See the Pyramids of Giza, cruise the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, and dive the Red Sea — Egypt's three signature experiences. The best things to do in Egypt fall into a few clear buckets: ancient monuments (the Pyramids, Abu Simbel, the Valley of the Kings), slow travel on the Nile (a cruise or a sunset felucca), and adventure on the coast and in the desert (Red Sea diving, White Desert safaris, quad biking). This guide is organised by experience rather than by city, so you can pick what excites you and build the trip around it. To plan by place instead, see our destinations roundup. Best places to visit in Egypt (destinations)
We guide travellers across Egypt every week, and the same truth comes up again and again: the country is not one trip but a stack of very different experiences. In a single week you can stand under the Great Pyramid, float past palm-fringed temples on the Nile, and dive a coral reef in the Red Sea. The trick is knowing which are worth your limited days. This guide sorts the best things to do in Egypt by experience type — history, water, desert and adventure — rather than by city, so you can choose what matters and slot it into the right region. If you're still deciding where to base yourself, our separate destinations guide covers the best places to visit; this one is about what to actually do.
Here are the twelve experiences we recommend most often, roughly in the order first-timers rank them. Mix and match: a two-week trip covers most of this list, while a focused week might pick five or six. Each links to a deeper guide or a tour you can book.
The one experience nobody skips, and it earns its place. The three great pyramids and the Sphinx sit on a plateau on Cairo's western edge, and up close the scale is hard to process — the Great Pyramid was the tallest structure on earth for nearly 4,000 years. Go early to beat the heat and the coach crowds, pay the extra to go inside one of the pyramids if you're not claustrophobic, and leave time for a camel ride to the panorama point where all three line up. Most visitors combine Giza with the new museum next door in a single day. Pyramids of Giza guide Giza Pyramids & Grand Egyptian Museum day trip
The long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), beside the Pyramids, is now the largest archaeological museum in the world and a bucket-list stop in its own right. The headline is the complete Tutankhamun collection — more than 5,000 objects shown together for the first time — plus the towering statue of Ramses II in the atrium and a grand staircase lined with royal monuments. Give it at least half a day; a good guide turns rows of artefacts into a story. Pairing the GEM with Giza is the most efficient use of a Cairo day. Grand Egyptian Museum guide
A Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan is, for us, the single best way to see Upper Egypt. Over three or four nights you sail past villages, farmland and desert cliffs, stopping at temples that are hard to reach any other way — Edfu, the best-preserved temple in Egypt, and the double temple at Kom Ombo on the riverbank. You unpack once, wake up somewhere new each morning, and watch rural life drift by from the sun deck. Standards range from comfortable four-star boats to intimate sailing dahabiyas; whichever you pick, book the itinerary that includes guided temple visits. Nile river cruises
A dawn balloon flight over Luxor's West Bank is the experience travellers rave about most after they get home. You lift off in the dark and rise as the sun comes up over the Nile, floating above the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the green ribbon of farmland that separates the living world from the ancient necropolis. Flights last around 45 minutes and run almost every clear morning. It's an early start and a splurge, but the perspective on the density of monuments below is something no ground tour can match. Luxor hot air balloon
Egypt's Red Sea coast is a world-class dive destination, and you don't need a licence to enjoy it — the reefs start in the shallows just off the beach. Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh are the main bases, with Ras Mohammed National Park and the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm among the most famous sites anywhere. Expect warm, clear water, walls of coral and reef fish, and a real chance of turtles, rays and dolphins. It's the perfect counterweight to a temple-heavy itinerary, and the coast stays warm long after the desert cools. Scuba diving in Egypt Red Sea travel packages
Ramses II's colossal rock temples at Abu Simbel, near the Sudanese border, are the most dramatic monuments in Egypt after the Pyramids. Four 20-metre statues of the pharaoh guard a façade carved into the mountainside, and the whole complex was famously cut apart and moved block by block in the 1960s to save it from the rising Aswan High Dam. Most people visit on a long day trip from Aswan by road or a short flight; twice a year the sun aligns to light the inner sanctuary. Even without that, the ambition of the place is unforgettable. Abu Simbel temples guide
