Shore excursions Faqs

Q.How close to the tour departure can I make a reservation?
A.We require you to make a reservation at least three days in advance of tour departure so that we have the ability to ensure that all of the arrangements are confirmed, finalized, and communicated.


Q.What do shore excursions include?
A.Shore excursions include transportation according to the itinerary, meals if mentioned, refreshments, guides, and entrance fees as indicated in the individual tour descriptions.


Q.What should I wear?
A.While the specific recommended attire is described in the individual tour descriptions, travelers should always wear comfortable shoes and use sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses in locations with ample sun.


Q.Where do I go to start my tour?
A.Your booking confirmation will contain clear instructions on where and when to go to start each of your tours. It will also include instructions on what to do in the very unlikely event that you encounter difficulties in meeting up with your guide.

Q.What is your cancellation policy?
A.With very few exceptions, you can cancel a tour up to 14 days in advance of tour departure, if you would like to cancel a tour, simply give us a call during regular business hours, and we will be happy to assist you.

Q.Am I expected to tip the Guide/Driver?
A.Extending a gratuity to your guide or driver is strictly optional but greatly appreciated by those guiding you through your tour.

Q.How do I make changes to my tour reservations?
A.If you need to make changes to your reservation or to cancel a tour, please contact one of our shore excursion experts 24/7 and they will be happy to assist you.

FAQ about our shore excursions in Egypt

Q.Why book with us?

A.We know that your time in port is one of the most important parts of your vacation, so we take our commitment to deliver great shore excursions very seriously. That's why shore excursions are our only business. We carefully select only the best tours, and, because we are not trying to reserve excursions for thousands of people at a time, we offer personalized experiences. Because we know that it can be confusing to choose the best tour in each port, we have a staff of shore excursion experts available to answer your questions and provide suggestions on the best tour options to meet your individual needs. And we stand behind the tours we deliver.

Q.Is there a risk I'll miss the ship if I don't book through the cruise line?

A.No. Although the cruise lines would like you to believe that independent tours carry this risk, all of our tour operators are well aware of your ship's departure time, and our tours are designed to get you back to the ship with time to spare. In the extremely unlikely event you were to miss the ship due to one of our tours, we guarantee that we will pay the full cost of your meals, hotel, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will handle all of your arrangements for you.

Q.How do I book shore excursions?

A.If you know which tours you want to take, you can reserve them directly through our web site, if you are uncertain which tours you would like to take or want some advice or guidance on your tours, we encourage you to contact one of our Shore Excursion Experts during our regular business hours 7/24 or by email to customize@nileblueexcursions.com
How do I receive my booking confirmation and voucher?
Shortly after you reserve a tour, we will e-mail your confirmation which will include your tour vouchers as well as instructions on how and when to meet up with your guide for each tour.

Cairo

Old & Coptic Cairo
The area of Cairo known as Coptic Cairo contains the remains of the old Fortress of Babylon, built at the time of the Romans in Egypt to protect the country from invading enemies. The walls of the fortress enclose the Church of St. Sergius, which is built on a crypt considered to be one of the resting places of the Holy Family during their flight to Egypt 2000 years ago.

The area is also home to the Synagogue of Ben Ezra, from the time of the once thriving Jewish community in Egypt under the leadership of Rabbi Ben Ezra. Inside were discovered the so-called "Geniza Documents", which showed an unparalleled source of information about life of the Jews in Egypt's past. The Coptic Museum in the same area displays a wonderful collection of medieval statues, bells, bone carvings, frescoes, icons and colourful textiles.

Golfing in Cairo
In recent years, several golf courses have sprung up in and around Cairo. All are of international PGA standard, and many have been designed by famous names such as Peter Harradine and Karl Litten. Cairo's oldest course, next to the Mena House Oberoi hotel, lies in the shadow of the Great Pyramids themselves - an incredible experience for any golfer.


Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids
The Sound and Light Show at the foot of the Great Pyramids is an incredible spectacle. Narrated by the enigmatic Sphinx, the show will lead you on a fascinating tour through the history of the Pyramids. An unforgettable experience!

