Most of us know that authentic food experiences come from hole in the wall kind of places such as the best tortilla I ever had at no name place in Toluca, Mexico made by a kind abuela or the best Indian food from a rest stop somewhere between Delhi and Agra. Eating Koshary is similar experience you can have either as a street food in Cairo and in our case a restaurant in the middle of the industrial area near Tahrir square. We went in search of dish which recommended to us by my sister-in-law who ate it in Cairo. She urged us to not miss eating it and it exceeded our expectations with combination of textures and flavors that are very unique and bold yet gives the feeling of comfort food.
Koshary is considered an Egyptian national dish and is a poor man’s food. It is made out of staples including rice, lentils, pasta and garnished with fried onions and chickpeas. It is similar to middle eastern dish mujadara. Its unique flavor comes from garlic vinegar and zesty tomato sauce. When entered Abu Tareek restaurant, we asked for a menu and we were told “Small, Medium, or Large”. In other words, this restaurant serves only 1 dish, and you chose your size. Our waiter was friendly and more than happy to demonstrate how to make the dish by adding various things as the dish comes in a bowl with lentils, rice, and past and you add sauces and garnish based on your taste.
Making Koshary at Abu Tareek
I would highly recommend tasting it in Egypt if you get a chance.
I know travel planning can be overwhelming and if you just want to see the itinerary and recommendations for hotels and some practical information, check out here (It’s like the link jump to the recipe on food blogs).
As far as I remember, I always wanted to be an archeologist. Not sure if it was the love of history or the romanticizing of the begone days, but I wanted to explore life as lived by people before us. Egypt has been on my backet list for a while now and finally we decided to go visit.
The plan: The 3 key cities that you need to visit in Egypt are: Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan. You need at least 2 days in each city to cover all the historical sites. You have option to do either land or river cruise from Luxor to Aswan (or Aswan to Luxor). We decided to do a Neil cruise from Luxor to Aswan and we felt like we got best of both worlds. You can add Alexandria, Memphis, and Hurghada and Sham El-Sheikh if have more time but 1 week seemed just enough to cover the key sites.
This is the first and only trip where we had a tour company organize the entire trip. We used this company and had a really good experience and every detail including getting picked up from the airport to dropping off to Cairo airport at the end of the trip was taken care of by the tour company. We met few people from various other tour groups on the cruise and this and this company seemed have very similar tours as ours. There are plenty of tour companies offering this type of service in Egypt and you can read the reviews before deciding the right one for your needs. A few people have done a self-guided tour and it is very doable if you know how to deal with tour guides, taxies, etc. but on the flip side, self-guided tour will give you lots of flexibility and may work out cheaper if you plan it properly.
Day 1: Cairo and dinner cruise
We landed in Cairo around 8.30AM on Sunday morning and were out of immigration by 9.30ish. Representative from the tour group met us before immigration and helped to get our bags and brought us our van. We were taken to Hilton Ramses and our guide met us in the lobby to talk to us about the plan for the day. We liked this hotel and its location as it was walking distance to Egyptian museum, Nile River and my favorite restaurant- Koshary Abou Tarek . Details about the restaurant and my review of the Egyptian national dish Koshary/Koshari can be found here.
Day 1 was kind of free day and scheduled had us booked for Light and Sound show at the pyramids. Based on personal reviews from my sister-in-law, we had decided to skip the show, but our guide informed us that the show was cancelled and instead of that we were going on a dinner cruise with entertainment -Sufi and belly dancing. We really enjoyed this dinner cruise especially the Sufi dancer was exceptional. Similar dinner cruises can be found on here .
We spent afternoon walking around Cairo and seeing non-touristy side of Cairo and had lunch at Abou Tarek. We felt pretty safe and didn’t run into any issues while walking around Cairo.
Koshary at Abou TarekRandom road with Ramdan decorationTahrir SquareRamadan decorations
Day 2 : Egyptian Museum and Pyramids of Giza
Pro-tip for visiting Egyptian museum: Museum opens at 9 AM and as soon as you enter at 9, go to the second floor. Most tour groups will go first floor. Second floor is where King Tut’s artifacts and other cool stuff is located. You will 3-45 min when you can leisurely look at the artifacts before everyone else comes to the second floor The museum is supposed to move closer to Pyramids in 2023. If this happens, then you can visit both museum and pyramids in one area.
as per our tour guide
As we stayed walking distance from Egyptian museum, we were in front of the door before the museum opened and there was already a long line. As instructed by our guide we went to second floor of the museum.
King Tutankhamun and artifacts from his tomb
The second floor of Egyptian museum holds the golden treasures discovered in the tomb of King Tut by Howard Carter in 1922. The actual mummy of King Tut can seen in Valley of the kings Tomb #62 which we got to see when we went Luxor. There were more than 5000 objects found in the tomb of King Tut and this discovery of the tomb is considered to be one of the most spectacular discovery in the history of archeology. Photography is not allowed in the King Tut’s hall but you can take pictures everywhere else and there are tons of historical artifacts in the museum, and you can easily spend the entire day and we spent about half a day at the museum and felt like we got a good overview.
