10 days itinerary suggested by our Egypt travel expert
Day 1 Cairo arrival : Arrival at Cairo, hotel to check in and stay in Cairo overnight.
Day 2 Cairo “Pyramids Tour” : Visit Giza Plateau to visit the impressive 3 Pyramids of Kings Cheops, Chephren, and Menkaure which are guarded by the rock-cut statue (The Sphinx). The Great Pyramid of King Cheops is the only wonder of the seven wonders of the ancient world that is still standing today, although it is 2,000 years older than any other wonder on the list. Visit the Complex of Saqqara which belongs to King Zoser and his step pyramid which is considered the first pyramid in Egypt and the first rock-cut building in the history.
Then go to Memphis “one of the ancient Egyptian Capitals until around 2,200 BC” which was a cult center for God Ptah god of creation and artworks, you will find there a lot of temples and monuments dedicated for him.
Stay overnight at Cairo.
Day 3 Fly to Luxor / Nile Cruise Luxor “East Bank Tour”:
Checking out the hotel and fly to Luxor . Visit the two famous temples.
Karnak Temple Complex which comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic Period. It’s a vast open-air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world. It’s mainly a place to worship the Theban triad (Gods Amon, his consort Mut, and their son Khunso).
The Second Temple is Luxor Temple which is believed that one of the ancient Egyptian’s festivals was held inside the temple as there are different scenes on the walls representing the celebration of the festival. Its inner part was built by King Amenhotep III while the outer part was built by King Ramses II. After entering the temple you will find a mosque called (Abu Al-Haggag) was built on the ruins of a church which were built inside the temple. To the rear of the temple there are chapels built by King Thutmosis III and Alexander the Great.
Then go for the Nile Cruise (3 nights 4 days) to have lunch, enjoy folkloric show, dinner and stay on board overnight in Luxor.
Day 4 Luxor “West Bank Tour”:
Visit the archaeological sites of the ancient Egyptians on the west bank of the Nile including (Valley of the kings where you will see the well-preserved tombs belonging to the kings of the new kingdom including the great ruler Ramses II and the child King Tut Ankh Amon, The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut it’s called “the Holy of Holies”. It is one the best architecture buildings consist of three levels connected with each other by ramps and has different scenes on its walls depicting the divine birth of the Queen and her Commercial expedition to Punt Land. The temple is mainly dedicated to worship the supreme god Amon-Ra, and the 2 Colossi of Memnun which are two massive statues representing King Amenhotep III in a seating Position).
Then back to the floating hotel to have lunch, enjoy folkloric show and start sailing towards Edfu and stay overnight on board sailing
Day 5 Sail to Edfu-Kom Ombo “Sightseeing”:
In Edfu visit the most complete and well-preserved temple in Egypt flanked by beautiful granite statues of the falcon god Horus. The Ptolemaic temple was dedicated to the falcon god “Horus”. The reliefs that cover the walls, columns and doorways of the temple constitute an extremely important source of information about ancient Egyptian religious and political thought. Among the most interesting of these reliefs tell the story of Horus exacting his revenge on Seth for the murder of his father, Osiris, an event that was re-enacted annually in the temple. Other reliefs recount the stages of the temple’s construction and provide dates for the completion of different building elements.
Back to the cruise, proceed to sail to Kom-Ombo while having lunch. Upon reaching the area you will go to visit the unusual double built temple which is dedicated to the Falcon god “Haroeris”(the southern part) and the crocodile god “Sobek”(the northern part). It was built during the Ptolemaic era. The scene on the inner face of the rear wall of the temple is of particular interest, and probably represents a set of surgical instruments.
Go back to the cruise, have dinner and proceed to sail to Aswan overnight.
Day 6 Sail to Aswan / Abu Simbel “Sightseeing” / Felucca Ride:
Visit the location of the most famous temples (The Great and Small temples) of King Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari. The most spectacular aspect of this temple is its setting in the solid rock above the banks of the Nile River. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Nubian Monuments,” which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22, the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, the god connected with the Underworld, who always remained in the dark. These dates are allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day.
