Tours
15 nights Classic 4 domestic flights
Grand Egypt
Cairo, a Nile cruise, a Nubian village and a week by the Red Sea
from$2,705per person Ask about this tour
Nights15
Places12
Flights4
Group1 to 6, or more
Best monthsOctober to April
Our most complete classic itinerary. Four days in Cairo, Abu Simbel at sunrise, three nights on a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Kom Ombo, Edfu, Dendera and Abydos, a Nubian village by boat, then six days in Sinai.
Day by day
The route
Every day below can be moved or swapped. Tell us what matters to you.
- Day 1 · Giza & the Pyramids
Arrival in Cairo
- Pickup at Cairo airport and transfer to the guest house or your hotel
- Welcome drink at a local café: coffee, tea or iced lemon, shisha if you like, and a chat about the days ahead
- Day 2 · Giza & the Pyramids
The pyramids, and the show at night
- The Sphinx and the three pyramids, with a camel or horse ride around them
- Inside the third pyramid, the Queen’s pyramid and two tombs of the pyramid engineers
- The Giza dunes for the panoramic view of all nine pyramids
- Lunch with the family
- Sound and light show from the guest-house rooftop, or a seated ticket if you prefer
- Day 3 · Cairo
Museum, mosques and the bazaar
- The Egyptian Museum
- Islamic Cairo: Amr ibn al-As, Al-Azhar, Muhammad Ali Mosque at the Citadel and Al-Hussein
- Khan el-Khalili bazaar after dark
- Sufi dance show (tanoura) in the evening
- Day 4 · Saqqara, Dahshur & Memphis
Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis
- Dahshur: the Red Pyramid (you can go inside) and Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid
- Saqqara: the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the tombs
- The open-air museum at Memphis, the old capital
- Day 5 · Cairo
Coptic Cairo and the Nile at sunset
- A walk through Islamic Cairo
- Coptic Cairo: the Church in the Cave (St Simeon), the Coptic Museum and the Hanging Church
- Picnic in Al-Azhar Park with the view over the old city
- Nile dinner cruise with an open buffet and belly dancing
- Day 6 · Aswan & Nubia
Fly to Aswan
- Morning flight Cairo to Aswan
- Philae, the temple of Isis, by boat
- The High Dam and a Nile crossing
- A Nubian village by boat
- Day 7 · Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel at sunrise
- Abu Simbel before dawn: the great temple of Ramses II and the temple of Nefertari
- Back to Aswan; afternoon on the river
- Day 8 · Edfu
Kom Ombo and Edfu
- The double temple of Sobek and Horus at Kom Ombo
- The temple of Horus at Edfu
- Day 9 · Luxor
Luxor, west bank
- The Valley of the Kings and Tutankhamun’s tomb
- The Valley of the Queens and Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari
- Day 10 · Dendera
Dendera and Abydos
- Hathor’s temple at Dendera
- Seti I’s temple at Abydos
- Day 11 · Luxor
Karnak, Luxor Temple, fly to Cairo
- Karnak Temple in the morning light
- Luxor Temple and a crossing of the Nile by boat
- Evening flight Luxor to Cairo
- Day 12 · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohamed
Fly to Sharm, Tiran Island
- Flight Cairo to Sharm El Sheikh
- Boat trip to Tiran Island: snorkelling at three reefs, lunch on board
- Day 13 · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohamed
Ras Mohamed and a Bedouin dinner
- Ras Mohamed National Park, swimming at two bays
- Bedouin dinner in the desert by camel or beach buggy
- Day 14 · Dahab & the Blue Hole
Dahab and the Blue Hole
- Drive to Dahab; full day snorkelling at the Blue Hole
- Day 15 · Dahab & the Blue Hole
A day at sea
- Full day Red Sea boat excursion, snorkelling or scuba diving
- Day 16 · Dahab & the Blue Hole
Dahab, slowly
- A free day in Dahab
- Evening flight to Cairo
Included
- Accommodation in a 3-star hotel or at our guest house
- Entrance tickets and fees for every activity
- Breakfast and lunch every day
- All tips at the sites, so nobody asks you for money
- All ground transport, private
- Domestic flights where the itinerary lists them
Not included
- Egyptian entry visa (on arrival, about $25)
- Dinner, except the dinners named in the itinerary
- International flights
- Drinks
- Tips for the tour team
Optional extras
- Abu Simbel Sun Festival · $125 · Only on 22 February and 22 October
- Beach buggy in the Sinai mountains and/or mountain dinner · Priced at the time of booking
Where you sleep
Where you sleep
In Cairo you stay at Pyramids Temple Guest House unless you prefer a hotel. Elsewhere, 3-star hotels we have used for years, or as listed.
6 nights
Pyramids Temple Guest House
Giza · 800 m to the Sphinx
See the guest house 2 nights
3-star hotel
Aswan and Luxor
3 nights
Nile cruise
Aswan to Luxor
4 nights
3-star hotel
Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab
Prices
per person, USD
| Adult | Student | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 travellers | $3,205 | $2,600 |
| 4 or more | $2,705 | $2,285 |
Children: Under 5: 50% off · Over 5: 25% off
Accommodation in a 3-star hotel or at our guest house. Entrance tickets and fees for every activity.
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