Two nights each in Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada: the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, both banks of Luxor, a free day on the Red Sea and a desert safari, with a private Egyptologist and both domestic flights included.
This private seven-day tour packs Egypt's three classic landscapes into one week without a single overnight road journey. You start in Cairo, see the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and fly south to Luxor the same evening. Luxor gets two unhurried days, one for each bank of the Nile. From there your private vehicle crosses the Eastern Desert to Hurghada, where a full free day by the sea is followed by a desert safari, before a short flight takes you back to Cairo for your last night.
The sites are the ones most first-time visitors come for: the three pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple of Khafre, the Tutankhamun galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum, Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. A licensed Egyptologist guides every sightseeing day, the vehicle is private for your group, and both domestic flights, Cairo to Luxor and Hurghada to Cairo, are included in the price.
It is a weaker fit if you want Aswan, Abu Simbel or a Nile cruise, which this route does not include, or if you would like a full sightseeing day in Cairo for the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili. In those cases, see our Egypt classic tours and short Egypt itineraries, or ask for a tailor-made trip built around this one.
The first four days are full and the last three are light. Day 2 is the longest: Giza and the museum in the morning and early afternoon, then the airport and the evening flight to Luxor. Day 3 is deliberately gentler, with a midday break between Karnak and Luxor Temple. Day 4 starts early on the West Bank and ends on the coast. Expect walking on sand and uneven stone at Giza, stairs and sloping corridors in the royal tombs, and strong sun on the terraces of Hatshepsut's temple. Three days include a longer transfer:
Our representative meets you in the arrival hall of Cairo International Airport, helps with the visa counter if you need it, and walks you to your private air-conditioned vehicle. The drive to the hotel takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic and on where your hotel is.
At check-in your tour leader goes through the next day with you. Day 2 is a moving day as well as a sightseeing day: you check out in the morning, your luggage stays locked in the vehicle while you visit Giza and the museum, and you fly to Luxor in the evening. It helps to pack tonight so that only a small day bag comes with you to the sites.
The evening is free. If your flight lands early enough and you still have energy, the Sound and Light show at the Giza pyramids is an optional extra; otherwise rest, as tomorrow starts after an early breakfast.
After breakfast and check-out, your Egyptologist meets you in the lobby and you drive to the Giza Plateau. The three main pyramids were built for the Fourth Dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure about 4,500 years ago. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and largest of them, and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Your guide explains how they were built and how each pyramid was part of a larger complex of temples, causeways and the tombs of officials around it. The standard ticket covers the plateau; going inside the Great Pyramid needs a separate ticket bought at the site, and the passage is steep, narrow and warm, so it is not for everyone.
Below the pyramids you see the Great Sphinx, carved from the bedrock of the plateau, and the Valley Temple of Khafre beside it, built of huge granite blocks, where the funeral rites of the king began before his burial. There is time for photographs at the panoramic viewpoint; a short camel ride there is an optional extra.
The Grand Egyptian Museum stands about 2 km from the pyramids. You enter through the Grand Hall with its colossal statue of Ramses II, climb the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues, and spend most of the visit in the Tutankhamun galleries, where the objects from his tomb, including the gold funerary mask, are displayed together. The museum is very large, so your Egyptologist plans a route through the key pieces that fits the time before the airport.
Lunch is at a restaurant on the way. Your driver then takes you to Cairo airport for the domestic flight to Luxor, about one hour. Our representative meets you on arrival and drives you to your hotel for two nights.
After breakfast your Egyptologist takes you to Karnak, the great temple of the god Amun, built and enlarged by pharaoh after pharaoh over some 2,000 years. You walk through the pylons and courts to the Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 columns still carry traces of their original paint, and on to the obelisks of Thutmose I and Hatshepsut and the Sacred Lake. Karnak is huge, so the route follows the parts that matter most to your group, and your guide adjusts it to the heat and the crowds.
Lunch is at a local restaurant. Afterwards there is time to return to the hotel and rest through the hottest part of the day, which makes the most difference from April to October.
