Private Tour: Egyptian Museum, Alabaster Mosque, Khan el-Khalili

Cairo, Egypt

Already seen the Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx? Immerse yourself further into Egypt's history as your own private Egyptologist guide to leads the way on this private tour with an unmissable visit to the famous Egyptian Museum. Follow this with a stroll through Khan el-Khalili bazaar and a visit to Cairo's most popular Islamic attraction - the Alabaster Mosque.

Housing 165,000 Egyptian artifacts, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo attracts millions of visitors a year. The highlight for most are the priceless treasures of King Tutankhamun. His 6 gold gilded coffins dominate the main hall, while his magnificent death mask is the must-see item of the day.  Your guide will introduce you to the most important pieces before allowing you free time to explore the museum at leisure.

The Alabaster Mosque at the Citadel of Salah el-Din sits atop a limestone hill overlooking Cairo and is the most important mosque in the city. Still used as a place of worship today by the Muslims of Cairo, the architectural masterpiece opens its doors to visitors of all faiths. The lower part of the Mosque is clad inside and out with Alabaster, while the top part is constructed from the limestone cladding removed from the Pyramids of Giza.Inside the mosque your guide will introduce you to the basics of the beliefs of Islam, including a translation of the most common prayers.

Continuing to Khan el Khalili bazaar, your guide will give you an introduction to the famous markets which claim to have inspired Christopher Columbus to discover the USA. Enjoy free time to stroll through the maze of streets and try your luck bargaining with the shop owners for a souvenir of your trip to Egypt. This is a private tour allowing you to determine the amount of time spent at each of the sites during the tour. In addition you will have the chance to visit a Papyrus Institute to see how this famous artwork is made and have the chance to purchase genuine items if you wish.

USD $66.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Michael W	April 2012
Enjoyed every minute of it. The Museum has so much to see you will want to return. The bazaar was fun and colourfull. Let the guide do the haggling if you buy anything you will save a few dollars.

Review by: Jonathan F	February 2012
Great tour. We had Hani as our guide and Zeku as our driver. Both extremely friendly and courteous. Hani is very knowledgable and willing to go outside the tour itinerary to personalize our tour. It was sad that the museum was so desolate (given the low tourism in Egypt right now) but I have to say that it was really nice to have the place pretty much to ourselves. Breathtaking to see King Tut's posessions. Khan el-Khalili was fun but be prepared for very pushy vendors. The mosque is gorgeous.

Review by: ELIZABETH V	November 2011
We received exceptional service from Mamdough and our guide Hanan. They were extremely professional, but friendly and caring. They went out of their way to make our trip unforgettable. Hanan was very knowledgeable and made our visit to the Egyptian Museum memorable.

Review by: Edawrd W T	November 2011
I suspect the success of a tour is relative to the guide. My guide, Heba, was excellent. VERY well informed and kept hecklers away.

Review by: Richard F	November 2011
Superb trip. The guide showed us the highlights of the museum which took 2 hours but without whioch we would have wandered ainlessly for longer.

Review by: CEILA P	August 2011
Wonderfull experience!!!

Review by: Dolores C	June 2011
Excellent! We loved this tour! Really great!

Review by: Eimantas B	March 2011
Quite interesting tour, but following must be taken into account:_br/_ You must demand all 8 hours, as 6 will not be enough. Everything depends on Cairo traffic, which can be worse than traffic in UK._br/_ At Egyptian Museum, the Mummies exhibition is the MUST, very interesting but requires at least one extra hour and additional ticket at extra cost._br/_ You probably want to spend as little time as possible at the Mosque, as there isn't that much to see there. _br/_ The most interesting part of the tour was the market, so much to see... Loved the antiques shops that you will find quite a few. I would say minimum 2 hours or more needed at he Khan el-Khalili. _br/_ I wouldn't go with lunch option as this counted as part of your tour, and takes another 1.5 hours or so of your sightseeing, if possible grab yourself a sandwich there will be plenty of time to eat whilst in the car in between viewpoints. _br/_ Otherwise thumbs up for Viator, quite efficient and organized.

Review by: Karen	February 2011
Fantastic. Our Egyptian guide was excellent. Highly recommend.

Review by: ras	February 2011
Hanan, our guide, was most informative and my friend and I (on a private tour) learned a great deal, saw much of Cairo and enjoyed the tour very much.

Review by: John G	January 2011
Collection worked smoothly and the guide was courteous. We met our Egyptologist at the Cairo Museum and she was informative and helpful. We had interesting chats about life in Egypt between visits. She should perhaps have prevented me from getting involved with a chap who wanted me to change UK £ for Egyptian as I later learnt that this can be a scam! We had an enjoyable day.

Review by: Don L	January 2011
Very good day, the guide was very good, spoke good English and knew his history. Lunch was very good.

