Day 4. Cairo - Alexandria
Overnight - Four Seasons Alexandria
In the morning you will be assisted with your check-out and you will now proceed to one of two museums. We do not expect the oft-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum to open until 2023. It will be the one you visit if it is open by the time you travel.
Grand Egyptian Museum Option: You are driven to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum, which, at 5.2 million sq. feet, is the largest archaeological museum on our planet. This incredible collection of 50,000 antiquities includes the vast and amazing Tutankhamun Collection, a 3200-year-old 83 ton and 32.8-foot-tall red granite statue of Ramses II, as well as a plethora of artifacts that have never been displayed before. Viewing all the treasures in the museum would take many days and so your Egyptologist Tour Director will tell you about the possible highlights and, based on your preferences, design your visit accordingly. Just as during the rest of your tour, your Tour Director will regale you with fascinating tales about the major exhibits that you are experiencing. Lunch at one of the restaurants at the museum is recommended at a time of your choice.
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Option: This new museum was inaugurated in April of 2021 with a widely promoted made for TV event which included a spectacle filled procession as many of the best treasures in the iconic Egyptian Museum were transported to their new home in this new museum. Although the biggest draw will be the 22 mummies of the greatest Pharaohs and their collections of treasures, this museum is unique because it displays a holistic view of the awe-inspiring history of Egyptian Civilization, ranging from Predynastic times to the 2000 year long Pharaonic period to Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and contemporary times. What you experience during your visit to the museum will be based on your preferences as relayed to your Egyptologist Tour Director. You will break for a late lunch after exploring the museum.
You are driven to Alexandria after lunch. This three-hour drive will bring you to the legendary city that was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and is the largest city on the Mediterranean Sea. Not much of its Greek history remains and most of the ancient monuments you will visit belong to the Roman period, which began with the deaths of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony in 27 BC. In its heyday Alexandria was home to the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), the Great Library (the largest in the world during its time), and the Necropolis (one of the seven wonders of the Middle Ages). Unfortunately, none of these exist today and Cleopatra’s magnificent palace can only be visited by divers as it is submerged in the sea. You are driven to the most luxurious hotel in Alexandria and assisted with check-in to your sea view suite.
In the morning you will be assisted with your check-out and you will now proceed to one of two museums. We do not expect the oft-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum to open until 2023. It will be the one you visit if it is open by the time you travel.
Grand Egyptian Museum Option: You are driven to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum, which, at 5.2 million sq. feet, is the largest archaeological museum on our planet. This incredible collection of 50,000 antiquities includes the vast and amazing Tutankhamun Collection, a 3200-year-old 83 ton and 32.8-foot-tall red granite statue of Ramses II, as well as a plethora of artifacts that have never been displayed before. Viewing all the treasures in the museum would take many days and so your Egyptologist Tour Director will tell you about the possible highlights and, based on your preferences, design your visit accordingly. Just as during the rest of your tour, your Tour Director will regale you with fascinating tales about the major exhibits that you are experiencing. Lunch at one of the restaurants at the museum is recommended at a time of your choice.
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Option: This new museum was inaugurated in April of 2021 with a widely promoted made for TV event which included a spectacle filled procession as many of the best treasures in the iconic Egyptian Museum were transported to their new home in this new museum. Although the biggest draw will be the 22 mummies of the greatest Pharaohs and their collections of treasures, this museum is unique because it displays a holistic view of the awe-inspiring history of Egyptian Civilization, ranging from Predynastic times to the 2000 year long Pharaonic period to Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and contemporary times. What you experience during your visit to the museum will be based on your preferences as relayed to your Egyptologist Tour Director. You will break for a late lunch after exploring the museum.
You are driven to Alexandria after lunch. This three-hour drive will bring you to the legendary city that was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and is the largest city on the Mediterranean Sea. Not much of its Greek history remains and most of the ancient monuments you will visit belong to the Roman period, which began with the deaths of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony in 27 BC. In its heyday Alexandria was home to the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), the Great Library (the largest in the world during its time), and the Necropolis (one of the seven wonders of the Middle Ages). Unfortunately, none of these exist today and Cleopatra’s magnificent palace can only be visited by divers as it is submerged in the sea. You are driven to the most luxurious hotel in Alexandria and assisted with check-in to your sea view suite.