Side trip from Athens to Cairo?
 

I will be in Greece for business in Septbember. Once work is done i plan to take 8-10 days of vacation to travel around Greece a little. However the idea struck me to hop on a flight to Cairo for 3 or so days. Is this a good idea or waste of time? Should I just concentrate on Greece and leave Cairo for another time? I figure this is a good chance to see the pyramids etc, and only an hour or so flight from Athens...

It's a great idea, I've been wanting to do the same. Go for it!

We did that a few years ago (pre 9/11), although now I am not sure I would want to go to a Muslim country. But anyway, you are right, it is a short flight and not very expensive. It will cost you a lot more to fly to Cairo specifically later. The pyramids are a must-see, as well as the Cairo museum. Three days is enough - that's how long we were there.

My sister and I travelled to Egypt in January of this year and I have never felt safer! As two young women travelling alone, we had no problems hiring guides, taking hair-raising (and fun) taxi rides, walking from the Cairo Museum to the Cairo Tower across the Nile, and walking in a small group at night to restaurants. I get more harrassment walking in Seattle than I got in Cairo. Just because it's a Muslim country and in the Middle East, don't let that deter you from going. Everyone I met was thrilled to meet us and hear we were from "America".

In three days you will have plenty of time to see the sites. Of course, visit Giza and the museum. Eat felafel! Try to head out of the city to Saqqara to the south and see some of the first pyramids (prototypes for the Giza pyramids). Oh yeah, and ride camels! Try to spend some time bargaining in the market. I think there is a big dollar sign on my forehead, at least that is how I felt whenever I entered a marketplace throughout the country.

Enyoy your trip!

Juice-trust me on this: Egypt could NOT be safer, and do not in any way think that the Egyptians will not be as welcoming and hospitable as they possibly can be to you. That's the way they are-they really like Americans, despite what you may hear to the contrary. And in terms of crime, well, it's considerably safer there than here in the US, because their crime rate is practically non-existent- you don't have to worry about theft, shootings or anything else there-there are few places in the world where I have felt as safe as Egypt, and I roamed all over the desert, to the Red Sea, up Mount Sinai and back! I adore Egypt-and you could see a lot in 3 days, remember Giza and the Pyramids are a straight shot 11km (6 mi.) from downtown Cairo (along the Pyramids road you'll see Baskin-Robbins, KFC, Mickey D's, even casinos, and then, in the distance, there they are-it takes your breath away!) There's any number of great hotels to stay at -do the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, so that you may see the treasures of King Tut and other priceless antiquities, and you'll never regret it, only the fact that you couldn't stay longer!