Egypt itinerary: 7, 10 and 14 days

Four decisions that shape any Egypt itinerary

Fly between Cairo and the south. Luxor is a short flight from Cairo; driving takes most of a day. On our journeys the domestic flights are included: Cairo to Luxor at the start, and Aswan back to Cairo, or on to Hurghada, at the end.

A Nile cruise, or hotels, between Luxor and Aswan. The classic way to cover the river between Luxor and Aswan is a Nile cruise: four nights on board on our journeys, sailing south, with the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo on the way and no packing between hotels. You can also stay in hotels in Luxor and Aswan and see Edfu and Kom Ombo on the drive between them. If you are weighing a large ship against a small sailing boat, read our comparison of the Nile cruise and the dahabiya.

Abu Simbel, or not. The two temples of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel are about three hours south of Aswan by road. By road it means a start before dawn and six hours in the vehicle; by air it is a flight of about an hour each way, far easier but more expensive. As day tours from Aswan they start from $220 per person by road and $625 by air. Our 7-day Classic Egypt & Abu Simbel and 12-day Grand Egypt include the excursion; on the other cruise journeys we can add it. With fewer than seven days, we would usually leave it out rather than rush everything else.

The Red Sea at the end, or not. Hurghada is a short flight from Aswan, and Sharm el-Sheikh a flight from Cairo. A few days by the water is a good way to finish a trip full of early starts, and the sea is good all year, so it is also the part of Egypt that works best in summer. Add it if you have ten days or more, if you are traveling with children, or if this is a honeymoon. Skip it if you have a week and have not yet seen Cairo and Luxor.

7 days in Egypt: Cairo, the Nile and Abu Simbel

Seven days is enough for the classic route if you accept that it is full. This is our 7-day Classic Egypt & Abu Simbel, from $2,630 per person from October to April, or $2,290 from May to September, 2 sharing.

• Day 1: Arrive in Cairo. Met inside the terminal before passport control, then a private transfer to your hotel. Nothing else is planned: after an overnight flight from the US, the first evening is for rest.
• Day 2: The pyramids and the museums. The Giza plateau and the Sphinx in the morning, then the Grand Egyptian Museum or the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
• Day 3: Fly to Luxor. Karnak and Luxor Temple, then board your Nile cruise.
• Day 4: The West Bank. The Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, then the ship sails south toward Edfu.
• Day 5: Edfu and Kom Ombo. The Temple of Horus at Edfu and the double temple at Kom Ombo, as the ship continues to Aswan.
• Day 6: Abu Simbel and Aswan. A morning excursion to Abu Simbel, then Philae Temple, the Unfinished Obelisk and a felucca sail around Elephantine Island.
• Day 7: Fly home through Cairo. Aswan to Cairo, timed to connect with your international flight.

The honest pacing note. Cairo gets one full day, which is the least it can have now that the Grand Egyptian Museum deserves half a day on its own, and Day 6 starts very early. If that sounds like too much, the 8-day Classic Egypt leaves out Abu Simbel and adds a second Cairo day for Saqqara, Memphis and Islamic Cairo, from $2,820 per person from October to April. For a week with more rest, Luxor & Hurghada pairs two days in Luxor, including a sunrise balloon flight, with four nights on the Red Sea, though it leaves out Cairo and the pyramids.

10 days in Egypt: the same route, without the rush

If you can find ten days, take them: the extra days give the sites you came for room to breathe. There is no fixed 10-day journey on our site, so these are the two ways we would build one.

All history: Cairo, the Nile, Abu Simbel and Nubia

• Day 1: Arrive in Cairo. Met at the airport and taken to your hotel.
• Day 2: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. The pyramids and the Sphinx in the morning, the museum in the afternoon.
• Day 3: Saqqara, Memphis and Islamic Cairo. The Step Pyramid of Djoser and the ancient capital at Memphis, then the mosques and markets of Islamic Cairo, ending at Khan el-Khalili.
• Day 4: Fly to Luxor. Karnak and Luxor Temple, then board your Nile cruise.
• Day 5: The West Bank. The Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut, then sail south. A sunrise balloon flight can be added before breakfast.
• Day 6: Edfu and Kom Ombo. Two temples on the river, reaching Aswan by evening.
• Day 7: Aswan. Philae Temple, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and a felucca at sunset. Last night on board.
• Day 8: Abu Simbel. Leave the ship and go south to Abu Simbel, by road or by air. Night in an Aswan hotel.
• Day 9: A Nubian village, then fly to Cairo. A boat to a Nubian village on the west bank in the morning, and an afternoon flight to Cairo.
• Day 10: Fly home. If your flight leaves late, there is time for Coptic Cairo first.

