From Istanbul to the Nile in 12 days

A private tour of Egypt and Turkey

See the top sites in these two ancient/modern countries in only 12 days on this
locally escorted tour with guaranteed departures ,arrive any day in Cairo , Egypt

Add a Nile Cruise

Click here for the 14 days edition, or the 16 day including a Nile cruise
Private Touring, Private sailing cruise on the Nile when you choose Royal Cleopatra

DAY 1 -CAIRO - Choose your own date - This is a private tour. Start any day of the week
In Cairo. Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Complimentary visa will be issued to you upon arrival for : American ,EU , Canadian or Japanese passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.

Visa will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops, at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel

DAY 2 - Home Hosted Dinner - CAIRO (BLD)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at a charming local Restaurant, we walk the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman fort, later the Jewish Quarter, then the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue. Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search of souvenirs. Home hosted dinner, meet the locals you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (T shirt or small souvenir from your home town). If you rather have a quiet meal at hotel, please let's know.

DAY 3 - Tuesday . CAIRO- Sleeper Train (BLD)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. After lunch at the Mena House , we drive to Dahshour, the newly opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit several ancient structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. In the evening, we board our first-class sleeper train. Dinner is served in our private compartments as we speed southward along the banks of the Nile.

DAY 4 - Wednesday . LUXOR (BLD)
We leave our train for breakfast in a hotel, after which we cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch in Luxor, we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarries with their unfinished obelisk. We have a quick look at the great temple of Amon Ra at Luxor on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel.

DAY 5 - Thursday . ISTANBUL (B)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Istanbul, air fare is included in economy class, tax included . You're met at the airport by our representative, who sees you to your hotel, and answers any questions you may have about getting to know the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from the airport, two thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline of a bustling modern metropolis of ten million people.

DAY 6 - Friday. ISTANBUL (BL)
Breakfast is always included daily at the hotel. Lunch is included today at a charming local restaurant.
The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point, framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We visit the Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge the architectural primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then walk next door to compare achievements in Justinian's great Sancta Sophia. Right behind Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace, the sultans' seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits of priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish court costumes. We finish up in the bustling Grand Bazaar, where you can find jewelry, carpets, goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in labyrinthine streets holding nearly 4000 shops.

DAY 7, Saturday - Kayseri - CAPPADOCIA (BD)
Morning flight o Kayseri, air fare is always included in our rate , economy class tax included . Transfers are always on aprivate basis , drive to biblical Cappadocia and our Hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure . Evening dinner and folk show .

Day 8- Sunday , CAPPADOCIA (B)
We explore the "moonscape" of Cappadocia, visiting the painted churches in the Göreme and Zelve Valleys, the rockhewn dwellings in Ortahisar, the pottery-making center of Avanos, and the incredible underground city of Kaymakl (or Derinkuyu).

Day 9 , Monday , IZMIR, EPHESUS (BL)
Fly to Izmir, upon arrival we proceed to time capsule & the gem of ancient cities of the Greco Roman world: Ephesus, the capital of Roman Asia Minor, we spend most of the day in Ephesus & a tour the Basilica of St. John, said to mark his tomb. The drive to Izmir for the night. Kaya Prestige Hotel or similar.

DAY 10 - Tuesday . ISTANBUL (B)
Fly back to Istanbul , and transfer to your hotel, one last chance for shopping spree in the legendary covered Bazaar. Istanbul is all yours, any way you like it. Grab your Lonely Planet guidebook and stroll along the restored 19th-century thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, once known as the Grand Rue, DE Péra. Search for spices and folk remedies in the Egyptian Bazaar. Admire the medieval mosaics in the city's many Byzantine churches. Shop in the chic boutiques around Taksim Square. Climb the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese six centuries ago, for a panoramic view of Old Istanbul.

DAY 11 - Wednesday . ISTANBUL
Cooking class and tour : "Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque"
(late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:" (BL)

This morning we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . .Cooking Alaturka: Half-day Turkish Cooking Classes and Restaurant Learn How to Cook Authentic Turkish Foods in Between Visiting Istanbul’s Many Sights . classes are generally held from 10:30 to 14:30 . We prepare 5 typical Turkish dishes in a group of 6-10 persons and then have them for lunch in our restaurant. We have aprons at your disposal and you will get the recipes to take with you. Private classes are held as well
. ( supplement applies ). For private groups, evening classes can be considered as well, starting at 16:30, with dinner served from 19:00 to 21:00: Cooking with Chef : Eveline Zoutendijk

Cooking Classes in Istanbul

Later in the day : walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and point out the architecture. Stop for tea (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and be picked up for the afternoon tour. In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the Military History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military band (mid-afternoon).

DAY 12 - Thursday . Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage

INCLUSIONS:

• Airfare CAIRO / ISTANBUL , in economy class , including tax .
• Sleeper train and domestic airfare within Turkey & Egypt as per itinerary , flights are in economy class, tax included
• Meals, as listed: B = Continental breakfast, L/D = Preset men lunch/dinner.
  
  Private guided sightseeing, as per itinerray , including all entrance fees .
• All transfers in Turkey and Egypt, always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur
• Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges.
• Locally hosted private guide will escort you at all times during sightseeing.

Rates per person in US:

Children rate :
Children that are 10 years or younger, sharing with parents in same room : 10% discount

Holiday Supplement:
Christmas, New Year's & Easter weeks : %15 supplement will apply Bon Voyage