Some of my favorite things/artifacts from the museum are the silver coffin of King Psusennes (Only silver coffin in the history of Pharaohs), King Tut’s gold and jeweled throne, and my absolute favorite judgment before Osiris papyrus. I liked this papyrus and the meaning behind it so much that I bought my own copy from the papyrus store.
In 2023, the Egyptian museum is supposed to move closer to Pyramids of Giza. If you want to stay close to both pyramids and museum, this Mariott hotel is supposed to be good and close to the entrance to the pyramids as well as amazing views of pyramids from the hotel.
Papyrus showing the judgment before Osiris.
If you plan to buy any papyrus stuff, there are several stores near the Pyramids of Giza. They will show the process of making papyrus and you can buy your favorite artwork, or your name written in Hierographic letters. Like everything else (other than gold and perfume), you can bargain. Rule of thumb that locals use is if the item $100, you start at $25. If you get it for $25, you got a great deal. Most of the time, you should be prepared pay somewhere between 40-50% of original price.
A local guide in Egypt
Pyramids of Giza and Giza necropolis
Anyone visiting Egypt, Pyramids of Giza are on top of the list and one of the only seven ancient wonders of the world still standing. The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest of the three main pyramids on the Giza plateau and was built around 2570 BC. Since I dreamt seeing these for such a long time, I might have shed a tear or two of happiness when I was standing in front of the pyramids. It is mind blowing to think that a building almost 5000 years old still standing and tells a story of lives of the kings and pharaohs. Depending on what you want to do here, you need about half a day . If you plan to do a self-guided tour, this blog has all the information you need. Top things to do at the Pyramids of Giza are:
Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure- The 3 main pyramids
Go inside one of the pyramids to see chamber of the kings- Skipped this based on reviews from other travelers and not suggested if you are claustrophobic
Visit Panoramic Point- Where most iconic photos are taken
Ride a camel – We skipped this.
Visit Sphinx
Visit the Valley Temple
Watch the Sound and Light Show- Skipped and went to dinner cruise.
Pyramids of Giza taken from the panoramic point
Pro Travel tip: Take precaution and don’t engage with any vendors if you are not planning to buy. They are very aggressive and will follow you around. Don’t let them put any head gear on you and you will be stuck with paying whatever they ask. We skipped camel rides as we had heard that the animals are not treated well but lots of people were riding them and enjoying. Please negotiate the price before getting on the camel
Day 3: Luxor-Nile River cruise, Hot air balloon ride,Valley of kings, Hatshepsut temple, Karnak temple
We flew on the evening of day 2 from Cairo to Luxor and made it our Nile cruise – Esmeralda. Most Nile cruises start on either on Monday or Tuesday from Luxor and sail down to Aswan by Thursday and Friday. Most cruises are either 3 nights or 4 nights. We found that 4 nights were perfect without feeling hurried. If you are doing road trip, you can avoid the cruise crowd by going to places like Abu Simble on Friday. In my opinion, Nile cruise is the best way to see all the temples in and around Luxor and Aswan and most cruises include all the key stops with added (extra fee) activities. The cruise ships vary, and you can book from cheap to really expensive. If you want to take the luxury cruise, Oberoi is supposed to be the best cruise on Nile. Since our tour company booked the cruise, we didn’t have a choice on the cruise ship, but we found Esmeralda to be pretty good. The staff was very accommodating, and chef made special vegetarian dishes when we didn’t have enough option in the buffet. If want to do more research on the cruise options, this blog has lots of good information.
Esmeralda on Nile
Top things to do in Luxor:
Luxor Sunrise hot air balloon ride (was not included in our tour and we added it as extra)
Valley of kings
Hatsheptsut temple
Karnak Temple
Luxor temple
Light and sound show in Karnak temple
Edfu temple
Kom Ombu temple
We had only 24 hours in Luxor, and it felt little bit rushed. I would suggest spending at least 2 days in Luxor. We did a lot in the 24 hours we had and started the day early at 4AM to get the hot air balloon ride (Luxor hot air balloon rides don’t have the best reputation in terms of safety, but we didn’t feel unsafe at any point of time). We took a small boat from where our cruise ship was docked to other side of the river and drove about 10-15 min to reach a field where all the action for hot air balloon rides was going on. Even leaving at 4 AM, we missed the sunrise ride but still the experience was worth it. As we floated above the ancient city of Luxor, we had an amazing view of the valley of the queens, the desert, temple of Hatshepsut. The ride was about 45-60 minutes long and absolutely worth waking up early.
Temple of Hatshepsut– The queen who ruled as a king
Hatshepsut was one of the first female pharaohs of Egypt and her story resonated with me as she stood as symbol of female empowerment and as she was erased from all history until recently make one wonder but her impact remains as Hatshepsut’s temple is one of the world’s most striking architectural masterpiece. The eldest daughter of King Thutmose, Hatshepsut first assumed the role of queen regent during the 18th dynasty after the death of her husband, Thutmose II. Although her stepson, Thutmose III , was supposed to be the king, Hatshepsut assumed the role of king and ruled for 20 years had one of the most prosperous and peaceful rules in Egypt’s history.
