3 days in Cairo, 2 days in Luxor, connected by one evening flight. Spend days 1–3 on the Pyramids, Saqqara, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo, fly to Luxor on the evening of day 3, then cover the Valley of the Kings, Karnak and the East Bank on days 4–5 before flying back to Cairo for your departure. Complete packages run this exact route from about $480 per person.
BEST TIME: October – April (mornings first, everywhere, year-round)
DON'T MISS: Grand Egyptian Museum, Valley of the Kings, Karnak at opening time
Five days is the shortest trip where Egypt genuinely works — enough for the Pyramids and the tombs of Luxor, not enough for a Nile cruise. We run this exact route weekly, and the whole trick is a single decision: take the one-hour evening flight to Luxor on day 3 instead of losing a daylight day to travel. Here's the plan we'd hand a friend, plus the two swaps that change everything if flights or budget are tight. Egypt itineraries hub
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Day 1: Arrive in Cairo + Nile Dinner Cruise
Land in Cairo, buy your visa on arrival ($25, cash), and check in near Giza — sleeping on the pyramid side of the city saves you an hour of traffic tomorrow morning. Don't book any daytime sightseeing today; flights into Cairo are routinely delayed and jet lag is real. Instead, ease in with a Nile dinner cruise: two hours on the water, a buffet, a Tanoura spinning show, and the city skyline lit up. It's touristy and we recommend it anyway — it's the softest possible landing. Cairo day tours
Local tip: pre-book your airport transfer. The taxi scrum outside Cairo arrivals is the single worst first impression Egypt can make, and it's completely avoidable for a few dollars.
Planning your dates? We'll match them to the best experience.
Tell us when you can travel and we'll suggest the ideal route and season — usually within the hour.
Be at the Giza plateau for the 8 AM opening — you'll have the Great Pyramid nearly to yourself for an hour before the buses arrive. Do the panoramic viewpoint for the nine-pyramids photo, go inside the Great Pyramid if tight spaces don't bother you (extra ticket), and finish at the Sphinx. After lunch, drive 30 minutes south to Saqqara for the Step Pyramid of Djoser — the oldest stone building on earth — and the painted tombs of the nobles, which most 5-day travelers skip and shouldn't. Pyramids of Giza guide
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Day 3: Grand Egyptian Museum & Old Cairo → Evening Flight to Luxor
Give the Grand Egyptian Museum a full morning: Tutankhamun's complete collection needs two hours on its own, and the Grand Staircase is the best museum moment in the country. In the afternoon, cross town to Coptic Cairo for the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue, with an hour in the Khan El Khalili bazaar if your energy holds. Then head to the airport for the evening flight to Luxor — one hour, from about $90, and it lands you at your hotel in time for dinner with two full Luxor days ahead. Grand Egyptian Museum guide
★ Skip the planning: this exact 5-day route — hotels, the internal flight, and an Egyptologist guide at every site — is our most-booked short package. See the 5-Day Cairo & Luxor Tour 5-Day Cairo & Luxor Tour
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Day 4: Luxor West Bank + Karnak Temple
This is the biggest day of the trip, so start at 7 AM. Morning on the West Bank: the Valley of the Kings (your ticket covers three tombs — pay extra for Seti I or Tutankhamun, both worth it), Hatshepsut's terraced temple rising out of the cliff, and a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon. Cross back for a late lunch, rest through the heat, then spend the last two hours of daylight at Karnak Temple — the hypostyle hall's 134 giant columns are Egypt's most overwhelming single sight. Valley of the Kings guide Karnak Temple guide
Local tip: tomb photography passes and guides who actually read hieroglyphs make the Valley of the Kings a different experience. Budget for both — this is not the place to economize.
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Day 5: East Bank Morning (or Balloon) → Fly Back & Depart
Two ways to spend your last morning. Option one: Luxor Temple and the Luxor Museum at opening — quiet, compact, and done by 11. Option two: the sunrise hot air balloon over the West Bank (from about $120), floating over Hatshepsut's temple as the light hits the Theban hills — the best splurge in Egypt. Either way, take an early-afternoon flight back to Cairo to connect with your international departure, or sleep near the Cairo airport if you fly out at dawn. Luxor day tours
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Two Smart Swaps If This Route Doesn't Fit
Swap Luxor for Alexandria: if you'd rather skip internal flights entirely, keep Cairo as your base and do Alexandria as a day trip on day 4 — the catacombs, the Citadel of Qaitbay and the new Library, 2.5 hours each way by road. You lose the tombs and temples but keep costs down and logistics simple. 5 Days Cairo & Alexandria tour packageAlexandria day tours A Cairo-only version with day trips also works well for families with young kids. 5-Day Tour of Cairo
Swap the flight for the sleeper train: on a tight budget, take the overnight sleeper from Cairo to Luxor on night 3 (about $80 per person in a twin cabin, roughly 10 hours). You save a hotel night and a flight, and wake up in Luxor at sunrise — the classic backpacker version of this exact route. 5-Days Classic Package to Cairo & Luxor
Not sure which month suits you? Ask a local.
