How long should I go for? Every traveller planning Egypt asks it sooner or later. Pyramids thousands of years old, pharaonic temples, a Nile cruise and the Red Sea coast: there is a great deal here, and it rewards patience. Below we set the options side by side so you can pick the length that suits both your wishes and your wallet.
7 Day Itinerary: The Essentials of Egypt
For whom?
Anyone with a single week of leave, first-timers, and those content to see the highlights.
| Day | Program | Accommodation |
| Day 1 | Land in Cairo, then the Giza pyramids and Sphinx | Cairo Hotel |
| Day 2 | Grand Egyptian Museum, followed by Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili | Cairo Hotel |
| Day 3 | Fly Cairo → Luxor, then the temples of Karnak and Luxor | Cruise ship |
| Day 4 | The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon | Cruise ship |
| Day 5 | Sailing, with stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo temples | Cruise ship |
| Day 6 | Aswan - Temple of Philae - High Dam | Cruise ship |
| Day 7 | Disembarkation - Domestic flight to Cairo that we organize, then flight to your destination | - |
This program corresponds to our package Nile + Cairo Cruise. Estimated budget: from £680 per person in a double room, all inclusive (excluding your flight to Egypt).
Upside: short and sharp, the headline sights all covered.
Limits: Fast pace, no relaxation time, no Red Sea.
The 10-Day Route: Most Rewarding Use of Your Time
For whom?
Those wanting sightseeing and rest in equal measure. It is the length we suggest more than any other.
| Day | Program | Accommodation |
| Day 1 | Arrival in Cairo - Installation | Cairo Hotel |
| Day 2 | Pyramids of Giza - Sphinx - Saqqara | Cairo Hotel |
| Day 3 | The Grand Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili | Cairo Hotel |
| Day 4 | Flight → Aswan - Temple of Philae - Felucca on the Nile | Cruise ship |
| Day 5 | Abu Simbel Excursion (option) - High Dam | Cruise ship |
| Day 6 | Navigation - Kom Ombo - Edfu | Cruise ship |
| Day 7 | Hatshepsut's temple, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings | Cruise ship |
| Day 8 | Transfer Luxor → Hurghada | Seaside hotel |
| Day 9 | Free day: beach, snorkeling, diving | Seaside hotel |
| Day 10 | Flight Hurghada → Cairo - Departure | - |
This program corresponds to our package Cairo + Nile Cruise + Hurghada. Estimated budget: from £920 per person, all inclusive.
Upside: an easy rhythm, monuments plus seaside, and the lowest daily cost.
Downside: the Western Desert and Alexandria stay off the list.
14 Day Itinerary: Egypt in Depth
For whom?
Travelers with a passion for history, those who want to see it all, families with children wanting a relaxed pace.
| Day | Program | Accommodation |
| Days 1-3 | Cairo: Pyramids, Museum, Old Cairo, Alexandria | Cairo Hotel |
| Days 4-5 | Aswan: Philae, Abu Simbel, felucca, Nubian village | Cruise/Dahabiya |
| Days 6-7 | Nile navigation: Kom Ombo, Edfu | Cruise/Dahabiya |
| Days 8-9 | Luxor: Karnak, Hatshepsut's temple and the Valley of the Kings | Luxor Hotel |
| Days 10-11 | Hurghada: beach, diving, snorkeling | Seaside hotel |
| Day 12 | Eastern Desert or Red Sea excursion | Seaside hotel |
| Day 13 | Free day - shopping, relaxation | Seaside hotel |
| Day 14 | Return flight via Cairo | - |
For desert lovers, replace Hurghada with an excursion to the western desert and oases (2-3 days). Estimated budget: from £1,300 per person, all inclusive.
Advantages: Relaxed pace, comprehensive coverage, ability to explore off the beaten track.
Downside: you need more annual leave and a bigger budget.
Summary Table
| Criterion | 7 Days | 10 Days ★ | 14 Days |
| Sites visited | Cairo + Nile | Cairo + Nile + Red Sea | Everything + Extras |
| Rhythm | Supported | Comfortable | Relaxed |
| Nile Cruise | 4 nights | 4 nights | 4-5 nights |
| Beach | No | 2 days | 4 days |
| Budget since | £680 | £920 | £1,300 |
| Cost/day | ~£100 | ~£90 | ~£90 |
| Ideal for | 1st discovery | Most recommended | Complete exploration |
If you would rather sail in real privacy, choose a Nile dahabiya (5 nights rather than 4); it slots neatly into a 10-14 day trip. Get in touch and we will price it for you, no charge.
