3 days Cairo, a day in Alexandria, a 4-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan with Abu Simbel, then 3 nights on the Red Sea. Twelve days is the sweet spot: enough to add Alexandria and the Red Sea to the classic Nile route without rushing. Do the culture first while your energy is high, then wind down with beach and reef time in Hurghada. Complete packages run this exact loop from about $1,500 per person.
Twelve days is the itinerary we recommend most to first-timers who want to see everything and still come home rested. It's long enough to add the two things a one-week trip forces you to cut — Alexandria and the Red Sea — without turning your holiday into a race. Below is the full day-by-day plan, grouped into three easy segments, with real 2026 costs and transport advice.
Start in the capital while you're fresh — Cairo's monuments demand energy and early starts, so front-load them. Three nights here plus a day trip to Alexandria covers 5,000 years of history before you board the cruise. Cairo day tours
Tell us when you can travel and we'll suggest the ideal route and season — usually within the hour.
Chat with a local expertLand in Cairo, get your visa on arrival ($25, bring cash) and check in. If you touch down before sunset, ease into the trip with an evening walk through Islamic Cairo — El-Moez Street and the Khan El Khalili bazaar come alive after dark when the lanterns glow and the heat finally drops. Grab a mint tea, watch the coppersmiths work, and save your legs for tomorrow.
Local tip: don't schedule anything heavy on day one. Flights into Cairo often land late, and the Pyramids deserve a full tank of energy.
Be at the Giza plateau for the 8 AM opening, before the tour buses arrive. See the Great Pyramid (inside costs extra — tight but unforgettable), the panoramic viewpoint and the Sphinx, then drive 30 minutes to Saqqara for the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Giza Pyramids & Saqqara day tour Pyramids of Giza guide
Give the Grand Egyptian Museum a full morning — Tutankhamun's complete collection and the Grand Staircase are the best museum experience in Egypt right now. Spend the afternoon in Coptic Cairo (the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue). Grand Egyptian Museum guide things to do in Cairo
Take an early train or private car to Alexandria (about 2.5–3 hours) for a change of pace and sea air. The Mediterranean city trades pharaohs for Greco-Roman history: the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar, the Qaitbay Citadel on the old lighthouse foundations, and the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Lunch on seafood along the Corniche, then return to Cairo in the evening — or overnight in Alexandria if you'd rather slow down. Alexandria day tours
Local tip: Alexandria works as a long day trip, but the train back can run late. If you'd rather not rush, sleep one night in Alexandria and fly to Luxor from Cairo the following morning.
★ Want it all handled? this exact route — Cairo, Alexandria, the 4-night Nile cruise and Hurghada, with hotels, flights and an Egyptologist guide — is our signature 12-day package. See the 12-Day Cairo, Alexandria, Nile Cruise & Hurghada Tour 12-Day Cairo, Alexandria, Nile Cruise & Hurghada Tour
This is the heart of the trip. Fly south to Luxor, board a 4-night cruise to Aswan, and let the boat handle transport, meals and hotel while you focus on temples. The extra night versus a standard 3-night cruise buys an unhurried pace and a proper Abu Simbel excursion. Luxor day tours
Fly Cairo→Luxor (1 hour, from ~$90) and dive into the world's greatest open-air museum. West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. East Bank at sunset: Karnak and Luxor Temple. Board your cruise before dinner. Luxor day tours Valley of the Kings guide Valley of the Kings guide Karnak Temple guide
Splurge on one thing in Egypt? Make it the sunrise hot air balloon over Luxor's West Bank (from $120) — do it on the morning of Day 6 before the boat sails.
A slow morning on the sun deck as Egypt drifts past. Your cruise stops at Edfu, the best-preserved temple in the country (horse carriage from the dock — agree the price first), and Kom Ombo, the double temple of the crocodile god Sobek, floodlit on the riverbank at sunset. Luxor & Aswan Nile cruises Luxor & Aswan Nile cruises
Dock in Aswan, Egypt's most relaxed city. Spend the day on its islands: the Philae Temple of Isis (a short motorboat ride away), the High Dam that created Lake Nasser, and in the late afternoon a felucca sail around Elephantine Island to a Nubian village for hibiscus tea in a painted house. It's the most photogenic hour of the whole trip. Aswan day tours Philae Temple guide
Wake at 4 AM for the drive (or 45-minute flight) to Abu Simbel, Ramses II's colossal rock temples, moved up the cliff block-by-block when Lake Nasser rose — the greatest rescue in archaeology. Back in Aswan by afternoon. Abu Simbel tour from Aswan Abu Simbel temples guide
We'll tell you honestly what the weather and crowds are really like for your travel dates.
