Egypt itinerary: 5, 7 and 10 days

An Egypt itinerary of 5 days gives you time for Cairo and Giza: the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Saqqara. With 7 days, add Luxor. With 10 days, add Aswan, and Abu Simbel or a Nile cruise. The plans below are examples, with official ticket prices and opening hours.

On this page

The three plans at a glance
5 days: Cairo and Giza
7 days: Cairo, Giza and Luxor
10 days: add Aswan and Abu Simbel
Ticket prices on these plans
Opening hours
How to travel between the cities
Questions to ask before you book a tour
Questions
Sources

The three plans at a glance

Egypt itinerary: key facts

5 days: Cairo and Giza: the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Saqqara and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir
7 days: Most of the 5-day plan, plus 2 full days in Luxor
10 days: The 7-day plan, plus Aswan, and Abu Simbel or a Nile cruise
Cairo to Luxor or Aswan: By plane, or by sleeper train
Giza plateau (foreign adult): EGP 700
Giza plateau hours: You can enter from 07:00, last entry 16:00

These plans are examples. Use them to choose the number of days and the order of the cities. Then change them for your flights, your hotel and your speed.

Start in Cairo and Giza. The pyramids are on the edge of the city. Then go south along the Nile to Luxor and Aswan. Fly back to Cairo at the end of the trip.

For the weather in each month, see Best time to visit Egypt. Luxor is hotter than Cairo in summer.

5 days: Cairo and Giza

This plan stays in one city. You do not need a flight or a train inside Egypt.

Example plan: 5 days in Cairo and Giza

Day 1 Arrive in Cairo Example. Rest at your hotel. Stay near the pyramids or in central Cairo.
Day 2 Giza plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum Example. Start early at the plateau. Go to the museum in the afternoon.
Day 3 Saqqara and Dahshur Example. The Step Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Memphis is an optional stop.
Day 4 Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Citadel Example. Or fly to Luxor and back on the same day.
Day 5 Leave Cairo Example. Check the time that you must be at the airport.

Day 2, Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. The plateau has the three large pyramids and the Sphinx. The museum is near the plateau. Its standard guided tour takes approximately 2 hours, says the museum. The tour includes the Tutankhamun Galleries. For the order of the two sites and an entry slot, see Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum in one day.

Day 3, Saqqara and Dahshur. These sites are south of Giza. They have older pyramids than Giza. You can go inside some of them. You need a car to go between the sites. For tickets and an example day, see Saqqara tour.

Day 4, central Cairo. The Egyptian Museum is in Tahrir Square. It is not the Grand Egyptian Museum. The Salah El-Din Citadel is a medieval fort with a view of the city. For other day trips, such as Alexandria or Luxor by plane, see Cairo day tours.

7 days: Cairo, Giza and Luxor

Luxor is on the site of ancient Thebes. Its monuments are on the two banks of the Nile. Use one day for each bank. To compare the plane, the sleeper train and the bus, see Cairo to Luxor.

Example plan: 7 days in Cairo, Giza and Luxor

Day 1 Arrive in Cairo Example.
Day 2 Giza plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum Example.
Day 3 Saqqara and Dahshur, then travel to Luxor Example. Take a sleeper train, or fly on the next morning.
Day 4 Luxor east bank: Karnak and Luxor Temple Example. Karnak opens early in the morning.
Day 5 Luxor west bank: Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut Example. Start early, before the heat.
Day 6 Fly back to Cairo. Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Example. Check the last entry before you plan the museum.
Day 7 Leave Cairo Example.

East bank. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says that Karnak is a group of many temples and chapels. The largest part is the Amun Precinct. In ancient times, a road with sphinxes connected Karnak to Luxor Temple.

West bank. The Valley of the Kings has more than 60 tombs of the New Kingdom. The tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramesses V and VI, and Ay need extra tickets. Wikipedia says that the Temple of Hatshepsut is at Deir el-Bahari, across the river from Luxor.

10 days: add Aswan and Abu Simbel

Aswan is approximately 213 km south of Luxor by road. You can go by road, by sleeper train or by Nile cruise. The station list of Abela Trains, the sleeper train operator, includes Luxor and Aswan.

Example plan: 10 days in Cairo, Giza, Luxor and Aswan

Days 1 to 3 Cairo and Giza Example. The same plan as the 5-day trip, without day 4.
Day 4 Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, then travel to Luxor Example. Take a sleeper train, or fly on the next morning.
Day 5 Luxor east bank: Karnak and Luxor Temple Example.
Day 6 Luxor west bank: Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut Example.
Day 7 Travel to Aswan Example. By road, by train, or start a Nile cruise. A cruise uses more days.
Day 8 Aswan: Philae Example. The Temple of Isis is on Agilkia island.
Day 9 Abu Simbel (optional) Example. Approximately 283 km each way by road. A flight is also possible.
Day 10 Fly to Cairo and leave Egypt Example. Check that your flights connect.

