7 Days in Egypt: Cairo, the Nile, Luxor & Aswan Itinerary (2026)

7 days, day by day. Open any day for the morning-to-evening plan, where to eat, and where you sleep that night.

1. Day 1 Fri 31 Jul Arrive Cairo Base day

   Arrival and the Pyramids

   Morning. Land at Cairo and transfer in; the traffic is its own experience and the journey takes as long as it takes.

   Afternoon. Giza — the three pyramids and the Sphinx. Walk out to the panorama point for the classic line-up of all three, and go inside the Great Pyramid only if nobody minds a hot, steep, airless climb up a low corridor.

   Evening. Dinner with the floodlit pyramids in view, or in Zamalek.

   Eat. Koshari — lentils, rice, pasta, fried onions and tomato sauce — Egypt's national comfort food, from a dedicated koshari shop.

   Where to stay. Giza, with a pyramid view from the roof, or Zamalek on the island for a calmer, greener base with better restaurants.

   Optional / swaps. A camel or horse ride on the plateau; agree the price and duration in writing beforehand, and check the animals look well cared for — many are not.

   Practical. Giza is at the edge of suburban Cairo, not in remote desert; the photographs are framed to hide the city, and knowing that in advance avoids disappointment. Hawkers and unofficial "guides" at the plateau are relentless — a firm no and no eye contact. Carry small notes for tipping (baksheesh), which is genuinely expected everywhere.

   🛏 Cairo · 2 nights · 2 guests

2. Day 2 Sat 1 Aug Cairo Base day

   The Grand Egyptian Museum

   Morning. The Grand Egyptian Museum, on the Giza plateau road — the largest archaeological museum in the world, with the grand staircase of colossal statues and, at last, the entire Tutankhamun collection displayed together.

   Afternoon. Islamic Cairo — the Citadel and the alabaster Muhammad Ali Mosque, then Khan el-Khalili's bazaar lanes.

   Evening. Mint tea at El Fishawy in the bazaar, which has reputedly been open continuously for two centuries.

   Eat. Mixed grill and mezze, or fresh fiteer — a layered Egyptian pastry.

   Where to stay. Cairo (as Day 1).

   Optional / swaps. Coptic Cairo and the Hanging Church, a quieter and much older layer of the city.

   Practical. GEM tickets are timed entry and must be bought online in advance — the all-inclusive foreign adult ticket runs around EGP 1,450–1,590, with a reduced rate around EGP 730 for students and children aged 6–25 with ID, and under-6s free. Give it a minimum of three hours; four is better. Dress modestly for the mosques and expect to remove shoes.

3. Day 3 Sun 2 Aug Cairo → Luxor ~665 km Fly

   Cairo → Luxor

   Morning. Short flight south, about seventy minutes, into a completely different Egypt — smaller, hotter, and green in a thin strip either side of the river.

   Afternoon. Karnak, which is not a temple but a complex built and rebuilt over two thousand years; the Hypostyle Hall's 134 columns are the single most impressive space in the country.

   Evening. Luxor Temple after dark, when it is floodlit and half-empty and the avenue of sphinxes runs away into the dark.

   Eat. Tagen — a clay-pot stew — and fresh flatbread on the corniche.

   Where to stay. The East Bank corniche, near Luxor Temple, so you can walk to the temple at night.

   Optional / swaps. A sunset felucca on the Nile from the East Bank corniche, an hour under sail for very little.

   Practical. The Sphinx Avenue between Karnak and Luxor Temple has been excavated and reopened along its full length — you can walk part of it. Luxor in summer regularly exceeds 40°C and sightseeing is genuinely dangerous at midday; October to April is the sane window.

   🛏 Luxor · 1 night · 2 guests

4. Day 4 Mon 3 Aug Luxor → Edfu ~109 km Boat

   The Valley of the Kings, then sail

   Morning. Cross to the West Bank at dawn for the Valley of the Kings — painted tombs cut deep into the rock, the colours still vivid because they were sealed in the dark. The standard ticket admits you to three tombs; Tutankhamun's and Seti I's are separate.

   Afternoon. Hatshepsut's terraced mortuary temple against the cliff, and the Colossi of Memnon, then board the boat at Luxor and sail through Esna lock.

   Evening. Dinner on deck as the river goes past — palms, water buffalo, children waving from the bank.

   Eat. Whatever the boat serves, which is usually a large buffet; the fresh bread and the mezze are the good parts.

