Cairo Layover Tour to Pyramids, Sphinx, & Khan El Khalili Bazaar From Airport

12 Responses

1. Amazing experience
   “My husband and I had a ten hour lay-over in Cairo and luckily found Egypt Fun Tours while researching tour companies online. The owner, Hamada, picked us up from the airport and brought us around Cairo. He took us to see the pyramids, which was a memory I will never forget. Even though our flight arrived in the evening and the entrance to the pyramids was already closed, he was able to get us very close to them and we were able to have an amazing view. We then had dinner at a restaurant with beautiful views of the pyramids and sphinx and then walked around Giza. Later, we drove to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar and after walking around for awhile went to have tea at a very old tea house there in the bazaar. We were very comfortable and impressed with Hamada and his driver. He was extremely knowledgeable and taught us so much about Egypt and and all the areas we were in. My favorite moment was when he brought us to a beautiful mosque just at the end of the bazaar that once simultaneously served the purpose of a school, a church and a hospital. I would highly recommend Egypt Fun Tours to anyone. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!”

2. Amazing layover tour!

   “We had 12 hour layover in Cairo, and our guide Hani waited patiently for us when we had a few visa issues entering the country! We got on our tour, and had the best experience ever! We saw the pyramids, the sphinx, Islamic Cairo and rode through the city! We were also treated to a local restaurant with amazing falafel and various other local dishes! And we wrapped up our tour with a visit to a papyrus art stop and a visit to the oldest bazaar in the middle east! Well worth the time and money!”

3. Amazing layover tour!

   “We had 12 hour layover in Cairo, and our guide Hani waited patiently for us when we had a few visa issues entering the country! We got on our tour, and had the best experience ever! We saw the pyramids, the sphinx, Islamic Cairo and rode through the city! We were also treated to a local restaurant with amazing falafel and various other local dishes! And we wrapped up our tour with a visit to a papyrus art stop and a visit to the oldest bazaar in the middle east! Well worth the time and money!”

4. Great Guided Tour of Pyramids
   We travelled to Cairo on Friday May 3, 2019 from Toronto. We landed at 0530 and was met by a representative of Fun Tours at the departure gate.
   We were only on a layover of 6 hours and the tour company came with a private van, water, a driver and a guide. I was travelling with my husband and 12 year old daughter.
   Our guide was Ahmed, he was excellent. Being a Friday in Egypt was good as it is a holiday and less traffic. They took us on a tour of old Cairo, we stopped for a falafel it was excellent.
   Then to the Pyramids which open at 0730, was a good thing too as it was very warm by 0900. Ahmed took pictures of us and gave us a really great tour.
   We went to the Khalili Bazaar right their for a few little gifts, post cards and we were on our way. We stopped at PHARAONIC PAPYRUS MUSEUM on the way back and bought a small picture after learning about the paper.
   At about 10AM we were done, heat and an overnight flight wore heavily on my daughter and husband.
   I highly recommend this tour group and Ahmed, they were quick at answering my husbands questions and the tour ran smoothly.
   We also had no issues at the airport or while travelling.

5. Great Guided Tour of Pyramids
   We travelled to Cairo on Friday May 3, 2019 from Toronto. We landed at 0530 and was met by a representative of Fun Tours at the departure gate.
   We were only on a layover of 6 hours and the tour company came with a private van, water, a driver and a guide. I was travelling with my husband and 12 year old daughter.
   Our guide was Ahmed, he was excellent. Being a Friday in Egypt was good as it is a holiday and less traffic. They took us on a tour of old Cairo, we stopped for a falafel it was excellent.
   Then to the Pyramids which open at 0730, was a good thing too as it was very warm by 0900. Ahmed took pictures of us and gave us a really great tour.
   We went to the Khalili Bazaar right their for a few little gifts, post cards and we were on our way. We stopped at PHARAONIC PAPYRUS MUSEUM on the way back and bought a small picture after learning about the paper.
   At about 10AM we were done, heat and an overnight flight wore heavily on my daughter and husband.
   I highly recommend this tour group and Ahmed, they were quick at answering my husbands questions and the tour ran smoothly.
   We also had no issues at the airport or while travelling.

