Egypt 7 Day Itinerary: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan & the Nile

Why seven days works for Egypt

Seven days covers the essential triangle: Cairo for the pyramids and Egyptian Museum, Luxor for the temples and tombs, and Aswan for the Nile and Nubian villages. Add Abu Simbel as a day trip from Aswan and you have the complete picture. The two weakest choices are doing Cairo only, which wastes the south, or trying to add the Red Sea coast, which turns a cultural trip into a rushed transfer. Best months are October to April when temperatures are manageable. May to September in Luxor and Aswan regularly hits 40 to 45 degrees Celsius — survivable but exhausting. December and January are peak season with higher prices and more tourists at major sites; late October and March offer the best balance. Budget around 1,200 to 2,000 USD for a week including internal flights, guided sites, and mid-range accommodation, excluding international airfare.

Day 1 to 2: Cairo and Giza

Fly into Cairo International Airport and head to the Giza Plateau on day one. The three pyramids and the Sphinx are on the southwestern edge of the city, about 30 minutes from central Cairo by taxi (150 to 200 EGP). Entry to the Giza complex is 160 EGP for foreigners. The Great Pyramid interior costs an extra 400 EGP; Khafre's pyramid interior is 100 EGP. Both are tight crawl spaces — worth it for some, claustrophobic for others. The Solar Boat Museum (the reconstructed 4,500-year-old cedar barge) is 100 EGP extra and recently renovated. Arrive at opening (8:00) before the tour groups arrive at 10:00. The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square holds the original Tutankhamun gold mask and two floors of 120,000 objects. Entry is 200 EGP; the Tutankhamun rooms cost an extra 100 EGP. The new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near Giza opened in phases from 2023 and now holds the complete Tutankhamun collection across 5,000 square meters. Entry is around 1,000 EGP for the full experience. Do not try both museums in one day. Day 2 covers Islamic Cairo: the Citadel of Saladin (180 EGP), the Alabaster Mosque inside, and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar for spices, lamps, and silver. Lunch at a local kushari shop costs around 30 to 50 EGP for a bowl of rice, lentils, and pasta with tomato sauce.

Day 3: Fly to Luxor — East Bank temples

Fly from Cairo to Luxor in the morning (EgyptAir, around 60 to 100 USD one way, 1 hour). The East Bank has two essential sites. Karnak Temple Complex is the largest ancient religious site in the world — 100 hectares of pylons, obelisks, and the Hypostyle Hall with 134 massive columns. Entry is 200 EGP; the sound and light show at night is 250 EGP and runs three times per evening. Luxor Temple is connected to Karnak by the 3-kilometer Avenue of Sphinxes, restored and opened fully in 2021. Entry is 160 EGP. Visit Luxor Temple at dusk when the illuminated columns reflect in the Nile — one of the best free-to-look-at views in Egypt. Stay near the corniche for easy access to both banks. Mid-range hotels along the Nile run 40 to 80 USD per night.

Day 4: West Bank — Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut

The West Bank is the main reason to visit Luxor. A combined taftaf (electric cart) and ferry crossing costs around 10 EGP. Hire a driver for the day (300 to 400 EGP) or join a shared minibus. Valley of the Kings entry is 240 EGP for three tombs; each additional tomb costs extra. Tutankhamun's tomb is 300 EGP separately and relatively small given its fame. The best tombs for art are Ramesses III (KV11), Seti I (KV17, if open — 1,200 EGP for the most painted tomb in the valley), and Ramesses IV (KV2, good for beginners). No photography inside any tomb. Hatshepsut's mortuary temple (Deir el-Bahri) is 140 EGP and is architecturally unlike anything else in Egypt — three colonnaded terraces cut into the cliff face. Medinet Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramesses III, is 100 EGP and far less visited despite having some of the most vivid battle reliefs in Egypt. Colossi of Memnon are free and the standard photo stop on the West Bank circuit.

Day 5 to 6: Aswan — temples, islands, and Nubian villages

Take the overnight train from Luxor to Aswan (sleeper berth around 60 USD) or fly (45 minutes, 50 to 80 USD). Aswan is slower and more beautiful than Luxor — the Nile is wider, the desert closer, and the Nubian influence visible in the painted houses and spiced cooking. Philae Temple (Temple of Isis) sits on an island in the middle of the Nile and is reached by motorboat from the Shellal dock (boat costs around 50 EGP return, shared with other visitors; entry 180 EGP). The temple was dismantled stone by stone and moved to higher ground in the 1970s to save it from the Aswan High Dam reservoir — the same UNESCO project that moved Abu Simbel. The Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries shows exactly how the ancient Egyptians cut stone — entry 80 EGP. The Nubian Museum (100 EGP) covers the history of Nubia before and after the dam. Take a felucca (traditional sailboat) around Elephantine Island for 60 to 100 EGP per hour and visit a Nubian village on the west bank for a home-cooked lunch (50 to 100 EGP, ask your hotel to arrange).

Abu Simbel day trip

Abu Simbel is 280 km south of Aswan near the Sudanese border. The two temples of Ramesses II were moved 65 meters uphill by UNESCO between 1964 and 1968 to save them from the rising reservoir. The Great Temple facade — four 20-meter seated statues of Ramesses — is the most dramatic sight in Egypt after the pyramids. Entry is 360 EGP. Options for getting there: organized minibus convoy departs Aswan at 3:30 or 4:00 to arrive before tour buses (total cost 200 to 300 EGP per person including transport); EgyptAir flies Aswan to Abu Simbel in 40 minutes for around 80 USD return and is worth it for the time saved. The sound and light show runs three times nightly in different languages and costs 550 EGP. The February 22 and October 22 sun alignment events (when dawn light reaches the inner sanctuary statues) draw large crowds — book accommodation and transport months ahead if those dates align with your trip.

Practical: money, guides, scams, and the heat

Currency is Egyptian Pounds (EGP). USD is widely accepted at tourist sites and hotels but at poor rates; use EGP for everything. ATMs in Cairo and tourist cities are reliable; withdraw in larger amounts to avoid transaction fees (25 to 50 EGP per withdrawal at some banks). Tipping (baksheesh) is expected everywhere — 10 to 20 EGP per small service, 50 to 100 EGP for a site guide. Avoid the persistent offers of free entry, shortcuts, or scarab gifts that lead to private shops — say no clearly and keep walking. Hire licensed guides through your hotel or sites like GetYourGuide for Valley of the Kings and Karnak specifically; the context is worth it. Drink only bottled water, avoid ice outside mid-range restaurants, and carry oral rehydration salts in summer. Dress conservatively at temples and mosques — shoulders and knees covered. Ramadan timing changes annually; during Ramadan, many restaurants open only after sunset but the evening atmosphere in Cairo and Luxor is worth experiencing.