Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Pathways of the Pharaohs

Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- See the fascinating Great Pyramids of Giza
- Opportunity to visit 4 amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Experience 4-night Nile River cruise
- Explore Cairo
Short Description
Sail to the Sphinx & pyramids
See the Great Pyramids of Giza, last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Explore Luxor and Karnak, then ride a hot air balloon over the Valleys of the Kings and Queens. Be moved by the lovely Temple of Isis at Philae, reachable only by boat. Behold Abu Simbel, perched above Lake Nasser, then cruise this serene waterway. The Nile is Egypt’s lifeblood, and our 12-day sojourn is the best, most comprehensive Nile cruisetour available today.
Destinations
EgyptAttractions & Cities Visited
Abu Simbel Aswan Cairo Dead Sea Luxor Temple Nubian Desert Valley of the KingsItinerary
Day 1: Cairo, Egypt
Arrive in Egypt, the cradle of civilization, then transfer to the moderate deluxe Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah (or similar) on the banks of the Nile for a 3-night stay.*
Day 2: Cairo, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
This morning we take an excursion to the necropolis at Sakkara to see the world’s oldest step pyramid. After a typical Egyptian lunch, continue to Giza Plateau to behold the only Wonder of the Ancient World still standing: the Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. There, you experience the “ships of the desert” with a brief camel ride. Nearby, see the Great Sphinx, forever facing due east. Return to your hotel for dinner and a free evening to relax or explore on your own.
Day 3: Cairo, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast
Today you see some of the sights of Cairo. This morning, tour Cairo’s Museum of Egyptian Antiquities and admire its huge collection of artifacts, then visit the famous gallery displaying the riches of King Tutankhamen. A guided walk takes you to landmarks like the iconic Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Enjoy lunch on your own at or near your hotel. Enjoy dinner on your own in Cairo, or take an optional visit to Khan el-Khalili, a walking tour through a colorful outdoor souk (bazaar) where you can shop for all manner of Egyptian goods and admire the Al-Aqmar Mosque. Conclude the outing with a traditional Egyptian dinner in Al-Azhar Park.
Day 4: Luxor, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Early this morning, fly to Luxor, the city once called Thebes, where history will be brought to life by our expert Egyptologist. Visit the Great Temples of Luxor and Karnak, long buried beneath desert sands, and walk through monumental peristyles and examine the hieroglyphics illustrating how ancient Egyptians lived. Proceed to your Nile cruise ship for check-in and a welcome lunch. Enjoy an onboard dinner and a relaxing evening, or attend an optional sound and light show at Karnak Temple.
Day 5: Luxor, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Relax over breakfast, or (weather permitting) take an optional early-morning hot air balloon ride over Luxor’s temples and monuments. Upon arrival, visit the Valley of the Kings and the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s few female rulers and most successful pharaohs, on the Nile’s west bank opposite the city of Luxor. Also see Madīnat Habu, the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III. Walk through its monumental peristyle hall decorated with complex hieroglyphics. Return aboard as we set sail for Edfu; lunch and dinner are served aboard as we cruise along the Nile.
Day 6: Edfu, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
This morning, ride in a horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the falcon god, built in Edfu during the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Have lunch aboard the ship while sailing toward Kom Ombo. There, you take a guided tour of the unusual double temple dedicated to the sky god Haroeris and the crocodile god Sobek, a protective deity thought to have created the world. Return to your ship before we continue cruising up the Nile. We arrive at Aswan during dinner; this evening, attend a Nubian party featuring the evocative traditional music of the region.
Day 7: Aswan, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, visit the small, elegant Philae sanctuary, dedicated to Isis, rescued from the rising waters. This temple is one of the Nubian monuments that comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour the Nubian Museum to view treasures salvaged from temples and monuments flooded by the Aswan Dam; the museum’s gardens are beautifully landscaped with terraced waterfalls. You’ll also see the Aswan High Dam, completed in the 1960s. Enjoy lunch on board. This afternoon, take a scenic ride on a felucca, a traditional Egyptian wooden sailboat, on the Nile. Enjoy an onboard dinner and spend the night in Aswan.
Day 8: Abu Simbel, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After a final breakfast on board your ship, disembark and take a brief flight to Abu Simbel, then proceed directly to the temples. These magnificent structures, renowned for their four giant seated figures, were built in the 13th century BC by Ramses II and are thought to depict him and his queen, Nefertari. The colossal structures were dismantled and moved to this new location during construction of the Aswan High Dam, which created Lake Nasser, a major engineering feat. After exploring the temples on your own, check in on your second ship for your Lake Nasser cruise and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Tonight, enjoy an onboard dinner, then relax or attend an optional sound and light show at the Abu Simbel temples.
