Cairo, Fayoum and Alexandria
Based in Cairo, with day trips to Saqqara and Dahshur, the Fayoum Desert, and Alexandria.
This is the full city-plus-surroundings version. Spend two days on Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the old Islamic city. Then take three day trips: to the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and Dahshur, to Wadi al-Hitan (Whale Valley) and the waterfalls in Fayoum, and to Alexandria on the Mediterranean. Finish with Coptic Cairo. You stay in the garden city by the Nile throughout and do not change hotels. The day trips involve long drives, so this suits fit travellers who want to see the desert and a variety of monuments.
The Fayoum Desert is very hot in summer, so visit only in the cooler half of the year.
Day by day
Day 1 · Arrival and Old Egyptian Museum
Cairo & Giza（Egyptian Museum、Cairo Tower）
Take a taxi from the airport to the Garden City, about 1 hour. Walk 15 minutes to the museum on Tahrir Square, then go up the Cairo Tower in the evening.
Stay: Garden City
Day 2 · Giza Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum
Cairo & Giza（Giza Pyramids & Great Sphinx、Grand Egyptian Museum）
Hire a car to Giza, about 45 minutes. See the pyramids in the morning and the Grand Egyptian Museum in the afternoon.
Enter the pyramid complex as soon as it opens. Buy museum tickets online in advance.
Stay: Garden City
Day 3 · Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur
Cairo & Giza（Saqqara / Pyramid of Djoser、Memphis Open Air Museum、Dahshur）
Hire a car to drive south about 1 hour to Saqqara, then on to Memphis and Dahshur. The full day takes about 6 to 7 hours, and public transport is limited.
You can enter the chamber of the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, but the passageway is low and steep.
Stay: Garden City
Day 4 · Citadel, Mosques and Old Bazaar
Cairo & Giza（Citadel of Saladin、Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan、Al-Rifa'i Mosque、Al-Azhar Park、Khan el-Khalili）
Take a taxi to the Citadel, about 15 minutes. Walk to the two mosques, then take a taxi to Al-Azhar Park and Khan el-Khalili.
At Al-Azhar Park, watch the old city's minaret skyline at sunset.
Stay: Garden City
Day 5 · Fayoum Whale Valley and Waterfalls
Cairo & Giza（Wadi El Rayan Waterfalls & Magic Lake、Wadi Al-Hitan）
Hire a 4WD for about 2.5 to 3 hours to the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area. The desert roads need 4WD. The full day takes 10 to 12 hours.
Start early. Whale Valley has no shade, so bring plenty of water and sun protection.
Stay: Garden City
Day 6 · Alexandria Day Trip
Alexandria（Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa、Pompey's Pillar & Serapeum、Citadel of Qaitbay、Bibliotheca Alexandrina、Alexandria Corniche）
Take the early train from Ramses Station, about 2.5 to 3 hours. Use taxis in the city and return to Cairo by train in the evening.
Buy return train tickets in advance. If you find the trip tiring, a hired car is an alternative.
Stay: Garden City
Day 7 · Coptic Cairo and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
Cairo & Giza（Coptic Cairo / Hanging Church、Mosque of Amr ibn al-As、National Museum of Egyptian Civilization）
Take Metro Line 1 to Mar Girgis station, walk to the mosque, then take a taxi to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Head to the airport afterwards, about 1 hour.