Falling in Love With Egypt: Cairo & Giza, Day One

Egypt is the country that will always have my heart — and this Cairo and Giza travel diary starts exactly where the magic began. There’s magic in the Adhan — the call to prayer, drifting over rooftops at dawn. It settles something deep in your soul, no matter where you’re standing.

Landing in Cairo

I touched down in Cairo, and someone from a Viator airport transfer I’d booked ahead of time was already waiting, right past the gate, before I’d even reached immigration. Bring cash for your visa — it costs $25 USD, paid the moment you arrive.

Since I’d booked ahead, he guided me through immigration, then handed me off to my driver. We drifted through a city that moves entirely on its own rhythm. Strange, hypnotic, unforgettable.

I stayed in Sheikh Zayed City, near 6th of October, at the Hilton Pyramids Golf. Four dreamy nights in the Safari Suite. All on points, if you can believe it.

In fact, that first morning, the Adhan pulled me gently from sleep. I threw open the balcony doors and just listened, the city humming below. From that moment on, it became my favorite alarm — nothing on my phone could compete.

Mornings and Breakfast at the Hilton

Breakfast felt like its own small ceremony. Fresh guava juice, warm rolls, fruit spilling across the table. I requested something special, and they surprised me with stewed Egyptian beans. Absolutely divine.

Cairo and Giza: Pyramids and a Friend From New York

Alma, my guide for the day, met me in the lobby, and we set off for the one sight everyone dreams about on any Cairo and Giza trip: the Giza pyramids. Of course.

I wasn’t wandering this trip entirely alone. A dear friend and her daughter flew in from New York to join me. They stayed at a different hotel, but we shared Alma as our guide and let every adventure unfold together.

Camel rides at Giza became the kind of moment you replay for years — swaying past the pyramids, the desert stretching gold in every direction.

Saqqara and Memphis: Ancient Wonders Beyond Giza

That same day, we kept going. Saqqara came next, home to the Step Pyramid of Djoser — Egypt’s oldest pyramid, older even than Giza. Beneath it sits the Serapeum, an underground network of tunnels holding 24 massive granite boxes, each weighing up to 100 tons. No one fully knows how ancient builders moved them into place. Standing in that tunnel, dwarfed by solid granite, is genuinely humbling.

One of my quietest, favorite moments happened right there at Saqqara. A man selling scarves struck up a conversation with me. We talked for a while, unhurried, no rush to sell anything. Before I left, he gave me a book and sold me a beautiful scarf. Small moments like that stay with you longer than the monuments do.

Then came Memphis, Egypt’s ancient capital, now an open-air museum. Its star attraction: a massive statue of Ramesses II, lying on his back. He was found that way, buried in mud for centuries. Standing over him feels surreal.

Next up: more of this Cairo and Giza travel diary continues in Alexandria and Coptic Cairo, with a new guide who’d become a dear friend.

🧳 Day One Baggage Claim: The Real Numbers

Quick note: the flight cost covers the entire round-trip journey, not just Day One. Everything else below is specific to this first day in Cairo and Giza