Day 9: Amada, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
This morning, we sail past the iconic Kasr Ibrim Fortress. Learn the story of the last Nubian monument remaining in its original location, and see it from the ship’s Sun Deck. Enjoy lunch on board as you cruise across Lake Nasser to Amada. This afternoon, tour the small but interesting Nubian Amada Temple. The oldest of the Lake Nasser temples, it houses a collection of brightly painted historical carvings. Return aboard and dine as we sail to Wadi el Seboua.
Day 10: Wadi el Seboua, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
This morning, disembark for a walk through the Valley of the Lions, lined with sphinxes. Then, tour the Temple of Dakka, dedicated to the ibis-headed Thoth, and the Greco-Roman Temple of Meharakka, both located at the Wadi el Seboua Temple Complex. Return aboard for lunch and dinner as we sail toward Aswan. This evening, enjoy a Nubian show featuring traditional music, dance and costumes.
Day 11: Aswan, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After a leisurely onboard breakfast, disembark for a tour of the Temple of Kalabsha, which honors the androgynous Nubian sky and sun god, Mandulis. Afterward, you’ll see the Aswan High Dam, completed in the 1960s. After a local lunch, head to the airport for your flight back to Cairo. Check in to the superior first-class InterContinental Hotel Citystars Cairo (or similar) for 1 night, then enjoy free time. Return to your hotel for dinner and an evening at leisure, or attend an optional sound and light show at the pyramids.
Day 12: Cairo, Egypt
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, proceed to the airport for your return flight.* Or, extend your journey for 4 nights in Jordan to see the ‟lost city” of Petra, the Dead Sea and the capital of Amman.
Availability
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41 Viking River Cruises Travel Reviews & Ratings
Pathways of the Pharaohs
Viking Rescheduled my Flight to CHRISTMAS Without my Consent
And they are sorry if this causes me any inconvenience.
The young people who answer the phone cannot change my cruise to one of the same value since my dream New Years cruises are now unavailable. I spoke to three of them and each one just gives me an email address to send a complaint. No response as of yet. I feel so embarrassed for trusting this company. But I am grateful that I was able to see their true colors before I booked again. I as going to take a Mediterranean cruise with more availability a bit sooner because I was so excited. I feel sick now.
When we read in the disclosures that there may need to be some flexibility in the dates, no reasonable person actually believes that they would deliberately change the schedule in such a way to force you to miss spending Christmas with your family. But they did. And they did it by email. My $20,000 wasn’t even worth a phone call.
Company Reviews
Viking River Cruise Capitals of Eastern Europe
Good and no so goog
The good:
Rhine water levels were good, no issues. Service on the vessel was A+, excluding one attendant with “attitude” at the front desk. Entertainment was low key but acceptable. Viking succeeds in creating a laid back atmosphere. Viking is like a clock - they run on time. Cabin was nice and shower was exceptional. Most (not all) tours were informative, guides ranged from good to excellent. Tour buses were top shelf with experienced drivers.
The not so good:
All 6 in our group were disappointed with the food (not service but food) all week excluding breakfast. All felt the food offerings got “old” real fast. Food appeared to be prepared in advance and then reheated. Plenty of TV movies, tv and internet reception poor all week.
Most concerning
Viking, customs, and airline never asked to see our proof of vaccination. While Viking did a excellent job in keeping the boat itself clean and sanitized we had an issue on one of the bus tours. A unmasked woman sitting directly behind my wife was sweating & coughing non-stop. Not a occasional sneeze or cough, it was obvious this woman was ill. At the first stop multiple riders relocated to seats as far away from this individual as possible. Regrettably, Viking said/did noting.
Viking claims they are not the Covid police and if we felt compromised we should have put on a mask. Absolutely ridiculous that Viking felt we should have masked but took action to pull this woman aside, require her to mask with a suggestion to see a physician. Again - we’re not talking about normal coughing and sneezing- this woman was visibly ill. Viking was willing to put 30 travelers at risk rather then ask a visibly ill woman to mask up. It’s Vikings boat, tour, bus but they say and do nothing.
Of course 2 of 6 in our group contracted Covid.
Viking had a obligation to do everything within their control to protect us as best possible. In this instance they didn’t even try.
Not trying to trash Viking, just being truthful.
