Das Östliche Mittelmeer, Ägypten und das Rote Meer

This overland must be prebooked and prepaid at least 90 days prior to your cruise. Any reservation made after this deadline will be confirmed on-board based on availability. A minimum of participants must be booked in order to operate this tour. 100% of total cost for cancellations made less than 90 days before departure.

Explore the beauty and mysteries of Egypt’s treasures. You will discover the most impressive monuments from the time of the Pharaohs throughout exclusive visits.

Day 1:

From the pier of Port Saïd, meet your guide and board your coach for the 3.5-hour drive to Cairo, and your hotel. On arrival, you will check in at your hotel. Then, you will proceed to the pyramids area where you can admire the sound and light show.

After the show, you will get back to your hotel where your dinner will be served.

Day 2:

After a very early continental breakfast, you will start your day by a private visit of the Pyramids of Giza. To complete your experience, you will enter the famous Cheops Pyramid and the Solar boat museum. Cheops Pyramid is the largest of all the pyramids ever built on Earth, regardless of civilisation and time.

The solar boats of ancient Egyptians were large ships that were made out of cedar wood. The Solar Boat exposed near the pyramids was constructed to house Cheops when he passed away.

Southeast of the Great Pyramids, you will have the opportunity to admire the Sphinx, carved out of solid rock around 2650 BC.

Then, you will return to your hotel, where you will enjoy some free time as well as a full buffet breakfast and lunch. You will board your coach for a 45-minute drive to Cairo. You will visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities dedicated to ancient Egypt as well as the room of the treasure of Tutankhamun, and his god-like golden mask and the Royal Mummies room.

 At the end of your visit, you will get back to your hotel. The dinner will be served at the hotel.

Day 3:

After your breakfast, board your coach and drive for around one hour to Dahshour area, where the pyramids of Dahshur stand.

You will drive to Memphis, the Capital of ancient Egypt. You will see the limestone statue, Colossus of Ramses, giant lying statue depicts Ramses II, the Alabaster Sphinx and the ruins of the temple of Ptah.

You will proceed at your lunch venue before reaching Sakkara to visit the famous step Pyramid of Zoser built 5,000 years ago by the engineer Imhotep, and one of the mastabas or funerary chambers.

Finally, a quick visit will be made at a carpet school before driving back to join your ship after 2 ½ hour drive.

YOUR HOTEL or similar:

Marriott Mena House hotel

6 Pyramids Road Giza,

Giza Governorate 12556, Egypt

Phone: 20 95 2382575

This palace built in 1869 at the foot of the Giza pyramids was the residence of Khedive Ismail and became a hotel in 1886. Located in the heart of beautiful gardens, the Marriot Mena House is composed of a palace part, an historic aisle.

This programme includes:

• Transfers, visits, activities and entrance fees as per programme.
• Sound and light show in English only.
• Private visit of the pyramids for 2 hours and 1 hour during public opening.
• The visit of the two special rooms at the museum: the royal mummies room and the treasure of Tutankhamun.
• Meals mentioned in the programme:
• 3 breakfasts: 1 continental and 2 buffet breakfasts
• 2 lunches and 2 dinners including 1 bottled water, 1 glass of local beer or local wine or 1 soft drink and tea or coffee.
• 2 nights at Marriott Mena House hotel or similar.
• The cameras fees.

This programme doesn’t include:

• Personal expenses.
• Gratuities to guide and driver.
• Meals, drinks and all services not mentioned in the programme.
• The video cameras fees.

Note:

• Photos are not allowed inside the Cheops Pyramid, inside the King Tut room and inside the mummies rooms.
• This overland involves approximately 7 km (4.2 miles) of walking on uneven paths with steps.
• We recommend you wear comfortable walking shoes, protect yourself from the sun. The night on the desert can be cold, we recommend you take a jacket for the sound and light show.
• A new Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is about to be built near the pyramids. It should replace the actual museum in the centre of Cairo. As the opening date has not been revealed yet, the visit of this new museum could replace the one at the museum indicated in the programme.

Duration and price of excursions are given as a guide only. The order of the visits may be reversed.

Travellers are advised to check all the information with the authorities concerned prior to the departure date. CDP advises Travellers to consult the country factsheets relating to the chosen destinations.

CDP specifically draws Travellers' attention to the fact that the information provided may change up until the departure date, and they are advised to consult that information up until the time of departure.

CDP invites Travellers to adjust their behaviour to the visited country, to exercise vigilance and to avoid carrying valuable objects during their travel.

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

Day 1 – Antalya

Meet and greet at the airport arrival hall. Look for PONANT sign. After being welcomed by our local representative, you will be transferred to the hotel Alp Pasa Boutique 5*,

Diner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 – Antalya

After breakfast and check-out, your guided visit will be first dedicated to Antalya’s old city : Kaleici (meaning ‘’inside the castle’’). 

