Evening departure. Meals and refreshments are served on board.

Morning arrival in Rome and transfer to your hotel. Tonight experience the Roman dining scene and Dolce Vita.

This morning's city tour startswith Najads Fountain, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Stop near St. Peter's Square. Religious functions permitting, you may explore this majestic church on your own and admire Michelangelo's masterpiece, La Pietà® Afternoon sightseeing highlights the monument to King Victor Emanuel II, Piazza del Campidoglio which was designed by Michelangelo and complete your tour with a stop by the Colosseum. (B)

Enjoy a full day at leisure or join an optional excursion to Naples and Pompeii. In Naples, see the San Carlo Opera House and the striking Maschio Angioino. After lunch in Pompeii, visit the excavations where Pompeii was covered by ashes during the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in the year 79 A.D. The remains reveal the every day life of the Imperial Age and scenes of the eruption tragedy. Should you opt for staying in Rome, indulge in shopping at any of the marvelous signature shops and boutiques that dot the city Gucci. Ferragamo. Bulgari. (B)

Travel to Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance. The city tour includes the Accademia which houses the famous statue of David by Michelangelo, then the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with the beautiful dome by Brunelleschi, Giotto's Belfry and Piazza della Signoria, the very 'heart of Florence'. Enjoy an included lunch at an authentic Florentine restaurant and resume your tour at the church of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo is buried. You may visit on your own shops exemplifying ancient Florentine crafts of mosaics, leather and goldsmithing. (B,L)

Departure by air for Cairo where you will be met and taken to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure. (B)

Full day city tour including the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, with the world's largest collection of pharaonic artifacts and treasures from Tutankhamen's tomb. Next drive to the Citadel to view important Islamic structures, including the Muhammad Ali Mosque. In Old Cairo, we visit Al Moallaka Church (Hanging Church) and Ben Ezra Synagogue. End this city tour at Khan el-Khalili, Cairo's labyrinthine shopping mecca. Best buys: gold, silver, papyrus, galabiyas, perfumes, antiques, and famous Egyptian cotton. Lunch is included during tour. (B,L)

Full day tour of the Giza complex, including the Pyramid of Khufu (the Great Pyramid), the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the Great Sphinx. After Giza proceed to Memphis and tour the 'open air museum', site of the Colossus of Ramses the Second and the Alabaster Sphinx. Your visit to Sakkara will include the Step Pyramid, the first pyramid ever. You will subsequently view the Pyramid of Teti. Lunch is included during tour. (B,L)

After a short flight to Luxor, you will board the M/S Sonesta Nile Goddess in time for lunch. Admire the temple complex of Karnak (ancient Thebes) and Luxor. Visit the necropolis on the Nile's West Bank that includes the Valley of the Kings, the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. Overnight on board ship in Luxor. (B,L,D)

Cruise through the Esna Lock to the ancient settlement of Edfu, located on the west bank of the Nile. (B,L,D)

Travel by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the Falcon God, the major Ptolemaic temple. Of all the temples that remain in Egypt, it is the most completely preserved. Sail for Kom Ombo to visit the Temples of Sobek and Haroeris. Sail to Aswan and overnight on board ship. (B,L,D)

Enjoy a tour of the High Dam, an outstanding water project to prevent the Nile River from flooding. Also stop at the Granite Quarries, which in antiquity furnished the stone for the monolithal, colossal statues, obelisks, and shrines which are found throughout Egypt. See the Unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis, Goddess of Magic. The temple had to be relocated block by block to its current location because of the rising waters caused by the dams built on the Nile. End this day tour with a ride on a felucca, a typical Egyptian sailboat, to view Kitchner's Island botanical garden and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. Overnight in Aswan. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, disembark and transfer to Aswan Airport for your flight to Cairo. Balance of your day is at leisure for a last visit to a shopping bazaar and to enjoy Cairo's exciting nightlife. (B)

Morning transfer to Cairo International Airport for your return flight home. Meals and refreshments are served aloft. (B)