Travelling to Egypt without seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza is like going to the beach and not dipping your toes in the water. It’s just not right. Many may try to burst your bubble with the fact that the city of Cairo is right on its doorstep, not a desert as you might imagine. Though that may be disappointing to some, it cannot take away from the fact that Giza is not only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World but also a UNESCO Heritage-listed site. Marvel at the six pyramids and ancient burial tombs built for the kings of the 4th dynasty around 4,500 years ago.
Aswan is a gem to be discovered and you will particularly love it if you find ancient history intriguing. The romantic Temple of Philae was one of the last pagan shrines built in Egypt. It is a majestic Greco-Roman Egyptian temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, the goddess of love. Here you can also see what is believed to be the last hieroglyph carved in Egypt! Philae was never completed – work stopped on one of the outer colonnades in the late 200s AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
Hurghada has undergone a massive transformation from a small fishing village to a popular tourist destination with plenty on offer including diving, water sports, beaches, shopping, nightclubs and bars. People now refer to it as the “capital of the Red Sea” and it is a definite must-visit when you’re in Egypt.
With breathtaking tombs, temples and monuments that have survived from ancient Thebes, Luxor is often called “the world’s greatest open-air museum”. But it’s more than that. Thebes’ riches and power began attracting Western travellers already from the end of the 18th century. Its grandeur is both mystifying and marvelous.
Another great highlight is sailing along the fertile bank of the age-old Nile River on a 5-star cruise boat while admiring the cities, smaller towns and intriguing structures.
