Egypt fits an entire ancient civilization into a single week if you route it right — two days at the Pyramids of Giza and the new Grand Egyptian Museum, then four nights aboard a Nile cruise ship gliding south from Luxor to Aswan, stopping at temples along the riverbank the whole way down.
Day 1Arrive in Cairo
Land at Cairo International and head straight to Giza — the pyramids are close enough from here that some rooms look right out at them, an easy way to start a week built around ancient Egypt.
🚕 Private Airport Transfer — Cairo (CAI) to Giza
~45–60 minutes · From $40 USD / person one-way
A private air-conditioned car meets you at arrivals and drives straight to your Giza hotel with an English-speaking driver, dodging the worst of Cairo’s traffic.
Memphis Tours Egypt · +20 2 3571 6050 · memphistours.com
🛎️ Overnight — Marriott Mena House, Cairo
From $340–390 USD / night, for 2 people
A historic 5-star hotel built as a royal hunting lodge, with gardens that back directly onto the Giza plateau — ask for a Pyramids View room.
Marriott Mena House, Cairo · +20 2 3377 3222 · marriott.com
Day 2Great Pyramids & the Grand Egyptian Museum
The single most-anticipated day of the trip — the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, followed by the vast new museum built to hold Tutankhamun’s full treasure hoard together for the first time.
📸 Great Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx Guided Tour
~4 hours · From $95 USD / person
An Egyptologist guide walks you through the Giza plateau — the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure — down to the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, with time built in for photos and an optional camel ride.
Memphis Tours Egypt · +20 2 3571 6050 · memphistours.com
🏛️ Grand Egyptian Museum
~3 hours · $30 USD / person entry (timed ticket)
The world’s largest museum devoted to a single civilization — over 5,000 objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb, the Grand Staircase of statues, and pyramid views from the terrace café. Book a timed-entry ticket online in advance; there’s no ticket office on site.
🍽️ Dinner in Giza
Est. $25–40 USD / person
On your own — Pyramids Road and the Giza plateau have a strip of restaurants with rooftop pyramid views, and several nearby hotel terraces are worth the splurge for a sunset dinner.
🛎️ Overnight — Marriott Mena House, Cairo
From $340–390 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night at the same hotel — no need to repack before tomorrow’s market walk and flight south.
Day 3Khan el-Khalili to Luxor
A final morning in Cairo’s old bazaar before flying south to the Nile — from here on, the trip moves at the pace of the river.
🛍️ Khan el-Khalili Bazaar & Islamic Cairo Walking Tour
~3 hours · From $55 USD / person
A guided walk through one of the Middle East’s oldest markets — spice stalls, gold and copper workshops, and the minarets of Al-Hussein Mosque — finishing with mint tea at a centuries-old coffeehouse.
Memphis Tours Egypt · +20 2 3571 6050 · memphistours.com
✈️ Domestic Flight — Cairo (CAI) to Luxor (LXR)
~1 hour · From $110–140 USD / person one-way
Several EgyptAir flights run this route daily — book an afternoon departure to leave time for the bazaar first. A representative meets you at Luxor airport for the transfer to the ship.
EgyptAir · 1717 (within Egypt) · egyptair.com
🚢 Embark Nile Cruise — Sonesta St. George Nile I
4 nights, Luxor to Aswan · From $890 USD / person (all meals & shore excursions included)
A 5-star Nile cruise ship with a sun deck pool, spa, and Egyptologist guides built into every stop between here and Aswan. Board this evening and settle in — dinner and a welcome briefing are included.
Sonesta Nile Cruises · +20 2 2291 7105 · sonesta.com/sonesta-cruises
Day 4Luxor’s East & West Banks
A full day split across the Nile — the tombs and mortuary temples of the dead on the west bank, the temples of the living gods on the east — before the ship sails south overnight.
🪦 Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut Temple
~4 hours · Included in cruise shore excursions
The rock-cut tombs where Tutankhamun and dozens of other pharaohs were buried, followed by Hatshepsut’s terraced mortuary temple carved into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. Basic tomb entry is included; Tutankhamun’s tomb itself carries a separate ticket, around $17 USD.
🕍 Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple
~3 hours · Included in cruise shore excursions
Karnak’s Hypostyle Hall alone has 134 columns taller than a house; Luxor Temple, a short drive south, is lit and walkable well into the evening. Both are covered by the cruise’s included excursions.
🚢 Overnight Aboard — Sailing Toward Esna
Included in cruise fare
The ship casts off after dinner and sails through the night, passing through the Esna lock on the way south — a good excuse for a nightcap on the sun deck.
Day 5Edfu, Kom Ombo & Arrival in Aswan
Two of Egypt’s best-preserved temples, both reached straight from the ship’s own dock, on the day the cruise finally arrives in Aswan.
🐎 Edfu Temple by Horse-Drawn Carriage
~1.5 hours · Included in cruise shore excursions
The best-preserved temple in Egypt, dedicated to the falcon god Horus — a short caleche ride from the dock, with the driver waiting to bring you back in time for lunch aboard.
🐊 Kom Ombo Temple
~1 hour · Included in cruise shore excursions
A rare double temple built for two gods side by side — Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon — right on the riverbank, best visited at sunset as the ship docks alongside.
🚢 Overnight Aboard — Docked in Aswan
Included in cruise fare
The ship ties up for the night in Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city and the quietest stop on the route.
Day 6Aswan: Philae Temple & a Felucca Sail
A relaxed final full day on the water — a temple rescued from a rising lake, then an afternoon under sail with no engine noise at all.
🏛️ Philae Temple & the Aswan High Dam
~3 hours · Included in cruise shore excursions
Philae’s Temple of Isis was dismantled and rebuilt stone-by-stone on higher ground in the 1970s to save it from Lake Nasser — reached by a short motorboat ride from the dock, with the High Dam as a quick stop en route.
⛵ Felucca Sail to a Nubian Village
~2 hours · From $30 USD / person
A traditional wooden sailboat glides between Elephantine Island and the Nubian villages on the west bank, painted in bright blues and yellows — stop for tea in someone’s home if invited.
EMO Tours Egypt · +20 122 347 1972 · emotoursegypt.com
🛎️ Overnight — Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, Aswan
From $470–560 USD / night, for 2 people
An 1899 riverside hotel where Agatha Christie wrote much of Death on the Nile — disembark the cruise this morning and spend the last night on dry land overlooking the same river view.
Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, Aswan · +20 10 2222 9071 · mandarinoriental.com
Day 7Depart from Aswan
Last stretch of the trip — a short flight back north to connect with your international departure from Cairo.
✈️ Domestic Flight — Aswan (ASW) to Cairo (CAI)
~1.5 hours · From $100–140 USD / person one-way
Morning EgyptAir flights connect Aswan back to Cairo with enough buffer for an afternoon or evening international departure — confirm your connection time before booking.
EgyptAir · 1717 (within Egypt) · egyptair.com
🚕 Airport Transfer & International Departure
~45–60 minutes · From $40 USD / person one-way
A private transfer meets you at Cairo International’s domestic arrivals and takes you to the international terminal for your flight home.
Memphis Tours Egypt · +20 2 3571 6050 · memphistours.com
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