Philae. The main temple is for the goddess Isis. During a UNESCO rescue campaign, the monuments moved from Philae island to Agilkia island. The new Aswan High Dam put the old island under water.

Abu Simbel. King Ramesses II cut two temples into the rock here, one for himself and one for Queen Nefertari. The temples moved from their original place in 1968, because of the dam. On 22 February and 22 October, the sun goes into the temple of Ramesses II and lights the statues at the back, says the Ministry.

A Nile cruise. Travel blogs describe cruises between Luxor and Aswan, with stops at temples such as Edfu and Kom Ombo. One travel blog gives 3 days for the cruise in its 10-day plan. A cruise uses more days than the road or the train. The cruise company sets the stops.

Ticket prices on these plans

Ticket prices for foreign visitors at the sites in these plans
Ticket	Adult	Student	Child
Giza plateau ticket You cannot go inside the Great Pyramid, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, the Tomb of Meresankh III or the workers' tombs with this ticket.Students: show a valid student ID. Students must be age 24 or less.	EGP 700	EGP 350	—
Grand Egyptian Museum Adults: age 25 or more. Price for visits from 1 November 2026.Students: age 13 to 24, with a valid student ID.Children: age 6 to 12. Children under 6 do not pay.	EGP 1,830	EGP 920	EGP 920
Saqqara site entry Entry to the Saqqara area. The Pyramid of Djoser, the Serapeum and some tombs need extra tickets.Valid student ID. Age 24 or less.	EGP 600	EGP 300	—
Egyptian Museum (Tahrir) Valid student ID. Age 24 or less.	EGP 550	EGP 275	—
Salah El-Din Citadel Valid student ID. Age 24 or less.	EGP 550	EGP 275	—
Karnak Temple Valid student ID. Age 24 or less.	EGP 600	EGP 300	—
Valley of the Kings Valid student ID. Age 24 or less.	EGP 750	EGP 375	—
Temple of Hatshepsut Valid student ID. Age 24 or less.	EGP 440	EGP 220	—

Last checked 28 October 2026 · Source: egymonuments.com

Last checked 28 October 2026 · Source: tickets.gem.eg

Last checked 28 October 2026 · Source: egymonuments.gov.eg

Last checked 28 October 2026 · Source: egymonuments.com

Each site has its own ticket. Some sites need extra tickets, for example to go inside a pyramid or a tomb. Prices are in Egyptian pounds.

This table does not show Luxor Temple, Philae or Abu Simbel. Check their prices on egymonuments.com before you go.

Opening hours

Site	Hours, except Ramadan
Giza plateau	You can enter from 07:00, last entry 16:00
Grand Egyptian Museum	Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: you can enter from 09:00, last entry 17:00. Wednesday and Saturday: you can enter from 09:00, last entry 20:00
Egyptian Museum (Tahrir)	You can enter from 09:00, last entry 16:00
Karnak Temple	You can enter from 06:00, last entry 16:00
Valley of the Kings	Winter: from 06:00, last entry 16:00. Summer: from 06:00, last entry 17:00
Temple of Hatshepsut	Winter: from 06:00, last entry 16:00. Summer: from 06:00, last entry 17:00

The Ministry e-ticket site gives summer and winter hours. It does not give the start date of each period. During Ramadan, the hours change at many sites.

The Ministry tells visitors to arrive at least one hour before a site closes. Keep your ticket with you during the full visit.

How to travel between the cities

Cairo to Luxor or Aswan. You can fly, or take a sleeper train with beds. Wikipedia lists direct flights from Cairo to Luxor and to Aswan. The Air Cairo route map also lists both cities, with flights that EgyptAir operates. Check the times on the airline website when you book.
Luxor to Aswan. Go by road, by train or by Nile cruise. Wikipedia does not list a direct flight between the two cities.
Aswan to Abu Simbel. Go by road, or fly. Wikipedia lists flights from Aswan to Abu Simbel.
Back to Cairo. Fly from Luxor or Aswan. Leave enough time before an international flight.

Before you travel by road in the south, read the travel advice of your government.

Questions to ask before you book a tour

Tour prices and what a tour includes are different at each company. Ask each company these questions before you pay:

Which days and which sites does the price include?
Does the price include the entry tickets? Which tickets?
Does the price include flights or trains inside Egypt?
Does a licensed guide go into each site with you?
Does the tour stop at shops? Can you refuse these stops?
What is the total price for your group, in which currency?

Questions

How many days do you need in Egypt?

For a first trip, 5 days give you time for Cairo and Giza. With 7 days, you can add Luxor. With 10 days, you can also add Aswan, and Abu Simbel or a Nile cruise.

How far is Aswan from Luxor?

Aswan is approximately 213 km south of Luxor by road. Sleeper trains stop at both cities. Travel blogs also describe Nile cruises between them.

How far is Abu Simbel from Aswan?

Abu Simbel is approximately 283 km from Aswan by road. Wikipedia also lists flights from Aswan to Abu Simbel.

Sources

Last checked 2 November 2026