Nine days that join the classic Nile route to the Mediterranean: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a three-night cruise from Aswan to Luxor, a full day on both banks of Luxor, and a day trip to Alexandria. Both domestic flights are included.
This nine-day tour covers the classic Egypt route and then adds the country's Mediterranean side. You start with Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, fly to Aswan for its sites and board a Nile cruise for three nights down the river to Luxor, stopping at Kom Ombo and Edfu. In Luxor you leave the ship for a full day on the West Bank and at Karnak and a night in a hotel, then fly back to Cairo. The last full day is a trip to Alexandria, the city of the Ptolemies, before you fly home.
The sites are the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, the Tutankhamun galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae, the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak, then the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar, the Citadel of Qaitbay and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. An Egyptologist guides every sightseeing day, the vehicle is private, and both domestic flights, Cairo to Aswan and Luxor to Cairo, are in the price.
It is a weaker fit if you want the Red Sea or Abu Simbel, or more time in Cairo's old city: the Cairo sightseeing here is one day plus a free afternoon. For other routes see our Egypt classic tours, or ask for a tailor-made trip.
The pace is moderate, with early starts on the sightseeing days and an easy afternoon on Day 7. The longer journeys are:
Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport, helps with the arrival formalities and drives you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned car, 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. At check-in you go through the plan: tomorrow's pick-up and the early flight to Aswan on Day 3.
No meals are included today. A light dinner at the hotel or nearby is the easiest start before a full day at Giza.
After breakfast your Egyptologist meets you at the hotel for the Giza Plateau, about 15 to 20 km from central Cairo. The three pyramids were built for the Fourth Dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, about 2.3 million blocks, originally stood about 146 metres tall and now about 138 metres, after it lost its casing of polished Tura limestone; it is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Going inside needs a separate ticket bought at the site.
Below the pyramids, the Great Sphinx, with a lion's body and a head traditionally linked to Khafre, guards the causeway to his pyramid. Beside it, the Valley Temple of Khafre, built of huge limestone blocks faced with granite, is where the king's funeral rites began.
The Grand Egyptian Museum stands about 2 km from the pyramids. You pass the colossal statue of Ramses II in the Grand Hall and climb the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues to the Tutankhamun galleries, where the objects from his tomb are shown together. Your guide picks a route through the key pieces in about three hours. Lunch is at a local restaurant, and you are back at your hotel in the late afternoon.
After breakfast and check-out you transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Aswan, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Your guide meets you on arrival, and your luggage goes to the ship while you start the visits.
The High Dam, completed in 1970, regulates the Nile, irrigates the valley and produces electricity; it also created Lake Nasser. In the ancient granite quarries nearby, the Unfinished Obelisk shows how the Egyptians cut their monuments: had it been finished it would have stood about 42 metres tall, but a crack stopped the work.
A short motorboat ride takes you to Philae, the temple of Isis, moved to Agilkia Island in the 1970s in a UNESCO campaign to save it from the water between the two dams. See our article on visiting Philae Temple.
You board your Nile cruise ship for lunch, and the afternoon is free on the sun deck. Dinner is on board and you spend the night on the ship.
Breakfast is on board as the ship sails north past granite outcrops and villages.
At Kom Ombo you visit the double temple on a bend of the river, built in the Ptolemaic period with two entrances and two sanctuaries side by side: one for Sobek, the crocodile god, and one for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. Your guide points out the relief often read as a set of medical instruments and the Nilometer. Read more about Kom Ombo Temple.
Lunch and dinner are on board as the ship continues towards Edfu. Many ships hold a galabeya party or a folkloric show in the evening.
After breakfast you visit Edfu's Temple of Horus, usually reached by horse carriage from the dock. Built between 237 and 57 BC, it is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, with its pylon, courtyards, columned halls and sanctuary still roofed, and walls that tell the story of the battle between Horus and Seth. More on the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Lunch is on board as the ship sails north, passing through the lock at Esna, where the river level changes by several metres.
Dinner is on board, and the ship reaches Luxor in the evening.
After breakfast you check out of the ship and cross to the West Bank. The Valley of the Kings holds more than 60 tombs cut into the hills for the pharaohs of the New Kingdom; the standard ticket opens three of those open on the day, and the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI need separate tickets. See our guide to the best tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut rises in terraces under the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. On the way back you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III about 18 metres tall that once stood before his temple.
Lunch is at a restaurant on a Nile island, reached by a short boat trip across the river.
The day ends at Karnak, the temple of Amun, enlarged over some 2,000 years; its Great Hypostyle Hall has 134 columns. Our article on facts about Karnak has more. You then check in to your Luxor hotel for the night; dinner is at the hotel.
After breakfast you transfer to Luxor airport for the flight to Cairo, about one hour. If your flight is later in the day, a sunrise balloon flight over the West Bank is an optional extra for this morning.
Our representative meets you in Cairo and drives you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free: rest, shopping or an independent visit. Khan el-Khalili and the old city are a good choice for a first look at historic Cairo, and the Citadel stays open until the late afternoon.
After breakfast you leave Cairo on the desert highway to Alexandria, about two and a half to three hours. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, the city was the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt.
The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa are a burial complex of the Roman period cut deep into the rock and reached by a spiral staircase, where Egyptian gods appear in Roman dress. Nearby, Pompey's Pillar, a granite column about 27 metres tall raised for the emperor Diocletian, stands among the remains of the Serapeum.
The Citadel of Qaitbay was built in the 15th century on the site of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and looks out over the Mediterranean. Lunch is at a local seafood restaurant. More on the Citadel of Qaitbay.
The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, opened in 2002 near the site of the ancient library, has a reading room under a tilted disc of a roof. You return to Cairo in the evening; dinner is included. Our guide on what to see in one day in Alexandria has more.
After breakfast and check-out, our representative drives you to Cairo International Airport in a private air-conditioned car for your international flight; airlines usually ask you to be there three hours before departure. This is the end of the tour.
Comfortable, well located
More space and better ships
Our highest level
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 time for this route. In December and January, days are around 18 to 21 °C in Cairo, 23 to 26 °C in Aswan and Luxor and 17 to 19 °C in Alexandria, which is the rainiest of the three in winter and can be windy on the Corniche. From May to September, Aswan and Luxor often pass 40 °C, so visits start at dawn, while Alexandria stays milder and humid, around 30 °C. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks, when cruises fill first.
Our list of what to pack for a Nile cruise covers the days on the ship.
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. Rules and fees depend on your passport, so check them before you book flights. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from your arrival date; you need it for both domestic flights and at check-in on the ship. The visa is not included.
The currency is the Egyptian pound. Cards are accepted on the ship and in hotels; drinks on board are paid before you disembark. Keep small notes for the horse carriages at Edfu, the boat to Philae, markets and toilets at some sites. Tips are not included; the tipping guide in the travel policies below gives the usual amounts, and 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 airfare; Egypt entry visa; Tipping; Personal expenses; Any services not mentioned in the itinerary.
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.
The ship arrives in Luxor on the evening of Day 5 and you leave it after breakfast on Day 6. Staying in a hotel that night lets you spend the whole day on the West Bank and at Karnak without watching the ship's timetable, and fly to Cairo the next morning.
Yes. You drive from Cairo and back on Day 8, about two and a half to three hours each way, with lunch in Alexandria. If you would like a night by the sea, we can add one.
Yes, Cairo to Aswan on Day 3 and Luxor to Cairo on Day 7. Your international flights are not included, so book them to and from Cairo.
Not within these nine days without changing the plan: it needs an early start from Aswan and about seven hours on the road. We can add a night in Aswan before the cruise for it; ask us when you enquire.
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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