Aswan is the most relaxed of Egypt's Nile cities, and the classic thing to do here is hire a felucca — a traditional wooden sailboat — for an hour or two around sunset. You glide silently between granite islands and the Nubian villages of Elephantine, the noise of the town fades, and the light turns the water gold. It costs very little, needs no fitness, and is the antidote to a fast-paced schedule. Combine it with the Philae Temple or a walk through the Nubian village for one of the loveliest afternoons in the country. Felucca ride in Aswan
West of the Nile, Egypt turns into pure Sahara, and the White Desert near the Bahariya Oasis is its surreal highlight — a plain of wind-carved chalk formations that glow under a full moon like a snowfield in the desert. An overnight safari from Cairo takes you by 4x4 through the Black Desert and Crystal Mountain to a camp among the chalk, with dinner under some of the clearest skies you'll ever see. It's a complete change of pace, and for many travellers the unexpected favourite of the whole trip. Bahariya Oasis & White Desert safari
★ Want all of this in one trip? Our multi-day Egypt tour packages string the Pyramids, a Nile cruise and the Red Sea into a single seamless itinerary — flights, guides and hotels handled. Browse our Egypt tour packages Egypt tour packages
On Luxor's West Bank, the Valley of the Kings hides the rock-cut tombs of pharaohs including Tutankhamun, Ramses VI and Seti I. What surprises everyone is the colour — descend a sloping corridor and the walls explode with hieroglyphs and painted scenes that look almost freshly finished after 3,000 years. Your standard ticket covers three tombs; a few, like Tutankhamun's and Seti I's, cost extra and are worth it. Pair the valley with the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon for a full West Bank day, ideally in the cooler morning. Valley of the Kings guide Luxor day tours
Cairo's great medieval souk, Khan El Khalili, has been trading since the 14th century, and it's the best place in Egypt to feel the pulse of the living city rather than the ancient one. Lose yourself in lanes of spice sellers, coppersmiths, lamp makers and perfumers, haggle for souvenirs, then stop for mint tea at the historic El Fishawy café. It sits in the heart of Islamic Cairo, so combine it with the Citadel of Saladin and the great medieval mosques for a day away from the pharaonic sites. Khan El Khalili & Cairo Citadel tour
In the rugged interior of the Sinai Peninsula, St Catherine's Monastery is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries on earth, home to the reputed Burning Bush and an extraordinary library. Many travellers pair it with an overnight climb of Mount Sinai to watch sunrise from the summit where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments — a cold, star-filled hike that rewards you with an unforgettable dawn. It's a demanding but memorable day trip from Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab. St Catherine's Monastery & Mount Sinai tour
For a shot of adrenaline that needs no experience, a quad bike safari across the dunes is hard to beat. At Giza you can ride out onto the plateau for a different angle on the pyramids at sunset; on the Red Sea coast, Hurghada and Sharm run desert excursions that combine quad biking with a Bedouin camp, camel ride and dinner. It's family-friendly, easy to slot into a spare afternoon, and sunset departures are the most popular for the light and cooler temperatures. Quad bike safari at Giza Pyramids
Tell us when you can travel and we'll suggest the ideal route and season — usually within the hour.
Chat with a local expertYou can't do everything in one visit, so match the experiences to your days. A first week almost always centres on Cairo (Pyramids, GEM, Khan El Khalili) plus Luxor and Aswan with a Nile cruise — that alone covers half this list. Add the Red Sea or a desert safari if you have ten days or more. For a ready-made plan, our seven-day itinerary threads the essentials together, and our best-time-to-visit guide helps you pick the right season for temples versus the sea. For city-by-city ideas, our things-to-do guides for Cairo, Luxor and Aswan go deeper. 7-day Egypt itinerary Best time to visit Egypt Things to do in Cairo Things to do in Luxor Things to do in Aswan
★ Prefer a trip built around exactly what you want to do? Tell us which of these experiences are on your list and we'll design a private, tailor-made Egypt itinerary around them — at your pace, with your own guide. Plan a tailor-made Egypt tour Tailor-made Egypt tour
Experience a rich blend of ancient and modern history on a Day Tour to the Pyramids Cairo, exploring the iconic Giza Pyramids one of the Seven Wonders...
A hot-air balloon trip offers enticing views of Luxor while floating above the famous megalithic areas of the Valley of the Kings or the Luxor Temple...
Travel Tips for Egypt Yes — Egypt's Red Sea is genuinely world-class, with warm water, superb visibility and reefs and wrecks for ev...
Travel Tips for Egypt A private Egyptologist, a 5-star Nile cruise or dahabiya, skip-the-line access and the country's finest herita...
Travel Tips for Egypt A double celebration — Coptic Christian Easter followed by Sham El-Nessim, an ancient national spring festival...
Get our best Egypt travel tips and itineraries in your inbox — join our travel list.