We'll tell you honestly what the weather and crowds are really like for your travel dates.
Booking Giza-side in Cairo and East Bank in Luxor keeps every major sight within 30 minutes of your bed — on a 5-day trip, location is worth more than a star rating. Where to stay in Cairo
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How Much Do 5 Days in Egypt Cost?
Style
Per person (double)
What you get
Budget
$480 – $650
3★ hotels, sleeper train instead of flights, small-group day tours
Mid-range
$700 – $1,100
4–5★ hotels, the internal flights, private Egyptologist at the main sites
Luxury
$1,500+
Mena House & 5★ Luxor, all-private touring, balloon ride included
Budget separately for tipping ($5–10 per day — it's a genuine part of Egyptian service culture), extra tomb tickets in the Valley of the Kings, and drinks. International flights are extra in all tiers. Egypt trip cost guide
★ Short on time, not on sights? Compare every 5-day combination — Cairo & Luxor, Cairo & Alexandria, Cairo only — side by side and pick the one that fits your dates. Browse all 5-Day Egypt Short Break Packages 5-Days Egypt Short Breaks Packages
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Getting Around in 5 Days
Cairo → Luxor: fly (1 hr, ~$90) on the evening of day 3 — this is the move that makes 5 days work.
Budget alternative: overnight sleeper train (10 hrs, ~$80 cabin) — saves money and a hotel night, costs comfort.
Inside Cairo: Uber works and is cheap; allow double the time Google Maps promises.
Luxor → Cairo: fly back early afternoon on day 5 — never rely on the day train to make an international connection.
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When to Go
October to April is the sweet spot: 20–28°C days in Cairo and warm, dry Luxor evenings. December–January is the busiest and most expensive window. May and September are hot but noticeably cheaper and quieter; June–August pushes Luxor past 40°C — the itinerary still works, but you'll live by the 7 AM starts. Best time to visit Egypt
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Common Mistakes on a 5-Day Trip
Trying to squeeze in a Nile cruise: the shortest real cruises are 3 nights Luxor–Aswan — in 5 days that means sacrificing Cairo. Save it for a week.
Taking a morning flight to Luxor on day 3: you'll lose the Grand Egyptian Museum. Fly in the evening.
Booking a 10 AM Giza start: by then the plateau is buses, heat and haze. Be there at 8.
Flying home from Luxor the same evening you land back in Cairo with under 4 hours between flights — Egyptian domestic delays happen.
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Can You Do This Itinerary Without a Tour?
Cairo, yes: Uber, a GEM timed ticket and an early alarm get you 80% of the way. Luxor is harder — West Bank transport, tomb ticket combinations and sensible timing are exactly what a local guide fixes, and with only two days there you have no margin for a wasted morning. Most independent travelers we meet in Luxor end up booking day tours on the ground anyway, at the same price or worse. Private vs group tours in Egypt
5-day South Egypt short trip to Cairo and Luxor. Giza Pyramids, Grand Egyptian Museum, visit Luxor East and West Banks, including Karnak Temple and th...
Discover Egypt through our 5-day budget Egypt tours, where you will visit the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Saqqara, and Alexandria landmarks, the most impor...
Yes — for Cairo and Luxor. Five days covers the Pyramids, Saqqara, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Valley of the Kings and Karnak with one internal flight. It is not enough to add a Nile cruise, Aswan or the Red Sea. How many days in Egypt?
From about $480 per person for a budget package using the sleeper train, $700–1,100 for a mid-range package with flights and private guiding, and $1,500+ for luxury — all excluding international airfare.
Realistically, no. Cruises run 3–4 nights between Luxor and Aswan, which would leave you a single day for Cairo and the Pyramids. With 7 days you can do both properly. 7-day Egypt itinerary
Luxor, if it's your first time — the Valley of the Kings and Karnak are the reason people fly across the world. Choose Alexandria only if you want zero internal flights or you've already seen Luxor.
The Cairo–Luxor flight (1 hour, ~$90) is the comfortable option, but the overnight sleeper train does the same job for about $80 and saves a hotel night. What you shouldn't do is take the 10-hour day train and burn daylight.
Drop the day-5 East Bank morning: fly to Luxor on the evening of day 2 after the Pyramids, do the West Bank and Karnak on day 3, and fly home via Cairo on day 4. 4-day Egypt itinerary
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