?
When we return back to Cairo, we want to see the pyramids (in Giza?). Is this a on day trip? What else is on your "must see" list for Cairo?
Thanks a million!
Cassie
Mar 8th, 2007, 10:26 PM
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A very tight schedule but can do it though.A rough plan.
Day 1(Sunday):Arrive Cairo,fly to Aswan same day.
Day 2(Monday):Abu Simbel by road & back.Rest of the day in Aswan.
Day3(Tuesday):Aswan & overnight train to Luxor.Maybe overnight Luxor same day.
Day4(Wednesday): Luxor, overnight Cairo.
Day5(Thursday):Cairo
Day6(Friday)Dep
A very hectic plan,more a touch & go.Unless you skip Abu Simbel & Aswan altogether & do only Cairo & Luxor,you'll have a little more time.
Day 1(Sunday):Arrive Cairo,fly to Aswan same day.
Day 2(Monday):Abu Simbel by road & back.Rest of the day in Aswan.
Day3(Tuesday):Aswan & overnight train to Luxor.Maybe overnight Luxor same day.
Day4(Wednesday): Luxor, overnight Cairo.
Day5(Thursday):Cairo
Day6(Friday)Dep
A very hectic plan,more a touch & go.Unless you skip Abu Simbel & Aswan altogether & do only Cairo & Luxor,you'll have a little more time.
Mar 9th, 2007, 02:10 PM
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It's been a few years since we went to Cairo, but we were able to see both the Cairo Museum (which is a must-see) and the Pyramids at Giza in one day. We had a personal guide and driver, so we didn't have to worry about finding anything on our own and that helped a lot. Also, I recommend that you get to the Cairo Museum by the time it opens. It gets crowded very fast and by the time we left (2 hours later), it was jam-packed.
Mar 9th, 2007, 11:29 PM
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We were in Egypt in October and I have to say that I absolutely loved Abu Simbel and would recommend that you go there definitely. We enjoyed Aswan too and flew by a private aircraft to Abu Simbel so it was easily done in a day.
As for Cairo - the pyramids are at Giza and you should try and stay there to maximise your time at the pyramids and museum. On our arrival in Cairo we stayed at the Four Seasons on the Nile and spent two days sightseeing and soaking up the culture but to be honest, I enjoyed Giza more where we stayed at the end of our Nile cruise. The Mena House Oberoi is excellent and the pyramids are literally right on the doorstep!
Enjoy your trip and please dont miss Abu Simbel!
As for Cairo - the pyramids are at Giza and you should try and stay there to maximise your time at the pyramids and museum. On our arrival in Cairo we stayed at the Four Seasons on the Nile and spent two days sightseeing and soaking up the culture but to be honest, I enjoyed Giza more where we stayed at the end of our Nile cruise. The Mena House Oberoi is excellent and the pyramids are literally right on the doorstep!
Enjoy your trip and please dont miss Abu Simbel!
Mar 11th, 2007, 06:33 AM
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The 5*s in Luxor are the Sofitel ( old & new),The Movenpick Jolie Ville,Luxor Sheraton,Hilton Luxor,Sonesta St. George,Pyramisa Isis.
The 4*s are Novotel Luxor,Mercure,Mercure Inn,Gaddis Luxor.
The 3* is Emelio
As regarding The Hotel Osiris its a newly built hotel with a unique oriental inspired style.
The French managed hotel is located in the heart of down town Cairo, minutes away from the major Cairo sightseeing, a walking distance from Cairo museum, the international bus station, the train station, the Cairo metro and the American University.
Also the hotel has a terrace restaurant looking over Cairo's rooftops.
I stayed at the Delta Pyramid.It has rooms with the view of the Pyramids. This is a very nice budget hotel in a modern tall rise building.
The rooms are medium in size and clean and tidy with pattern carpets and good sized beds. The bathrooms are small but clean and functional.
The nice restaurant offers international and local cuisine and there is a snack bar & a small pool on the roof floor which offers a view over the Pyramids.
The lobby is medium and has a seating area at the entrance and a few shops beside the reception.
The hotel is located at the area of the Pyramids on the Faisal road with the Pyramids in walking distance.
The Only disadvantage was that there are no restaurants in walking distance of the hotel.You'll probably have to usher a cab.I had no problem,for my tour operator had organised everything.You could check this place out.
The 4*s are Novotel Luxor,Mercure,Mercure Inn,Gaddis Luxor.
The 3* is Emelio
As regarding The Hotel Osiris its a newly built hotel with a unique oriental inspired style.
The French managed hotel is located in the heart of down town Cairo, minutes away from the major Cairo sightseeing, a walking distance from Cairo museum, the international bus station, the train station, the Cairo metro and the American University.