Valley of Kings – the resting place of Pharaohs
Valley of the kings is on the west bank of the Nile River while city of the Luxor is on the east bank- living in the east as sun rises and bury the dead on west where sun sets. If you are starting in one of the hotels of the Luxor, then you will have to take a boat to cross to east to the west bank.
Valley of the kings is where 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties of Pharoh’s are buried in elaborate caves. After a while, Pharoah’s realized that instead of protecting the wealth, pyramids were actually attracting looters and hence they started building burial chambers in the caves.
There are 62 tombs so far excavated and they range anywhere from a simple pit to elaborate tombs such as of Rameses V and VI.
Ticket for the general admission comes with entry to 3 tombs and based on recommendations from our guide we bought tickets for King Tuts and Rameses V and VI tombs which have most elaborately decorated walls that have been preserved for 3000 years.
Map of Valley of the kingsCalendar in King Tuts TombMummy of King TutElaborate design on ceiling KV 9Depiction of book of night Depiction of book of nightCorridor leading to burial chamber KV 9
Karnak Temple
This was my absolute favorite temple on the entire trip and if you want to see Light and sound show, this would be the perfect place. We didn’t have enough time in Luxor to spend more time at this temple (3-4 hours is good) and if we go back to Egypt, we will plan on spending couple of full days in Luxor. Some of the interesting facts about Karnak:
It is a complex of several temples built over a period of 2000 years and considered to be one of the most sacred places in all of Egypt.
Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak temple is considered to be one of the most amazing monuments of ancient Egyptand consists of 16 rows of a total of 134 massive columns (10 meters tall) and covers an area of about 5,000 square meters.
Queen Hatshepsut erected 2 massive obelisks, which were the tallest in the world upon completion. She was planning to erect the biggest Obelisk which broke during construction and can be seen in Aswan quarry as the unfinished obelisk.
My favorite feature of the temple is the sphinx row.
Day 4 : Edfu and Kom ombu temple
Edfu temple: After overnight sailing from Luxor, this was our first stop in the morning of day 2 on the Nile cruise. If you are taking a road route, it would be better to hire a driver and guide through your hotel or on your own from companies like Egypt Tailor Made. This temple and Kom Ombo temple can be your stopping points on the way to Aswan and can be covered in about half-a -day.
From the Nile cruise, we took a carriage ride to the Edfu temple. Since all cruises have the same itinerary, it was a mad house with caravan of horse carriages going to the temple in the morning.
Some interesting facts of Edfu temple:
This temple is dedicated to the god Horus, the ancient Egyptians sacred hawk depicted by a man with a hawk’s head. A colossal statue of Horus in his falcon form dominates the temple.
The Temple of Horus is the most completely preserved temple in Egypt and must visit on your way to Aswan
Recipe room- multiple recipes of the ancient perfumes instructed on the walls and it is fascinating to see these intact recipes and according to our guide, you can use these recipes to make modern perfumes.
The holy boat room- “Holy Boat “is scared barques of miniature boat-like shrines treated as temporary resting places for the gods. The main attraction at Edfu temple is this holy boat room.
Entrance to Edfu templeWell preserved columnsPerfume recipes Holy BoatStatue of HorusMost intact hieroglyphics
Kom Ombu temple :Next stop on the cruise was Kom Ombu temple which we reached by 4 pm in the evening. This temple is right on the bank of Nile and it is breath-taking view as you sail into the harbor.
Kom Ombu TempleKom Ombu TempleKom Ombu Temple
The temple is unusual in that it is dedicated to two gods who were worshipped in the two halves of the temple.
The main god of the northern half of the temple is Horus, the ancient Egyptian god of the sky, hunting, and war.
The southern part of the Temple of Kom Ombo is dedicated to Sobek, the ancient Egyptian god of fertility. Often represented as a man with a crocodile head, Sobek is also regarded as the creator of the world.
My favorite feature of this temple is the well-preserved Almanac showing important events and festivals.
There is a crocodile museum on site with mummified crocodiles that have been excavated in the surrounding area. We decide to skip it.
Day 4 on the cruise was a relaxing day with most of the day spent on the upper deck of the cruise. The main entertainment was the relentless and enterprising vendors coming next to the river boat on small boats and throwing their wears up the top deck in plastic bags and people from the cruise haggling with them and buying towels, galabeyas and other goods. Even if you don’t buy anything, it is fun to watch these vendors and their creative selling tactics.
