So this little post is just to share my excitement for travelling to Egypt! Our Egypt planning has been keeping us busy for the last couple of months and can’t wait to step foot off the airplane into the country. We visited the Museum Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden to get us prepared. Our Egypt planning includes a glimpse of 2.5 weeks of locations and things we will visit.
Past to Present 2007 to 2018!
We booked our Egypt vacation a few months ago, a land that my Dutchie has wanted to visit his whole life. I have been once before, back in 2007 with my family. We visited Sharm El Sheikh and it was amazing. We did a quad bike adventure into the desert, diving in the red sea and shopping at the local towns. So just over 10 years later I will be returning, with my partner in crime.
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
A few weeks ago we also visited the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. In English it translate to ‘the National Center for Archaeology”. Officially the museum is 200 years old as of 2018. This museum has a beautiful permanent exposition about Egypt so it was perfect for a day out. There is parking right outside the building in Leiden.
As soon as you enter the entrance you are welcomed with an original Egyptian Taffeh temple that is placed in the center of the room. In the 1960s, the Temple was contributed to the Netherlands for help contributing to the historical preservation of Egyptian antiquities. The temple is 6.5 meters tall and 8 meters wide with a total of 657 blocks.
In total there are over 1400 objects you can view in the museum from Egypt. We really enjoyed seeing it all, but were most interested in the mummy cases, the statues, monuments and objects from Saqqara. Since this is one of the places we will be visiting on our trip. The Egyptian exposition is situated on the whole ground floor of the museum. You can also follow the timeline of objects to know exactly what era you are looking at. We enjoyed the route and everything was clear to understand. Also appreciated the little maps to show the location of where the object was from in Egypt.
Furthermore in the museum, you can see other collections of Ancient Greece, Prehistoric Netherlands, Roman Netherlands and Medieval Netherlands.
A Mummified Monkey
Light Show
We had just missed a light show at the museum so we went inside the museum and explored while we waited for the next one. The show was very well done with the room made darker and the story told of what has been found and what it was like in the past. Very recommended for those with children as this is great to watch and learn.
The show is for only 4 minutes and can be found in front of the Taffeh temple. There are only three time slots that the show takes place so good to plan your visit with one of these:
- 11.30am
- 13.30pm (In English)
- 15.30pm
Our Egypt Planning Itinerary!
This time I will not be going to Sharm El Sheikh, but to so much more! We have planned for just over 2 weeks in Egypt.
Week One
We will start with a few days in Giza, after our direct flight to Cairo. From there we will be seeing all the highlights of the pyramids, sphinx and a little south for the location of Saqqara. Not to forget the Egyptian Museum of course!
From here we will fly to Luxor for a few nights to explore ourselves many of the unique temples and ruins such as the Valley of the Kings, Karnak & Luxor Temple.
By the end of week one we will start from Luxor on a Nile cruise – super excited about this! This will be for 4 nights in total stopping at the usual places of Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple and Temple of Philae.
Week Two
The start of week two will be the middle of our Nile cruise, visiting the last few places that most cruises stop at. We plan to also enjoy the relaxation on the boat too. Ending in Aswan at the end of the cruise, we will also have an extra day to visit the famous Abu Simbel temple.
Our last few days of the vacation after week two will be relaxing in Hurghada with an all inclusive stay on a resort next to the red sea. The perfect end to an adventurous vacation travelling from North to the South of Egypt. We hope our Egypt planning works out well, but have a few days between if we discover more things to explore while we are there.
And more exciting news for my website: Hello new Egypt category!
Read more of our Egypt posts!
The Ultimate Egypt 16 Day Itinerary
Where To Stay In Egypt: Giza, Luxor, Nile Cruise, Aswan and Hurghada
Nile Cruise Views: Life On The Nile River PHOTOBLOG
Egyptian Exhibition At The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Valley Of The Kings Must See Tombs
Snorkeling in Hurghada and Dolphin Spotting
Summary
Well as you can probably tell, I can’t wait!! VERY EXCITED to see and do all the thing we want to. After the museum visit we sure had a good impression with what has been discovered there and some stories behind the objects. We think there are likely more things in museums worldwide from Egypt than in Egypt itself, however still great to see before we go.
Tips for visiting the Museum:
- Fun for all the family
- We went on a very hot day, which worked out great as most people were at the beach and apparently not in an air conditioned museum.
- Plan your visit based on the light show times, its worth seeing
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Have you been to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden before? Or are you also currently Egypt planning? Let us know in the comments!
7 Comments
Michelle M
22nd September 2018 at 8:58 amThis museum looks great! Egypt is definitely in the top 3 of my bucklist, and I will have to add this museum to the list of activities once I get there!
Togetherintransit
22nd September 2018 at 2:28 pmThanks for commenting Michelle. Egypt wasn’t at the top of my list since I had already been, but now with my partner it was a must see destination again! 🙂
Jyoti
22nd September 2018 at 11:12 amHave fun in Egypt and do share your stories. I love to plan too so we have a wonderful time when arrive.
Togetherintransit
22nd September 2018 at 2:27 pmThanks for commenting Jyoti! I’m so excited 😀
Monique
22nd September 2018 at 12:14 pmI love this museum. One of my daughters went on a class trip not long after we visited Egypt and she was so proud because she already know so much of the history.
Togetherintransit
22nd September 2018 at 2:26 pmSounds great! I’ve been trying to catch up with my history knowledge before we go but I still find it a little confusing all the temples and for who and when haha. Hopefully being there and following some guides will help visualise it all better.
Emma
22nd September 2018 at 4:43 pmCool museum!! Have the best time in Egypt, it has also been on my list for a long time!