First-time visitor
7–10 days- Cairo 2–3 nights
- Luxor 2 nights
- Nile cruise 4 nights
The complete Egypt guide · since 1988
Egypt isn't one holiday. It's six.
Six regions, five thousand years, one continuous river. This is how our Egyptologists piece them together – from the Giza plateau to the coral edge of the Red Sea.
- 38
- years operating Egypt
- 6
- offices across Egypt
- 10K+
- travelers hosted
- 4.9★
- average guest rating
Where to begin
Every Egypt itinerary is a conversation between six worlds.
The Pharaonic plateau at Giza. The temple corridor of the Nile Valley. The Nubian south around Aswan. The coral arc of the Red Sea. The vast quiet of the Western Desert. And the Mediterranean memory of Alexandria. Knowing which of these fit your time and your temperament is the whole of the planning – the rest is just sequence.
We've worked every one of them since 1988. Our guides don't only know the monuments – they know which temple earns two hours and which earns two days, where to catch the sunset from the local side, and which Nile-view room ends up on every camera roll.
Egypt at a glance
One river, three landscapes
The Nile runs the length of the country like a spine – the ancient sites string along it from Cairo to Abu Simbel. The coast and the desert branch off either side. Tap any place to open its guide.
- Nile corridor
- Coast & sea
- Desert & oasis
- The Nile & Lake Nasser
The six regions
Six places, one journey
Each region carries its own dedicated guide – open one to see what's there and how long to give it.
01 Nile corridor · 2–3 nights
Cairo & Giza
Pyramids · Sphinx · Grand Egyptian Museum
Two millennia stacked in one city. The Pyramids of Giza sit on the western edge, the Grand Egyptian Museum on the plateau above them, and a labyrinth of mosques, gates and bazaars fills medieval Cairo to the east.
Best for · First-timers & culture seekers
Explore Cairo
02 2–3 nights
Luxor
Karnak · Valley of the Kings · Medinet Habu
Ancient Thebes, and the largest open-air museum on earth. Karnak and Luxor Temple anchor the East Bank; the West Bank hides the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and the colonnades of Medinet Habu.
Best for · Archaeology & temple enthusiasts
03 1–2 nights
Aswan & Abu Simbel
Philae · Nubian villages · Abu Simbel
The southern anchor of the Nile cruise. Philae rises from the reservoir at dusk, painted Nubian houses line the west bank, and a 45-minute flight south reaches Abu Simbel – Ramses II's mountain carved into a temple.
Best for · Cruise end-point & Abu Simbel
04 3–4 nights
Red Sea Coast
Hurghada · Marsa Alam · reef diving
Twelve hundred kilometers of coast over some of the world's clearest reef. Hurghada is 45 minutes from Luxor's airport; Marsa Alam, further south, trades nightlife for dugongs, house reefs and quiet.
Best for · Beach finale after a Nile tour
05 1 night
Alexandria
Bibliotheca · Catacombs · the Corniche
Alexander's Mediterranean capital, two hours from Cairo by fast train. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa and a salt-air corniche make it the natural bookend to a Cairo stay.
Best for · Overnight add-on from Cairo
06 2–3 nights
Western Desert
White Desert · Bahariya · stargazing
Egypt's quiet quarter. Wind-carved chalk towers glow at the White Desert, hot springs bubble at Bahariya and Siwa, and the night sky goes as dark and crowded with stars as anywhere in Africa.
Best for · Adventurers & desert romantics
Planning tool
Where to base yourself
Six starting points, six different trips. Find the traveler closest to you and read the route as a sequence of bases – each labeled with the nights we'd give it.
Culture & archaeology
9–12 days- Luxor 3–4 nights
- Cairo 2 nights
- Aswan 1–2 nights
Beach & culture
10–12 days- Cairo 2 nights
- Nile cruise 4 nights
- Red Sea 3 nights
Desert & adventure
8–11 days- Cairo 1 night
- Bahariya 2 nights
- White Desert 1 night
- Aswan 2 nights
Honeymoon
11–13 days- Cairo 2 nights
- Dahabiya cruise 7 nights
- Marsa Alam 3 nights
Family (kids 6–15)
9–11 days- Cairo 2–3 nights
- Nile cruise 4 nights
- Hurghada 3 nights
The method
How to build your Egypt itinerary
01
Start with duration
Seven days covers the core circuit. Ten adds a Red Sea finale or simply a slower pace. Fourteen reaches everything – Alexandria, the Delta and the Western Desert included.
02
Choose your base depth
Cairo needs two or three nights – the Giza plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum each justify a full day. Luxor stays interesting for three. The cruise itself absorbs Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan as it sails.
03
Build around the Nile arc
Cairo → fly to Luxor → cruise south to Aswan → Abu Simbel → fly home. That arc is the spine of four out of five Egypt trips. Everything else attaches to it as an extension.
04
Add extensions last
The Red Sea clips on at the end – fly Aswan to Hurghada or Marsa Alam. Alexandria is a day trip from Cairo. The White Desert is a three-day loop. Sinai works as a standalone beach finale.