Luxor Temple, built mainly under Amenhotep III and Ramses II, stands in the centre of the modern town. One of the two obelisks at its entrance remains in place; the other has stood in the Place de la Concorde in Paris since 1836. The temple is at its best in the late afternoon light and after dark, when it is lit. From its entrance, the Avenue of Sphinxes runs about 2.7 km north to Karnak.
The evening is free. The Corniche along the Nile is good for a walk, and a felucca sail at sunset is an easy optional extra.
You check out after an early breakfast; your luggage travels with you in the vehicle. Crossing to the West Bank, you start with the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 tombs were cut into the hills for the pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The standard ticket opens three tombs among those open on the day; your Egyptologist chooses them by what is open, the queues and how many stairs you want to climb. The tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI need a separate ticket bought at the site. Inside, the painted corridors show the king's journey through the underworld.
At Deir el-Bahari, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut rises in three terraces against the cliffs. She ruled as pharaoh for about two decades, and the reliefs here record her trading expedition to the land of Punt. The terraces have little shade, so your guide keeps the explanation short in the sun and longer in the colonnades.
On the way back you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III, each about 18 metres tall, that once stood at the entrance of his mortuary temple. Lunch is at a restaurant on the West Bank or in town.
Your private vehicle then takes you north to Qena and east across the Eastern Desert to the Red Sea coast and Hurghada, about four hours with a short stop on the way. You check in to your beach hotel in the early evening; the rest of the evening is yours.
There is no pickup and no sightseeing today. After three days of early starts, many travelers spend it on the beach or by the pool. Your meals today follow the hotel's meal plan, as listed in your confirmed booking.
If you would like to see the reefs, these are the usual options, all at extra cost and bookable through us or at your hotel:
Wind and sea conditions decide which boats sail and where they go, so follow the crew's advice. The sun on the water is strong even in winter. Coral should not be touched or stood on, and reef shoes help on rocky entries. If you plan a dive, keep it for today: you fly tomorrow evening, and divers should not fly within 18 to 24 hours of their last dive.
Breakfast is at the hotel and the morning is free for a last swim. You check out before the safari; the hotel keeps your luggage, or it goes in the vehicle, depending on the flight time.
The safari operator picks you up at the confirmed time and drives you into the desert behind Hurghada, where the mountains of the Eastern Desert begin. After a safety briefing, the programme usually includes a ride by quad bike or jeep along the desert tracks, a stop at a Bedouin-style camp for tea and bread baked on the fire, and a short camel ride. The desert is quiet and wide after the busy coast, and in winter the light in the late afternoon is the best of the day.
After the safari you transfer to Hurghada airport for the flight to Cairo, about one hour. Our representative meets you on arrival and drives you to your hotel for the last night. If the flight schedule on your date leaves too little time after the safari, we move the safari to the afternoon of Day 5 and tell you before you travel.
After breakfast, our representative meets you in the lobby at the agreed time and drives you to Cairo International Airport in your private vehicle. The pickup time is set from your flight, the terminal and the expected traffic; airlines usually ask you to be at the airport three hours before an international departure. This is the end of the tour.
If your flight leaves late in the day, ask us when you book about a few more hours of sightseeing, such as the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization with its Royal Mummies Hall, Coptic Cairo or Khan el-Khalili. These are optional extras.
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Children pay less, see the children policy below. Christmas, New Year and Easter dates add 25%. Prices are per person in US dollars.
October to April is the most comfortable period for this route. From December to February, Cairo is around 18 to 22 °C by day and Luxor 23 to 26 °C, with cool mornings that suit the early start in the Valley of the Kings; desert evenings can drop close to 10 °C. The Red Sea is around 21 to 23 °C in midwinter, fine for snorkelling with a short wetsuit but fresh for some swimmers. In spring and autumn the water is 24 to 27 °C and the temples are still pleasant. From May to September Luxor often passes 40 °C, so visits start at opening time and the midday break on Day 3 becomes essential, while the sea is at its warmest. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks for flights and hotels.
Both domestic flights are booked by us and included in the price; the flight times are confirmed with your final documents, and the order of Day 6 is set around the Hurghada to Cairo flight. Domestic tickets carry their own baggage allowance, usually lower than on long-haul flights, so check it before you pack. The Luxor to Hurghada road runs north to Qena, then east through the mountains of the Eastern Desert to Safaga and the coast. It is a well-used tourist route, and your driver stops at a roadside rest area on the way.
