Five days is the sweet spot for Egypt's greatest hits: long enough to fly down the Nile and stand in the Valley of the Kings, short enough to keep costs sane. This plan splits the trip in two — two and a half days for Cairo's pyramids and old cities, then a short flight to Luxor and Aswan, where the temples out-do anything in the capital. It works as a land trip or as the skeleton for a Nile cruise.
October to April is the comfortable window — warm days, cool nights and manageable heat at the open-air sites, though December and January draw the biggest crowds. May to September is fiercely hot (Luxor regularly tops 40°C), so sightsee at dawn and swim or nap through the afternoon. Ramadan changes hours for many restaurants and bazaars.
Fly Cairo to Luxor or Aswan (EgyptAir, about 1 hour 20 minutes, US$60–$120 each way) — far better than the 10-hour road trip. In Cairo use the metro, Uber or Careem; taxis need haggling. In Luxor and Aswan, hotels arrange drivers for the West Bank and Abu Simbel, and a felucca is the only transport you'll want on the river. Internal flights land at Luxor for the temples and Aswan for Abu Simbel.
Morning
Entry ~EGP 540 · Great Pyramid interior ~EGP 900 extra
Be at the gates for the 8am opening — you'll have the panorama before the tour buses and the heat arrive. The general ticket covers the plateau and the views between all three pyramids; going inside the Great Pyramid or Khafre's costs extra and is worth it for the climb only if you're not claustrophobic. Walk out to the desert behind for the classic three-pyramids lineup.
Pyramids of Giza, EgyptAfternoon
Included in plateau ticket
Walk or drive down to the Sphinx, carved from a single limestone outcrop and staring eternally east. The adjacent Valley Temple of Khafre, built from granite megaliths, is one of the oldest standing buildings on earth and blissfully cool. This corner of the plateau is where most camel and horse rides are offered — agree prices in advance or skip them politely.
Great Sphinx of GizaEvening
Dinner ~EGP 300–600 · Sound & Light ~EGP 700
End the day the way the plateau deserves: a rooftop table in Giza or Nazlet El-Seman facing the pyramids as the floodlights come on for the evening Sound & Light show (bookable separately). A slow koshary or grilled-meat dinner with the view beats rushing back into central Cairo traffic.
Nazlet El-Seman, GizaMorning
Foreign ticket ~EGP 1,450
Give the GEM its own morning — it's the largest archaeological museum in the world and sits minutes from the pyramids, making it a natural second stop. Tutankhamun's complete burial collection, the colossi of Ramses II and the gallery-lined Grand Staircase alone justify half a day. Hire the audio guide and start at the top of the staircase, working down chronologically.
Grand Egyptian Museum, GizaAfternoon
Citadel ~EGP 450 · Sultan Hassan ~EGP 160
Cross to the medieval city. Saladin's Citadel holds the alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali with the best rooftop view in Cairo, and a short taxi hop away the mosque-and-madrasa complex of Sultan Hassan is among the finest Mamluk buildings anywhere. Time it for late afternoon light through the lattice screens of Al-Azhar Mosque, where you're welcome to wander outside prayer times.
Cairo Citadel, EgyptEvening
Mint tea ~EGP 50 · dinner ~EGP 250–500
As the lanterns switch on, dive into Khan el-Khalili, the 14th-century bazaar that has outlasted every empire since. Haggle for brass and spices, then end at Fishawi's, an alley coffeehouse pouring mint tea since 1773. Dinner nearby in Bein al-Qasrein or a short Uber to Garden City keeps the night easy.
Khan el-Khalili bazaar, CairoMorning
Churches free · NMEC ~EGP 640
Start in Old Cairo, where the Hanging Church balances on a Roman fortress and the Coptic Museum holds some of the oldest Christian art in the world. A few steps away, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization displays the mummies of the pharaohs themselves in a dignified underground hall — pair the two and you're done by early afternoon.
