By type of trip
Nile Cruises Luxor to Aswan: Routes, Boats and Prices
Classic Egypt Tours: Cairo, Luxor and Aswan Itineraries
Nile Cruise and Red Sea Holidays: Two-Week Egypt Trips
White Desert Tours from Cairo: Oases and Desert Camping
Short Breaks in Egypt: Three and Four Day Cairo Trips
Tailor-made Egypt Tours: Private Trips Built Around You
Top 10
These are our Egypt top 10 lists, grouped by theme. History and myth covers gods, symbols, pharaohs and facts. Sights covers landmarks, temples, tombs and museums. Food and culture covers desserts, drinks, films and books. Trips and the sea covers day trips, snorkelling, diving and travelling with children. Every list gives ten picks with a reason and a source, and links to our full page on each place.
Pick a theme below. Each list opens with the ten in a sentence or two, then gives every pick its own short section.
Every list starts with a short section called How we chose these ten. It says what made the cut and what just missed out. We would rather you know the rules than guess at them.
Facts come from museums, universities, UNESCO and Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Each list names its sources. If we cannot check something, we leave it out. That is why some popular claims you may have read elsewhere are missing.
Some lists are about facts: gods, pharaohs, inventions. Each item there is something a museum or historian would sign off on.
Others are about taste: desserts, drinks, films and books. Ranking those is a matter of opinion. So for each pick we say what it is and why it earned a place. We do not invent star ratings or prices.
Most items link to our full page on that place, with tickets, timings and how to get there. Start with a list, then follow the links for the two or three places that catch your eye.
The history lists also say where to see each thing today. The gods list, for example, sends you to Edfu for Horus and Dendera for Hathor. That turns a list into a route.
We sell the tours of one Egyptian operator, Memphis Tours. Where a list links to a tour, it is one of theirs, shown with its starting price.
The lists themselves are written to be useful whether you book with us or not. Send us a request if you want help turning a list into a trip.
Our Egypt landmarks list covers the big ten, from the Giza pyramids to Abu Simbel. For a wider view by city, see our page on things to do in Egypt.
We review them when facts change, such as a museum opening or a site closing. Every fact was checked against its source when the list was written.
The numbers give a reading order. On the taste lists, we explain each pick and leave the ranking to you.
Not in one trip. The lists cover the whole country, from Cairo to Aswan and the Red Sea. Our partner's 8-day trip, for example, covers Cairo, Luxor, a Nile cruise and Aswan.
Only for tours, which show the starting price per person from our partner. We leave out ticket prices that change often. Where a ticket matters, the linked place page has the details.
If it is your first trip, start with the Egypt landmarks list and the gods list. Together they explain most of what you will see on temple walls and at the big sites.
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
Written and checked by the Nile Trip Guide editorial team · Last reviewed . Entry rules, prices and opening hours change — check anything critical against the official sources linked on this page.
Plan this trip
A real itinerary with real prices, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged until you say yes.
8 days · Classic Egypt
The route most people take first, at the length it was built for: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a flight to Luxor and four nights sailing down to Aswan.
from US$2,135 / per person
8 days · Nile & Red Sea
No boat on this one. Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a night in Luxor for both banks, two nights on the Red Sea, then back to Cairo for the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Royal Mummies.
from US$2,040 / per person
10 days · Classic Egypt
Five nights in Cairo either side of a four-night sail from Luxor to Aswan. The Cairo days are private, just your party and a guide; the sightseeing off the boat is shared with a small group.
from US$2,635 / per person