The rustic old town, where quaint Turkish and Greek houses are under protection, is the most popular center in Antalya. Kaleici is a very typical place with its ancient, narrow cobbled streets lined with old Ottoman houses and shady stone courtyards. Cars can’t really drive in old town, allowing a pleasant visit in the picturesque old quarter.

Kaleici can trace its origins back to the Roman period when it grew around the old harbour, protecting the harbour from the west and the passage of produce from the east.

Imposing Hadrian Gate is a glorious example of Roman architecture and the most impressive way to enter the old Town.

Located 325 m southeast of the Acropolis, this arch has inscriptions, which state Hadrian and Theseus as its two founders. The entire gate is made of Pentelic marble, which was also used in the construction of Parthenon and many other structures in Athens. The Hadrian gate also has a glass pathway, which separates the old Kaleici (historic city center of Antalya) from the city.

A little further down, you will find the ruins of the Kesik Minare Mosque, that piece of mosque art from Seljuk period, was previously constructed as Panagelia Church in the name of Virgin Mary by Byzantium during 5th A. D, and turned into a mosque by Şehzade Korkut during Bayezit II. It is also known as Korkut Mosque or Cami-i Kebir due to this reason. It is renamed as Kesik Minaret as the mosque was destructed after the fire in 1851.

You will enjoy some free time for shopping through small streets of Kaleici. When you will walk down towards the harbour you pass through rows of souvenir shops.

 To reach Aspendos, you will climb a scenic hilltop, near the Eurymedon River with the splendid backdrop of the Taurus Mountains, which was a major port city in the Roman period. To date, only parts of Aspendos have been excavated, but the Roman theatre here is the best-preserved of any on the Mediterranean coast, barely deserving the by now perhaps all-too-familiar label, “ruin”.

The theatre was built in the 2nd century AD during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and dedicated to “the gods of country and the imperial house” and holds over 20,000 souls. Walking around, it’s hard not to imagine what a show here might have been like in the time of Marcus Aurelius. Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, once did so, and had his dream turned into a reality, demanding that the theatre be used rather than converted into a museum. The acoustics are so perfect that microphones are often not even used.

Nearby the Aspendos theatre is a marvelous aqueduct that used to supply the city, which you will be able to see from the road.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant

 You will continue by Perge, capital of ancient Pamphylia. Its fantastic ruins date back to around 1000 BC. Legend has it that the city was founded by two Trojan seers, named Mopsus and Calchas, who fled the long siege of their home city and sought the solace of a more peaceful land. Perge was not a very large city, but its theatre held nearly 14,000 people.

Walk around a stadium that once housed performances and gladiatorial bouts in front of a roaring crowd of 12,000 spectators, one of the best-preserved stadiums in Anatolia. Walk through the Roman Gate, which was the entrance to the city, into the Baths Complex, and around the Hellenistic Gateway and walls, which are the only pre-Roman structures as yet unearthed.

You will then be transferred to the pier to embark your ship.

Your hotel :

Alp Pasa Boutique hotel

Situated in the old town of Antalya, Alp Pasa Boutique hotel is within 5-minute walk from Hadrian’s gate. The hotel is set in a series of mansions dating back to the 18th century, built for wealthy merchants to receive visitors. Surrounded by verdant gardens and historical mansions, it features a courtyard ornamented with authentic mosaic stones, a sunbathing terrace and an outdoor swimming pool.

All rooms are decorated in ottoman style, with air conditioning, private bath with luxury bathroom amenities. Renovated in 2016, the Alp Pasa Boutique hotel is the ideal place to shop, dine and relax in a refined and local atmosphere.

Your programme includes :

• 1-night accommodation in Regency Suites at Alp Pasa Boutique hotel 5* (local standard) or similar, breakfast included.
• Meals as mentioned in the programme.
• Beverage package during meals (bottled water + 1 soft drink or 1 glass of wine and 1 coffee or tea).
• Transfers, visits and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.
• The services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include :

• Personal expenses.
• Visa if necessary.
• Tips for the driver and local guide.
• Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Please note :

Turkey’s unit is the Turkish Lira.

This programme is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Contact of your hotel :

Alp Pasa Boutique Hotel

Barbaros Mah. Hesapci Sok. No 30

Kaleici - Antalya

TURKEY

Telephone number : (90) 242 248 50 74

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organizes your transfer between the port of disembarkation and the airport.

Aqaba

Disembarkation. Meet and greet your local representative.

You will be transferred to Aqaba King Hussein Airport, in time for check-in of the PONANT selected flight.

Your programme includes:

• Visa delivery upon arrival in Aqaba.
• Group transfer by coach from port to airport as mentioned in the programme.
• Services of a local English-hostess during the transfer.
• Tips for the driver and the hostess.

Your programme does not include:

• Personal expenses.
• Other services not mentioned in the programme.

For the times of your PONANT flight, please contact your travel agent; they are also shown on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.