Ancient Cities Express

This 11-day Friends Abroad(tm) itinerary takes you to Athens, Cairo and the ancient cities of the Nile, including a four-day (three-night) luxury Nile cruise, and Nile-side journeys aboard a first-class sleeper train. Compare with Greece & Israel Tour

sunset santorini, honeymoon tour, Greece egypt tour

Extend your stay in Greece - Sunset over Santorini
A Honeymooners paradise Greek Island

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE Saturday

We take off aboard our wide-body Olympic Airways jet from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, bound for Athens.

DAY 2 - ATHENS Sunday

We arrive in the ancient-modern city of Athens, where our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you on a half-day sightseeing tour of the Greek capital, with special attention to the Acropolis. After settling in at our hotel, the rest of the day is yours to explore the city-and its shops!- as you like.

DAY 3 - ATHENS - Athens Markets or BYZANTINE Churches - Private Guide - Monday (cBL)
Ride the new Athens Subway alongside the locals today ( always escorted with your English speaking Guide) ! We take pride in affording you this experience, entirely by public transportation, with orientation by our English-speaking representative. You'll get to tour Athens fascinating vegetable & fruit markets by subway and/ or taxi. Enjoy lunch at a charming local restaurant before we head back to the hotel . Markets days/dates are subject to change, we may have to change your program in Athens to accommodate such changes.

Or if you prefer you may choose instead to tour one of the following tours:

BYZANTINE CHURCHES
Russian Orthodox Church at Filellinon & Amalias
Athens cathedral (Mitropolis) at Mitropoleos
Kapnikarea at Ermou
Saint Theodore at Klafthmonos
They then visited the Jewelry museum (LALAOUNIS) before breaking for lunch.
They used the metro 3 times (because they wanted to).

HISTORICAL INTEREST- Museum Tour :
BENAKI MUSEUM - (closed on Tuesdays)
Covering the history of Greece from Paleolithic (pre-historic, 60000 B.C.) till present. Can easily spend over 4 hours in there. There is also a cafeteria for breaks.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTEREST
Temple of Olympian Zeus / Dionissos Theatre/ Ancient Agora/ Roman Agora

Guests who have been on the organized tour (the day before) can use the same entrance ticket to all the archaeological sites mentioned above.

Above are only suggestions , you may discuss with the guide and modify (add/subtract) according to what you are most interested in. The guide will advise you on what is feasible to cover in a half-day. Or add another half day : additional $$$ apply only if you wish to extend beyond a half day touring

DAY 3 - ATHENS - CAIRO Tuesday

the acropolis, athens tour, greek egypt tour,honeymoon tour Full day on own in Athens. Our Athens staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Cairo, air fare is included in economy class , tax included , where our Cairo staff meets you and escorts you to your hotel.

Visa fee is included and issued upon arrival for : American , Canadian, Western European, Australian, NZ & Japanese citizens, passport must be valid fro at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.
After settling in, plunge into fascinating Cairo! Take a stroll along the Nile, have Arabic coffee in a local café, or drop in at any of the city's many world-class museums.

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 4 - CAIRO & Home Hosted Dinner - Wednesday (cBLD)

Cairo is ours! We explore today : The Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids and Sphinx . Lunch is included at a local restaurant, with a home hosted dinner with an Egyptian family tonight.

DAY 5 - CAIRO Thursday (cB)

Full day at leisure, own activities Continue your explorations of Cairo. In the evening, we depart for Aswan aboard the Nile Express first-class sleeper train.

DAY 6 - ASWAN Friday (cBLD)

Upon arrival at Aswan Station, we escort you to your luxury Nile cruise vessel. After lunch, explore Aswan's lively bazaar, or stroll along the banks of the Nile, as you like. In the evening, we cast off and cruise down the Nile.

DAY 7 - KOM OMBO & EDFU Saturday (cBLD)

We visit the twin temples at Kom Ombo, then set sail for Edfu with its great Temple of Horus. The evening finds us docked at Esna.

DAY 8 - ESNA & LUXOR Sunday (cBLD)

We pass the locks at Esna and cruise down the Nile, past bucolic scenes little changed from ancient times, until our late afternoon arrival at Luxor.

DAY 9 - LUXOR Saturday (cBD)

We check out of our cabins after breakfast, but the facilities of the vessel are available to us until the evening. Explore the great temples or the bazaar as you like. In the evening, we escort you to the Aswan Station for our first-class sleeper train journey back to Cairo.

DAY 10 - CAIRO Monday (cB)

We escort you to your hotel. (Your room may not be ready until noon, but all other hotel facilities are available.) Why not go shopping in Khan el-Khalili bazaar?

DAY 11 - DEPARTURE Tuesday (cB)

After breakfast, we escort you to the airport for your flight home on Olympic Airways via Athens to New York.

RATES per person in US $

	Deluxe	First Class
Triple	US$ 4250.00	US$ 3985 .00
Double	US$ 4375 .00	US$ 4090 .00
Single	US$ 5145 .00	US$ 4970 .00

Peak Season Supplement :
For departures during ( Dec 20 - Jan 3) Christmas, New Year's or Easter holiday season (2 weeks period ) , please add 20 % to the rates above.
This tour departs weekly from New York, year round.
Air fare add-on from major USA cities : Available: Most west coast : SJS, SFO, SAN, SEA etc ; please add $ 350 , for DEN, ORD , DC, DTW, FLL etc : Please add ; $ 300.00
Air fare peak season supplement : ( this doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare)
For May 15 thru end of Sep : Please add ; $ 350 per person to any of the rates listed
When handling your own air fare , please deduct : $ 600 from the listed rates.
These rates are subject to change without notice. Rates are guaranteed only after receipt of your deposit by Nubian Cruises, Inc., According to the Terms & Conditions in our web site

The tour includes:

· international airfare New York-Athens-Cairo-Athens-New York on Olympic Airways, or any other IATAN air carrier. tax included (although we reserve the right to use any accredited IATA international air carrier)

· Cairo-Aswan and Luxor-Cairo first-class sleeper train tickets

· four-day (three-night) Nile cruise, including onboard accommodations, all meals, and daily sightseeing excursions

· all transfers within Greece and Egypt

· one night's hotel accommodations in Athens and three in Cairo, including all taxes and service charges, based on the rate category you choose

· meals as indicated in the itinerary by the codes "cB" for continental breakfast, "L" for set-menu lunch, and "D" for set-menu dinner

· guided, escorted sightseeing tours as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees

Not included:

Gratuities Personal expenses, beverages, and meals not specifically listed .
Trip cancellation insurance, travel insurance, we'll be glad to mail you the flyer.
Meals that are not listed/specified
Beverages

Nubian Cruises, Inc. can arrange for add-on airfares at excellent rates from many cities in the USA to get you to New York for the tour departure. Please ask for a copy of the Nubian Cruises hotel flyer, which contains detailed information on these fares. The flyer also provides information on the individual hotels and Nile cruise vessels visited on this tour.

The complete Terms & Conditions which govern this tour are printed in our tour catalog entitled In Search of Ancient Lands which accompanies this tour itinerary. (If you did not receive a copy of the catalog, please request one from Nubian Cruises, Inc. or your travel agent, or refer to our Internet web site .Please read the complete Terms & Conditions before paying your tour deposit; receipt of a tour deposit by Nubian Cruises, Inc. Confirms that you have read and fully accept the Terms & Conditions which govern this tour.

Compare with Greece & Israel Tour