Duration: 5 days · 4 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

A short private tour: the pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis, an evening flight to Luxor for a full day on both banks, then the Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili.

Five days is short, but with a domestic flight each way it is enough to see both the pyramids and the temples of Luxor. Your first full day starts at Giza with the pyramids and the Sphinx, breaks for lunch at a local restaurant and continues to the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and the ruins of Memphis before an evening flight south.

In Luxor you spend a full day with your Egyptologist guide. On the West Bank you see the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari and the two seated colossi of Amenhotep III; on the East Bank, Karnak, with its avenue of sphinxes, its Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns and the obelisks of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. You fly back to Cairo that evening.

The last full day is for Cairo itself: the Egyptian Museum, the churches of Abu Serga and St Barbara, the Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and, to finish, the alleys of Khan el-Khalili.

Highlights

The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
Saqqara's Step Pyramid and Memphis
The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple
Karnak's Hypostyle Hall and obelisks
The Egyptian Museum and Coptic Cairo
Khan el-Khalili bazaar

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport, helps you through passport control and baggage, and drives you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned car. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the journey. Overnight in Cairo.
2
Day 2
Giza, Saqqara & Memphis → fly to Luxor
Pickup at 8:30 for the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Sphinx. Lunch is at a local restaurant (drinks are extra), then Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara, built around 2650 BC, and Memphis with the colossus of Ramses II and the alabaster sphinx. In the evening you fly to Luxor and are met on arrival. Overnight in Luxor.
3
Day 3
Luxor: both banks → fly to Cairo
A full day in Luxor, starting on the West Bank with the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. On the East Bank you walk the avenue of sphinxes into Karnak, past the unfinished first pylon to the Hypostyle Hall, the obelisks, the sacred scarab and the sacred lake. An evening flight takes you back to Cairo, where you are met and driven to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
4
Day 4
Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo & Khan el-Khalili
After breakfast you visit the Egyptian Museum and its collection spanning some 5,000 years. Then Coptic Cairo, with the churches of Abu Serga and St Barbara, the Hanging Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue, before lunch and a last stroll through Khan el-Khalili. Back at your hotel by around 17:00. Overnight in Cairo.
5
Day 5
Departure from Cairo
A last breakfast in Cairo before our driver takes you to Cairo International Airport, timed around your flight. Our representative helps you with check-in and departure formalities.

What's included

3 nights in a 3-star Cairo hotel and 1 night in a 3-star Luxor hotel, with breakfast (4- and 5-star hotels on request, at extra cost)
Domestic flights Cairo – Luxor – Cairo
Private air-conditioned transfers in Cairo and Luxor
Meet-and-assist service at every airport
Egyptologist guide for all visits (English, Spanish or German)
Lunch on days 2 and 4
Bottled water on every tour
Entry fees for the sites in the itinerary, plus all taxes and service charges

Not included

International flights and Egypt visa
Drinks with meals
Optional excursions
Tips for guides and drivers
Travel insurance
Personal expenses

What to bring

Passport valid for at least six months
Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Comfortable walking shoes
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for churches and the synagogue
Light layers for early mornings and evening flights

Pickup & meeting point

Arrival pickup at Cairo International Airport: our representative meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and helps you through passport control and baggage.

Children up to 11 pay the child rate