14 days in Egypt: itinerary

Fourteen days is the length at which Egypt stops being a highlights dash. You get the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the temples of Luxor and Aswan at a sane pace, and still have a five-night block left for the Red Sea. The trade-off is hotel changes: this route uses five bases, which is the practical limit before the packing starts to outweigh the sightseeing.

The shape that works is a single line south, then a flight or road east. Fly into Cairo, travel to Luxor, drift down the Nile to Aswan, then move to the Red Sea and fly home from Hurghada (HRG) or back through Cairo. Doing it in the other order works too, but the Nile Valley is the part you do not want to compress, so put it in the middle where a delay costs you a beach day rather than a temple.

October to April is the window for the Nile Valley: cooler days, long queues at the big sites. The Red Sea is good for most of the year, with the best diving conditions roughly March to November. If you travel in June to August, flip the balance and give the coast more nights.

The route is a southward line with one eastward jump at the end. Cairo and Giza sit in the north; Luxor is about 650 km south; Aswan another 200 km beyond that; Hurghada is roughly 4 hours by road east of Luxor, and Marsa Alam is a further 3–4 hours south along the coast.

Distances and times below are the planning figures to use. Treat the flight and train times as approximate and confirm schedules when you book.

The plan below is the parent country's 14-day route with the days filled in. Mornings are for the sites that get hot and crowded; afternoons for travel, museums or rest; evenings for anything lit up, which in Egypt means Luxor Temple and the Cairo markets.

Abu Simbel is the one optional add-on that changes the shape of a day. It is a 3-hour drive each way from Aswan, so either leave at about 04:00 with a convoy or take the short flight. If neither appeals, drop it and give the Red Sea the extra night.

Two legs decide the trip. Cairo to Luxor is either a 1-hour-15-minute flight or the overnight sleeper train, which saves a hotel night but arrives early and books out in high season. Luxor to Aswan is the cruise, or a 4-hour road transfer that stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo on the way.

Inside cities, use ride-hailing apps where they operate and agree the fare before getting into a street taxi. For the Red Sea transfer, a private car or a hotel-arranged shuttle is simpler than public buses with luggage. Domestic flights are the fastest way to recover a lost day, so keep one in reserve for the Aswan–Hurghada leg.

Book long-distance trains and domestic flights as early as your dates allow, especially around Christmas, New Year and the spring school holidays. For the full country picture, see travel to Egypt.

Five bases is already a lot of repacking, so pick locations that reduce transfers rather than chasing the cheapest room.

In Cairo, Giza puts you near the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum; downtown Cairo and Zamalek are better for restaurants and the Egyptian Museum. In Luxor, the East Bank near Luxor Temple keeps you close to the cruise docks, while the West Bank is quieter and closer to the tombs. In Aswan, the corniche and Elephantine Island are the two convenient choices. On the Red Sea, Hurghada has the widest range of hotels and the easiest airport; Marsa Alam is quieter with better reefs but fewer flights.

The figures below are per person for 14 days, excluding international flights, and assume a mix of mid-range hotels, a standard cruise cabin and private transfers shared between two. Add international airfare separately.

The cruise and the Red Sea resort are the two big variables. A 5-star Nile cruise and an all-inclusive Red Sea hotel can double the total; a land-based Nile Valley trip with budget hotels and trains can bring it down.

If 14 days feels tight, the parent country's 10-day version drops the Red Sea and keeps Cairo plus a Nile cruise; the 7-day version is Cairo, Luxor and Aswan only. Both are worth reading before you commit, because the Red Sea block is the easiest part to move to a second trip.

Swap the Red Sea for Alexandria if you want a Mediterranean city and seafood rather than reefs. Swap it for Siwa if you want desert and salt lakes, though Siwa needs 2–3 nights and a long drive. El Gouna is the middle option on the Red Sea: a purpose-built town with a lagoon, 20–30 minutes north of Hurghada airport, useful if you want the coast without a large resort strip.

If you are planning this as a first big trip, the step-by-step planning guide and the itinerary builder are the two tools to use before booking anything.