Egypt

Egypt, in a few days

From Cairo and Giza to the Red Sea by way of Luxor and Aswan: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Cairo & Giza

Days 1-2

A sprawling capital at the foot of the Giza pyramids, the only ancient wonder still standing. The Sphinx sits below them, and the Grand Egyptian Museum a short drive away.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Giza pyramids and the Sphinx, guidedFull day · from €55
  A day on the plateau with an Egyptologist. The Great Pyramid held the record for tallest building on earth for close to four thousand years.
• The Grand Egyptian MuseumHalf day · from €35
  Half a day at the museum beside the pyramids, where the whole Tutankhamun collection is shown together for the first time.

✦ Free to visit

• The Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• Islamic Cairo
• The Citadel of Saladin
• The banks of the Nile

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wake Up! Cairo Hostel ↗ (€22 a night) · Mid-range: Ramses Hilton ↗ (€90 a night) · Luxury: Marriott Mena House ↗ (€280 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Cairo & Giza on GetYourGuide

2

Luxor

Days 3-4 · ✈️ Domestic flight 1h

Ancient Thebes, often called the largest open-air museum in the world. Karnak and the Luxor temple on the east bank, the Valley of the Kings on the west.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Valley of the Kings and Karnak, guidedFull day · from €50
  The royal tombs cut into the west bank in the morning, then Karnak, built and rebuilt over two thousand years.
• Hot-air balloon at sunrise1h · from €110
  An hour over the west bank as the light comes up, with the temples and the green strip of the valley below.

✦ Free to visit

• Luxor temple
• The west bank
• The local market
• The Nile corniche

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Bob Marley House ↗ (€16 a night) · Mid-range: Iberotel Luxor ↗ (€70 a night) · Luxury: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa ↗ (€150 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Luxor on GetYourGuide

3

Aswan

Days 5-6 · 🚢 Nile cruise 2 nights

A Nubian town on the Nile, slower than anywhere north of it. Feluccas, the temple of Philae on its island, and the road to Abu Simbel.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Philae temple, by boatHalf day · from €30
  The temple of Isis, moved stone by stone onto a higher island when the High Dam flooded the old one.
• Day trip to Abu SimbelFull day · from €75
  Three hours south to the four seated colossi of Ramesses II, themselves lifted to safety from the rising lake in the 1960s.

✦ Free to visit

• Feluccas on the river
• The Nubian village
• The botanical gardens
• The sunsets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Nuba Nile ↗ (€22 a night) · Mid-range: Movenpick Aswan ↗ (€140 a night) · Luxury: Tolip Aswan Hotel ↗ (€110 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Aswan on GetYourGuide

4

The Red Sea (Hurghada)

Days 7-10 · ✈️ Domestic flight 1h

A resort town built on its reefs. Diving, snorkelling, and days that ask nothing of you.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Diving or snorkelling on the reefsFull day · from €45
  A boat day on the house reefs, in water that stays warm and clear all winter.
• Giftun islands day tripFull day · from €40
  A day in the marine park offshore, with two or three snorkelling stops and white sand between them.

✦ Free to visit

• The sand beaches
• The coral reefs
• The marina
• Snorkelling from the shore

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Hurghada Marriott Beach Resort ↗ (€85 a night) · Luxury: Steigenberger Pure Lifestyle ↗ (€160 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in The Red Sea (Hurghada) on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

The Nile cruise · Between Luxor and Aswan the boat is the road, and it ties the great temples together over three or four nights.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Koshari: rice, pasta, lentils and a spiced tomato sauce, sold on every corner.
• Ful medames: stewed fava beans, the breakfast of the country.
• Taameya: the Egyptian falafel, made with fava beans rather than chickpeas.
• Molokheya: a thick green soup of jute leaves, heavy on the garlic.
• Sugar cane juice, and karkade, the cold hibiscus drink.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Agree the price first, every time: taxi, carriage, camel.
• Turn down the touts at the pyramids clearly, and keep walking.
• Sealed bottled water, and skip washed salad outside good restaurants.
• Carry small notes: baksheesh runs through daily life here.

Words that help

English ↔ Arabic

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/egypt

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.