Tourico Vacations -Rhine River Cruise
We sailed from Basel, Switzerland up north on the Rhine River and ended at Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Viking also offers the same route in reverse, from Amsterdam to Basel so you can pick either. For a couple stops on the journey, boats running in opposite cities are docked together.
We had a wonderful time and especially loved how organized the entire Viking journey was, from pre-departure to on-board, everything was seamless. Also unlike many other cruises or guided tours, almost everything was included, which made it feel like a truly relaxing vacation.
Here’s a snapshot of our 7-day itinerary and what we got up to each day!
Day 1: Arrive in Basel, Switzerland
We arrived in the small, quaint town of Basel after our international flight. This was the general arrival / travel date so we expected to just check in and relax but discovered that Viking organized a guided walking tour of the town. That was a nice surprise!
There’s also the option to arrive a couple days early and/or stay a couple days late. If you are thinking of this, here’s a quick guide to the best hotels in Basel to help with accommodation.
Basel is an underrated tourist attraction and the third largest city in Switzerland. The town has a gorgeous Medieval center and plenty of world-class art museums. There’s a reason Art Basel is held here!
We checked out the Romanesque cathedral, took endless pictures of the colorful medieval buildings and headed back to our ship to relax and meet everyone for cocktails and dinner. A great first day!
Read more: An Afternoon in Basel, Switzerland’s Most Underrated City!
Day 2: Germany’s Black Forest & Colmar, France
On our second day, we sailed northward to dock at Breisach, Germany. In the morning, we learned how to make cuckoo-clocks, put together Black Forest cake and walked a bit throughout the Black Forest.
The wooded mountain range is the site of many local legends and populated all over with black fir trees. If you like hiking, the mountains are wonderful!
In the afternoon, we signed up for an optional tour to Colmar. Located in the Alsace Lorraine region, the town is part of France but throughout much of history, changed hands between Germany and France. You’ll find lots of German and French spoken as a result!
I highly recommend visiting this quaint medieval town. Every street looks perfectly preserved and it’s quite colorful. We wandered mostly on our own, ducking into gelato shops and chocolate stores while enjoying the colorful, medieval feel.
Read more: The Most Picturesque Alsatian Town of Colmar
Day 3: Strasbourg, France
If you skip the optional to Colmar, no worries! Strasbourg is its larger cousin and also located in Alsace, France.
We had a wonderful guide for this day who guided us throughout the small canals, pointing out colorful streets and letting us know about Strasbourg’s tangled history in the hands of Germany and France.
Strasbourg occupies a strategic position on the Rhine River and is the ninth largest city in France. It’s home to many European councils and organizations, like the European Court of Human Rights (a building built like a ship) and the Council of Europe.
For the most part, we stuck to the Old Medieval Town but drove through the modern section. Highly recommend a visit to the Cathedral!
Read more: 24 Hours in Strasbourg (coming soon)
Day 4: Heidelberg, Germany
Heidelberg is a university town with a energetic, small town feel. In the morning, we visited Heidelberg Castle, which perhaps should be called a ruined fortress, as much of it was destroyed by lightening, fires and war.
The ruins and castle are built high above the city and the observation terrace is well worth a look! Meanwhile, the city was almost entirely spared from bomb attacks during World War II and it’s narrow streets and baroque charm remain largely intact.
We explored Heidelberg’s Old Town (Altstadt) by walking along the main shopping street Hauptstrasse. This is actually the longest shopping street in Europe! For the most part, I spotted large chain stores & restaurants.
I actually recommend skipping this street to explore the quaint alleyways and backstreets instead. Much more picturesque!
Read more: The Best of Heidelberg Germany in 1 Day
Day 5: Rhine River Castles & Koblenz, Germany
By day 5, we had reached the middle Rhine and spent our morning above deck watching the gorgeous small German towns and castles along both sides of the Rhine River. Our Viking program director gave a guided tour along the way, pointing out castles left and right.
Many of them are situated high above local towns and we saw lots of German camper vans parked at the base. I recommend bringing a pair of binoculars for this part, as some of the castles can be set a bit farther away and the detail through a zoom is incredible.
By afternoon, we reached Koblenz, a city set at the mouth of two rivers. We explored Marksburg Castle and wandered a bit on our own after. This was another ruined fortress high above the river. Interesting history, but wear good shoes! The entire castle is unpaved, rocky and entirely uneven.
A couple others from the cruise did the optional dinner excursion on this day and raved about it.
Read more: A Photo Diary of Pretty Rhine Castles
Day 6: Cologne, Germany
During the Holy Roman Empire, Cologne was the largest medieval town in Europe. Naturally, it’s Gothic cathedral is the hallmark draw! The nice thing about this stop is the ship can dock right into town, so you can join the tour or explore on your own.