6. Great Layover tour.
   “First things first…I was in Cairo about a week before the protests of 2011 started. As far as the tour was concerned I was very pleased. I was met at the airport by a knowledgeable guide (Sara) who spoke great english and driver. They took me to Giza first then a drive around the Islamic center of the city. We finished by walking around the markets and having a nice dinner in a local tea house. I was very happy with the tour.

   All of that was fine but the real adventure started on our way back to the airport.

   We left with plenty of time to spare but it had rained that morning and the main road to the airport was washed out. Traffic was bad even by Cairo standards. After it began to be apparant that I might not make my flight the driver started looking for alternate ways to get me to the airport. He was on the phone with Hani (the company owner, I think) who called ahead to the airport for me to let them know that I was coming.

   Eventually the guide and I decided that the best thing to do was get out of the car (we had not moved for some time) and start out on foot. With luck we got out ahead of the traffic and convinced an off-duty cab to take us to the remaining mile to the airport. I did make the flight.

   I highly recommend this company as they went above and beyond to take care of me. I hope that after the protests are over tourism will return.”

7. Egypt Fun Tours, 11-hour layover tour of Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza
   My friend and I took a layover tour with Egypt Fun Tours on June 13, 2012, while awaiting our connecting flight to Dubai. If you email them at one of the email addresses found on their website, http://www.egyptfuntours.com, they respond within a day. Let them know what you want to see and you can negotiate the price accordingly. Our trip was $94 each, but we received, in my opinion, more than that. Our flight landed at approximately 11a.m. EET. Somehow I missed our tour guide Hani (and his sign with my name on it) as we walked out out of passport control towards the baggage claim area, but we got going at about 12:30p (because we got going late, we didn’t get to see the ancient Islamic area of Cairo as we planned). His great driver took us straight to the pyramids in about 40 minutes. As their website confirms, the money you pay includes your entrance fees into the pyramids and later into the Egyptian Museum. Hani was very knowledgeable about all of the attractions we visited. If you haven’t read about the pyramids and the Sphinx since the 9th grade like my friend and me, feel free to let him know and he’ll dumb it down for you. LOL At the pyramids, he helped us take over 100 pictures. There are ALOT of locals trying to sell you stuff there. As he’ll tell you, be wary of accepting anything “for free” from them, because they’ll ask you for money (“baksheesh”) afterward. That being said, they are VERY persistent, so remember the words “La. Shukran.” (No. Thank you.) and be prepared to use them often. If it’s any help, $1 is worth 6 Egyptian pounds. We didn’t get pounds at the airport, so Hani paid for us to eat and for various other things, which is why I added alot of money to the price that we paid him. Again, he is definitely worth the money. He told us that the tourism ministry allows them to get a commission on any purchases we make at government-sanctioned vendors, but their company does not accept commissions. He gives you the commission.

   After the pyramids, he took us to the Golden Eagle Bazaar, at which I bought papyrus art (I just took it to a framer two hours ago). They show you how real papyrus (the stuff that the locals sell at the pyramids is made from cheap banana leaves, not papyrus) is made. The gentleman at the Golden Eagle will offer you some delicious hibiscus tea (be sure to ask the guy for cold tea, the tea was hotter than the weather in Cairo). As I did in all the shops and souks in Egypt, the UAE, and Oman on my 11-day trip, NEGOTIATE THE PRICE DOWN!

   From the Golden Eagle, we drove downtown back across the Nile, and through Tahrir Square (3 days before the runoff elections and we saw absolutely no protests!) to the Egyptian Museum. We were only there for an hour, given that our interest was moreso in see the pyramids, Sphinx and Khan el Khalili. You cannot take pictures in the museum. In fact, you can’t even bring a camera into the museum (although you can bring your phone with you). The guards, however, in the museum were very pleasant. Many of them asked where we were from and made small talk (as did most of the people we walked by).