Creative vendors selling goods on Nile
Day 5: Aswan and Nubian village
Next stop on the cruise was Aswan which is our final stop and boat was docked here for 2 days. We were supposed to leave early morning (4AM) to go Abu Simble but there was an issue with the vehicle, and we rescheduled it to next day (Friday). Some of the other tour groups left at 2 AM as it is a 2.5- 3 hour ride to Abu Simble. If you are not taking the cruise, then you can either drive to Abu Simble from Aswan or take a short flight or do an overnight stay in Abu Simble. I wish we had stayed over in Abu Simble as watching the sun come up and light the temple of Abu simble is supposed to be amazing. Thursday is the day most cruise ships reach Aswan and go to Abu Simble, it turned out that Friday was a better day to go as the other groups told us that there were about 2000+ people in Abu Simble on that Thursday and it was very hard to appreciate the temple with so many people. Friday was lot less crowded, and we were able to enjoy the temple peacefully.
Of all places visited, Aswan was my favorite place. Couple of things that we really enjoyed in Aswan are :
Boat ride to Nubian village with stop at Nubian cafe- This was not included in our tour itinerary and at the recommendation of our guide, we decided to do this and had an amazing time.
Nubian food- Clay pot lunch at Nubian restaurant in Abu Simble. My picky eater teenager said it was one of the best dishes he has ever eaten.
Philae temple or Temple of Isis : As out trip to Abu Simble was rescheduled, we decided to go see all the things Aswan had to offer which included Philae temple, Aswan Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, and Nubian village
Philae temple is located on the island of Agilkia Island and you will have to take a boat to reach the temple.
The current temple complex was started by 30th-dynasty pharaoh Nectanebo but influence of Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods can be seen in the temple
In the first room of the temple, you’ll find eight columns that were separated from the court by screens. Many Coptic crosses and Greek inscriptions are found inside this room, which reveals the transformation of the temple into a Christian place during the Byzantine age.
it is considered to be the last of the ancient temples constructed in the classical Egyptian style. It was built to honor the goddess Isis and serves as an amazing example of the cult that was built around the story of Isis and Osiris.
This temple has lots of cats and kittens and they stay here as the temple is on an island.
Approach to Temple of PhilaeCats of Philae templeGrinding stone at temple of PhilaeGoddess Hathor
Nubian village boat ride :
This was my favorite activity of the entire cruise and most colorful one too. More than visiting the village, we enjoyed the ride and looking at the colorful houses and walking through the local bazars. I am lukewarm about the actual visit to Nubian house and seeing the crocodile but the scenery on the way to the village was beautiful including Agah Khan’s mausoleum and elephantine island. Halfway through the boat ride, Nubian folk singers embarked the boat and song and danced which was really great.
Nubians are the original inhabitants of the central Nile Valley, in northern Sudan and the southern tip of Egypt.
The Nubian houses were built based on the Nubian architecture by using mud bricks which are a mixture of natural elements such as clay, water, hay, and sand.
Nubian Villages are painted in a rainbow of colors and each color represents various parts of nature such as blue for ocean, yellow for desert, green for tree etc.
Crocodiles have a significant role in Nubian culture and kept as pets and Taliman to protect the houses from evil eye.
One of the most colorful houses I saw were perched on a hill facing Nile River and I took about 50 photos of this place. Later our guide told us that those colorful houses are actually a hotel, and you can spend night there getting an authentic Nubian experience. You can check out the rates here (Kato Dool Wellness Resort).
Day 6 : Abu Simble
The larger than life twin temples at Abu Simble is bound to take your breath away. These twin temples are dedicated to King Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari and carved out of rock cliffs.
There are 3 ways to reach Abu Simble- by air, by road or by water. There is direct flight connecting Aswan to Abu Simble and will take about 7 hours round trip including seeing the temple and bus service to Abu Simble is included in the airfare. Egypt air is the only airliens that flies to Abu Simble. There are several cruises (3/4 day) that starts from Aswan and end in Abu Simble. Check here for some suggestions. We chose the road as our Cruise ship was docked in Aswan. It took us about 3.5 hours to reach Abu Simble and we left cruise ship at 4AM with a stop for breakfast around 7.30. The entire trip took about 10 hours including lunch.
There are 2 temples at Abu Simble complex- The great temple and small temple
The temples of Abu Simbel were by Ramesses II, one of the most powerful rulers of ancient Egypt. The Great Temple of Abu Simbel is dedicated to the gods Amon-Ra, Ra-Harakhti, and Ptah.
The Small Temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, the beloved and favorite wife of Ramesses II. One notable feature of this temple is the statue of Nefertari is the same height as that of her husband indicating that king considered his wife to be equal to him. You don’t see this very often in Egyptian temples as wives and children are usually portrayed as small figures near the feet of the pharaoh.
