country
Egyptمصر
First trip: 3 nights in Cairo (Giza pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo), then fly or take the sleeper train to Luxor or Aswan and cover the Nile Valley in 4–5 nights by cruise or two land bases; add the Red Sea only as a separate block at the end.
Egypt trips break on distance and heat: Cairo to Aswan is about 900 km, and Upper Egypt in summer is too hot for midday temple visits. The rules that apply everywhere: fly or take the sleeper train between Cairo and the Nile Valley, start sightseeing at opening time, treat the Red Sea as its own block rather than a day trip, and fix every price (camel, carriage, felucca, taxi) before you start.
All regions, cities and parks in Egypt (Atlas) →
Regions
Pyramids, Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic and Coptic Cairo, Saqqara
3–4 nights
Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, Abu Simbel
4–6 nights
Hurghada, El Gouna, Marsa Alam, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab for diving and rest
3–7 nights
Alexandria as a day or overnight trip from Cairo
1–2 nights
Arrive
CAI
Cairo International
Main hub; 45–90 min by road to downtown or Giza depending on traffic
SPX
Sphinx International (Giza)
Closest airport to the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum; limited international routes
LXR
Luxor International
Nile Valley gateway; some direct flights from Europe
HRG
Hurghada International
Red Sea resorts; many charter and low-cost flights from Europe
SSH
Sharm el-Sheikh International
South Sinai resorts and Dahab
Time math
- 4 days
- Cairo 4 (Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, Saqqara, Islamic Cairo)
- 7 days
- Cairo 3 + fly to Luxor 2 + Aswan 2 (Abu Simbel early start), fly back
- 10 days
- Cairo 3 + Nile cruise Luxor–Aswan 4 + Aswan 1 + fly to Cairo or on to the Red Sea
- 14 days
- The 10-day line + Red Sea 4 (Hurghada or Marsa Alam, or Sharm/Dahab)
Country rules
- Check visa rules for your passport on the official Egypt e-visa portal before flying; visa on arrival availability depends on nationality and can change.
- Drones need prior permission and are routinely confiscated on arrival; leave them at home.
- Do not photograph military sites, police, bridges or government buildings; some museums and tombs charge for or ban photography.
- During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight; hotels and tourist restaurants still serve.
Etiquette
- Dress modestly away from beach resorts: shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for women entering mosques.
- Remove shoes at mosques; visitors are usually not admitted during prayer times.
- Ask before photographing people; many will expect a tip for a photo.
- Use your right hand for eating and handing things over; public displays of affection are frowned on.
- Ramadan (moves ~11 days earlier each year)
- Shorter opening hours, slower daytime service, heavy traffic before iftar.
- Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
- Domestic travel peaks; trains, flights and Red Sea hotels fill and some offices close for several days.
- May–September
- Extreme heat in Luxor and Aswan; temple visits only at dawn and late afternoon.
- Late December to early January
- Peak foreign season on the Nile and Red Sea; cruises and hotels book out.
Money & passes
Cash necessity: 4/5
- Currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP, also written LE or £E). Hotels, cruise boats and larger restaurants take cards; taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants are cash.
- Tipping (baksheesh) is expected for almost any small service; carry a stack of small notes and keep them separate from larger ones.
- Use ATMs inside banks or hotels; exchange rates have moved sharply in recent years, so check the current rate before you trust any quoted price.
- Many ticketed sites have moved to card-only payment at the gate; carry a card as well as cash.
Before you fly: eSIM before you fly · Visas and entry
Safety
- Touts at Giza and major sites: people claiming the entrance is elsewhere or offering camel and horse rides will quote one price and demand more later; buy tickets at the official gate and agree the full price, duration and route first.
- Unsolicited help carrying bags or giving directions at stations and temples will be followed by a request for money; decline clearly if you do not want it.
- Heat: carry water, cover your head and plan midday indoors from May to September.
- Traffic in Cairo is heavy and pedestrian crossings are informal; cross with locals and use ride-hailing at night.
- Emergency: 122 police, 123 ambulance, 126 tourist police.
- Most governments advise against all travel to North Sinai and to areas near the Libyan border and parts of the Western Desert; check your own government's advice before booking anything outside the main tourist areas.
Egypt links Africa and the Middle East: Cairo is a hub for flights to the Gulf, East Africa and Jordan.
Sources
- Wikivoyage — Egypt (secondary)
- UK FCDO foreign travel advice: Egypt (official)
- Egypt e-visa portal (official) (official)