This is our 8-day Classic Egypt with the Aswan days of Grand Egypt: Philae, Abu Simbel and a Nubian village. It has no set price: we quote it in writing for your dates, from the Classic Egypt starting price of $2,820 per person (October to April) plus the added days.

History, then the Red Sea

Our 11-day Nile & Red Sea follows the same Cairo days and the same Nile cruise, then flies from Aswan to Hurghada for a reef snorkeling trip and unscheduled days on the coast. For a ten-day trip, take one day off the beach. The full 11 days start from $3,670 per person from October to April, or $3,190 from May to September.

14 days in Egypt: the whole country, and the coast

Two weeks lets you add the places a shorter trip has to skip, such as Alexandria, Abu Simbel and a Nubian village, and still finish with a rest. This route starts from our 12-day Grand Egypt, from $4,200 per person from October to April ($3,650 May to September), and swaps its last two nights in Cairo for four nights on the Red Sea, as on our Nile & Red Sea journey.

• Day 1: Arrive in Cairo. Met at the airport and taken to your hotel.
• Day 2: Giza and Saqqara. The pyramids and the Sphinx, then the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and the open-air museum at Memphis.
• Day 3: The Grand Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo. The Tutankhamun galleries, then the Citadel, the old mosques and Khan el-Khalili.
• Day 4: Alexandria. A day on the Mediterranean: the Qaitbay Citadel, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the catacombs and Pompey's Pillar, back to Cairo in the evening.
• Day 5: Fly to Luxor. Karnak and Luxor Temple, then board your Nile cruise.
• Day 6: The West Bank. The Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon.
• Day 7: Edfu and Kom Ombo. Sailing south, reaching Aswan by evening.
• Day 8: Aswan. Philae Temple, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and a felucca at sunset.
• Day 9: Abu Simbel. By road or by air. Night in an Aswan hotel.
• Day 10: A Nubian village, then fly to Hurghada. The morning on the west bank, then a short flight to the Red Sea coast.
• Day 11: Reef snorkeling. A boat trip out to the coral reefs.
• Days 12 and 13: The coast, at your pace. The beach, or an excursion such as a desert safari or the Dolphin House reef.
• Day 14: Fly home from Hurghada. A private transfer to the airport.

Or keep it all history. If the beach does not interest you, spend the extra days in Luxor instead: the temples of Dendera and Abydos, a second day on the West Bank for Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum and the workers' village of Deir el-Medina, or a sunrise balloon flight. Luxor has more than one visit can hold.

Pacing advice we give every traveler

• Give the first day to the flight. Cairo is 7 hours ahead of New York for most of the year. Plan nothing for the afternoon you land; a full day of sightseeing after an overnight flight is hard on anyone.
• Give Cairo two full days, three if you can. One for Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, one for Saqqara, Memphis and Islamic or Coptic Cairo. The museum alone deserves half a day; our Grand Egyptian Museum guide explains why.
• See the outdoor sites early. Giza and the Valley of the Kings are cooler and calmer in the morning. With a private guide, the day is planned around the light and the crowds rather than a group's timetable.
• Leave room on the last day. If you fly home through Cairo from Aswan or Luxor, book an international flight that leaves at least 4 hours after your domestic flight lands in Cairo; we time the domestic flight around it. If your flight home leaves early in the day, add a last night in Cairo.
• Summer changes the shape of the day, not the route. From May to September, Luxor and Aswan are regularly above 105°F (40°C), so sightseeing starts at dawn and the middle of the day is spent indoors. Our month-by-month guide explains the seasons, and our guide to what a trip costs shows how the prices change with them.
• Tell us who is traveling. Most sites involve heat, uneven ground and steps. With your own guide and vehicle we can slow the pace, add rest stops and leave out a site that would be hard going. See how we plan family trips.
• Flights and the visa. Cairo is reachable non-stop from several US airports, including New York (JFK), Newark, Washington Dulles, Chicago and Los Angeles; airlines add and drop routes, so check when you book. As an IATA-accredited agency we can book your international flights, quoted separately. US citizens need a visa, bought on arrival or in advance on Egypt's official e-Visa portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg; our visa and meet and greet page explains how we meet you before passport control.