The Abu Simble (meaning father of Simble) came about as the Swiss explorer Burckhardt was led to the site by a boy named Simbel in 1813 CE and the site was then named after him. Burckhardt, however, was unable to uncover the site, which was buried in sand up to the necks of the grand colossi and later mentioned this experience to his friend and fellow explorer Giovanni Belzoni. It was Belzoni who uncovered and first excavated (or looted) Abu Simbel in 1817 CE and it is considered likely that it was he, not Burckhardt, who was led to the site by the young boy and who named the complex after him. As with other aspects regarding Abu Simbel (such as the date it was begun), the truth of either version of the story is open to interpretation and all that is known is that the original name for the complex, if it had a specific designation, has been lost .(From World History site and information by our tour guide)
With the construction of the Aswan High Dam, rising water levels threatened to flood the temples of Abu Simbel. In the 1960’s, in an initiative spearheaded by UNESCO, with a multi-national team of archaeologists, the entire complex was moved to its present location.
Ramesses II on his throne depicted at the entrance of Abu Simbletwenty-three baboons in worshipThe Great Hall at Abu Simbel the templeInner SanctuarySmaller temple in Abu Simble
Inner sanctuary of Abu Simble and its significance: In the sanctuary inside the Temple of Ramesses II (Great Temple) at Abu Simbel are rock-cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah. The architects of ancient Egypt in the 13th century BCE aligned the temple so that on October 22 and February 22, the sun’s rays enter into the sanctuary to illuminate the sculptures on the wall, except for the statue of Ptah, the god associated with the underworld, which remains in shadow.
World History
With Abu Simble visit, our six-day trip to Egypt came to a close. We flew out of Aswan to Cairo on Friday night and boarded our flight back to US on Saturday morning.
Final thoughts:
Egypt is a country of so much history and everyone must visit at least once
Egypt reminded me of India in terms of people and traffic and I would not drive on my own here.
It is definitely easier to do the trip with a tour company.
As much as we enjoyed Nile cruise, if we go back, we will probably do road trip as it gives more control on our time
Would definitely spend at least 2 days in Luxor and add few other things to our itinerary including The Dendera Temple complex.
Istanbul is truly an amazing place where cultures colloid together and perfect city for layovers. We had 15 hour layover in Istanbul on our way to Cairo, Egypt and decided to use this time to see some major historical sites of Istanbul. More information on Istanbul Layover can be found in post here and it outlines all your options. We went with option 3 and this is our experience of visiting following places:
Hippodrome/SultanAahmet Square
Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque & Museum
Basilica cistern
Arasat Bazar
Bosphorus Cruise
Hippodrome/Sultan Ahmet Square
The main attraction in Sultanahmet square is the Obelisk of Theodosius. It has a long history and originates in Aswan of Egypt (Pharoh Thutmose III) before being re-erected in Istanbul by Theodosius. Hippodrome used to be the place where people would gather to watch chariot race and is associated with Constantinople’s days of glory as an imperial capital. The other attraction is the German Fountian at the opposite end of the hippodrome. It was constructed to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II’s visit to Istanbul in 1898 and was built in Germany, then transported piece by piece and assembled in its current site in 1900.
Obelisk of Theodosius in Sultan Ahmet SquareGerman Fountian
Area around hippodrome is hopping with shops, vendors selling roasted corn on the cob, Turkish simit (Turkish bagel) and a great place to spend people watching.
Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque & Museum
There is no other monument more iconic than Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, where 1500 years of Christian and Islamic history can be seen side-by-side. Once the great cathedral of Constantinople and later an imperial mosque of the Ottoman Empire, this center of worship for Christians and Muslims was a museum for few years and now is back to being a active Mosque. Since it is an active mosque right now, you need to have long pants or skirts, and women must cover their heads with a scarf or a hat. Also, as it is mosque covered in carpet, you’ll take your shoes off before entering the mosque (Plan accordingly).
Key sights at Hagia Sophia:
Church/ Mosque- Imperial gate golden mosaic. It represents the emperor Leo VI bowing down before Christ Pantocrator, giving His blessing and holding in His left hand an open book. The text on the book reads as follows: “Let peace and safety be with you. I am the peace and glorious light of universe” (Photo 4)
This church was built to face Jerusalem; mosques faced Mecca. When Hagia Sophia became a mosque, they couldn’t move the church, but they could move the focal point of the praying. The prayer niche is just a bit off-center and faces Mecca (Photo 9)
The Virgin and Child mosaic, 9th century CE, The mosaic is located in the apse semi-dome of Hagia Sophia. In the mosaic Mary is enthroned and she puts her right hand on the shoulder of the Child Christ who is seated in her lap (Photo 10)
Sultan lodge: This lodge was used by Sultan to join the rituals without being seen by public and it was also to protect the Sultan from possible assassins. The grills of the lodge are carved marble in Turkish rococo style, and the columns carrying the lodge are Byzantine.
Inside Hagia SophiaCeilingInterior ceiling of Hagia SophiaImperial gate golden mosaic Marble and Bronze Fountain Hagia SophiaInside the mosqueRoof of Hagia SophiaSultan’s lodgeOff centered payer nook facing meccaMosaic of Emperors Justinian and Constantine with virgin MaryOutside of Hagia Sophia
There are few other artifacts in Hagia Sophia referring to its church days including this architrave of 12 sheep that represents the twelve apostles of Christ and this can be seen in the garden.
