10 days, 9 nights over Christmas: Giza, the Egyptian Museum and Coptic Cairo, a flight to Luxor, a 4-night Nile cruise to Aswan via the Valley of the Kings, Edfu and Philae, a flight back and a day in Fayoum. Includes hotels, full-board cruise, flights, an Egyptologist and entrance fees.
December is one of the best months to be in Egypt. The days are sunny and mild, the light is soft for photographs, and the Nile Valley is at its most comfortable for sightseeing. This 10-day tour is built for the Christmas holidays: three days in Cairo with the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids of Giza and the churches of Coptic Cairo, where by tradition the Holy Family sheltered during their flight into Egypt; a flight south to Luxor and a four-night Nile cruise to Aswan; then a flight back to Cairo and a day in the Fayoum, an oasis of lakes, desert and Roman ruins less than two hours from the city.
The Cairo tours are private with your own Egyptologist and vehicle, the cruise is full board with guided visits at every stop, and both domestic flights, Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo, are included in the price.
Egypt has one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. The Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on 7 January, a national public holiday, with the main midnight mass on the evening of 6 January, after a 43-day fast. On 25 December, Catholic, Anglican and other churches in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan hold services that visitors are welcome to join. Hotels and Nile cruise ships decorate for the season, and many hold a gala dinner on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve; some charge it as a compulsory supplement, and we tell you when you book. For more ideas, read how to celebrate Christmas in Egypt.
It is a weaker fit if you want a beach stay or Abu Simbel; our other Egypt Christmas tours include different combinations, and a tailor-made trip can add either.
The pace is moderate, with a full day of sightseeing on most days and quiet afternoons on the ship. Three days include a longer journey:
Our representative meets you in the arrival hall of Cairo International Airport, holding a sign with your name, helps you with your luggage and walks you to your private air-conditioned vehicle. The drive to the hotel takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic.
At check-in your tour leader goes through the plan with you, including the dates of any Christmas or New Year gala dinner on your trip and the church services you would like to attend.
No meals are included today. Keep the evening light: Day 2 starts after breakfast. Overnight in Cairo.
After breakfast your private Egyptologist takes you to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, opened in 1902. Most of Tutankhamun's treasures have moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, but the old museum still holds one of the great collections of ancient Egypt, from the Narmer Palette, which records the unification of the country, to the statues of the Old Kingdom and the gold of the royal tombs at Tanis.
Lunch is at a local restaurant on the way to Giza. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, built about 4,500 years ago, is the largest of the three and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. You also see the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, the Valley Temple of Khafre with its granite walls and alabaster floor, and the Great Sphinx. The low December sun in the late afternoon is the best light of the day for photographs. Going inside the Great Pyramid needs an extra ticket bought at the site.
You are back at the hotel in the evening. Overnight in Cairo. Meals: breakfast and lunch.
After breakfast you drive to Old Cairo, where the Coptic quarter grew up inside the Roman fortress of Babylon, whose walls and towers still stand. The Hanging Church takes its name from its position over the fortress gatehouse, with its nave seemingly suspended above the passage. The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Abu Serga, is built over the crypt where, by tradition, the Holy Family rested during their flight into Egypt. The Ben Ezra Synagogue nearby stands, by local tradition, near the place where the infant Moses was found in the reeds, and it is where the Cairo Geniza, a store of medieval Jewish manuscripts, came to light in the 19th century.
After lunch at a local restaurant you move to the old walled city of the Fatimids. You see the great stone gates of Bab al-Futuh and Bab al-Nasr, built in the 11th century, and walk south along the streets of mosques, madrasas and old houses that make medieval Cairo one of the richest historic cities in the Islamic world.
The day ends in Khan el-Khalili, a market since the late 14th century, with lanes of lamps, copperware, spices and silver. Sit for a mint tea at El Fishawy, a café that has served the bazaar for more than two centuries. Overnight in Cairo. Meals: breakfast and lunch.
After breakfast you check out and transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Luxor, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Our representative meets you on arrival and takes you to your Nile cruise ship, where lunch is served.
Your guide takes you to Karnak, the temple of Amun, built and enlarged over some 2,000 years: the Great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 columns, the obelisks of Thutmose I and Hatshepsut and the Sacred Lake. Then you visit Luxor Temple, built mainly under Amenhotep III and Ramses II and joined to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes, about 2.7 km long. Luxor Temple is lit up after dark, and arriving at dusk is a fine way to see it.
Afternoon tea and dinner are on board, with the ship moored in Luxor. Overnight on the ship. Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
A hot-air balloon flight over the West Bank at sunrise is an optional extra this morning. Winter mornings are usually calm and clear, which makes December a good month for it, but flights depend on the wind. Read whether the balloon ride is worth it.
After breakfast you cross to the West Bank. The Valley of the Kings holds more than 60 tombs cut for the pharaohs of the New Kingdom; the standard ticket opens three of the tombs open on the day, and the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI need an extra ticket bought at the site. At Deir el-Bahari, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut rises in three terraces against the cliffs, and on the way back you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III about 18 metres tall.
