10 days, 9 nights
Classical Egypt: Luxor to Aswan
Four nights on a Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, with Cairo’s museums, Citadel and bazaar.
Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt · Photo: Dmitrii Zhodzishskii
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
Arrival at Cairo airport, where we meet you and transfer you to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 2
Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum
After breakfast, visit the Giza Plateau: the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, and the Sphinx. Learn how the ancient Egyptians made papyrus, then continue to the Grand Egyptian Museum next to the pyramids. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Optional extra: Sound and Light show at the Giza Pyramids, with dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 3
Flight to Luxor, the Nile cruise, Karnak
After breakfast, fly from Cairo to Luxor and board your Nile cruise ship for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the temple complex of Karnak and Luxor Temple. Dinner on board. Overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Full board
Day 4
Luxor’s West Bank, sailing to Edfu
After breakfast: Visit the Valley of the Kings, where 62 painted royal tombs have been found, the terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and the two giant Colossi of Memnon in front of the temple of Amenhotep III. Lunch on board as the ship sails south through the Esna lock to Edfu. Overnight on board.
Meals: Full board
Optional extra: Sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the temples and tombs of Luxor’s West Bank.
Day 5
Edfu and Kom Ombo
Free morning in Edfu, then sail to Kom Ombo. After lunch, walk to the temple shared by Horus and Sobek, then sail on to Aswan. Overnight on board.
Meals: Full board
Optional extra: Horse-carriage ride to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best preserved temple in Egypt.
Day 6
Aswan and Philae
After breakfast, visit the Temple of Philae, the pearl of Aswan, dedicated to Isis on an island in the Nile. Lunch on board, free afternoon and dinner on board. Overnight in Aswan.
Meals: Full board
Optional extra: Motorboat trip to a Nubian village: swim in the Nile, visit a traditional house and the village school, and ride a camel if you like.
Day 7
Aswan to Cairo
Breakfast and disembarkation, then fly from Aswan to Cairo and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast
Optional extra: Early-morning trip to Abu Simbel, the rock-cut temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari, returning to Aswan around midday.
Day 8
Egyptian Museum, Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili
After breakfast, visit the Egyptian Museum and the treasures of Tutankhamun, then the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Continue to Coptic Cairo and the Church of St Sergius, where the Holy Family is said to have sheltered, and end in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Optional extra: Dinner cruise on the Nile with belly dancing and a whirling dervish show.
Day 9
Free day, optional Alexandria
Breakfast and a free day. Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast
Optional extra: Day trip to Alexandria, about 3 hours each way: the Roman catacombs, the Citadel of Qaitbay on the site of the ancient Lighthouse, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Day 10
Departure from Cairo
Breakfast and transfer to Cairo airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Cancellation policy
- Cancellations must be approved in writing; an unapproved cancellation is treated as a no-show (100% of the price).
- Up to 31 days before arrival: no charge.
- 30 to 15 days before arrival: 50% of the package price.
- Less than 15 days before arrival: 100% of the price.
Children
- Under 2 years: free of charge.
- 2 to 5 years: 25% of the adult price.
- 6 to 11 years: 50% of the adult price.
- 12 years and over: adult price.
- Child rates apply to children sharing their parents’ room (maximum 2 children per room). Airline tickets may carry an extra fee per child.
Plan this tour
Tell us your dates and whether you are arriving or leaving by cruise ship. We reply with hotels, availability and a quote. An enquiry is not a booking.
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