We explored the Kölner Dom’s interior and were suitably awed. If you want a great view, Viking offers an optional tour that takes you all the way to the very top! I had already been to Cologne on a previous trip so instead, we opted for a palace excursion.
We visited Augustusburg Castle, one of two gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage site classified as Bruhl Palaces. The castle was once home to the prince-archbishops of Cologne and is decked out in gold, marble and all-around extravagance.
I particularly liked the massive entryway staircase which was gilded and made my mouth drop open when we turned the corner. Highly recommend this day trip if you love castles half as much as I do!
The interiors were really unique and the guided tour was excellent. After the main palace, we did a quick tour of the hunting lodge as well, which was just as stunning.
Read more: Exploring Cologne (coming soon)
Day 7: Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
Kinderdijk is home to the Netherlands’ famous windmills. I’ll admit I didn’t know too much about the country outside of Amsterdam and our guide was quite helpful to explain the history of the nation and the purpose of its many windmills. Much of the Netherlands would sink, were it not for windmills to pump away water.
We even got to tour inside the home of a windmill keeper (see photos of a windmill interior here!). What I didn’t realize was that windmill caretakers actually lived inside them with their families!
I thought the interiors were particularly interesting and our guide mentioned that some Dutch families managed to fit 13 children inside.
They’re quite small so I noticed lots of hooks for hanging, curved bunk-bed type rooms and lots of stair ladders. The Dutch windmill keepers also had a number of really unique boats which I took too many pictures of!
Fun fact: Kinderdijk is in the region of Holland in the nation of The Netherlands where the people speak Dutch.
Read more: Visiting A Dutch Windmill Home (and other day trips from Amsterdam!)
The Rhine Getaway Cruise
One thing I liked about sailing with Viking is how leisurely the day to day pace is. There’s generally an opportunity to sight see in the morning and afternoon, with one included tour and one optional tour.
We chose to do 2 optionals and on the other days, relaxed on board or went into town to explore on our own! It was a well-balanced pace and I truly felt “on vacation”.
Here’s a recap of our daily itinerary with Viking:
Day 1 Arrive in Basel, Switzerland
Day 2 Morning: Sail to the Black Forest
Afternoon: Explore Colmar, France
Day 3 Explore Strasbourg, France
Day 4 Morning: Explore Heidelberg’s Castle and Old Town.
Evening: Stop in Rudesheim
Day 5 Morning: See German castles along the Rhine River
Afternoon: Visit Koblenz, Germany
Day 6 Morning: Visit Cologne, Germany
Afternoon: Day trip to Bruhl Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Day 7 See dutch windmills at Kinderdijk. Arrive in Amsterdam in late evening.
Watch video: Tourico Vacations Viking River Cruise
Great time
WONDERFUL STAFF & SEAMLESS ORGANIZATION
Details
Ship Name
MS Mayfair
Ship Stats
Suite (Aa) Features
- Suite size: 377 sq. ft.
- Suites are outside with river views
- Suites have hotel-style beds plus sofa
- Suites have a veranda & large windows
- Private bathroom with bathtub & shower
- Air conditioning
- Telephone, refrigerator, hair dryer & safe
- Flat-panel television
Ship Description
This intimate, contemporary ship carries just 150 guests along the Nile River in spacious suites and staterooms.
Deck & Cabin Plans
Deck Plans
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal transport included (including local flights)
Group Size
Standard Group - 25 + people
Cancellation policy
For any cruise/land booking, whether under deposit, partially paid, or paid in full and air-inclusive packages paid in full, the following travel agent or guest-requested situations are considered cancellations and penalties will apply as noted below: changes to departure date; substitutions of itinerary; substitution of another person for original booked guest(s); or changing to a promotional fare. All cancellations must be in writing. For all air-inclusive packages cancelled after issuance of an airline ticket, the air portion of the refund, if any, will be processed only after the return of airline ticket to Viking. The following cancellation charges will be assessed for all written cancellations received prior to departure up to the scheduled time of departure.
Cancellation received | Following charges will apply: (Broken out by days before departure) 121 days or more is $100 per person | 120-90 days is 15% of full fare | 89-60 days is 35% of full fare | 59-30 days is 50% of full fare | 29-0 days is 100% of full fare.
Full Fare is defined as the full cost of any cruise, land or air component purchased from Viking.
Trip ID#:
PatPhoVik
Meals Included
11 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches and 9 Dinners
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