   After we left the museum, we stopped and got something to eat. We told Hani we didn’t want a “touristy” type of restaurant, so he took us to a “fast food” restaurant a couple blocks over from Tahrir Square, in which my friend and I were the only non-locals. I eat falafel at least once a week here in Washington, DC, but that was thee best falafel and chicken schwarma I’ve ever had. We also had kushari (the pasta and tomato sauce dish Egyptians love to eat) and foul
   (which is just refried beans). I had to chuckle when Hani looked surprised when I told him you can find that in Mexican restaurants in the U.S. Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to the name of the restaurant. Random thought — the place is clean, but bring hand sanitizer with you. They were a bit stingy with napkins (by a bit stingy, I mean they had none) and they had no bathrooms.

   As we waited for our driver to pick us up from outside the restaurant, I got some really good pictures. The area reminded me of Chinatown in New York with all the shops and how small the streets were. Anyhoo, from there we went to Khan el Khalili. By now it was nighttime. Hani tells you what to expect. There were some good deals. I got some good souvenirs for family and friends here for very cheap after some haggling. I’m male and my friend is female. Fellas, don’t be offended if some (actually many) of the locals ask you how many camels for her. LMAO! Of the three countries I went to on this trip, the Egyptians were by far the most fun with which to interact.

   We cut it close getting back to the airport, but Hani’s driver got us there with time to spare. I highly suggest that you check your baggage ahead of time and getting a boarding pass for your connecting flight. Chances are that, if we hadn’t, we would have missed our flight.

   Have fun with Egypt Fun Tours!

8. Like 2 days of touring in one-
   I had a 12 hour stay in Cairo- and had made no plans on how to spend it until 8pm the night before departure. I emailed Egypt Fun Tours in a panic and they responded immediately. They made it incredibly easy to arrange a tour and we made arrangements via email within the hour. Hama (Mohammed) met me at the airport- having waited patiently for my delayed flight. I asked for a private tour- still very cost effective- and got to see a huge amount of the major Cairo sights in the short time I had. It was very much like two days of touring crammed into one. Hama was incredibly knowledgeable, polite, and engaging. I can’t think of a better guide. You can’t go wrong with this company or this guide.

9. Amazing layover tour!
   We had 12 hour layover in Cairo, and our guide Hani waited patiently for us when we had a few visa issues entering the country! We got on our tour, and had the best experience ever! We saw the pyramids, the sphinx, Islamic Cairo and rode through the city! We were also treated to a local restaurant with amazing falafel and various other local dishes! And we wrapped up our tour with a visit to a papyrus art stop and a visit to the oldest bazaar in the middle east! Well worth the time and money!

10. You have to experience it to believe it – I promise!
    We had a 12 hour layover in Cairo, 5am to 5pm basically, and thanks to reviews on Trip Advisor we decided to take a tour with Egypt Fun Tours. Now, let me preface this by saying that I am a perfectionist, and a very, very honest one too. Ok, here’s the one liner: I honestly cannot think of a SINGLE THING I could fault Egypt Fun Tours on. Honestly. These guys are the tourist’s dream – knowledgeable, personable, honest, upfront, clear, quick to respond, trustworthy, safe, hospitable…the works. We wrote to them to let them know what we were interested in and when we were arriving and they replied extremely quickly to suggest an itinerary with an upfront price. I wrote back with a few more questions, and within hours I had clear answers to all of them with a few tips thrown in. They were upfront about what was and was not included, but on the day they included FAR more than they had said they would. We practically had to fight Hani (our guide) to pay for our own lunch, and this was after he had already paid for breakfast, coffee, water, drinks, tips for various people…I just hope they still made a profit on our trip!

