An unforgettable family winter break in the Middle East

How to mix fun, adventure, good food, history and culture into one family trip in the winter time.

As I look out into the cold today I am reminiscing about our first large family trip to the Middle East.

First stop had to be Istanbul with its beautiful Aya Sofia. When I first learned about it in an art class in high school I decided that Istanbul would be the first place I would visit on my travels. 25 years later I finally made it to the Bosphorus and this truly magical place. I could not have imagined back then, though, that I would be able to admire all this beauty through the eyes of my kids. This was very emotional.

Istanbul impressions

Its landmark buildings marking the crossroad between the Christian and Islamic world, its bustling markets and its people will stay with us. What impressed us most, though, is its amazing setting at a geographically strategic point with half of the city on the European continent and the other half in Asia. So when we left the city we decided to make our way to the airport which lies on the Asian side of Istanbul by crossing the Bosphorus by ferry. Admiring the lit-up Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque as we sailed across the water at sunset left a lasting impression. And the kids loved this symbolic way of crossing from Europe over to the Asian continent to catch a short flight to Africa. Three continents in one day.

Egypt

Next stop, Egypt. To get acquainted with this Arabic country, its food, its etiquettes and its bustle more easily we thought it was best to start our Egyptian experience with a water park resort in Hurghada on the Red Sea. We are generally not into resorts, in fact, this has been our first resort experience as a family. The kids though totally enjoyed this whole ‘order as many milkshakes as you want’ experience, dived into all sorts of kids’ activities and threw themselves in the water slides till finally fell asleep watching the shows at night. It is certainly not my kind of holiday but a few days were about right to adjust to the warm climate, to prepare our next steps and to get the kids a positive first impression of the country.

Desert & diving

During our days in Hurghada we managed to go into the desert to explore local life beyond the tourist resorts and to get a feel of what this region is truly about. Barren vast open desert and mountains rising only a few miles inland invite exploration deeper. A one day trip was really just a glimpse of life in the desert but it has seriously awoken our desire to do some proper desert travels.

Our days in Hurghada allowed us also to do some long-wished-for dives in the Red Sea while the kids stayed on the boat playing with the friendly crew. In places where you can perfectly snorkel we usually took the kids with us into the water to share these wonders such as on our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam last year. On this occasion, though, the high wind, the waves and the chilly February water weren’t ideal. And it is important for us parents to also get our portion of grown-up fun every now and then.

Cairo

And then the big one. Expectations for Cairo were high and our arrival to Cairo was overwhelming to say the least with crazy traffic and pollution on a high. We had initially considered driving from Hurghada to the capital but were discouraged given the road dangers and police corruption but mostly the way locals drive and the apparent non-existence of traffic rules. We have driven in many countries but Egypt and especially Cairo just seems a whole different level so I am very glad we decided on option B for a beautiful view from above.

Accommodation-wise we decided against an Airbnb in Cairo as the options did not feel safe enough. Given the terror attack in Cairo weeks before our arrival we opted for a hotel owned by the military. And what an experience we had! We were given the luxury suite as the run down hotel seemed pretty much empty and the whole stay felt like being in a movie with soldiers at the door and intriguing chats with the waiters without speaking each other’s language. The highlight was certainly a double wedding which was celebrated at the hotel during our stay. The two couples lodged right next to our suite and so we intensely experienced a local wedding in all its glamour and were even asked to take a picture with the newlyweds.

Giza

Checking out the Pyramids of Giza is a must when being in Cairo and hence I was reluctant to go as I feared hordes of tourists all over. But I had read somewhere about an alternative, less busy entrance to the South East and so instructed our taxi driver to take us there. Soon we arrived at a busy market with several camel holders who tried to get us an expensive ride to the pyramids. While we haggled the price down to something reasonable our taxi driver drove to the main entrance for tickets for us and it was all a bit of a risk as we weren’t even sure they would allow us in after all as the entrance is for staff only, or at least that’s what we were told. After over an hour of back and forth and several changes of camels for unclear reasons we were all saddled up and ready to ride through the gates.

And wow! It really was worth the extra hassle as we literally rode all the way through the dunes on our own with the pyramids slowly opening up in front of us imagining how this scenery hadn’t changed in over 4000 years.

Egyptian Museum

This historic landmark in downtown Cairo is said to be one of the most impressive collections. Yet, the idea of spending a whole day at the Egyptian Museum with three kids under ten was daunting. I had pictured the kids tiring out quickly but turns out it’s one of the best museums we have been to. We generally prefer browsing museums without a guide as to be able to adjust to the kids’ necessities, tantrums and endless fights with less pressure. However, the museum is huge and you could spend days in there almost getting lost. Good thing we were approached by a genuinely friendly tour guide specialized in guiding children and he turned our visit into a fantastic journey through history telling anecdotes, pointing out interesting facts for kids about Tutankhamun and taking us to the most exciting mummies including animal ones. I highly recommend it.

Nile sailing

When exploring a city by the coast or a river we always try to go on a little boat trip, ideally public transport. Seeing a city from the water puts it into a whole new light and dimension away from mad traffic and millions of people. And if it is the Nile at sunset even more so.

Simply walk along the Maadi shore and chat to the guys with their feluccas which are traditional wooden sailboats used since ancient times. If you are into sailing you will be totally impressed by their ability to control the large canvas sails on their own to zigzag down the Nile. And kids love it too.

Doha finale

On intercontinental flights we try to make the most of stopovers so instead of hanging around at the airport for several hours we rather extend and include one or two nights to explore a new city. So to end our Middle East experience it was Doha, Qatar.

What we will remember are the beautifully restored historical centre surrounded by a modern city, extra large streets for extra large cars and an amazing waterfront.  There is an interesting mix of only 10% of the population being Qataris and 90% foreign born, mostly from neighbouring Arabic countries and India. It is a clash of traditional ways of life and modern new-rich.

5 things we learned on this Middle East trip

– Traveling across regions, cultures and lives on the border between Europe, Asia and Africa with its rich history and culture has opened up a whole new world view for us.

– Visiting the cradle of civilization we were reminded just how intertwined European and the Middle East history is and how much we have in common.

– We have been repeatedly criticised for taking our kids to unsafe territories. However, regions with recent political upheaval or terror attacks tend to be safer due to increased security measures. Thanks to some research, advanced planning and a good dose of common sense we felt safe throughout the entire trip and have met some fantastic people eager to exchange beliefs and experiences.

– Just like anywhere, taxi drivers are a main source to gage a society, the political situation and what is really going on locally. They are also an invaluable source of insight for hidden gems away from tourist spots and have recommended some amazing places to eat that are most popular by the locals. Starting up a friendly conversation with taxi drivers has turned our rides through horrible traffic into most enjoyable learning experiences about the city and country. It is important to keep vigilant to avoid falling for the classic tourist traps so we did our research on local traps and scams ahead of our trip (just google ‘most common scams in x)’ so we were aware and could evade them with a friendly but assertive ‘no thank you’.

– We love markets. And the Middle East Souks are a true feast for bazaar lovers and treasure hunters, such as The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market in Istanbul or the Khan El Khali in Cairo. Now that the kids are a little older, markets have suddenly turned into a fun place for them, too. They enjoy the bustle and the sheer amount of things on offer. Generally we allow each child to have a small budget to spend on little treasures to take home. So on this trip we agreed on $15 each to spend across the entire trip and this was the perfect place to learn how to haggle. While the first tries were on the shy side they soon learned the game – which you are expected to play here – to get the most out of their pocket money by starting with offering half of the asking price to playfully reach a common ground half way between the asking price and our offer. Learning by doing.

All in all it was an unforgettable trip.