Cruising Dinners on the Nile
Cairo has a range of high quality river boats available for dinner cruises - or for larger groups, charters for either breakfast or lunch. Admire the lights and sights of Cairo by night as you cruise gently down the river and enjoy a 5-star meal. After dinner, you will be entertained by a spectacular mix of Egyptian folkloric music and dancing, and an expert oriental belly dancer.

KEY ATTRACTIONS IN CAIRO

Pyramids & Sphinx
the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are Egypt's most visited monuments, ranking among the world's greatest tourist attractions. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is the only surviving "Wonder of the Ancient World". For centuries the great pyramids have intrigued and puzzled visitors, and even in the 20th century it is difficult to stand before them and not be overwhelmed by their splendor. For 4½ millennia, surviving the rise and fall of great dynasties, and outlasting Egypt's many conquerors, they have shared the desert plateau of Giza with other monuments: smaller attendant pyramids, some for royal wives; rows of mastabas (rectangular mud-brick tombs with a flat roof and sloping sides), the tombs of 2nd and 5th dynasty princes and nobles; and the imposing figure of the enigmatic sphinx.

Also located at the pyramids is the impressive Solar Boat Museum beside the Great Pyramid of Cheops, considered to be the single most important archaeological find in Egypt since the Tomb of Tutenkhamun. Discovered in a pit by the Great Pyramid in 1954, the entire boat was carefully reconstructed and placed in the museum you see today.



Memphis & Sakkara
The ancient city of Memphis and the necropolis of Sakkara are also not to be missed. At vast Sakkara, you will see the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first freestanding stone structure in the world. Your Egyptologist will guide you to some tombs belonging to the nobles of the past. They show the beauty and excellence of Ancient Egyptian art on their walls and give an insight into the daily life of Ancient Egypt. At the site of Memphis, you will see the ancient capital that once stood as a flourishing metropolis during the time of the Pharaohs. The place is thickly surrounded by lush palm groves and bushes, isolating the site of the old city from modern civilization.

Egyptian Museum of Antiquities
Although located in the heart of Cairo, this turn-of-the century museum has a pleasantly calm atmosphere once inside its formal gardens. To enter the museum is to take a tour through over 7,000 years of Egyptian history, starting from the Archaic Pre Dynastic Period to the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. The museum houses the world's most important collection of Egyptian antiquities from 2700 BC to the 6th century AD. There are thousands of statues, jewels and art efacts from nearly every period of ancient Egypt. Admire the amazing treasures of the young king, Tutenkhamun, including his famous mask made out of solid gold and in a perfect state of preservation. There are 12 rooms filled with treasures from King Tut's tomb, which was discovered in 1922 virtually untouched.
A tour of the Museum can also include an optional visit to the Mummies Room, a specially-built area dedicated to the mummies of ancient Royal Kings and Queens, including the mummy of Ancient Egypt's greatest Pharaoh, Ramses II.

Islamic Cairo
The Citadel dominates Cairo from it's high vantage point on the Mokattam Hills and was the heart of the city beginning in 1176 for more than 200 years. The Citadel was erected by Salah El Din, the legendary Saladin who conquered the Crusaders in Palestine. This fort was later occupied by Napoleon and the reigning Royal Family. The complex contains other later-built elements and buildings such as palaces and mosques. The last great phase of the Citadel, and its real highlight, is the great Mosque of Mohammed Ali. It was built imitating the Blue Mosque of Istanbul, with two high minarets and numerous domes.
The Sultan Hassan Mosque was built between 1356 and 1363 AD, with stones that historians believe were taken from one of the pyramids of Giza. The interior is devoid of decoration to make it easy for worshippers to concentrate on prayers. Hundreds of chains, which once held oil lamps, still hang from the ceiling of each hall.