Then back to Nile cruise, to have your lunch
After Lunch, go for a Felucca ride around the islands of Aswan and (Kitchener’s Botanical Garden where you will see different beautiful types of subtropical, exotic, and rare plantings and Elephantine island which is the largest island of Aswan area, Elephantine is Greek for elephant as It is believed that the island received its name because it was a major ivory trading center. There are different monuments which were excavated in the island like the ruins of a temple dedicated to the ram god Khnum “God of water”. Elephantine was considered as cult center for god Khnum
Stay overnight at cruise
Day 7 Aswan “Sightseeing” / Fly to Cairo :
Check out from the cruise and go for Aswan sightseeing -Aswan’s High Dam which is one of the most important achievements of the last century in Egypt .It Contains 18 times the material used in the great pyramid of Cheops and it provides Egypt with the water and electricity and secures the country from the destructive inundation of the Nile River.
Then you visit the Temple of Isis at Philae which its construction started during the reign of Ptolemy II and completed by the Roman emperors.
And it was dedicated to goddess Isis which was considered the mother of god and she is the mother god Horus and the consort of God Osiris.
Post Aswan sightseeing, fly back to Cairo. Stay overnight.
Day 8 Cairo “City Tour” :
Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities which was built in 1902 and it exhibits a large number of items and treasures (exceeding 12,0000 masterpieces) dating back to the ancient Egyptian period and Greco-Roman period including the marvelous collection of the child king Tut Ankh Amon
Visit “The Coptic Cairo” where you will visit the “Hanging Church” which is dating back to the 3rd Century AD and was dedicated to Virgin Mary ,It’s called “Hanging” because of its location above the gatehouse of the ancient Roman fortress “Babylon” .It contains 110 Holy icons depicting beautiful religious scenes.
Then visiting “Saint Sergius and Bacchus Church” which is believed to have been built on the spot where the holy family rested at the end of their journey into Egypt.
Visit the “Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra” which gained its importance from its Geniza (Store room) was found during the 19th century containing a treasure of abandoned Hebrew secular and sacred manuscripts
Go for some shopping at Khan el Khalili Bazaar which is one of Cairo’s main attractions ..the district of Khan el Khalili was originally a mausoleum called “el Zaafran” for the burial of Fatimid Caliphs ,after that it became a district for the Turkish community during the Ottoman period , and now it becomes a bazzar where you will find many souvenirs shops ,coffeehouses “Café” serving Arabic coffee and offering Hookah “Shisha”, and restaurants throughout the area. Stay overnight at Cairo.
Day 9 Alexandria Sightseeing:
Visit Alexandria (about 3.30 Hrs. Driving) to discover the beauty and the Greco Roman civilization within a day-tour starting with visiting the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa which are considered one of the wonders of the middle ages . It’s the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt, with three tiers of tombs that could accommodate up to 300 corpses. The cemetery originally was dug to be a private cemetery for one family ,then it was converted to be a public cemetery the architecture of the tombs mirrors Greco-Roman styles. This can be seen in the wall decoration, which shows a unique combination of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artistic traditions. People are buried here in sarcophagi, in shelves, and in urns of ashes after cremation.
Take a photo stop at (Qaitbey’s Citadel) which is considered one of the most important defensive strongholds, not only in Egypt, but also along the Mediterranean Sea coast. It formulated an important part of the fortification system of Alexandria in the 15th century A.D.; The Citadel is situated at the entrance of the eastern harbour on the eastern point of the Pharos Island. It was erected on the exact site of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Also visit The Roman Amphitheatre which is Located in the heart of Alexandria, Montazah Royal Palaces and Gardens and Modern Alexandria Libra (visit its open court + free museums).
Back to Cairo to stay overnight.
Day 10 Departure :
Departure from Cairo airport
Very detailed and useful tips. Haven’t been to Egypt yet, planning soon. Thanks.