Cairo: gateway to the Nile
If there's a vacation destination that requires expert hand-holding and professional organization, it's Egypt. Trustworthy and savvy handlers, guides and drivers are godsends in this land of logistical challenges, bizarre rules and impromptu police checkpoints that several locals said are legacies of the Mubarak regime.
Whether it's the start of a river cruise or land tour, a classy way to begin is with an arranged transfer from Cairo International Airport to the exquisite Fairmont Nile City. A four-night stay is optimal. Live the dream by being picked up in the lobby each morning and then taken by air-conditioned van to the most amazing spots on Earth, starting with the Giza Plateau, home of the iconic trio of pyramids and the Great Sphinx, all built between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Day trips also should include Memphis and its giant reclining statue of Ramses II, and monument-dotted El Moez Street in Islamic Old Cairo that leads to the crowded and colorful Khan El Khalili bazaar.
A must-visit come November will be the massive Grand Egyptian Museum, less than a mile from the pyramids of Giza. Opening years behind schedule, the 5.2 million-square-foot museum replaces the undersize and decaying Cairo Museum and will be the new permanent home of perhaps the famous artifact of ancient Egypt.
The funerary golden mask of King Tutankhamen was the centerpiece of a blockbuster world tour of his artifacts that broke attendance records when it swung by the L.A. County Museum of Art in the 1970s. Another round of Tutmania was spawned by a world tour in 2018, though the famous mask wasn't among the treasures when it passed through L.A. Worthy of note, a silver lining in the museum's delayed opening is it now comes in the centenary year of the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922.
Whether it comes at the end of an adventure by water, land or a combination of both, a good choice for final-night lodging is Le Passage, next to Cairo International. Clean, comfortable rooms; a small handful of decent boutiques; and restaurants with surprisingly good Chinese and Indian food make this a solid and convenient choice over staying in downtown Cairo a frenetic hour away. No matter how you experienced Egypt by this point, any chance to reduce stress on the way back home will undoubtedly be welcomed.