Khan El-Khalili Bazaar , once known as the Turkish bazaar during the Ottoman period, was built in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili in the heart of the Fatimid City and is reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 12nd century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions. As you wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets you will find workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from woodwork, glassware and leather goods to perfumes, fabrics and Pharaonic curiosities. Remember to bargain hard!

The Charm of Egypt

Welcome to Egypt Slideshow: Nile’s trip from القاهرة, مصر to 8 cities شرم الشيخ, الغردقة, وادي نهر النيل, الأقصر, الجيزة, الإسكندرية, أسوان and أبو سمبل was created by TripAdvisor. See another مصر slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Alexandria the bride of the Mediterranean

Alexandria

The second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern; its ambience and cultural heritage distance it from the rest of the country although it is actually only 225 km from Cairo.
Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria became the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt, its status as a beacon of culture symbolized by Pharos, the legendary lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The setting for the stormy relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexandria was also the center of learning in the ancient world. But ancient Alexandria declined, and when Napoleon landed, he found a sparsely populated fishing village.

From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, as a focus for Egypt's commercial and maritime expansion. Writers such as E. M. Forster and Gerald Durrell have immortalized this Alexandria. Generations of immigrants from Greece, Italy and the Levant settled here and made the city synonymous with commerce, cosmopolitanism and bohemian culture. Today, Alexandria is a city to explore at random. It is as important to enjoy the atmosphere as it is to see the sights.

KEY ATTRACTIONS IN ALEXANDRIA

Graeco-Roman Museum
The Graeco-Roman Museum houses a collection that includes mummies, sculptures, sarcophagi, pottery, coins and tapestries from as early as the 2nd century BC.


Royal Jewellery Museum
This incredible museum has an impressive collection of jewels, formerly part of the royal dressing room from the time of Mohamed Ali's early 19th-century rule until the dissolution of the monarchy in 1952. As well as ordinary items of jewellery, the collection includes diamond-encrusted garden tools, jewelled watches, and a diamond-studded chess set. The collection is housed in one of King Farouk's old palaces, which is fascinating in its own right.

Catacombs of Kom El-Shokafa
The Catacombs are the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt, consisting of three tiers of tombs and chambers cut into the rock to a depth of about 35 meters. Constructed in the subtitle century AD, probably as a family crypt, they were later expanded to hold more than 300 individual tombs. There is even a banquet hall where grieving relatives paid their last respects with a funeral feast.

Pompey's Pillar
Pompey's Pillar is a 27 meter high and 2 meter thick column of polished Aswan rose granite, which stands before the scant remains of the splendid Temple of Serapis, one of ancient Alexandria's most important buildings. Erroneously named by the Crusaders, the pillar was actually raised in honor of Diocletian in the 4th century AD, and it probably supported a statue of the emperor.

Roman Amphitheatre
This is the only Roman amphitheatre in Egypt, discovered quite recently, when the foundations for a new apartment building were being dug. The terraces, arranged in a semicircle around the arena, are extremely well preserved. Recent excavations in the area have uncovered incredible examples of Roman mosaic floors with beautiful designs including birds and animals, which are now preserved under cover in a special miniature museum.

Qait Bay Fort
This 15th century Mamluk fort overlooks the entrance to the Eastern Harbour in Alexandria. It is built on the foundations of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and incorporates both a castle and a mosque within its walls. From the top of the fort, visitors have a beautiful vista of the entire coastline of Alexandria, and can also see the area where recent underwater excavations have uncovered incredible archaeological finds including the lost city of Cleopatra, and Napoleon's sunken fleet.

Montaza Palace & Gardens
Montaza Palace was built by Khedive Abbas II. It was the summer residence of the royal family before the 1952 Revolution and King Farouk's abdication. It overlooks magnificent gardens and groves. The adjacent Salamlek Hotel, also built by Abbas II, was designed in the style of a chalet to please his Austrian mistress. The palace and its museum are not open to the general public, but the gardens can be explored at leisure.

