CAIRO From ancient to modern in the city of all cities

7 days | Coming soon! | 18 - 24 January 2027

From ancient to modern in the city of all cities

A country or city’s nicknames belie much of its essential character and those bestowed upon both Egypt and Cairo reflect its magisterial presence in the great canon of time. ‘Gift of the Nile’, ‘Mother of the World’, ‘City of a Thousand Minarets’, ‘Paris of the Nile’, ‘City of all Cities’, such names conjure the ancient splendour, impressive scale and cultural verve of this magnetic place.

Thanks to its strategic location at the junction of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions, the area surrounding Cairo has been of great importance since Ancient Egypt. Memphis, located a short distance from contemporary Cairo, was the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom but modern Cairo was founded as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 969 AD. The city flourished, quickly becoming an important centre of Islamic learning and philosophy and further evolving under subsequent prosperous eras of Ayyubid and Mamluk rule to a golden age in the 14^th century. Cairo fell to Ottoman rule in 1517 and although this led to a period of relative decline, the Ottomans maintained and enriched much of the existing Islamic architecture of Old Cairo. Napoleon’s invasion of the city in 1798 ushered in a new European style, felt today in the wide avenues and handsome civic buildings of Downtown Cairo, another important layer in the city’s rich cultural timeline.

An exciting new foray for Art Pursuits, this tour will take in unmissable wonders of the ancient world alongside time to explore the phenomenal new Grand Egyptian Museum, a modern architectural marvel unto itself. Travellers will also experience the captivating energy of Old Cairo, offering a thrilling snapshot of life in this ancient and magical city.

Day to day Itinerary

Day 1
Fly from London to Cairo. Transfer by private coach to our hotel for some time to rest and relax before an evening meal together in one of the hotel’s restaurants.

Day 2

Our first full day in Cairo presents Egypt’s most iconic site, the pyramids at Giza. Last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, the 4,500 year-old complex is comprised of three pyramids — the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure — the Great Sphinx, and several subsidiary temples and burial sites, or mastabas. Your first glimpse of these mysterious and awe-inspiring structures will be intoxicating, and the experience will be further heightened by an optional visit of the interior of one of the pyramids, a wonderful opportunity to study the architecture away from the thronging crowds. We will break during the visit for a group lunch with a view of the pyramids, a tradition enjoyed since ancient times by philosophers, emperors, writers and adventurers alike. The visit will also allow for some time to explore the complex at your own pace, a nice opportunity to linger where you are most captivated. With VIP access and transport around the site in private golf buggies, this will be a very special first day. Return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure.

Day 3

From ancient wonders to modern, today’s visit will showcase the recently opened Grand Egyptian Museum. Located a few kilometres from the Giza Pyramid Complex, this national archaeological museum covers an impressive 500,000 m² and is the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation. Treasures housed here are arranged in twelve halls and span the prehistoric era through to the Roman and Greek periods of Ancient Egypt. Notably, two of the twelve halls are dedicated to reuniting the 5,398 artifacts belonging to King Tutankhamun, the first time the entire collection has been displayed in one place. A group lunch in one of the museum’s elegant restaurants will be included with our visit. We will return to the hotel at the end of the day, where the evening is free for your own activities.

Day 4

Some twenty kilometres southeast of Giza lies the Saqqara Acropolis, which served as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. This complex is also home to several pyramids, including the stepped Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest Egyptian pyramid and the earliest colossal stone structure in Egypt. Designed by the great Imhotep, a dazzling polymath and chancellor to the Third Dynasty’s King Djoser, Imhotep’s vision would impact all subsequent royal memorial monuments. Other wonders at Saqqara include Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis and serving as a necropolis for the sacred Apis bulls, and several fascinating mastabas, many of which retain wonderful relief carvings depicting daily life in Ancient Egypt. We will spend the day exploring this remarkable site, breaking for an included group lunch at a nearby country club.

