Where to go in Egypt
Most first-time visitors see Cairo and the Nile Valley. That is the right place to start — but Egypt is considerably larger than its most famous week, and the destinations below combine more easily than people expect.
LowerEgypt
The pyramids, the Sphinx, Saqqara, Islamic Cairo and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Chaotic, enormous, and worth more days than most itineraries give it.
best3–4 daysyear round
NileValley
Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut. Also where the balloons go up at dawn over the west bank.
best2–3 daysOct – Apr
UpperEgypt
Quieter and warmer than Luxor, with Philae, the High Dam, Nubian villages, and Abu Simbel three hours south.
best2 daysOct – Apr
Coast& Reef
Hurghada, El Gouna and Sharm el-Sheikh. Some of the best accessible reef diving anywhere, and the natural place to end a history-heavy trip.
best3–5 daysyear round
SinaiCoast
Ras Mohammed, the Straits of Tiran, and St. Catherine's behind the coast. The other Red Sea, on the Sinai side.
best3–5 daysyear round
Included inCairo & Sharm el-Sheikh
NorthCoast
Qaitbay Citadel, the catacombs, and the Bibliotheca. A different Egypt — Greek and Roman rather than pharaonic, and easy as a day trip from Cairo.
best1–2 daysApr – Nov
Included inGrand Egypt
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