El Alamein Cemeteries and War Museum
The famous battlegrounds of El-Alamein, 105km west of Alexandria, played host to one of the key battles of WWII. Winston Churchill wrote of the battle: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat." The town has a Military Museum that contains a collection of uniforms, memorabilia and pictorial material relating to the Battle of El-Alamein and the North African campaigns in general. It is also possible to visit the nearby British, Italian and German war cemeteries, which hold the bodies of some of the 11,000 soldiers killed during the battle.

Mosque of Abu Al-Abbas Mursi
A modern but impressive example of Islamic architecture. The original mosque on the site was built by Algerians in 1767, over the tomb of a 13th century Muslim saint. The present structure was erected in 1943 when the largely decayed original was demolished.

Bibliotheca Alexandria
Another place of interest is the new Bibliotheca Alexandria, an integrated cultural complex, housed in a spectacular building of disc-like design, overlooking the sea, and partly submerged in a pool of water - symbolizing the image of the sun illuminating the world. The building is surrounded by a wall clad in Aswan granite, engraved with calligraphy and representative inscriptions from all the worlds' civilizations.
Alexandria National Museum
The newly opened Alexandria National Museum with its collection of thousands of items spanning from the Pharaonic Era, through Greco-Roman times, to the present day, is worth a visit, as is one of Alexandria's foremost religious buildings, the graceful Abu Al-Abbas Mosque with its four domes and towering, 73 meter minaret, which originally dates from 1775.

FOOD IN EGYPT

All over Egypt, and especially in Cairo, you will find an enormous range of high-class restaurants serving international cuisine including Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Indian, French and Lebanese. There are also branches of international chains such as TGI Fridays, or J.W. Steakhouse. Fruits, vegetables and seafood are all excellent. All over Egypt, and especially in Cairo, you will find an enormous range of high-class restaurants serving international cuisine including Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Indian, French and Lebanese. There are also branches of international chains such as TGI Fridays, or J.W. Steakhouse. Fruits, vegetables and seafood are all excellent.

Egyptian food is generally similar to many other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, including stuffed vine leaves, grilled meats, and numerous "dips" traditionally eaten with pitta-style bread. Rice with vegetables in tomato sauce, and pasta dishes baked in a similar way to lasagna, are both common. Specialties include stuffed or spit broiled pigeons; shish kebabs made of marinated chunks of lamb and spices, and then grilled over hot charcoal and small ground lamb kebabs called kofta. Seafood is a good choice with prawns from the Red Sea, sea bass from the Mediterranean and a wonderful fish dish, tilapia, from the Nile.

The national dish of Egypt may be considered to be Foul Mudhammas. Ful or Fava beans are cooked in olive oil and garlic, flavored with lemon, cumin and parsley and often served with an egg for breakfast. Egyptian food is often flavored with mint, dill, parsley, garlic and cumin. A nice way to sample different recipes is to have a mezze, or selection of little dishes washed down with the local Zibib or aniseed flavored aperitif (the equivalent of the Greek Ouzo, or the French Pernod). Dishes might include Babaghanoug (baked mashed eggplant flavoured with Taheena - sesame seed paste), Falafal or Taameyya (small round patties made of ground ful beans, seasoned and deep fried), Waraq Anab (vine leaves stuffed with rice and meat), Bickley or Turshi (spicy mixed pickled vegetables), Leban Zabadi (thick creamy yoghurt and very good for the digestion) and Mish, a mature cheese made into a paste and flavored with spices.

 Desserts range from regional specialties such as honey-soaked pastries like Kunafa, which looks like shredded wheat, made with rose water, nuts and sugar, and Basbousa made from fine semolina and flavored with almonds, lemon and vanilla to the famous and uniquely Egyptian "Om Ali", a baked dish of layered pastry cooked with milk, nuts, raisins and spices. Most visitors to Egypt will have at least one chance to try traditional local cuisine as part of their Nile cruise, when one night is usually themed as an Egyptian night including a buffet of local delicacies.

Egypt has a wealth of fresh fruits such as mangoes, pomegranates, dates, figs, apricots, melons and citrus.