    Hani, our guide, was on time, and we were delayed so he waited for us for over an hour at the airport, exactly where he had said he would be, to our great relief when we came through. He pointed out things that weren’t on the ‘tour’ that we drove past and he is EXTREMELY knowledgeable. Extremely. The only difficulty was taking it all in, and – for him – how much could he cram into 12 hours!! He took us to a fab local cafe for breakfast (and some seriously strong coffee) which we loved. We were never hassled – never. This is something a lot of people complain about in Egypt, especially at the pyramids, but I felt totally safe with Hani and he was very upfront about our options (e.g. if you take pictures in there, you’re going to have to ‘tip’ the official, or you can leave your camera with me and go in for free…etc). Despite protecting us from hasslers, I noticed that he treated everyone, including the local guys trying to sell us stuff, with a lot of respect and generosity, and they treated him with respect in return. Everyone we met treated us well – and him – and he them – and so we didn’t feel like were taking advantage of people. It was just a really nice atmosphere. Read some of the reviews on the pyramids on trip advisor to see how different this is from some people’s experiences.

    We are sadly quite ignorant but Hani managed to pack so much knowledge and background into what we were seeing that we felt we learned tons, but without missing opportunities for funny and playful moments like taking pictures of our sunglasses “on” the Sphynx and hanging out in the cafe, walking through the downtown streets…we really got a feel for Cairo, although of course one day is not enough! There were jaw-dropping moments, mind-blowing moments, quiet moments and moments full of laughter. Also, they are flexible and you can change the itinerary on the day if you want to…they are happy to go with the flow. If you’re tired, hang out in a quiet cafe for a bit. If you’re energised, stop at another attraction!

    I feel like I could be here all night saying how great they were – seriously – but no one would read it if it was as long as that would result in, and I haven’t even unpacked yet. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC is my summary. Trustworthy, honest (one of their policies is to return any commission they get given on any purchases tourists make back to the tourists, to make the prices more reasonable for us)…this is a tour company who are passionate about what they are showing you, believe in what they do and have a philosophy of business that is second-to-none.

    Also if you’re unsure about going to Egypt in light of the recent revolution, I can honestly say that I felt 100% safe at all times.

    Our driver was also so thoughtful, kind and trustworthy and I left all my stuff with him (money, passport, camera etc) when I wanted to go for a walk and he gaurded it. I can’t believe we did so much in such a short space of time. One great thing was that Hani was always watching the time and so I felt I could just relax and enjoy the day – it didn’t feel like a layover, it felt like a second holiday – and he got us back to the airport EXACTLY at the time we had agreed, to the minute. We had plenty of time waiting around at the airport after getting back through security etc. These guys know their stuff.

    Egypt Fun Tours are the best. I am sure you won’t find better. Book with them!

    Thank you Hani, Hamada and Ahmed

11. Perfect Layover Tour
    I had a 10 hour layover in Cairo so booked a tour with Hani at Egypt Fun Tours. The tour was brilliant. I saw exactly what I wanted to see during the day which included the pyramids, Sphinx, Egyptian museum and the Bazaar. Hani was very knowledgeable and was the ideal guide.
    When I go to Egypt again for a Nile cruise I will definitely be booking through Egypt Fun Tours.

12. On time, adaptable, and fun!
    My friend and I planned a whirlwind trip to Dubai, The Dead Sea, Petra, Cairo, Luxor and Sharm el Sheikh for early November 2011 – 6 cities in 10 days! We alloted one afternoon and evening for Cairo and we wanted to see as much as we could! We drove from Petra to Amman, flew from Amman to Cairo and landed around 13:30. Our flight had been delayed and hour, but Hani and our driver (sorry I can’t remember his name), were there and waiting for us. Over the next 6+ hours, Cairo Fun Tours took us: to the Great Pyramids where we got to explore the grounds and take some great photos; through the City to the Egyptian Museum where Hani gave us a fabulous expedited tour; then on to walk around the Old (Coptic) Cairo and Islamic (Medieval) Cairo; and finally to hassle free shopping. Many people might not like the rushed nature, but this was our preference and Hani and team accomodated our needs. We gave him a work out! Egypt Fun Tours ensured we got to do everything we wanted to do in Cairo, and they did it in a very professional, respectable and fun way.