Blue mosque : Blue mosque was closed for renovation when we visited in April 2023 which means we will have to go back to see it again soon. We were able to see it from outside.
Basilica cistern : There are hundreds of cisterns under the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul which were used as water storage facilities to ensure drinking water supply during war. The most famous cistern is Basilica Cistern and has a very unique architecture as it is built using reused columns from the ancient Greek era and hence you will see columns with head of Medusa. For more info on these cisterns, see this blog. It was highlight of our trip to tour basilica cistern and it is fascinating to see new age art installations among really old Greek era columns. If you are visiting Hagai Sophia, I highly recommend seeing this as it is walking distance from Hagia Sophia
Arasat Bazar
Grand bazar is the most famous shopping place in Istanbul, and you can walk to Grand Bazar from Hagia Sohia. There are couple of ways to get to Grand bazar- either walk through Nuruosmaniye Street or take the tram (More info here). It is huge and very easy to get lost. We decided to visit Asrsat Bazar -a charming little bazar close to Hagia Sophia and bought one of the best Turkish delights I have ever eaten in a little shop. Arasat bazar gives you all the experience of grand Bazar without overwhelming the senses. Spice bazar is another good place if you want to buy spices and other food items.
Bosphorus Cruise:
Bosphorus strait divides Turkey into Asian Turkey and European Turkey making it into an Intercontinental country. You can be in 2 continents within few minutes within the same country. We didn’t have enough time to take the cruise but our guide took us on a passenger ferry so that we can see the Asian side of Turkey. It was beautiful night to be on the cruise and we walked around a bit before stopping by Sekerci Cafe . This place is amazing if you have a sweet tooth and has every imaginable candy and store get decorated for various festivals. We got to see it in its glory decorated for Ramadan.
Final thoughts: Layover tour is Istanbul is totally worth it and we are hoping to go back to Istanbul on our next trip to Africa or India. We found Turkish people to very friendly, and welcoming. The food especially Turkish delight is amazing and history and culture inspiring and spending even few hours is worth it see this amazing city. There is lot more to see in Istanbul than we could cover in 7 hours and we are hoping to go back on our next adventure to visit more places.
This an update based on our experience while travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina with 26 hour stopover in Istanbul. Since the last stopover which we did in April of 2023, there are few updates for the Stay/Tour Istanbul program by Turkish airlines
US Citizens/ Green card holders do not need to apply for visa beforehand (Change from 2023)
When booking tickets on Turkish airline webpage, you can choose the option of Stopover, whether you want to stopover on departure or return and how many days you would like to stopover (Yellow highlights)
US based traveler can get up to 2 nights free hotel for economy class and 3 nights for business class.
You can pre-select your hotel (once you have your tickets) based on where you want to stay. Once your tickets are booked, you can choose the hotel under the option “Experience ” and “Stopover” tab. You can enter your ticket # or reservation code and you can choose the hotel options based on the dates of your stay. We were able pre-book our hotel almost 2 months before our travel. Makes it much easier to plan and we decided to book in Faith district (Hotel Grand Yavuz)
Istanbul is truly magical city where East meets West in both literal and cultural sense. If you are travelling to anywhere in Africa or Europe or middle east, you might have few hours of layover in Istanbul. If you want to utilize the layover time effectively and get most of it, there are few of options.
Option 1- free tour Istanbul with Turkish airlines. More info below on this and only possible if you book through Turkish airlines and you will see tourIstanbul on the lisitng
Option 2- free hotel stay with Turkish airlines stay Istanbul program. You can either visit some highlights on your own or through a paid guided tour. More details below .
Options 3: Guided tour. Any airline as long as you have enough time in between your flights
Option 4: Self-guided tour- choose your adventure. If you want to read our experience, check here
Option 1: Turkish airline Tour Istanbul- Free tour
If you have a layover in Istanbul, Turkish airlines has a complementary service called Tour Istanbul. Here are the requirements to avail this service :
Your travel must be booked with Turkish airlines- both legs of the travel
You need to get an e-visa before getting on the tour. E-visa can be obtained here. ( when we applied 2 weeks before our trip, we got visa almost instantaneously)- No need for visa for American Citizens and Green card holders- Updated in 2024
Your layover should be between 6-24 hours
There are 7 different tours to chose and what tour you can go on depends on your time of arrival. They offer full day tours and half day tours.
You don’t need to prebook the tour. Just head out to “ Hotel Desk” which you will find after going through customs and immigration. You will have to walk quite bit to reach hotel desk. You stop before getting out of the airport and Hotel desk is located opposite to arrival gate between door 13 and 14 ( you can also use this handy map to get to hotel desk
If you have luggage you can leave at the “Left Luggage” for a fee. This is not a free service, and they charge by hour. There are multiple left luggage places and there is one conveniently located next to “Hotel Desk”
Depending on the tour, breakfast or dinner provided free of cost. The tour doesn’t cost you any money.
