Best places to visit in Egypt: top cities, regions and sights

Use this to pick your block before you book flights. The Nile Valley is a winter trip; the Red Sea and Sinai are a spring and autumn trip. Cairo works year-round but is most comfortable October to April.

Cairo and Giza come first because the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo sit in one metro area, and almost every international flight lands here. Three nights covers the pyramids at opening, the museum after lunch in the air-conditioning, and a half day for Khan el-Khalili and the Coptic quarter. Saqqara and Dahshur fit a separate half day if you want older pyramids without the crowds.

Luxor is next: Karnak and Luxor Temple on the east bank, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the West Bank tombs opposite. Two or three nights is normal. Start the West Bank at 06:00 to beat heat and coaches, and see Luxor Temple after dark when it is lit.

Aswan is the southern base: Philae Temple, feluccas on the Nile, and the Nubian villages on Elephantine and the West Bank. Two nights is enough for the town, plus one more if you add Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel itself is a half-day from Aswan, by road from around 04:00 or by a short flight; it is worth the early start and rarely needs an overnight.

The Nile cruise covers the stretch between Luxor and Aswan, with Edfu and Kom Ombo on the way. Three to four nights is the standard block, and it replaces road transfers rather than adding days. If you prefer land, run Luxor and Aswan as two bases and drive between them in about 4 h.

Alexandria is a 1–2 night add-on from Cairo: the library, the corniche and seafood. The Red Sea is a separate block at the end, not a day trip: Hurghada and El Gouna for easy resort access, Marsa Alam for quiet reefs, Sharm el-Sheikh for South Sinai resorts, and Dahab for cheap diving, the Blue Hole and Mount Sinai. Siwa, Kharga Oasis and the Delta and canal towns such as Port Said and El Alamein are second-trip material.

Do not try to see the whole country in a week. Cairo, Luxor and Aswan alone fill seven days once you count transfers, and adding the Red Sea to a short trip means cutting the Nile Valley. Keep a buffer day before your international flight, especially if you are flying out of Cairo after a domestic hop.

Season drives the plan more than distance. October to April is the Nile Valley window; Luxor and Aswan are genuinely punishing from May to September. The Red Sea and Sinai work in spring and autumn, and Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh are usable in winter for diving. Siwa and the western oases are October to March.

Check the practical side before booking: entry rules for your passport, current ticket prices and opening hours, and whether your government advises against travel to any area you plan to visit. Independent travel in the Nile Valley and the Red Sea resorts is routine; some western desert and border areas are not. Travel insurance that covers medical care and, if you plan to dive, diving, is worth arranging before you leave.