Duration: 9 days · 8 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

Giza and the Egyptian Museum, Alexandria, old Cairo's churches and mosques, two nights in Luxor for both banks of the Nile, then two full-board nights on the beach in Hurghada.

No cruise and no night trains on this trip, just comfortable hotels as bases and a private guide each touring day. Cairo gets four nights, enough to see it properly, before you fly to Luxor and finish with two days by the Red Sea.

Your Cairo days cover the Egyptian Museum, the pyramids and the Sphinx, a day trip to Alexandria, and the churches, synagogue and great mosques of Coptic and Islamic Cairo, including Al-Azhar and the Citadel. Lunch is included on every touring day.

In Luxor you spend one day on the West Bank among the royal tombs and Hatshepsut's temple, and the next at Karnak and Luxor Temple. A drive of about four hours then brings you to Hurghada, where all meals are included and the only plan is the sea. On the final morning you fly back to Cairo.

Highlights

The Egyptian Museum, the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx
A day trip to Alexandria
Coptic Cairo and the mosques of Islamic Cairo
Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple
Karnak and Luxor Temple
Two full-board nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
We meet you at Cairo International Airport, help with passport control and luggage, and drive you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours. Overnight in Cairo.
2
Day 2
Egyptian Museum, Giza & Khan el-Khalili
An 8:00 pickup for the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, then out to Giza for the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the Valley Temple and the Sphinx. Lunch is included, and the day ends in Khan el-Khalili before you return to the hotel around 17:00. Overnight in Cairo.
3
Day 3
Day trip to Alexandria
Leave at 7:00 for the 220 km drive to the coast, arriving around 10:00. Visit the Roman theatre, the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, the Qaitbay Citadel, the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, seen from outside on Fridays. Lunch is included; back in Cairo around 19:00.
4
Day 4
Coptic & Islamic Cairo
A later 10:00 start for Coptic Cairo, with the churches of Abu Serga and St Barbara, the Hanging Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. After lunch, visit the Citadel and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Al-Rifa'i and Sultan Hassan, and finish at Al-Azhar and the Mosque of Al-Hussein. Overnight in Cairo.
5
Day 5
Cairo → Luxor: West Bank
A 6:00 transfer to the airport for the flight to Luxor, where your guide meets you. Visit the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon, with lunch included. The afternoon is free, with afternoon tea at the hotel. Overnight in Luxor.
6
Day 6
Luxor East Bank: Karnak & Luxor Temple
After breakfast, explore Karnak, the vast temple complex of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, then Luxor Temple in the centre of town. Lunch at a local restaurant is included. Overnight in Luxor.
7
Day 7
Luxor → Hurghada
A drive of about four hours across the Eastern Desert brings you to Hurghada. Check in and spend the rest of the day on the beach or by the pool, with lunch and dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Hurghada.
8
Day 8
Hurghada: free day
A whole day by the Red Sea with all meals included. Swim, snorkel, try a dive or a water sport, or simply rest. Overnight in Hurghada.
9
Day 9
Hurghada → Cairo
Breakfast and check-out, then a transfer to Hurghada airport. The domestic flight takes you back to Cairo, where the trip ends.

What's included

Hotels: 4 nights in Cairo and 2 nights in Luxor with breakfast, plus 2 nights in Hurghada with full board, 3-star (4- and 5-star hotels on request at extra cost)
Domestic flights Cairo – Luxor and Hurghada – Cairo
Lunch on days 2 to 6, and afternoon tea in Luxor on day 5
Private air-conditioned transfers throughout, including Cairo – Alexandria and Luxor – Hurghada
Meet-and-assist at Cairo and Luxor airports
Private guide for all visits
Entry fees for all sites in the itinerary
All taxes and service charges

Not included

International flights and Egypt visa
Optional tours and water sports in Hurghada
Meals not listed
Tips for guides and drivers
Travel insurance
Supplement for 4- or 5-star hotels

What to bring

Passport valid for at least six months
Swimwear and reef-safe sunscreen
Hat and sunglasses
Comfortable walking shoes
Clothes covering shoulders and knees for mosques and churches

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