The best day trips in Cairo

ArabiaWeather - Egypt's capital has enough charm to fill a tourist's travel schedule, and more exciting sites extend away from Cairo in all directions.

Cities like Luxor and Aswan are further away and require more time, but a few of the major destinations can be visited on a day trip from Cairo.

Choose your favorite pyramid in Giza and Saqqara

Travel time: 45 minutes from Cairo to Giza, 45 minutes from Giza to Saqqara

Being the only remaining wonder of the ancient world, the Pyramids of Giza usually get the most time with visitors, but the oldest pyramid in Egypt is located a little south away from the capital. If you want to spend the whole day only in the Pharaonic tombs, you can start by visiting the Giza Necropolis after breakfast for a walk around the pyramids of Menkhure, Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Check the ticket office to see which pyramids have interior rooms open to the public, as this changes daily and even by the hour. Surprisingly, the inner chamber of the smallest of the pyramids, Menkore, is the largest and most interesting, as it has three different levels. You can also venture out into the desert from there to look for an emblematic photo opportunity with the three pyramids.

Head out of the plateau past the Great Pyramids and into the bustle of Giza to find a taxi (or use Uber). If you forgot to pack water or a sandwich for lunch, now is a good time to buy something from one of the many shops outside the walls surrounding the site before setting off on the 25 km (15.5 mi) drive to Saqqara, where there are no good food options. Once in Saqqara, head to the Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid in Egypt which provides a unique aesthetic contrast compared to the smoother pyramids of Giza. This pyramid was built as a kind of architectural experiment during the rule of Djoser (2670 BC), the first pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, and was the first burial chamber to be built of limestone instead of clay brick and, at 62 meters (203 ft) high, it was the tallest building at that time.

How to get to Giza and Saqqara from Cairo: The easiest way to visit Giza and Saqqara is to join an organized tour or hire your own guide and driver or taxi for the day. You can use Uber to get to Giza but not Saqqara, which is further away.

Learn about the few visited pyramids and the ancient capital at Dahshur and Memphis

Travel time: 1 hour and 15 minutes from Cairo to Dahshur, 20 minutes from Dahshur to Memphis

South of Saqqara, you can visit the lesser-known Red Pyramid and Leaning Pyramid, which are named based on their most notable attributes, before heading to Memphis to see the former capital of Egypt during antiquity. For history buffs, the name "Memphis" is synonymous with Pharaonic Egypt, and most of the pyramids around Cairo were built during Memphis' reign. Although little remains of the old city, there is an open-air museum worth visiting and the Great Sphinx.

How to get to Dahshur and Memphis from Cairo: Joining an organized tour that includes Dahshur and Memphis or hiring a private guide and driver or taxi for the day is the best way to visit.

Explore Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt

Travel time: 2.5 hours

Cairo may be the capital, but in the minds of poets, scholars and artists of the 1960s and 1970s, Alexandria and its crashing waves will always contain Egypt's stubborn spirit. As the setting of Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz's novel Miramar, the city is a character in itself, and visiting it even today makes it easy to see how it influenced not only Egyptians but also artists and scholars from Europe.

Head to the National Museum of Alexandria, a magnificent colonial structure containing a carefully selected collection of artifacts that tell the city's turbulent history through the Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic eras. Take a 20-minute walk towards the water to the city's center of culture and education, the Library of Alexandria. With its distinctive tilted disc shape and outer walls decorated with dozens of different texts, it is a marvel of architecture. Check out the main reading room and take a tour.

From there, you can stroll slowly along the promenade, stopping at one of the many cafés or restaurants to enjoy the sea views before arriving at Qaitbay Citadel, a beautifully preserved anchorage fortress and a popular gathering point. Choose one of the city's highly rated fish restaurants, such as Kadora or Fish Souk, for dinner before returning to Cairo.

How to get to Alexandria from Cairo: Many accommodation offices and tour companies offer day trips to Alexandria. To visit it independently, take the train from Ramses Station in Cairo.

Discover the desert mirage in Fayoum

Travel time: 2 hours

Located in the famous oasis, Fayoum is truly worth at least two days to explore, but if you're pressed for time, you can see many of the area's natural wonders during daylight hours. Leave Cairo early enough to avoid morning traffic, stopping first in Karanis, 25 km north of Fayoum city centre. After admiring the ancient ruins, including two Greco-Roman temples, move on to Fayoum's natural wonders, including the Wadi El-Rayan protected area with its waterfalls, boat tours to the middle of the lake and the wildlife of the surrounding national park. Bird watchers should be alert to see eagles, hawks and migratory birds. The Lakeshore Visitor Center can assist you with any questions.

Next, head to the pottery school in Tunis Village to network with local artists, and stop at several pottery studios to pick out a gift. The Pottery Center is a good point from which to explore the vast Lake Qarun, where during the fall and winter months you can see swans and other birds resting before heading further south.

How to get to Fayoum from Cairo: Many hotels in Cairo can help you organize a day tour, or you can negotiate a daily rate with the taxi driver.

Enjoy the fresh water in Ain Sokhna

Travel time: 2 hours

Ain Sokhna on the beach has become one of the main tourist destinations in the Red Sea, with wealthy Egyptians pointing to it any chance they get, as they fancy escaping to the beach in the coming days.

As a watersports destination with pristine beaches and year-round sun, Ain Sokhna (which means “hot spring”) caters to lazy sunbathers and adventure enthusiasts alike, with plenty of diving, snorkeling, sailing, surfing, kite surfing and boat trips. Being a relatively new development in the Red Sea, the clean beaches here are less crowded than Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada, two areas that can be crowded with vacationers in high season, making Sokhna a hot destination for Egyptians seeking tranquility.

After enjoying a dip in the calm turquoise waters, check out a beach resort like Stella Di Mare for lunch or hop on a Sunmarine boat for a 90-minute cruise with lunch and sea life viewing. Beach resorts have many options for bars to wrap up your day's activities with a sundowner before returning to Cairo.

How to get to Ain Sokhna from Cairo: Negotiate a daily rate with a taxi driver in Cairo, or if you can handle Cairo's traffic, rent a car for a road trip to the coast.

Source: lonelyplanet