Ten days in Egypt is the right length for the Cairo-Nile-Sea arc. Three nights in Cairo (the new Grand Egyptian Museum opened 2025, the Giza plateau, the Coptic and Islamic quarters). Fly to Luxor. Four-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan stopping at Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Philae. Fly to Hurghada or Marsa Alam for three nights of Red Sea decompression. Back via Cairo or direct international from the Red Sea. Hired Egyptologist guides through all the sites are strongly recommended.
Each day is written to balance structure with breathing room. Named hotels, named meals, named activities; logistics noted where they matter.
Land at CAI, 45-minute taxi to your Cairo hotel (Giza-side or Zamalek). First-night dinner at Felfela (traditional Egyptian: koshari, grilled meats, the full meze experience).
Morning at the Giza plateau with a licensed Egyptologist — Great Pyramid (first entry at 08:00 to avoid heat), Khafre and Menkaure pyramids, the Sphinx. Allow 4 hours. Lunch at the Mena House. Afternoon at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM, fully opened 2025) — the Tutankhamun collection now displayed in full for the first time.
Morning in Coptic Cairo — the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Coptic Museum. Lunch at Abou Tarek (best koshari in the city, queue-worthy). Afternoon in Islamic Cairo — Al-Muizz street, Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the Citadel, the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
Morning flight CAI → LXR (1h). Transfer to your Nile cruise boat. Afternoon visit to Karnak Temple (the 2nd-largest religious complex ever built). Sunset at Luxor Temple (lit at night). First night sailing south.
Early morning West Bank: Valley of the Kings (3 tombs included per basic ticket; add Tutankhamun tomb and Seti I for the masterpieces), Hatshepsut's Temple, Colossi of Memnon. Back to the boat for a sailing afternoon toward Edfu.
Morning at Edfu Temple (the best-preserved Ptolemaic temple; 237 BCE). Afternoon at Kom Ombo (the double temple to Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon god; the crocodile mummies museum beside it is remarkable). Continue sailing to Aswan.
Morning: Philae Temple (moved stone-by-stone in the 1960s to save it from the Aswan High Dam flooding). Optional add-on: fly to Abu Simbel for the day (Ramses II's great rock-cut temple, 280 km south; 40-minute flight each way or a 3-hour drive, full-day excursion, $250).
Disembark cruise. Short flight ASW → HRG (Hurghada) or to Marsa Alam. Transfer to resort. Afternoon at the beach. The red-rock desert meets turquoise Red Sea — some of the world's best snorkeling is 10 minutes offshore.
Full-day boat trip to Giftun Island (Hurghada) or Elphinstone Reef (Marsa Alam) — one of the best snorkeling and diving locations in the world. Reef fish, sometimes dolphins, and the reef drop-off that makes the Red Sea famous.
Morning at the resort. Afternoon flight HRG/RMF → CAI or direct international. Direct international flights from HRG go to several European capitals summer season.
The tourist corridors (Cairo sights, the Nile cruise route, the Red Sea resorts) are safe, with strong security presence. The Sinai peninsula interior and areas near the Libyan border are restricted for foreign tourists. Most major travel advisories reflect this — check your government's current guidance before booking.
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