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 · Trips and the sea
The best things to do in Egypt with kids are the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Add a felucca on the Nile, a short Nile cruise, the boat to Philae and the Valley of the Kings. Then head to the sea: snorkel with turtles near Marsa Alam, or splash in El Gouna's calm lagoons. Older children love a night in the White Desert. A Luxor balloon flight works only if the operator's age limit allows it. Primary school age is the sweet spot for most of this list.
We picked things children remember: size, animals, boats, water and a night under the stars. Each one is covered on our own family pages, where we say what works and what drags.
We favoured short visits with a clear payoff over long guided walks. Most of the list suits children of primary school age. Where an age matters, we say so, and we only give age limits we could check.
Children remember the size of a single block of stone, the heat off the sand and a camel walking past. Two facts help in the car on the way. The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on earth for close to four thousand years. It is also the only ancient wonder of the world still standing.
If your child wants a camel ride, agree the price and the time out loud before anyone lifts them on. Look at the animal first, since some are in poor shape. Walk away if it is thin, lame or sore. The plateau is easy to walk with good shoes and water.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is about two kilometres from the pyramids, so it pairs with a Giza morning. Its air conditioning is welcome at midday.
Plan for ninety minutes with children. See the colossal Ramesses II in the atrium, about eleven metres tall. Climb the Grand Staircase, then pick one gallery. In the Tutankhamun rooms, children often like the chariots and beds more than the gold.
The royal mummies are at a different museum, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. Tell children early so nobody feels let down.
A felucca is a small sailing boat. It is slow, breezy and quiet, and the city noise drops away as you push off. It needs no booking far ahead and works at any age.
Late afternoon is best, in Cairo or in Aswan. If the wind dies you drift, which children usually enjoy.
A cruise moves you between Luxor and Aswan while you sleep. That removes the long transfer days, which is where family trips in Egypt tend to fall apart.
Kom Ombo is the easy win. The temple is a few steps from the boat, and it has crocodile carvings and a small crocodile museum. Three or four nights carries less risk than seven, because the trip ends before the children tire of temples.
Walk the deck when you board and agree where small children may go alone.
Philae Temple stands on an island near Aswan. You reach it in a small motorboat, ten or fifteen minutes each way.
Children often like Philae more than anyone expects, because of the boat. The temple comes into view side-on as you round the corner. Sit facing forward.
Climbing down into a painted royal tomb feels like an adventure. Guides explain the tombs outside, then you go down on your own, which suits children well.
The standard ticket covers three tombs, and two may be plenty with a tired child. The walk from the visitor centre takes about ten minutes with no shade. A small electric train runs the same stretch and is worth the few pounds. Go early, and leave the pushchair behind.
Green turtles graze on seagrass in the calm bays of Marsa Mubarak and Abu Dabbab, near Marsa Alam. They are seen most days.
This is the wildlife trip to put first with children. It needs only a mask and snorkel, and the water is calm enough for a first-time snorkeller. Do not touch or chase the turtles. Give them room to come up for air.
El Gouna, north of Hurghada, is built on calm, shallow lagoons over sand. It is one of the easiest places in Egypt for small children. Distances are short, and the town has its own hospital.
For a real reef close to shore, Sharm el-Sheikh's house reefs let children snorkel off a jetty. Check that your hotel also has a sandy beach for toddlers.
The White Desert is a field of white chalk shapes. You camp among them with a fire and sleep under the stars. Older children usually love it.
Under about seven it is a hard sell. Bahariya is about four hours from Cairo by road, then comes more off-road driving. The camp has no bathroom, and the night is cold. Ask what the driving day looks like hour by hour before you book.
A sunrise balloon flight over Luxor's west bank lasts around an hour. Operators usually set a minimum age, so ask before you promise it.
Everyone stands in a shared basket the whole time. The burner fires overhead and is very loud for a few seconds, which can scare small children more than the height. Book it for your first morning in Luxor, in case wind cancels the flight.
Yes, with a plan that does less each day. Mix one big site in the morning with a pool, a boat or a beach in the afternoon. Primary school age children tend to get the most from it.
Primary school age is the sweet spot. Children of that age can walk a site and still love painted tombs and animal-headed gods. Toddlers are the hardest, and teenagers are easy on the walking.
Yes. Agree the price and the time out loud first, and look at the animal before your child gets on. Walk away from any camel or horse that looks thin, lame or sore.
Yes, mainly because it removes the transfer days. Three or four nights usually works better than seven. Watch the railings and take the sun seriously.
Operators usually set a minimum age, so ask before you book. The loud burner can upset small children, so think about how yours handle sudden noise.
El Gouna, for its calm, shallow lagoons over sand. Marsa Alam is best for older children who want to snorkel with turtles.
Check the current US State Department and UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt before you book and again before you travel.
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 · 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 · Nile & Red Sea
Egypt in three parts: two days in Cairo, three nights sailing Aswan to Luxor, then three nights on the Red Sea with nothing scheduled. The temples first, the sea afterwards.
from US$2,310 / per person
11 days · Nile & Red Sea
The 10 day Nile-and-Red-Sea route with one more day in Cairo at the end, spent on the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Royal Mummies. Two days in Cairo, three nights on the river, three on the sea.
from US$2,560 / per person
