Duration: 8 days · 7 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

Giza, Saqqara and Memphis, a night train to Aswan, Philae and Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo and Edfu by road, both banks of Luxor, the train back north and a final day in Cairo.

Travelling by overnight train in both directions makes this one of our best-value trips: you save two hotel nights without losing a day of sightseeing. Your private guide and driver handle everything in between, and lunch is included on every touring day.

After a day at Giza, Saqqara and Memphis, you board the first-class sleeper train and wake up in Aswan. There you visit the High Dam and Philae and sail by felucca, then make the early road trip south to the rock temples of Abu Simbel. On the way north to Luxor you stop at Kom Ombo and Edfu.

Luxor gets one full day covering both banks, from the Valley of the Kings to Karnak, before the night train back to Cairo. You finish with the Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili and a final night in the city.

Highlights

Giza, Saqqara and Memphis
Two nights on first-class sleeper trains
The High Dam, Philae and a felucca in Aswan
The rock temples of Abu Simbel
Kom Ombo and Edfu on the road to Luxor
Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor Temple
The Egyptian Museum and Coptic Cairo

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport and drives you to your hotel. Check in and rest after your flight. Overnight in Cairo.
2
Day 2
Giza, Saqqara & Memphis → night train to Aswan
Breakfast and check-out by 8:00, then the pyramids, the Valley Temple and the Sphinx at Giza. Continue to Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara and to Memphis for the colossal Ramses II and the alabaster sphinx, with lunch included. At 18:30 we take you to the station for the first-class sleeper train to Aswan, with dinner on board.
3
Day 3
Aswan: High Dam, Philae & felucca
Breakfast on the train and arrival in Aswan around 9:00. Visit the High Dam and Lake Nasser, then the Temple of Isis on Agilkia Island at Philae, and sail on the Nile by felucca. Lunch is included. Overnight in Aswan.
4
Day 4
Day trip to Abu Simbel
Leave at 6:00 for the drive of about three and a half hours south to Abu Simbel. Explore the Great Temple of Ramses II and the temple of Queen Nefertari, cut into the cliff above Lake Nasser, then drive back to Aswan. Lunch is included. Overnight in Aswan.
5
Day 5
Aswan → Kom Ombo → Edfu → Luxor
A 7:00 pickup for the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris at Kom Ombo. Continue north by road to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, then on to Luxor, with lunch included along the way. Overnight in Luxor.
6
Day 6
Luxor's two banks → night train to Cairo
On the West Bank, visit the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch, cross to the East Bank for Karnak and Luxor Temple. At 17:00 transfer to the station for the sleeper train to Cairo, with dinner on board.
7
Day 7
Cairo: Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo & Khan el-Khalili
Breakfast on the train and arrival in Cairo around 8:30. Visit the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, then Coptic Cairo, with the churches of Abu Serga and St Barbara, the Hanging Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and finish in Khan el-Khalili. Lunch is included, and you check in to your hotel by 17:00.
8
Day 8
Departure from Cairo
Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. We drive you to Cairo International Airport in good time for your flight home.

What's included

Hotels: 2 nights in Cairo, 2 in Aswan and 1 in Luxor, 3-star with breakfast (4- and 5-star hotels on request at extra cost)
2 nights on the first-class sleeper train, Cairo – Aswan and Luxor – Cairo, with dinner and breakfast
Full-day road excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel
Lunch on days 2 to 7
Private air-conditioned transfers throughout
Meet-and-assist at the airport, railway stations and hotels
Private guide for all visits (English, Spanish or German)
Felucca sail in Aswan
Entry fees for all sites in the itinerary, plus taxes and service charges

Not included

International flights and Egypt visa
Meals not listed
Optional tours and personal expenses
Tips for guides and drivers
Travel insurance
Supplement for 4- or 5-star hotels

What to bring

Passport valid for at least six months
A light jumper for the air-conditioned trains
Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Comfortable walking shoes
Clothes covering shoulders and knees for churches and mosques
A small overnight bag for the train

Pickup & meeting point

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

Children up to 11 pay the child rate