Budget
Budget
Nice
Fancy
Accomodation
(per night)
$10-20
$30-40
$80-200
Food
(per meal)
$2-3
$5-8
$10-20
Activities
$6 scooter /day
$2-5 temples
/waterfalls
Many people in Europe associate Egypt with all-inclusive package vacations, but this country is so much more than that! Of course you’ve got one of the 7 modern wonders of the world, the pyramids of Giza, so much history and cultural sites to explore, pretty incredible snorkeling and scuba diving and so much more. This itinerary a bit of everything, from
It doesn’t really matter if you start in Cairo or Marsa Alam, but if you start in Cairo you’ll end with some time to chill at the beach, which is probably the most relaxed way around.
Cairo
Cairo, what a place to start your trip! I’ll admit, it’s a lot. But once you get used to the chaos of the traffic it’s a very interesting city! Some nice places to visit in the city are the Khan el Khalili market, the Citadel, the Egyptian museum and the Cairo tower. The mosque of Ibn Tulun and Al Azhar mosque are both very beautiful to see as well!
The pyramids
As one of the 7 wonders of the world, a visit to the pyramids of Giza is almost mandatory when you come to Cairo! I absolutely loved wandering around by ourselves between the pyramids. I would advise going later in the afternoon, so you catch a glimpse of the sunset. Good to know: the pyramids are open from 7 am to 6 pm from April to September, and from 8 am to 4pm from October to March.
Everybody has heard of the pyramids of Giza, but much lesser known are the pyramids of Saqqara. A shame, because these are definitely worth a visit! The biggest one, the pyramid of Djoser, is actually the first pyramid that was ever built, almost 5000 years ago! It’s what the pyramids of Giza, which were built almost 2000 years later, were based on. When we visited it was super quiet as well, only a few other people. For only $6 you can enter the pyramid with a guide, which I would absolutely recommend. There is nothing quite like walking in 5000-year-old building! There are a lot of smaller pyramids and tombs around it too, so you can easily spend some time walking around and exploring.
Luxor
Next up is Luxor, a city filled to the brim with history! There is even a temple in the middle of the town, right next to one of the main streets. There are many things to do and see around Luxor, so it’s nice to take your time here and stay a little bit longer!
Karnak might be my favorite temple in whole of Egypt! It was never finished, but it’s still really beautiful and picturesque. Especially the Great Hypostyle Hall, which is filled with 134 huge, sandstone columns. Arrive early and you’ll not only escape the crowds, but catch the first rays of sunlight coming through the columns!
The temple of Hatshepsut is another stunning one! Not only is it beautiful, but Hatshepsut is the only woman who ever ruled Egypt as a pharaoh. She had to fight extremely hard for this, as ancient Egypt wasn’t very emancipated as you can imagine!
Right in the middle of Luxor, right in between 2 busy streets, you’ll find Luxor temple. It’s so cool to just walk through the city and suddenly see such an old temple. Especially at night, when it’s all lit up, it looks incredible. Once you’re inside the temple, you immediately forget you’re in the city. It’s got many beautiful corners and places where the old mural decorations have been preserved beautifully!
Valley of the Kings
Probably the most impressive site you’ll visit in Egypt is the Valley of the kings. Since it’s a valley, it gets incredibly hot -when we visited the first time in summer it was 50°c. But once you’re inside the tombs its actually nice and cool!
The whole complex is huge and they rotate the tombs that are open to visitors. There are still excavations happening to this day, and they’re still making new discoveries!
In addition to visiting it on foot, you can take a hot air balloon and view it from the sky! Its super cheap (around $45) and an epic experience. It depends on the wind if they’re able to go, so if you want to do this make sure you plan it for the first morning. That way you have time to postpone it to the following day(s) if they cancel it.
Nile cruise
A nice way to see a lot of things in a short amount of time is doing a Nile cruise. You can definitely do all these things by yourself and there are some downsides to taking a cruise, but we generally liked the experience! Most of the temples in Luxor are on the itinerary as well as Phileh temple in Aswan and Abu Simbel. Additionally you’ll visit Kom Ombo temple and the temple of Edfu between Luxor and Aswan.
Aswan
Aswan is another city surrounded by history and culture. Although it’s pretty busy, it felt less touristy then Luxor and there are a few really interesting things to see and do! Take a traditional boat to the beautiful Philae temple, which can only be accessed via the Nile.
There is also the dam, which was built about 60 years ago. Before the dam, the Nile used to overflow every year and cause flooding. It caused a lot of problems throughout the country, so they put in this huge dam. Fun fact, there used to be crocodiles in the river (hence the crocodile temple Kom Ombo), but the dam put a stop to that!
We didn’t get to go here (not enough time!) but definitely look into visiting a Nubian village. The Nubian people have called Aswan home for centuries and have a completely different culture and customs. They live in these beautiful colorful villages which you can visit!
Abu Simbel
Apart from the pyramids, Abu Simbel is probably the most iconic site in all of Egypt, and for good reason. The site is made up of two temples both carved out of the mountainside. Even crazier is that due to the rising level of the Nile (and prospect of the temples being lost to the river), they cut the entire mountain + temples up and moved them 60 meters in 1968. Like what? Needless to say, it’s very impressive and a must visit if you’re in the neighborhood.
Of course all of the cruises visit Abu Simbel as well, but mostly from 7 to 9 or 10, or at the end of the afternoon. So if you visit by yourself, I would suggest you avoid those moments as it get really busy!
Hi! We're Sara & Arjen!
In 2018 we quit our jobs and decided to travel around the world. 5 Years later we’re still at it and now we’re sharing our experiences and tips with you!
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