Timing Your Trip: Which Season Suits Which Length
The choice of season directly influences the comfort of your stay, especially if you opt for a long tour. As a local agency, we observe that many travelers forget this parameter when planning. Here are our recommendations by duration:
7 days (intense circuit): favor the period from October to March. As the pace is brisk with visits every day, it is best to avoid extreme heat. The temperatures at this time oscillate between 20 and 28 degrees, which is ideal for doing a series of sites without exhaustion.
10 days (balanced circuit): this format works well all year round. In summer, concentrate the cultural part on the first 4-5 days and end with the Red Sea. So, you take advantage of the heat for the spa instead of suffering it in front of the temples.
14 days (the full loop): December to February brings the kindest weather and the steepest prices. On a tighter budget, look at April or October instead: the heat is manageable, the monuments are quieter and hotels charge roughly 20-30% less than at the winter peak.
Hidden Costs to Anticipate
Beyond the base price of the tour, certain additional costs are to be expected. From our experience, English-speaking travelers are often surprised by these costs, so you might as well know them in advance:
- Tips: it is an essential tradition in Egypt. Allow around £10 per day in total (guide, driver, boat crew, porters). In short, plan on around £50-£80 for a 7-day tour, £80-£120 for 10 days and £110-£150 for 14 days.
- Grave supplements: At the Valley of the Kings, the basic ticket includes 3 tombs, but the most spectacular (Seti I, Tutankhamun) are extra. Count £20-£30 more per person.
- Photos in the tombs: some sites require a photography fee (around EGP 300 /). In tombs, photography is officially prohibited.
- Drinks: meals usually come with the package, drinks do not. A bottle of mineral water is 10-20 EGP (~£0.3), fresh juice 30-50 EGP, and a local beer roughly 80-120 EGP.
- Shopping: difficult to resist the souks. Plan a small shopping budget of £40-£80 for souvenirs (papyrus, spices, silver cartridge).
Our Recommendation: 10 Days, the Smartest Choice
Having run hundreds of tours on the ground, we keep coming back to 10 days as our first suggestion, for a simple reason: nothing else gives you as much for your money.
In reality, the difference between 7 and 10 days is not just "3 more days". It's a complete change of pace. In 7 days, you run. In 10 days, you benefit. You have time to stroll in a souk without looking at your watch, to have a second coffee on the deck of the boat, to swim peacefully in the Red Sea.
The additional cost is also very reasonable. Going from 7 to 10 days adds around £230-£310 to the total budget, or £80-£100 per additional day (accommodation + meals + activities). That said, the cost per day decreases on the seaside part, because the all-inclusive resorts on the Red Sea offer excellent value for money, often better than hotels in Cairo.
Whatever length you settle on, we will happily price it for you: just drop us a line. Every element is then tuned to your budget and your preferences.
FAQ - Length of Stay in Egypt
Q: Can Egypt be done in a week?
A: For the headline sights, yes (Cairo plus a Nile cruise). That gets you the Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the temples at Luxor and Aswan. Expect a quick tempo, but nothing essential is left out.
Q: What is the ideal recommended duration?
A: 10 days strikes the happiest balance. It pairs the monuments (Cairo plus a Nile cruise) with a spell of rest (Hurghada) without any rush, and works out cheapest per day too.
Q: Is Abu Simbel worth adding to the trip?
A: Wherever you can manage it. Few temples in Egypt make a stronger impression than Abu Simbel. Reaching it from Aswan fills a whole day (3.5 hours by road, or a 45-minute flight), and every one of our itineraries of 10+ days builds it in.
Q: Could we swap the standard cruise for a dahabiya?
A: Absolutely. The Dahabiya is recommended for travelers seeking authenticity and privacy (8-16 passengers maximum). Navigation is slower (5 nights instead of 4), which is better suited to 10-14 day itineraries.
Q: How to optimize a limited budget with 7 days?
A: Keep it to Cairo (2 days) plus a Nile cruise (4 nights). Skip the internal flights and take the sleeper train instead. Go for a 4 star boat instead of a 5. With those changes, budget from £530.