Cairo, Luxor and Aswan
Classic Egypt: Cairo, Luxor and Aswan
The Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and a sail south — the route almost everyone takes first.
About these trips
Classic Egypt at a glance
If it is your first time in Egypt, the classic Egypt route is the shape of trip that works: two nights in Cairo for Giza and the museum, a flight south, then the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.
Eight days is comfortable. Ten lets you add Abu Simbel and slow down in Aswan. Under a week and something has to go.
What a classic Egypt trip covers
A classic Egypt route has three fixed points. Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Luxor for Karnak and the Valley of the Kings. Aswan for Philae and the felucca hour before sunset.
Most people fly between Cairo and Luxor. The flight takes an hour. The overnight train takes twelve and saves a hotel night, and some travellers prefer it. We will book either.
Abu Simbel sits three hours south of Aswan by road. It needs an early start and a long day. Add it if you have ten days. Skip it at eight and you will not feel short-changed.
How long a classic Egypt tour should be
Eight days works. Two nights in Cairo, a flight south, four nights on the river, one night to fly home.
Ten days is better. You get Abu Simbel, a slower Luxor, and a morning that is not spent packing.
Under seven days, something goes. Usually it is Aswan, which is the city most people wish they had kept.
Official sources
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
- Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ↗The ministry lists which tombs and temples currently open.
- UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗It updates continuously, and most UK travel insurance follows it.