Also the hotel has a terrace restaurant looking over Cairo's rooftops.
I stayed at the Delta Pyramid.It has rooms with the view of the Pyramids. This is a very nice budget hotel in a modern tall rise building.
The rooms are medium in size and clean and tidy with pattern carpets and good sized beds. The bathrooms are small but clean and functional.
The nice restaurant offers international and local cuisine and there is a snack bar & a small pool on the roof floor which offers a view over the Pyramids.
The lobby is medium and has a seating area at the entrance and a few shops beside the reception.
The hotel is located at the area of the Pyramids on the Faisal road with the Pyramids in walking distance.
The Only disadvantage was that there are no restaurants in walking distance of the hotel.You'll probably have to usher a cab.I had no problem,for my tour operator had organised everything.You could check this place out.
Mar 11th, 2007, 07:11 AM
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Hello Cassie,
My sister and I did a similar trip last year. We had a bit more time than you do, but we ended up skipping Abu Simbel in favour of a more relaxed pace so we could absorb some of the local life, which is hard to do when you're always on the move. I regret not having seen Abu Simbel but not necessarily skipping Aswan itself.
If you wanted a more relaxed trip, you might want to do the following:
Day 1 (Sunday): Arrive Cairo, transfer to Luxor. Assuming a mid-afternoon arrival in Luxor, you could see the Luxor Temple complex in the evening (very atmospheric).
Day 2 (Monday): Full day on the West Bank (hire a taxi for the day to move around the sights -- I'd recommend the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Temple). You'll be back around mid-afternoon and could potentially visit the Karnak Temple complex, but you may be too tired for this in which case a sunset felucca cruise might be more enjoyable.
Day 3 (Tuesday): Karnak Temple if you haven't already seen it. In the afternoon, take the train or fly to Aswan. Take private plane to Abu Simbel either this afternoon (for sunset viewing) or early the following morning
Day 4 (Wednesday): Take private plane to Abu Simbel very early in the morning if not done the night before. Fly back to Cairo this afternoon and go out to Giza. You can see the sun boat musuem this afternoon if you have the energy.
Day 5 (Thursday): See the pyramids this morning, and spend the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum. I didn't find the museum at all crowded on my afternoon visit.
Day 6 (Friday): Re-visit the museum if you want to, or have a wander in the Khan and pick up some souvenirs.
In Luxor, we split our time between the West Bank and the East Bank, staying a few days on each side. On the West Bank we stayed at Al Moudira, a lovely boutique hotel on the West Bank. It definitely has the best food in town, and the West Bank location means that it's much less touristy than the East Bank. Staying on the West Bank is ideal for visiting the Valley of the Kings and the other monuments, as you're able to beat the crowds of tourists heading over from the East Bank (and beat the heat as well by getting there early).
http://www.moudira.com/v_2/
Some people have said that the Al Moudira is a bit out of town, but there's no real reason to go into town except to eat and the food at Al Moudira is better.
On the East Bank we let a flat for a few days and lived like locals rather than paying to stay in one of the big tourist hotels -- a very interesting (and very inexpensive) experience! It cost us about $30 per person per day to stay in a lovely brand-new villa with all mod-cons including A/C and a fully equipped kitchen. We let the flat through Keefy, an expat Brit, at Luxor4u:
http://www.luxor4u.com/
Keefy also set us up with a very good driver for our West Bank day and negotiated excellent pricing for us.
We stayed in Cairo for a few days at both the beginning and the end of the trip. Our first stay was at the Talisman Hotel de Charme, a very charming (no pun intended) boutique hotel in the heart of Cairo. It's ideal for seeing the city centre sights and has a lot of local character as well as A/C and free Internet access.
However, out by the pyramids the Mena House Oberoi is the best choice -- as another poster has noted, the pyramids are basically right on its doorstep. If you stay here, go for a Palace Room -- they are much nicer than the garden rooms.
Cheers,
Julian
My sister and I did a similar trip last year. We had a bit more time than you do, but we ended up skipping Abu Simbel in favour of a more relaxed pace so we could absorb some of the local life, which is hard to do when you're always on the move. I regret not having seen Abu Simbel but not necessarily skipping Aswan itself.
If you wanted a more relaxed trip, you might want to do the following:
Day 1 (Sunday): Arrive Cairo, transfer to Luxor. Assuming a mid-afternoon arrival in Luxor, you could see the Luxor Temple complex in the evening (very atmospheric).