   Where to stay. On board. Nile cruise cabins are river-facing and the sun deck is where the trip actually happens.

   Optional / swaps. A dawn hot-air balloon over the West Bank before the Valley — memorable, and the same cancel-for-wind caveat applies as anywhere.

   Practical. Photography rules inside the tombs change; some require a separate photo ticket and some ban cameras outright, so ask at the gate rather than assume. The Valley is a natural oven — go at opening, take far more water than you think, and cover your head.

   🛏 Edfu · 1 night · 2 guests

5. Day 5 Tue 4 Aug Edfu → Kom Ombo ~74 km Boat

   Edfu and Kom Ombo

   Morning. Edfu's Temple of Horus, the best-preserved temple in Egypt — buried in sand for centuries, which is exactly why the roof and the reliefs survived. The traditional arrival is by horse-drawn caleche from the dock.

   Afternoon. Sailing. This is the day to sit on deck and do nothing, which is the underrated pleasure of a Nile cruise.

   Evening. Kom Ombo at dusk, a rare double temple shared between the falcon god Haroeris and the crocodile god Sobek, lit and standing right on the riverbank.

   Eat. Grilled pigeon if you are adventurous; it is a genuine Egyptian delicacy.

   Where to stay. On board.

   Optional / swaps. The small crocodile museum beside Kom Ombo holds mummified crocodiles and takes fifteen minutes.

   Practical. If you take a caleche at Edfu, agree the fare before getting in and look at the horse's condition — welfare varies enormously and you can simply decline. Boats moor side by side at these stops and you may walk through two other vessels to reach the shore; that is normal.

   🛏 Kom Ombo · 1 night · 2 guests

6. Day 6 Wed 5 Aug Kom Ombo → Aswan ~56 km Boat

   Aswan

   Morning. Philae Temple, moved stone by stone to a new island when the High Dam flooded its original one — you arrive by motorboat, which is half the pleasure.

   Afternoon. A felucca under sail around Elephantine Island and the Nubian villages, whose houses are painted in blues and ochres unlike anything downriver.

   Evening. Dinner on deck with the desert on one bank and the town on the other; Aswan is the prettiest stretch of the river.

   Eat. Nubian food — spiced and slower-cooked than Cairo's — in a village house if the boat arranges it.

   Where to stay. On board, moored at Aswan.

   Optional / swaps. The Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarry, still attached to the bedrock, which explains how the things were made.

   Practical. Feluccas have no engine and depend on wind; allow flexibility. Aswan is materially hotter than Cairo year-round.

   🛏 Aswan · 1 night · 2 guests

7. Day 7 Thu 6 Aug Aswan Base day

   Abu Simbel option and home

   Morning. Abu Simbel, if you have the appetite — Ramses II's colossal rock temples, also relocated above the rising lake, about three hours south by road each way, or a short flight. It is a long morning and it is extraordinary.

   Afternoon. Aswan airport and the flight home via Cairo.

   Evening. Home.

   Eat. A last mint tea and some basbousa on the corniche.

   Where to stay. —

   Optional / swaps. If Abu Simbel is too much, the Nubian Museum in Aswan is excellent and takes ninety minutes.

   Practical. Abu Simbel road convoys leave very early and the day is long; check whether it fits your flight before committing, and consider it as an add-on night rather than a squeeze. The homeward routing goes through Cairo — book the domestic and international legs on one ticket so a delay is the airline's problem.

Every overnight base on the route. Check-in and check-out follow your travel dates above — open a stay for a live map of places to book.

1. 1 Cairo Egypt · book a stay 31 Jul → 2 Aug 2 nights · 2 guests ⌄
2. 2 Luxor Egypt · book a stay 2 Aug → 3 Aug 1 night · 2 guests ⌄
3. 3 Edfu Egypt · book a stay 3 Aug → 4 Aug 1 night · 2 guests ⌄
4. 4 Kom Ombo Egypt · book a stay 4 Aug → 5 Aug 1 night · 2 guests ⌄
5. 5 Aswan Egypt · book a stay 5 Aug → 6 Aug 1 night · 2 guests ⌄

How far and how long between each base, leg by leg, with the mode of travel — so you can see where the big driving days fall. Modes: 🚗 Drive · ✈ Fly · ⛴ Boat/Ferry · 🚆 Train · 🚌 Bus.