Egypt hits differently than anywhere else. You fly in expecting postcards and instead get the pyramids at 6 a.m., a felucca drifting past palm islands on the Nile, and the Valley of the Kings carved a hundred meters into the mountain. A week is tight but classic: Cairo, Luxor, and a cruise between them. Here's how we'd run it.
The Week at a Glance
| Day | Where | What you'll do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairo | Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, sunset from a panorama point |
| 2 | Cairo | Grand Egyptian Museum or Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili bazaar |
| 3 | Cairo → Luxor | Overnight sleeper train or morning flight |
| 4 | Luxor | West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, Colossi of Memnon |
| 5 | Luxor | Karnak and Luxor temples, evening sound and light show |
| 6 | Nile cruise | Board the ship; sail to Edfu, then Kom Ombo at sunset |
| 7 | Aswan | High Dam, Philae temple, felucca on the Nile, Abu Simbel add-on option |
The cruise keeps moving while you sleep — that's why the week works.
Cairo: Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum
Arrive in the morning, because the Giza plateau is at its best before the heat and the crowds. The Great Pyramid, the only surviving wonder of the ancient world, is worth entering — the passage to the Queen's Chamber is claustrophobic and unforgettable (around 600 EGP, $12, separate from the plateau ticket). Camel rides are negotiable; agree on the price before you mount — expect 300 to 500 EGP ($6 to $10) for a short loop.
The Grand Egyptian Museum has been opening in phases since late 2025, and its Tutankhamun galleries are the new must-see — but check what's open before booking, since the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square still holds much of the collection. Budget four hours minimum and book tickets online; the queues are real.
Khan el-Khalili After Dark
Finish in the medieval heart: Khan el-Khalili bazaar, where shopkeepers still offer tea while you browse, and a papyrus, lantern or silver cartouche can be had for half the asking price if you smile and walk away once. Dinner of koshary — rice, lentils, pasta and fried onions — costs 50 to 100 EGP ($1 to $2) at any busy stall.
Getting South: Train or Fly
Two options, both fine. The overnight sleeper train is the romantic one — dinner, a rocking cabin, waking up in Upper Egypt — at about $80 to $100 per person including meals, but it eats a day. The 1.5-hour flight costs $60 to $120 one way and buys you a full extra day. With only a week, we'd fly.
Luxor: The World's Greatest Open-Air Museum
Luxor splits into two worlds. The East Bank holds the living city and its great temples; the West Bank holds the dead — the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamun's tomb was found, and tombs whose wall paintings still glow with their original blue.
A driver for the West Bank day costs 800 to 1,200 EGP ($17 to $25); the local "microbus" circuit works too if you're early. Do the Valley of the Kings first, at opening, with your two or three tomb entries chosen in advance — Ramses V and VI's tomb is the painted showpiece. Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, cut into the cliff face, is the architectural knockout of the day.
Karnak, the largest temple complex ever built, grew across two thousand years of pharaohs. The hypostyle hall's 134 columns are the most awe-inspiring interior in Egypt — walk it at opening, before tour groups fill the colonnades. Luxor Temple, lit at night in the center of town, needs only an hour.
The Nile Cruise: Luxor to Aswan
Boats leave Luxor almost daily; a three- or four-night cruise to Aswan costs $150 to $400 per person for a cabin, meals and entry to the temples en route. The standard stops are Edfu and Kom Ombo, reached by horse-drawn carriage or a short walk from the dock.
- Edfu's temple is the best-preserved in Egypt — its pylon and Horus statue survive almost intact
- Kom Ombo is built for crocodile worship and sits on a bend made for sunset photos
- Upgrade to a superior cabin — a balcony over the Nile is worth every dollar
There's a particular hour on the Nile we'll never forget: the boat rounding a bend between palm groves, ibis flying alongside, the green fields giving way to desert. The cruise costs more than the train, but it pays you back in moments like that.
Aswan and the Abu Simbel Add-On
Aswan is Egypt at its slowest. Philae temple, rebuilt on an island after the dam, is reached by small motorboat through the cataracts — magical at golden hour. The High Dam is worth skipping if time is tight.
Abu Simbel is the famous add-on: Ramses II's four colossal statues, relocated 200 meters uphill when the lake rose, and one of the great sites on earth. It's a 3-hour drive each way from Aswan, usually a dawn convoy trip by shared minibus (from about $40 per person including entry). The drive is long and you'll still be glad you went; if it's a budget stretch, a felucca sunset on the Nile is an honorable substitute.
Guides, Tipping and Staying Cool
A good guide transforms Egypt — history at the temples is otherwise just old rocks and good photos. Group day tours run $30 to $70 per person; private guides double that and are worth it at least once. Tipping is the working norm: 50 to 100 EGP ($1 to $2) for a driver or guide's assistant, 10 to 15 percent at restaurants, small notes for anyone who shows you a doorway. Carry change constantly — Egypt runs on small bills.
- Drink bottled water constantly — the dry heat dehydrates silently
- Sun at the temples is brutal between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. — plan cruise or indoor time then
- Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) at mosques and churches; sunblock and a hat are essential
- Buy entry tickets online where possible — the box offices are slow
October to April is the season; summer highs push past 40°C and the cruises empty out accordingly. One week, two civilizations, the oldest road trip on earth — Egypt rearranges your sense of time, in the best way.