Review by: MikeN	January 2011
DO NOT TAKE THIS TOUR with this company. All they want to do is get as much money out of you as humanly possible. They'll even set it up so that they take you to their friends/families' shops to trap you into buying stuff when they tell you you're going to the bathroom. If you don't believe us, take the tour. When you end up at a carpet factory and a paparus shop, then you'll see we're telling you the truth. These people are unbelieveable! Given the very crappy service they provided, they'll tell you that you NEED (not should) give them VERY LARGE TIP as this is expected given they only work off of tips! They complained that the company pays them too little to live on. As if we had the word "Idiots" written on our foreheads!! Also, be mindful if you're female. They are very demeaning toward women. It may just be cultural (of Egyptians), but either way, it's not pleasant at all. This tour guide made it such an unpleasant experience, we don't recommend anyone visiting Eygpt in general. Honestly, this is the worst place in the world we have ever visited, and we are very well-traveled.

Review by: Paula Andrea A	January 2011
Excellent! The guide was great and the tour was well organized but also flexible.

Review by: Lesley M	November 2010
Enjoyed this day very much. Guide excellent and also driver.

Review by: Robert H	October 2010
Our guide John, which we had for the 2 days we were in Egypt was outstanding. He is a very knowledgeable and caring guide. John always made sure my husband, who was having trouble with the heat, was always equiped with water. This young man is an asset to you.

Review by: Athelstan B	October 2010
Our driver Mohammed and guide Shereif were always punctual (more that we can say for ourselves). They were professional, knowledgeable and ensured that we had a great time.

Review by: Wickliffe N	September 2010
The Alabaster Mosque and the Egyptian Museum were musts and very much worth visiting however Khan el-Khalili bazaar was essentially a collection of a hundred plus vendors selling mostly the same exact 'made in China' souvenirs. The tour stated 6-8 hours however our tour only lasted about 4 from pickup to dropoff. Our guide was very well educated and at times we were very impressed. At other times however, he seemed lazy. We had two days in a row with this guide and at the end of our first day, our driver dropped him off before we returned to our hotel. The next morning the driver picked us up while our guide met us at the museum. Later that day, the driver dropped us off at Khan el-Khalili at which point our guide said good bye and got a ride home with the driver though the driver did return an hour later to give us a ride home. This wasn't necessarily a problem as had we know we'd likely have encouraged him to do that, though it did make us feel the guide was more concerned with his agenda than ours seeing as how he made this decision on his own. Another example is when he spent 20 minutes with us in the museum and then said "ok, go visit the rest on your own and you can meet me outside in an hour". The guide was accomodating and allowed us to stop places not on the schedule which was nice but overall I'd rate him a 6 or 7 out of 10. My feedback for Viator is to update this itinerary to include more or shorten the duration to a half day.

Review by: David L	September 2010
Tour was rushed. i was led to several tourist traps where I spent more time than the sites listed. Guide was ok, but exited about 2:30pm before lunch where I was stuck with the driver who spoke zero English.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Our expert guide, Bishoy, provided the expertise and hospitality to make this an exceptional day. Getting around the city and exploring the Egyptian museum through this tour was fabulous. We learned so much more in an effortless way than my friends who also visited Egypt but did not book similar excursions in advance with this company.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
EXCELLENT TOUR

Review by: Michael S	August 2010
Tour guide was very informative and friendly! I only recommend you spend more than an hour at the markets as there is so much to see and do!

Review by: Georgia C	August 2010
Nice trip, but you could do the Bazaar on your own. Our guide just pointed us in the right direction, and said we had 20 minutes, and not to be late. We went back the next day, because we wanted a little more time.

Review by: Allyson W, United States of America	July 2010
I have to see the King Tut gold mask if you go to Cairo. A new museum is opening in 2011. My guide, Walaa, told me. It is going to be in Gaza by the pyramids. Alabaster Mosque is beautiful. Khan el-Khalili is not the best place to shop but great place to take photos. Be ready to be harased!

Review by: Catherine S, United Kingdom	July 2010
On one of the hottest days of the year our guide arrived absolutely on time at 0800 hrs and whisked us away to enjoy a memorable visit to the city of Cairo. Each stop was carefully guided, questions answered and information given in a clear, informative and entertaining way. Nothing was too much trouble and our only regret was that we did not have time available to soak up even more of the culture and atmosphere - from the glories of the Alabaster Mosque to the challenges of haggling in the Bazaar we were thrilled with our guide and driver both of whom proved to be excellent. Great value for money!

Review by: Lawrence G, United States of America	July 2010
The mosque was very interesting, but more thought provoking was the explanation our tour guide, ahmed, gave us about his muslim faith. we were very intrigued and appreciated his candid manner.

Review by: Daniel R, Canada	June 2010
This was a very good tour. Our guide showed us the most important pieces in the Egyptian Museum and then left us as much time as we needed to explore. We skipped the bazaar as we weren't feeling up to the aggressive sales, but the rest of the tour was great. Our guide was wonderful and spoke very good English. Would recommend.

Review by: Azariel M, United States of America	May 2010
Places you have to go if you are in Cairo.

Review by: Margaret J, Australia	May 2010
We were suprised at being able to enter a Mosque and take photographs.

