Egypt's excellent geographical location has long made it an important link between Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian Ocean world. The country's history and achievements remain alive and modern and include innumerable cultural activities ranging from the arts to music and theatre. Egypt owes the richness of its present artistic and cultural landscape and modern infrastructure to Ismail Pasha (Khedive of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 to 1879), who aspired to modernise Egypt and introduce Egyptian society to Western culture. With the assistance of French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, Khedive Ismail organised a tourist programme to introduce foreign guests to Egyptian culture during the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869. This article investigates this tourist programme and its itinerary, both of which were designed to provide guests with a sense of continuity between ancient Egypt and the Khedive's large-scale modernisation projects.