Cairo Tour: Citadel of Saladin, Coptic Cairo og Khan El Khalili

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Saqqara, Coptic Cairo, Al-Azhar Park & Nile Cruise — Egy Excursions at Their Very Best Our third day with Egy Excursions and they delivered yet again — this time covering the ancient pyramids of Saqqara, the historic churches of Coptic Cairo, the stunning Al-Azhar Park, and a beautiful Nile cruise, with pickup and drop-off included throughout. Mahmood was once again our driver — reliable, punctual and genuinely lovely company. Hasan returned as our guide, proving once more that he is in a league of his own. His knowledge spans effortlessly from ancient Egyptian civilisation at Saqqara to early Christian history in Coptic Cairo — a remarkable range that very few guides could match. Every site came alive through his explanations. The day was rounded off perfectly with a Nile cruise experience handled by Isra, who looked after us wonderfully and made it a relaxed, memorable end to a full day of exploration. A lovely touch to close out everything Cairo had to offer. What struck us most was the consistency across the team. Three days, the same exceptional standard throughout — no shortcuts, no rushed moments, just genuine care for their guests. The hospitality shown by Hasan, Mahmood and Isra across our entire time in Cairo was something we will not forget. If you are planning multiple days of touring in Cairo, look no further than Egy Excursions. Ask for Hasan and Mahmood — and if you get the chance to experience the cruise with Isra, grab it. You will be in the very best hands.

Fantastic guide for our tour! Amr is a knowledgeable, friendly, serious guide who is very attentive to the needs of the group. Thanks to his professionalism, we experienced a beautiful and stress-free adventure. Highly recommended