Lunch is back on board, followed by afternoon tea on deck as the ship sails south through the lock at Esna towards Edfu. Dinner is on board. Overnight on the ship. Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After breakfast the ship is moored at Edfu, and a horse carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus, the falcon god. Built between 237 and 57 BC, it is the most complete temple in Egypt; the walls of its enclosure tell the story of the battle between Horus and Seth.
After lunch on board the ship sails south to Kom Ombo, a double temple with two sanctuaries side by side, one for Sobek, the crocodile god, and one for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. Next to the temple, the Crocodile Museum displays mummified crocodiles found in a nearby cemetery.
Dinner is on board as the ship continues to Aswan. Overnight on the ship. Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Lunch is on board, and the afternoon is free. Watch the sunset over the granite islands from the deck, or take a felucca or a walk through the Aswan market for spices and Nubian crafts (optional).
Dinner is on board, moored in Aswan. Overnight on the ship. Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After a last breakfast on board you check out of the ship. Depending on your flight time, there is free time to sit by the river or walk along the Corniche.
Our team drives you to Aswan airport for the flight to Cairo, about 1 hour 20 minutes. On arrival you are met and taken to your hotel.
The evening is free to rest before tomorrow's day trip. Overnight in Cairo. Meals: breakfast.
After breakfast your private guide drives you south-west to the Fayoum, about two hours from Cairo. The Fayoum is a large depression fed by a branch of the Nile, with farmland, palm groves and two lakes in the desert. Your first stop is Lake Qarun, a salt lake whose shores attract migrating birds in winter. Nearby are the ruins of Karanis, a farming town of the Greco-Roman period with mud-brick houses and two stone temples.
After lunch at a local restaurant you drive to Wadi el-Rayan, a protected area of desert and two man-made lakes joined by a channel, where small waterfalls run between them, a rare sight in Egypt. Your guide also takes you to the Fayoum's museum, depending on opening hours.
Before you leave, a short felucca sail on the lake at sunset ends the day. You are back in Cairo in the evening. Overnight in Cairo. Meals: breakfast and lunch.
Fayoum is famous for its pottery village, Tunis, on the shore of Lake Qarun; ask your guide if you would like to stop there.
After breakfast our representative drives you to Cairo International Airport in time for your flight home; airlines usually ask you to be there three hours before departure, and the airport is very busy in the holiday weeks. This is the end of the tour.
If your flight leaves late in the day, ask us when you book about the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Tutankhamun galleries as an optional extra.
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.
Late December and early January are high season. Days in Cairo are around 19 to 21 °C and nights around 10 °C; Luxor and Aswan are warmer by day, around 23 to 26 °C, but early mornings and evenings on deck can be chilly, around 6 to 10 °C. Rain is rare. The weeks around Christmas and New Year are the busiest of the year, so flights, the best ships and hotels fill early: book several months ahead, and expect higher prices than in other winter weeks.
Many nationalities can buy a tourist visa on arrival at Cairo airport or apply in advance for an e-visa on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg; the rules and fee depend on your passport. Apply early in December, when airports are busiest. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from your arrival. The visa is not included in the tour price.
The currency is the Egyptian pound. Cards are accepted in hotels, on the ship and in larger shops; keep small notes for markets, toilets at some sites 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 cruise staff, and many travelers add a little extra for the crew over the holidays.
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 confirms your booking. We send you a secure payment link for the deposit; the balance is paid in cash or by card on arrival in Egypt, unless your written offer gives another date. We never ask for card details by email, chat or WhatsApp. 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 to and from Egypt; Egypt entry visa; Drinks with meals; Tips for guides, drivers and cruise staff; Compulsory Christmas Eve or New Year' s Eve gala dinners charged by some hotels and ships (we tell you the amount when you book); Extra tickets at the sites: inside the Great Pyramid, and the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI; Optional activities, such as the Luxor balloon flight and a felucca in Aswan.
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.
Twice, in a way. Visitors' churches in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan celebrate on 24 and 25 December, while Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians celebrate on 7 January, a national holiday, with the midnight mass on the evening of 6 January. Hotels and Nile cruise ships mark both with decorations, and most hold gala dinners on 24 and 31 December.
Yes. Tell us which service you would like to attend when you book, and we will plan the days around it and arrange the transfer. Services in English are held in Cairo; in Luxor and Aswan the choice is smaller, so we check the times for your dates.
Yes. Prices for departures in the Christmas and New Year weeks are higher than in other winter weeks, because flights, ships and hotels charge peak rates, and some add a compulsory gala dinner. The supplement is shown in your quotation; book early, as these weeks sell out.
No. The cruise ship is shared with other guests, as on any Nile cruise, and the visits from the ship may be shared with other Egypt Online Tour guests. Your Cairo and Fayoum days are private with your own guide and vehicle.
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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Answers to the questions travelers ask before they book.
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Christmas in Egypt has two dates: 25 December, kept by hotels, cruise ships and Catholic and Protestant churches, and 7 January, Coptic Christmas and a public holiday. Here is how Egyptians celebrate, where to attend a service, what to eat and how to plan a Christmas trip.
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Yes. December is peak season in Egypt, and the main tourist areas (Cairo and Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Nile cruises and the Red Sea resorts) are safe with ordinary city precautions. Official advice warns only against North Sinai and remote border areas. Here is the current advice, weather, crowds and how to stay safe.
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