Review by: Genesis Roman A, Philippines	May 2010
The tour overall was amazing! You have an exclusive and very comfortable ride all throughout the tour. The tour-guide was very friendly, accomodating, and informative. All the sites visited were magnificent and awe-inspiring especially the Egyptian Museum. And most of all, you are in control of your time for the whole duration of the tour! I highly recommend this tour especially for group of friends!

Review by: Anonymous	May 2010
It was good, but could have been better. The guide was again taking us to places that sell things and he was polite but later he requested higher tip.

Review by: Genesis A	May 2010
The tour overall was amazing! You have an exclusive and very comfortable ride all throughout the tour. The tour-guide was very friendly, accomodating, and informative. All the sites visited were magnificent and awe-inspiring especially the Egyptian Museum. And most of all, you are in control of your time for the whole duration of the tour! I highly recommend this tour especially for group of friends!

Review by: Milan A	April 2010
Egyptian Museum is worth going to. The rest not so much, especially if you hae been in Turkey before.

Review by: John T, United Kingdom	March 2010
A thoruoughly interesting day in Cairo providing a contrast between ancient and modern life in Egypt.

Review by: Anonymous	March 2010
Would have liked to see other parts of the citadel in addition to the mosque. Would have liked more time at the Egyptian Museum, but that place could eat up a week easily!

Review by: Anonymous	March 2010
I thought our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the subjects. He brought a lot of insight into the sights that we wouldn't otherwise have had. It was also nice to be able to hear everything he said and not be stuck at the back of a large group.

Review by: Cathren A	March 2010
Same guide as for the pyramids, so that was spectacular. We also changed part of our itinerary on the day and this was accommodated with no problems whatsoever, which was impressive. The museum was disappointing, but that is an Egypt problem not the tour as such. The Citadel and the Mosque were outstanding and we went to the hanging church and Koptic area rather than the souks. It was fascinating and the guide handled the change with no problems whatsoever. On both tours, the guide really contributed towards making the experience a memorable one.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	February 2010
We liked being able to say how long we wanted to spend in each place,especially the museum.If we had been part of a larger tour this would not have been possible. We did not want to visit a perfume shop and,again,with a larger tour we might not have any choice!

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	February 2010
Excellent tour guide and driver. We had already been on a cruise on the Nile so were aware of how much hassle you can experience in Egypt. However our guide was helpful and knowledgeble and gave us as much time as we wanted at each attraction.We did not receive any unwelcome hassle and the information he suppled was concise and informative.We were really glad that we had prebooked this tour before leaving the UK, our only reservation was that we could not contactthe operator on the phone number shown on the Viator voucher to confirm our time of pickup and eventually had to contact them on their emergency number.

Review by: howard k, United Kingdom	December 2009
Same guide as first tour knowledgable and very helpful.

Review by: Howard K	December 2009
Same guide as first tour knowledgable and very helpful.

Review by: Fradi L, Canada	August 2009
The trips themselves are superb! The guides are very knowledgeable and adapt to your interests and preferences. Good advice; Tell your guide clearly that you want to cut from the program anything like "perfume stores", "papyrus gallery's" , Khan el-Khalili or any markets. A waste of your money and time in Egypt. You can get the same stuff at your local dollar store!

Review by: Wojciech C	August 2009
The trips themselves are superb! The guides are very knowledgeable and adapt to your interests and preferences. Good advice; Tell your guide clearly that you want to cut from the program anything like "perfume stores", "papyrus gallery's" , Khan el-Khalili or any markets. A waste of your money and time in Egypt. You can get the same stuff at your local dollar store!

Review by: Steven L	August 2009
The museum was definitely worth going to see, I would rather have more time at the museum. The museum was the place that interested me the most!

Review by: David R, United Kingdom	July 2009
Fantastic trip. Our guide was amazing.

Review by: Erwin S	July 2009
Cairo was a bit of a pit, but definitely one of life's must dos. We had the same tour guide for both of our day tours, and while she was very informative, we always felt a bit rushed.

Review by: Sherman R, Trinidad and Tobago	April 2009
For me the museum was the highlight of this tour. Great experience.

Review by: Shaun K, Canada	November 2008
We were picked up again with our own personal Egyptologist and driver in our own air-conditioned van to travel through Cairo visiting the Museum, Alabaster Mosque and Khan el-Khalili. The Museum is excellent, however you are not allowed to take photo's inside. The Alabaster Mosque tour provided some political history as well as religious history of Egypt. Khan El-Khalili is the market - interesting to see, but the sales people are very pushy. Would recommend this to everyone.

Review by: philip l, United States of America	October 2008
We had a great time our guide was also very good. We would go back to Cairo again.

Review by: Mohammed A, United States of America	August 2008
Great service, transportation, flexibility, and knowledge of subject matter. You'll have your own Egyptologist as your tour guide! You'll have time to tour with the guide and time to explore the sites on your own after the explanation for you to soak it in and experience it on your own. Highly recommended!