Egypt Essentials
Cairo and Luxor in six days.
The pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the temples and tombs of Luxor, paced so you still have energy at the end of each day.
How the days
usually unfold.
Two cities, five nights and one short internal flight. Mornings are for the big sites, before the heat and the crowds; afternoons are kept lighter.
Arrive in Cairo
We meet you inside the terminal, help with the visa desk if you need it and drive you to your hotel. Nothing else is planned, so you can rest after the flight.
The pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum
An early start at Giza for the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx and the panoramic viewpoint on the plateau. After lunch your guide takes you through the Grand Egyptian Museum, where the Tutankhamun galleries are the highlight.
Fly to Luxor and the east bank
A morning flight south. In the late afternoon you walk through the halls of Karnak, then see Luxor Temple as the lights come on.
The west bank
The Valley of the Kings opens early and that is when we go. You also visit the temple of Hatshepsut and stop at the Colossi of Memnon. A felucca ride at sunset is easy to add.
Back to Cairo and the old city
Fly back mid-morning. In the afternoon, choose between Islamic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar or the churches of Coptic Cairo, with a guide who knows the side streets.
Departure
A private transfer to Cairo International Airport, timed around your flight.
Six days,
without the rush.
Most first-time visitors try to fit Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea into one week. It can be done, but it usually means 4am starts and a blur of temples. This route makes a different choice. It covers the two places almost everyone wants to see, Giza and Luxor, and gives each of them proper time.
Cairo gets two half-days and one full day. That is enough for the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and an afternoon in the old city without feeling herded. Luxor gets two full days because the east bank and the west bank are best seen separately, each in the cooler part of the day.
If you have more time, this route grows easily. Add three nights on a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan and it becomes Ancient Egypt, Open Water without the beach, or add a few days on the Red Sea at the end.
Who it suits
Couples and friends on a first trip, travellers with a week of leave, and anyone who would rather see fewer places well. Families with younger children often prefer Family Egypt, Made Easy, which builds in more rest.
What is included,
and what is not.
Every journey is private and priced for your dates. This is what a quote from us normally covers, and what we price or leave separately.
A few clear
answers first.
Is six days really enough for Egypt?
It is enough for Cairo, Giza and Luxor at a comfortable pace. It is not enough to add Aswan, a Nile cruise or the Red Sea as well. If those matter to you, look at a 9 to 12-day route instead.
Why fly to Luxor instead of taking the train?
The flight takes about an hour; the sleeper or day train takes ten hours or more. On a six-day trip that would cost you a full day. We can still book the train if you would like the experience.
Can we see the Grand Egyptian Museum and the old Egyptian Museum?
Yes. Most of the Tutankhamun collection is now at the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza, so we plan that first. The older museum on Tahrir Square can fit into day five if you are keen.
When is the best time for this route?
October to April. Luxor is very hot from June to August, though the trip still works with early starts and long midday breaks.
Compare it with
a different pace.
Not sure this is the right shape? These routes start from similar places but give the days a different balance.
Ancient Egypt, Open Water
Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, then three days on the Red Sea at Hurghada.
See this journey →
Cairo & Sharm Escape
Three nights in Cairo, then three in Sharm El Sheikh with a boat day in Ras Mohammed National Park.
See this journey →
Egypt, In Depth
Three full days in Cairo, Aswan and Abu Simbel, a four-night Nile cruise to Luxor, then two days on the Red Sea.
See this journey →Change the order,
keep what matters.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will send a day-by-day plan with hotels and a full price, then adjust it with you on WhatsApp until it fits.