Day 2 (Monday): Full day on the West Bank (hire a taxi for the day to move around the sights -- I'd recommend the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Temple). You'll be back around mid-afternoon and could potentially visit the Karnak Temple complex, but you may be too tired for this in which case a sunset felucca cruise might be more enjoyable.
Day 3 (Tuesday): Karnak Temple if you haven't already seen it. In the afternoon, take the train or fly to Aswan. Take private plane to Abu Simbel either this afternoon (for sunset viewing) or early the following morning
Day 4 (Wednesday): Take private plane to Abu Simbel very early in the morning if not done the night before. Fly back to Cairo this afternoon and go out to Giza. You can see the sun boat musuem this afternoon if you have the energy.
Day 5 (Thursday): See the pyramids this morning, and spend the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum. I didn't find the museum at all crowded on my afternoon visit.
Day 6 (Friday): Re-visit the museum if you want to, or have a wander in the Khan and pick up some souvenirs.
In Luxor, we split our time between the West Bank and the East Bank, staying a few days on each side. On the West Bank we stayed at Al Moudira, a lovely boutique hotel on the West Bank. It definitely has the best food in town, and the West Bank location means that it's much less touristy than the East Bank. Staying on the West Bank is ideal for visiting the Valley of the Kings and the other monuments, as you're able to beat the crowds of tourists heading over from the East Bank (and beat the heat as well by getting there early).
http://www.moudira.com/v_2/
Some people have said that the Al Moudira is a bit out of town, but there's no real reason to go into town except to eat and the food at Al Moudira is better.
On the East Bank we let a flat for a few days and lived like locals rather than paying to stay in one of the big tourist hotels -- a very interesting (and very inexpensive) experience! It cost us about $30 per person per day to stay in a lovely brand-new villa with all mod-cons including A/C and a fully equipped kitchen. We let the flat through Keefy, an expat Brit, at Luxor4u:
http://www.luxor4u.com/
Keefy also set us up with a very good driver for our West Bank day and negotiated excellent pricing for us.
We stayed in Cairo for a few days at both the beginning and the end of the trip. Our first stay was at the Talisman Hotel de Charme, a very charming (no pun intended) boutique hotel in the heart of Cairo. It's ideal for seeing the city centre sights and has a lot of local character as well as A/C and free Internet access.
However, out by the pyramids the Mena House Oberoi is the best choice -- as another poster has noted, the pyramids are basically right on its doorstep. If you stay here, go for a Palace Room -- they are much nicer than the garden rooms.
Cheers,
Julian
Mar 11th, 2007, 07:18 AM
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Hello,
I seem to have lost the website address for the Talisman in Cairo, but this is the site of their sister hotel in Damascus which has a very similar decor:
http://www.hoteltalisman.net/
Cheers,
Julian
I seem to have lost the website address for the Talisman in Cairo, but this is the site of their sister hotel in Damascus which has a very similar decor:
http://www.hoteltalisman.net/
Cheers,
Julian
Mar 12th, 2007, 06:20 PM
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Fodorites are the best! Thank you for your advice!
Tropical_Gal, which private plane company did you use in Egypt? We would really like to visit Abu Simbel...
In Luxor, I found a hotel called Lotus. Does anyone have any experience on them? (Al Moudira looks wonderful, but we've decided to use the money on sightseeing).
-Cassie
Tropical_Gal, which private plane company did you use in Egypt? We would really like to visit Abu Simbel...
In Luxor, I found a hotel called Lotus. Does anyone have any experience on them? (Al Moudira looks wonderful, but we've decided to use the money on sightseeing).
-Cassie
Mar 14th, 2007, 11:45 PM
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The Jolie Ville is a wonderful hotel for your Luxor stage. Located on crocodile island a little way out of Luxor centre but with easy transport to town when you want it, either by boat or by road. A visit to The Tombs of the Nobles was one the highlights for us in The Valley of The Kings.
Mar 18th, 2007, 09:26 PM
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Hello CassieWithBag,
I'm sorry I didn't get back earlier but we have been away. The charter company we flew with was Petroleum Air Services - they were excellent and it was organised through Lindblad Expeditions. I would urge you to go to Abu Simbel - you wont regret it! Some people went by bus from Aswan and I was told it was a very long day trip. We passed the convoy of more than 65 buses one day - fortunately they were all leaving when we arrived!
Regards
I'm sorry I didn't get back earlier but we have been away. The charter company we flew with was Petroleum Air Services - they were excellent and it was organised through Lindblad Expeditions. I would urge you to go to Abu Simbel - you wont regret it! Some people went by bus from Aswan and I was told it was a very long day trip. We passed the convoy of more than 65 buses one day - fortunately they were all leaving when we arrived!
Regards
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