The safari on Day 6 is run by a licensed local operator. The usual programme combines a drive or quad-bike ride into the desert behind Hurghada, a stop at a Bedouin-style camp with tea, and a short camel ride; the exact mix depends on the operator, the weather and your group. Quad biking has age and health limits, and it is bumpy: tell us in advance about back or neck problems, pregnancy or young children, and we will arrange a jeep ride instead. A scarf or buff against the dust and closed shoes are useful.
Many nationalities can buy a tourist visa on arrival at Cairo airport or apply for an e-visa in advance on Egypt's official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg. The rules and the fee depend on your passport, so check them before you book your flights. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive. The visa is not included in the tour price.
The currency is the Egyptian pound. Cards are accepted in most hotels and larger shops; keep small notes for markets, toilets at some sites, the safari camp and personal extras. Tips are not included in the price. The tipping guide in the travel policies below gives the usual amounts for guides, drivers and hotel staff; how much you give is your choice.
All prices are per person in US dollars. The price changes with the season (winter 1 October to 30 April, summer 1 May to 30 September), the accommodation level and the size of the group. Christmas, New Year and Easter dates add 25%. Your quote lists the final price and everything it covers. After the deposit, changes to your itinerary cost US$25 per request, plus any third-party fees.
A deposit of 30% of the total tour cost is required at the time of booking. The final payment is due 30 days before departure, and bookings made within 30 days of departure are paid in full. We accept Visa or Master Card by secure online payment, Visa or Master Card by email, and wire transfer. We confirm every booking by email.
No-show travelers are charged 100%. During peak events in Egypt, hotels and Nile cruises do not refund deposits. Groups of more than 10 people may have different terms.
Add each child and their age in the enquiry form so the quote is exact.
Optional visits, such as a hot air balloon ride in Luxor, a Sound and Light show or a felucca ride, are not in the price. Tell us which ones you want and we add them to your quote with their cost.
Not included in the price: International flights; Egypt entry visa; Travel insurance; Drinks unless listed in the confirmed meal plan; Optional Red Sea activities; Entry inside the Great Pyramid; Special tomb tickets in Luxor; Personal expenses; Early hotel check-in; Late hotel check-out; Tips and gratuities; Any service not listed under “What’s Included”.
Tipping is customary in Egypt and is not included in the price. A usual amount for a private tour is US$8 to 10 per person per day for your guide, US$4 to 5 for your driver and US$5 to 8 per person per day for the crew on a Nile cruise. Your guide can advise you on the day.
You fly from Cairo to Luxor on the evening of Day 2 (about one hour), drive from Luxor to Hurghada in your private vehicle on Day 4 (about four hours) and fly from Hurghada back to Cairo on Day 6 (about one hour). Both domestic flights are included. Book your international flights to and from Cairo.
The route uses Day 2 for the two sites most visitors put first, the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, so that Luxor can have two days. If you also want the Citadel, Coptic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili or Saqqara, we can add a night in Cairo at the start or the end; the price changes with it.
Usually yes, with the right vehicle. Quad bikes have age and health limits set by the operator and are bumpy, so children, pregnant travelers and anyone with back or neck problems ride in a jeep instead. Tell us the ages in your group when you enquire, and we book the right option.
Not within seven days without losing the Red Sea days. Because the tour is private, the route can be extended: for example, two or three more days for Aswan and a short Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor. Ask us and we will send you a plan and a price.
Independent reviews on the platforms travelers already trust.
Amazing Egyptian vacation! We did an 11 day private tour of Cairo, cruise on the Nile between Aswan and Luxor and a 4 day stay in Hurghada. The guided tours were very interesting, with extremely knowledgeable guides, attentive and helpful.
Egypt package to the Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara was a fascinating journey through Egypt's ancient past ,guide knowledge, the majesty of the pyramids, and the historical depth of Saqqara made this tour truly enriching!
our honeymoon to Egypt ,Giza and Saqqara was a magical escape into history The pyramids looming in the distance, the quiet serenity of the desert, and the ancient wonders of Saqqara created moments that will be with me forever!
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