Best time to visit
When to go to Egypt
A year-round country. October through April is the comfortable window; May through September runs hotter but quieter and noticeably cheaper. Bar height shows the typical daytime high.
20° Jan
22° Feb
26° Mar
30° Apr
35° May
39° Jun
41° Jul
40° Aug
36° Sep
30° Oct
25° Nov
21° Dec
Peak · comfortable Shoulder Warm Hot · 35–42°C
Peak season · Oct–Apr
20–30°C nationwide – ideal for monuments and cruising. Book hotels and boats four to six months out, especially over Christmas and February half-term.
Hot season · May–Sep
35–42°C in Upper Egypt. Sites empty out and prices drop 30–40%. Mornings before 10am are comfortable; afternoons are for the pool or a siesta.
Ramadan
Dates shift each year with the lunar calendar. Some restaurants keep shorter hours, but the evening atmosphere is warm and singular. Plan meals around sunrise and sunset.
Christmas & New Year
Egypt's busiest fortnight. Prices climb 25–35% and the headline sites fill up in the last week of December. Book six to nine months ahead.
"Egypt rewards the traveler who plans the river first and lets everything else hang off it. Get the Nile right – Cairo, Luxor, Aswan – and the coast, the desert and the Mediterranean fall into place on their own."
– Our Egyptologist planning team, on three decades of itineraries
Why plan with us
Three reasons it goes smoothly
In-house Egyptologist guides
Every Discovery Tours guide is a degree-qualified Egyptologist – not a licensed generalist. They read the wall behind the wall, tie the hieroglyphs to the myth, and turn a walk through a temple into the best lecture you'll ever stand up for.
Degree-qualified Egyptologists Arabic · English · German
IATA & ASTA accredited since 1988
Thirty-eight years running Egypt's most complicated itineraries. Class-A licensed Egypt travel specialist, IATA and ASTA accredited. The safety record and the repeat-client rate are the part of the brochure we're proudest of.
IATA accredited Class-A ETAA license
Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh – answered at any hour
We keep people on the ground in every city on your route. When a flight slips, a hotel overbooks, or you simply want a dinner recommendation at midnight, the person who picks up actually knows the street.
24/7 in-trip support Six Egypt offices
Common questions
Egypt destination questions
01 How many days do I need for an Egypt holiday? +
Seven days covers the core: Cairo (2 nights for the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum), a flight to Luxor (2 nights for the Valley of the Kings and Karnak), and a 4-night Nile cruise to Aswan. Ten days adds a Red Sea extension or a more relaxed pace.
02 What is the best base in Egypt for first-time British visitors? +
Cairo is the most convenient base – both airports are there (CAI and SPX), the Pyramids are 20 minutes away, and the Grand Egyptian Museum opened on the Giza plateau in 2024. Most travellers fly from Cairo to Luxor for the Nile cruise rather than take the overnight train.
03 Can I see all of Egypt's major sites in one holiday? +
Yes, in 12–14 days: Cairo (Grand Egyptian Museum, Pyramids, Islamic Cairo), Alexandria (day trip), Luxor (Karnak, Valley of the Kings), a 4-night Nile cruise to Aswan, Abu Simbel, and a Red Sea finale. The White Desert adds 2–3 more days.
04 Is Egypt good for a first-time solo traveller? +
Yes. Egypt is one of the most organised destinations for first-time visitors – every major monument has tourist police on-site, English is widely spoken across the tourist corridor, and a private guide makes getting around effortless. Our solo-traveller holidays pair you with a small group so you're never on your own.
05 Which Egypt destination is best for a family holiday? +
Cairo wins on content – children are transfixed by the mummies at the Grand Egyptian Museum and the sheer scale of the Pyramids. Luxor's Valley of the Kings brings the adventure atmosphere. A 4-night Nile cruise keeps children engaged with a new temple every morning.
06 What's the best Egypt destination for a honeymoon? +
Cairo for the Pyramids at sunrise (private access available), a dahabiya cruise for 7 nights of Nile romance – canvas sails, private sundeck, uninterrupted horizon – then 3 nights at a Marsa Alam reef villa. That 12-day combination is our most-booked honeymoon from the UK.
07 Is Alexandria worth including in an Egypt holiday? +
Absolutely – the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, and Pompey's Pillar are all excellent. Two hours from Cairo by fast train or 45 minutes by plane, Alexandria works well as an overnight extension at the start or end of a Cairo stay.
08 Do I need separate visas for Egypt's different regions? +
No – one Egypt e-Visa (around £25, applied online at visa2egypt.gov.eg) covers the whole country including Sinai, the Red Sea, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. The only exception is the cheaper Sinai-only permit issued on arrival at Sharm El Sheikh or Taba, which covers the Sinai resorts but not the rest of Egypt.
Plan your Egypt trip
Tell us which regions pull at you
Send your dates, your group, and the regions you're drawn to – we'll send back a tailored multi-region itinerary within 24 hours. No deposit, no obligation.