While I did not book or go on this trip in its specific form, I felt a need to write a review to champion two individuals: Ahmed and Shahd. If you’ve read my prior reviews of Saqqara and Faiyum, you will see that a strong friendship developed between Shahd, Ahmed, and myself. I first met Ahmed while he was engaged by another tour agency (Nice Tours – do not use them) to provide driving service from my hotel to the Cairo airport as part of my overnight trip to Luxor. Ahmed and I immediately sparked a friendship and enjoyed music together on the drive. We exchanged numbers through WhatsApp and stayed in touch. When I arrived back from Luxor, I shared with Ahmed the poor experience with Nice Tours and he took it upon himself to introduce me to Shahd and their company. Shahd contacted me quickly thereafter and, much like the sudden connection with Ahmed, Shahd and I hit it off, began conversing for hours, and also began an immediate friendship for life. Between my days of Saqqara and Faiyum with Ahmed and Shahd through their company, I visited the Giza Complex on my own and remained in touch with them throughout the day via WhatsApp. Both Ahmed and Shahd were off on Friday, which happened to be my last full day in Egypt and the day following spending my birthday with them in Faiyum. I had informed them of my plans to visit the Civilization Museum and possibly Khlalil el Khalili. The two offered to accompany me and spend my final day together just as friends, not through any booking. The Civilization is, in my eyes, the second most worthwhile museum to visit in Giza and Cairo, after only the Grand Egyptian Museum. This is predominantly due to the royal mummy room, where you will be astonished and the numerous mummies and the level of preservation (the hair is incredible). Unlike the GEM, you will also be introduced top more recent Egyptian culture, particularly its Muslim heritage. Like all my other days with Ahmed and Shahd, we had a blast laughing with one another, learning more about one another’s cultures and daily lives, rocking out to Ahmed’s eclectic music choices, etc. These two are simply a delight to be around. Their joy and zest for life, their hospitality, kindness and friendship – it is infectious. Time with them will absolutely wash your home worries away and transport you to a carefree, true vacation experience. Following our trip to the Museum (which, mind you, they refused to let me pay their entrance fees), we went to a local place for lunch, sitting outside in a café along the streets of Giza. Like the Museum tickets, they refused to let me pay for lunch. We enjoyed fava beans and falafel in pita that we delicious and continued our great day together. Following lunch, we made a quick trip to Khan el Khalili and bless Ahmed for his patience navigating the traffic jam and crowds that were there. It was a Friday, so the bazaar was especially overcrowded. Very quickly on our arrival, I realized the trip was a very bad decision and we laughed, they agreed, and we turned around. We had a dinner reservation that night. It was my final night there and I arranged dinner at Zayeera Pyramids Elite for us as a special thank you to both for all they did during my trip. We needed to rush back, drop Shahd off to get warmer clothes for dinner, drop me off for same, and quickly head to the restaurant. This was our final time together as the three of us. We had a lovely dinner and send off. Ahmed and Shahd arranged for Ahmed to pick me up from my hotel the next morning to drive me to the airport for my flight home. This was done out of the kindness of Ahmed’s heart. Again, the driver wasn’t a booked thing – it was a friend offering another friend a ride and it gave he and I the ability to put a perfect, fitting bookend on our time together – we met with him driving me to the airport, and we parted ways doing the exact same. I teared up as I left Ahmed at the terminal, and we embraced in a hug like that of brothers. I remain friends with Shahd and Ahmed and will for life. While I did a great deal of things in Egypt (ATV pyramids, GEM, Giza complex, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Luxor Temple, Temple of Karnak, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Faiyum, the Civilization Mueseum, and more), Shahd and Ahmed were the true highlight of my experience. When I say friends for life, this is true. My last few days in Egypt, we spent each day together. I spent nights with Ahmed having tea as friends. They provided me the most wonderful birthday and birthday surprise I have ever experienced in my 41 years of life. On their day off, which coincided with my last day, they accompanied me to lunch and the Civilization Museum. My final night there, I took them to dinner at Zayeera Pyramids Elite as a special thank you. When we all parted, we all felt sadness and expressed missing one another for days. Their services went above and beyond just a tour. They are friends. They helped me switch a hotel. They helped me get extra cash due to my idiotic forgetfulness leaving my wallet in the States, and they helped me replace a ring I lost. Shahd routinely would ask ,“Are you happy”. Yes, Shahd, I am. And I will see you again next year and, as promised, I will learn Arabic by then (we committed to learning one another’s languages better, though, Shahd does speak better English than she gives herself credit for). Please, if you are reading this, look no further than booking your excursion with them. You too will be “happy.”

Had such an amazing time! I am so thankful for the experience and professional hospitality! Not to mention we learned so much history he was just so knowledgeable and very honest and trustworthy being so far away from home. He literally took such good care of us as if we were family!

The piramides were great to see. We rode camels and the guide Nasser was super! He told us everithing about the puramides and took a great pictures of us. In the museum he told us everithing about mummification proces and the great kings of the valley. The mummies were great to see. I recommend it!

For the first time at the solo pyramids, I could not have dreamed of a better experience. Mohamed is particularly helpful, punctual, quiet and attentive to the comfort of his guests. I recommend his services!

I had the best day visiting the museum with a great guide, cars were very comfy. Would highly recommend this trip and company.

Our driver and tour guide is one of the kindest people we met in Egypt. He was very friendly and very well prepared about everything. If you want to feel at ease here I definitely recommend him!

Amazing experience! Visiting the Pyramids of Giza was a dream come true. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, explaining the history and secrets behind each monument. Everything was well-organized and safe. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Egypt!

We had such an incredible and surreal experience visiting the ‘Royal Mummies Hall’ at the NMEC… my daughter and I both loved how immersive it felt, especially after visiting the Pyramids and Sphinx in the morning, being up close to famous mummified Kings and Queens of Egypt felt very special! All the artefacts are beautifully exhibited. Bebo kindly showed my daughter how to access the interactive panels and features. Definitely a must do for families but I would have loved it alone too! The whole day was perfect. I didn’t even know about NMEC until Bebo suggested it, so thank you again to him and our driver for taking such great care of us 🤍