cairo

Old Jan 28th, 2002, 05:31 AM
  #1  
lumi
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
cairo

Hi everybody. We are leaving for a classic tour of Egypt, cruise on the Nile etc. We will have a day free in Cairo and we would like to know what we cannot miss, something usually is not included in the guided tours
Any suggetions in welcome!
Lumi
 
Old Jan 28th, 2002, 10:10 AM
  #2  
gail
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I am assuming your tour does the Egypt Museum. Ours did, but we did not have nearly enough time there. Same with Coptic Church, and sveral bazaars. As for stuff not included on a tour, we spent most of a day on our own in Cairo at the end of our tour. We were hot, exhausted and over-Egypted, so perhaps are not good reporters. The flavor of the city itself was fascinating, but the 1/2 day we spent walking around was filled with people trying to scam us and lure us into "their uncle's spice shop" or "show us the best place for lunch". Still - have a great trip. In the 6 months since we have been back I think about Egypt almost every day and know I will return sometime.
 
Old Jan 28th, 2002, 12:08 PM
  #3  
jenny
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Just returned from Egypt. Had a great time despite being fleeced by our driver/guide. However we enjoyed our 3 hour long camel ride from Giza pyramids to Abu Sir and would have loved to have ridden all the way to Saqarra had time permitted. Make sure you get a big camel with a 2 seater, much more comfortable than a one seater. The going rate is about 20-30 egyptian pounds (le) per hour for the camel, and 10 le per hour for the guide. It's a great time to visit Egypt since it's not as crowded as usual. We had a great meal at Justine's, a french place recommeded in the Fodor's guide. Excellent value for money. You will tire of Egyptian food.
 
Old Feb 12th, 2002, 08:29 AM
  #4  
Huong
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
My husband and I just got back from Egypt about two weeks ago. I definitely agree that we didn't have enough time in the Egyptian Museum. We had this traditional Egyptian lunch near the museum and I can't remember the name of the restuarant but the food was delicious. We thought the food was the best part about our trip. I was also told that as far as shopping name brand clothing, it's a great deal if you're into shopping. I wished we had time to do this. There is a dept store but of course my mind is blank right now so you may want to check with your tour guide to get the name. I found the bazaar to be very annoying because we had some follow us for a bit. Just ignore them.
 
Old Feb 17th, 2002, 09:42 AM
  #5  
Alice
Guest
 
Posts: n/a

Lumi,

For your "on your own day" you might consider the following.

A camal ride at the Pytamids. Just be sure to bargain the price.

The Egyptian Museum. I know this will be included in your tour, but I promise you it will not be enough! You will be herded through the museum with most of your time spent at the Tut exhibit (with 50 other tour groups!) and very little time to explore the rest of the museum, AND there is sooo much to see.

After the museum go over to the Nile Hilton hotel to the Mall. The prices are incredibly reasonable AND you don't have to haggle. The food court in the basement has a variety of foods. I had the Middle Easter dishes and they were delicious. I know, I know, you're probably thinking the same thing I did. Why would I spend my time in Cairo in a Mall? Trust me. When every single purchase entails 30 minutes of haggling, you'll understand.

If you don't have a copy of my notes, check out the Fodors' postings and you can access them on Hotmail. These might help you out in your decision making.

Have a wonderful time and I hope you'll post a trip report.
 
Old Feb 18th, 2002, 02:30 PM
  #6  
Dina
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
The Hilton Mall is an easy outing if you're on your own, as Alice says. They also have an internet place there. We were lucky because our cab driver/guide, Ali, did interpreting/ haggling for us all over and I know he got us fair prices. What a relief not to have to deal with this! Several visitors already have hired Ali on our recommendation. He took us to so many places, including a cabaret show on a boat, at our request. That was both very entertaining and cheesy. The Egyptian Museum we went to twice on our own--still not enough time.
All the stories and photos are on www.costumegoddess.com/travelog.htm
There are six Cairo pages on the menu.
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -