8-Hour Tour Giza Pyramids, Egyptian Museum and Cairo Bazaar

Departing after breakfast head towards the Giza Plateau, a UNESCO-World Heritage Site and home to some Cairo’s most famous treasures. The first stop is at the three iconic pyramids known as Cheops, Chephren and Myrcerinus. Set on the West Bank of the River Nile these age-old pyramids are the sole survivors from the Great Wonders of the Ancient World, and are one of the planet’s oldest tourist attractions. Originally built as royal tombs during Egypt’s Old and Middle Kingdom Periods, they are riddled with a maze of passage ways designed to protect the Mummies of the Pharaohs and the treasures which they would take with them to the afterlife.

inx, an impressive 50 meter tall statue with the body of a feline and head of a human carved out of a single piece of rock.

The skinny lanes of Khan Al Khalili are basically a medieval-style mall. This agglomeration of shops – many arranged around small courtyards – stocks everything from soap powder to semiprecious stones, not to mention tacky toy camels and alabaster pyramids. Most shops and stalls open from around 9am to well after sundown (except Friday morning and Sunday), although plenty of the souvenir vendors are open as long as there are customers, even on Sunday. Cairenes have plied their trades here since the khan was built in the 14th century, and parts of the market, such as the gold district, are still the first choice for thousands of locals. The khan used to be divided into fairly rigid districts, but now the only distinct areas are the gold sellers, the coppersmiths and the spice dealers. Apart from the clumsy ‘Hey mister, look for free’ touts, the merchants of Khan Al Khalili are some of the greatest smooth-talkers you will ever meet.

One of the world’s most important collections of ancient artefacts, the Egyptian Museum takes pride of place in Downtown Cairo, on the north side of Midan Tahrir. Inside the great domed, oddly pinkish building, the glittering treasures of Tutankhamun and other great pharaohs lie alongside the grave goods, mummies, jewellery, eating bowls and toys of Egyptians whose names are lost to history. To walk around the museum is to embark on an adventure through time. Some display cards have become obsolete as new discoveries have busted old theories. And the collection rapidly outgrew its sensible layout, as, for instance, Tutankhamun’s enormous trove and the tomb contents of Tanis were both unearthed after the museum opened, and then had to be shoehorned into the space. Now more than 100,000 objects are wedged into about 15,000 sq metres. Like the country itself, the museum is in flux. Most objects are still on display.