Chat with a local expertEnjoy a last breakfast on the boat, then disembark and transfer to the airport. There's no direct hop, so you'll usually fly Aswan→Cairo→Hurghada — arriving on the Red Sea by mid-afternoon. Check into your resort, kick off your shoes and let the pace change completely. After eight days of temples, the beach feels earned.
Hurghada is where the trip decompresses. Three nights gives you a full snorkeling or diving day, a slow beach day and time to breathe before the flight home. The reefs here are genuinely world-class — this isn't a filler beach stop. Hurghada day tours
Take a boat trip to Giftun Island in the Hurghada marine park. The coral gardens are shallow, warm and teeming with clownfish, parrotfish and the occasional turtle — first-time snorkelers do brilliantly here. Certified divers can do two dives at sites like Shaab El Erg, where wild dolphins are common. Lunch is served on board, and you're back at the resort by late afternoon. Red Sea travel packages
Your one unstructured day. Do nothing by the pool, or add a desert-and-quad safari to a Bedouin camp for sunset — a nice counterpoint to the reef. This buffer day is what makes 12 days feel like a holiday rather than a checklist. where to stay in Hurghada
Most international flights leave from Cairo, so you'll fly Hurghada→Cairo (1 hour) to connect home. If your departure is late evening, there's time for a farewell lunch before the airport. Twelve days, three regions, and every headline sight in Egypt behind you.
| Nights | City | Budget pick | Upgrade pick |
| 1–4 | Cairo (Giza side for pyramid views) | 3–4★ near Giza plateau | Marriott Mena House — balcony pyramid views |
| 5–8 | Nile cruise (Luxor → Aswan) | Standard 5★ cruise | MS Mayfair / Movenpick Royal Lily deluxe |
| 9–11 | Hurghada (Red Sea) | 4★ all-inclusive beach resort | 5★ reef-front resort with house reef |
Your cruise doubles as your hotel for nights 5–8, and a Red Sea all-inclusive keeps costs predictable at the end. where to stay in Cairo
| Style | Per person (double) | What you get |
| Budget | $1,500 – $2,000 | 3–4★ hotels, standard 5★ cruise, 4★ Red Sea resort, group tours, economy internal flights |
| Mid-range | $2,300 – $3,200 | 4–5★ hotels, deluxe 5★ cruise, 5★ resort, private Egyptologist at the sites, all internal flights |
| Luxury | $4,200+ | 5★ deluxe or Dahabiya cruise, private guide throughout, top reef-front resort, all flights & transfers |
Budget separately for tipping (about $5–10 per day — a real part of Egyptian service culture), inside-the-pyramid tickets, the balloon ride, diving certification and drinks. Egypt trip cost guide
★ Prefer a ready-made plan? our classic 12-day Egypt package covers all three segments with hotels, cruise, flights and guiding sorted — just show up. Check the 12-Day Egypt Tour Package 12-Day Egypt Tour Package
October to April is peak season for both the Nile Valley and the Red Sea: 20–28°C days, warm enough to snorkel, cool enough to walk temples. December–January is busiest, so book cruises 3+ months ahead. May and September are hot but cheaper and quieter; June–August tops 40°C in Luxor and Aswan — doable if you start every day at sunrise, and the Red Sea end still delivers. best time to visit Egypt
Not a beach person? Trade the three Hurghada nights for Egypt's Western Desert — Bahariya Oasis and the surreal White Desert — or fly to Siwa for palm groves and salt lakes. 12-day Cairo, Nile cruise & Bahariya Oasis tour 12-day Cairo, Nile cruise & Bahariya Oasis tour
Partly. Cairo and Alexandria are easy independently with Uber and the train. The Nile Valley and the Red Sea logistics — cruises, Abu Simbel timing, transfers — are where a package saves money and stress, and gives you a private Egyptologist over a big group. Private vs group tours in Egypt how many days do you need in Egypt
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