Coptic Cairo, EgyptAfternoon
Flight ~US$60–$120
Take the early-evening EgyptAir hop south (about 1 hour 20 minutes; book a week ahead for the good fares). Check into a hotel on the East Bank — the Corniche in Luxor is the walkable base — and give yourself an hour on the Nile's edge before dinner. If you arrive early enough, the souq behind Luxor Temple is good for a first wander.
Luxor, EgyptEvening
Entry ~EGP 450
Luxor Temple is open into the evening, and by night — softly floodlit, cool, nearly empty compared to midday — it's arguably the most atmospheric temple in Egypt. Alexander the Great's chapel, the colossal Ramses II court and the avenue of sphinxes leading toward Karnak all read differently after sunset. Walk back along the Corniche for dinner.
Luxor Temple, EgyptMorning
Entry ~EGP 720 · Seti I tomb ~EGP 2,000 extra · balloon ~US$90
Cross to the West Bank at opening time (or earlier, if you've booked the dawn hot-air balloon over the necropolis — unmissable if budget allows). Your general ticket covers three royal tombs; add Seti I's if available, it's the finest. Then on to the terraced Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut cut into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari, and a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon.
Valley of the Kings, LuxorAfternoon
Entry ~EGP 220 · lunch ~EGP 200–400
Escape the crowds at Deir el-Medina, the village of the tomb-builders themselves — its painted workers' tombs are small, intimate and the best value in the valley. Lunch on the rooftop terraces of Gezira village facing the fields, then return east for a swim or a nap through the hottest hours.
Deir el-Medina, LuxorEvening
Train ~US$10–$20 · dinner ~EGP 250–500
Head south to Aswan by the comfortable air-conditioned train (about 3.5 hours) or a private transfer (about 3 hours), checking into a riverfront hotel on Elephantine Island or the Corniche. End the day with dinner overlooking the granite islands and white felucca sails of the First Cataract — the Nile at its most beautiful.
Aswan, EgyptMorning
Abu Simbel ~EGP 900 + transport ~US$20–$40 · Philae ~EGP 550
The big decision: a 3.30am start for the road convoy to Abu Simbel, where Ramses II's colossi sit 280km from anywhere, or a civilized morning boat to the island temple of Philae, rescued stone by stone from the flooding of the old dam. If you can manage both — Abu Simbel by dawn, Philae after lunch — do; otherwise Philae fits a short trip more gracefully.
Abu Simbel, EgyptAfternoon
Private felucca hour ~US$15–$25
Sail the way Egyptians have for centuries: a late-afternoon felucca ride around Elephantine Island and past the Botanical Garden on Kitchener's Island, with the Aga Khan's mausoleum catching the last light on the west bank. Bring a sweater in winter — the breeze on the water is sharp once the sun drops.
Elephantine Island, AswanEvening
Dinner ~EGP 250–450
Finish with dinner at a Nubian-run restaurant near the Corniche or on Elephantine — tagine-style stews, fresh bread and hibiscus tea — before an evening flight back to Cairo or onward home. Aswan's airport is 25 minutes from town; leave time for the easygoing security queue.
Aswan Corniche, EgyptMid-range estimate: a good 4-star hotel or a budget Nile cruise cabin, breakfast plus one or two restaurant meals, all site tickets and a driver for day trips. Excluding international and domestic flights, five days lands around US$400–US$1,000. Nile cruises bundle most of this into one price; backpacker hostels come in far under it.
Estimated daily total
US$80–US$200 per person, per day
| Season | Typical range | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 9–20°C / 48–68°F | Cairo is mild, Luxor warm in the sun and cold at dawn balloon launches — peak season, so book ahead. |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 15–30°C / 59–86°F | Warm and dry with fewer visitors; the occasional khamsin wind brings dust storms. |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 24–38°C / 75–100°F | Cairo is hot, Upper Egypt brutal (40°C+); dawn visits, long lunches and hotel pools are the rhythm. |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 18–32°C / 64–90°F | Heat easing through September into the excellent October–November shoulder season. |
SmartVoyage shows the live forecast, or seasonal averages for far-off dates, next to every day of a generated itinerary.
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