Day 5

We begin at Bab al-Fatuh, one of three remaining gates in the old city wall, passing through this magisterial portal to al-Muizz, one of the oldest streets in the city and home to a dense concentration of preserved mediaeval architecture. The area is also considered to be the largest open-air museum for Islamic monuments in the world and our tour will take in fine architectural examples of 10^th-century Fatimid planning, such as the Mosque of al-Hakim, as well as those developed in the subsequent Ayyubid and Mamluk eras, many of which remain impressively dominant in the modern skyline. In the heart of the Khan el Kahlili bazaar, we will stop for lunch at the Naguib Mahfouz Café, an enchantingly historic establishment that has served as meeting place for countless writers, artists and thinkers in its century-long existence. Our tour continues after lunch but there will also be some free time to explore the surrounding shops and bazaars. The evening is yours for independent activity.

Day 6

A short journey south of Cairo will take us to Memphis, the first capital of Ancient Egypt, which was founded after the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt in c.3100 BCE. Today it is the site of an impressive open-air museum and lapidarium, built around the magnificent fallen limestone colossus of Ramses II and numerous other statues, colossi, sphinx and architectural elements. After an included lunch, we will explore Dahshur, the southern part of the necropolis of Memphis and site of several notable pyramids, including Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. The construction of these pyramids ultimately equipped the Egyptians with the knowledge to transition from step-sided to smooth-sided pyramid building, and this architectural evolution can be fascinatingly tracked via the structures here. Our last evening in Egypt will be marked with a farewell group meal.

Day 7

Before we depart, we have time for one final visit. The Egyptian Museum Cairo is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East and contains more than 170,000 artefacts. Located in Downtown Cairo, the collection is housed in a handsome Neoclassical building in Tahrir Square and includes the treasures of Tanis: the contents of an entire complex of royal tombs, some of which were uniquely intact when they were discovered in the late 1930s and early 1940s by Pierre Montet. Finds included solid silver coffins, gold masks and a superb collection of jewellery. After a final lunch together, transfer to the airport for an early evening flight back to London.

Crowne Plaza West Cairo - Arkan

Part of the Arkan Plaza, the Crowne Plaza offers a refined stay. With stylish modern rooms, a rooftop infinity pool and diverse dining options it is the perfect location from which to explore Cairo. Adjoined to the vibrant Arkan Plaza provides further dining and shopping.

With Flights: TBC

Join Direct: TBC

Single Supp: TBC

Deposit: TBC

Departure Dates:

18 - 24 January 2027

Duration:

6 nights / 7 days

Your Holiday Includes:

Scheduled return flights (Economy class) from London to Cairo
Six nights’ accommodation at the Crowne Plaza West Cairo-Arkan
Private coach transfers and excursions
Two evening meals and six lunches
Guided visits to the sites and monuments listed in the programme
Services of the Tour Lecturer and a Tour Manager
Detailed programme and study notes
All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and serving staff

Tour Lecturers

Dr Chris Naunton

Dr Chris Naunton is an Egyptologist and author of several books including Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt (2018) and Egyptologists’ Notebooks (2020). He has presented numerous documentaries for TV in the UK and internationally including The Man Who Discovered Egypt (BBC 4 2012), Tutankhamun: Mystery of the burnt Mummy (Channel 4, 2013), Secrets of King Tut’s Treasures (Channel 5, 2018), Egypt’s Lost Pyramid (Channel 4, 2019) and The Story of Egyptology (History Hit, 2022). He regularly leads tours to Egypt and lectures around the UK and overseas, and also online via his YouTube channel. He was Director (CEO) of the Egypt Exploration Society from 2012 to 2016, President of the International Association of Egyptologists from 2015 to 2019 and is now Director of the Robert Anderson Trust and London-based charity that provides support to young scholars and performers.

Travel Information

The price does not include extras at the hotels or travel insurance.

Please note that Art Pursuits use hotels of character featuring a variety of rooms & styles.

Stamina

Please note that some of our tours can involve a fair amount of walking, sometimes across uneven ground. Please contact us if you would like more information.