Tour is offered 7 days a week and check here for updated information
Option 2: Stopover program by Turkish airlines
Stop over in istsnbul is a free accommodation by Turkish airlines in partner hotels!
Stopover in Istanbul is only available for passengers connecting from Istanbul Airport (IST); departure and return flights must be via Istanbul.
Stopover in Istanbul is only available for flights operated by Turkish Airlines.
To benefit from Stopover in Istanbul, there must be at least 20 hours of transit time between the two flights.
To take advantage of this service, passengers must apply at least 72 hours before the first flight via the e-mail address of the country of departure- Webpage has been updated and you can pre-book your hotel on the experiences tab on the Turkish airlines webpage -2024 update
Within the scope of this service, Economy Class passengers can stay 1 night free of charge in a 4-star hotel and Business Class passengers can stay 2 nights free of charge in a 5-star hotel.
Visa fees, travel costs around the city, and travel costs between the airport and hotel are borne by the passenger.
Economy Class passengers starting their journey from the United States can benefit from our Stopover service for 2 nights; Business Class passengers can benefit from our Stopover service for 3 nights.
Please refer to this webpage for all the details and reach out to Turkish airlines for your eligibility. Contact email for Turkish airlines for hotel if you are traveling from USA : freehotelusa@thy.com. For each country there is a different email and more details can be found here
You can only choose either tour Istanbul or stay Istanbul with Turkish airlines. You can’t do both on the same trip.
Option 3: Private guided tour
This is our experience at 15 hour layover in Istanbul on our way to Cairo in April 2023. We decided to not take Tour Istanbul option, as our flight was reaching at 2.30 and we weren’t sure we will make it to 4.30 tour. We organized the guided tour through Istanbul layover tours and we had the best experience with them. Our flight was delayed by an hour and Leif (owner/ contact) kept in touch through WhatsApp and we had a smooth transfer and tour. Our guide was Alp who made this tour incredible. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and truly amazing. When he found out we were vegetarians through the tour operator, he had gone to The Hagia Sophia area day before and found a restaurant that served vegetarian food before our visit. Highly recommend Alp and this tour company for Istanbul visit. Here are the places we visited:
Hippodrome/Sultanahmet Square
Hagia Sophia- went inside the mosque and got guided tour of the place
Blue mosque ( Closed for construction in April 2023) and we saw it from outside
Basilica Cistern- the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul.
Arasta bazar- Grand bazar was closed by the time we finished everything else. So decided to check out Arasta bazar with our guide. Had the best Turkish delight and great overall experience of the turkish bazar.
Dinner at Feugo cafe and restaurant- really good Turkish food
Bosporus strait-forms part of the continental boundary between Asia and Europe, and divides Turkey Europe side and Asian side. We took a ferry to Asian side and walked around
The tour lasted from about 7 hours and we were picked and dropped off to the airport. Hoping to go back to Istanbul in our next layover to check out Blue Mosque and other highlights of Istsnbul with same company as they can customize the tour based on your need. We also booked Yotel airside which is inside the airport so that we can stay inside airport and get to our connecting flight at 8Am. It was 5 min walk from the hotel to our gate.
Option 4: Self guided tour
If you decide take option 2 with Turkish airlines or like us you want to do the tour the way you want, you can do a self- guided tour. After doing the guided tour, we realized that it is pretty easy to cover the key highlights on your own. Here are my recommendations to cover the highlights.
– There are several options to get from airport to city center. Choose what is convenient for you and here are some options.
– once you are city center, some highlights can be reached by walking. Here is a handy map by Istanbul clues of the city center. Other highlights can be reached by tram which runs frequently (need to have money/ coins to pay once you board or you can buy a pass). For more information about the trams please check this website
Hotels and other options within the airport
Istanbul airport has several options for resting or sleeping at the airport. Yotel is one option and you can rent by the hour. YOTEL is the only hotel located at IST Airport. It has two locations: one LANDSIDE (before immigration and passport control) and one AIRSIDE (in the transit area, accessible only with a valid boarding pass). Airside is better if you have an early flight and you would have done the immigration night before and you can getup and go. Reach out to the hotel for any questions (If you want to make an hourly or multi-night booking please contact istanbul.reservation@yotel.com or call +90 212 942 6666.
Second option is Istanbul Airport Sleeping Cabins -IGA Sleep Pods and you can rent these by hour. You can get more info on these pods here
Third option is IGA lounge, and you can access it for free if you have Priority pass or pay for access (Check IGA webpage for cost). This is one of the best lounges we have been to, and it has a huge selection for food and other amenities
When: High season (cooler season) October to April. May is a shoulder season.
How many days: Minimum 6 full days but will be a busy schedule. Need at least 2 days in each place and travel time between the cities. 7-8 days would be ideal.
