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 1
Arrive 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 2
Great 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 3
Khan 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 4
Luxor’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 5
Edfu, 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 6
Aswan: 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 7
Depart 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
Download your itinerary here
Leave a Reply