How: Book with a travel group or self-guided- Land or Nile cruise
Budget: $1,500-$2,500 per person for 6-7 days (Including flight, hotel, food, and transportation from US. Ave flight- $800-$1,500 per person, Hotels-$300-$ 600 per night, Nile cruise- $800-$1500 ave per person for 4 days (Based on April 2023 Cost))
Other details: Visa for Egypt (Check here for details)
This itinerary is from Brazil side. This can be reversed and done from Argentinian side too. Overall, 2 full days are enough to do both sides and get the best out of the trip.
Hotel : Das Cataratas A Belmond Hotel-The only hotel inside the park on Brazilian side
From Palace to prison- heartbreak and love story of Shah Jahan
Shah Burj with Taj Mahal in the background
Fort of Agra is located little over a mile from the more famous monument in Agra- The Taj Mahal. With in this powerful fortress of red sandstones lies the imperial city of Moghuls. It was established by the Mughal emperor Akbar when Agra was the Mughal capital and served as royal residence and seat of government. There are several points of historical significance within the fort and for more information read this blog (The phrase Palace to Prison is also borrowed from the same blog).
One of the most fascinating story from Fort of Agra is the Shah Burj, also known as Mathammam referring to the octagonal plan of the building. Shah Burj is a small palace overlooking the Yamuna river within Agra Fort and has spectacular view of Taj Mahal and Yamuna revier. Shah Burj was originally built by Akbar, who used it for jharokha-e-darshan, a ‘window’ from which the emperor would provide his subjects a daily morning view of himself, to reassure them of his safety and well-being.
Shah Burj was rebuilt by Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1640 who put his own signature on the building. It is a marble octagonal tower which stands in close proximity to Diwan-i-Khas, was built by Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj mahal was also built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal and stands as a symbol of undying love and devotion.
Shah Burj
The dome of the building is topped by a gilded tower and the floor of the chamber is paved with marble so as to resemble a “pachisi” board ( Pachisi- traditional Indian cross and circle board game). The rooms are paved with light marble up to the top of the ceiling along with an open pavilion with a shallow lotus-shaped tank on the floor, featuring a water jet in the center. Floors, walls and ceiling are covered with delicate carvings.
Shah Burj CarvingsInterior of Shah BurjCarvings on the column
There are several stories related to Shah Burj, one of these is that it was here that Shah Jahan, along with his daughter, Jahanara Begum, spent his remaining days after being imprisoned by his son and successor, Aurangzeb. In 1658 Shah Jahan became ill, and immediately all three of his sons started making a bid for power and Aurangzeb was able to seize Agra Fort and imprisoned his dad in the fort. The last thing Shah Jahan would have thought when designing and building this wonderful palace is that it would become his prison years later. It is said that during his final years of imprisonment in the chambers beside the Burj, Shah Jahan was supposed to have looked longingly out at the distant view of the Taj Mahal he had built for his empress Mumtaj. In January 1666 Shah Jahan passed away, and was buried next to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, at the Taj Mahal.
Lake Moraine is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park and is situated in the valley of Ten Peaks. Lake Moraine is the only lake I visited twice when I was in Banff. First time I took a shuttle around 6.30AM and spent about 2 hours on the rock pile appreciating the azure blue color with ten peaks in the background. Second time I went during sunrise and had a very different view and colors as the sun lit up the valley of the ten peaks with pinks and gold.
I missed going to Banff with brother and sister in 2001 and always regretted missing on that trip. When we finally decided to go in 2023, the trip was riddled with changes. Original plan has to be scrapped as it didn’t fit our schedule and I had rescheduled entire trip 2 weeks before the original date. When I looked at the weather forecast for the week we were going, it seemed likely that it is going to rain entire week and then threat of wildfires. There was no guarantee that we will have clear skies. I planned to go to Moraine Lake every day of our trip as our scheduled sunrise shuttle was on the last day and I didn’t want to take a chance of not seeing this lake in its fully glory. As it turned out that we had perfect weather for the whole time we were in Banff and the day we went to see sunrise, we had a “Blue bird” day with perfect blue skies.
As much as we like control things, we have no control over anything especially things like weather and we need learn to enjoy and appreciate each moment as it is presented to us- a lesson I am trying to learn and practice. I am grateful for the opportunities to appreciate true beauty of our world by letting go of expectations and practicing mindfulness, focusing on present moment.
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.” Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan
“Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles), as part of that day’s Family Portrait series of images of the Solar System. In the photograph, Earth’s apparent size is less than a pixel; the planet appears as a tiny dot against the vastness of space, among bands of sunlight reflected by the camera.Voyager 1, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and take one last photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of astronomer and author Carl Sagan. The phrase “Pale Blue Dot” was coined by Sagan in his reflections on the photograph’s significance, documented in his 1994 book of the same name.”(Pale Blue Dot – Wikipedia)
For a pale blue dot, our earth is definitely beautiful and filled with moments that take your breath away. As I grow older, I have learnt to appreciate this pale blue dot and everything it has to offer. Spiritually speaking, the pale blue dot image is a reminder that we are nothing but a speck in this wide space and it is on us to cherish the time we have on this pale blue dot.
Peaks to Palaces 