11-Day Cairo, Nile Cruise, Sharm El Sheikh & Alexandria Tour

Your representative meets you at Cairo International Airport with a sign showing your name and walks you to a private air-conditioned vehicle for the drive to your hotel. After a long flight, it is a relief not to deal with taxis or directions, and your driver navigates the traffic while you get your first look at the city.

The rest of the day is free. Rest, unpack, and adjust to the time difference, since the touring days that follow are full. If you land early and want to stretch your legs, your hotel concierge or guide can suggest a gentle outing nearby, but nothing is expected of you.

Your guide confirms tomorrow's pickup time, either at the airport or by a welcome call in the evening. Useful to know from the start: Egypt runs largely on cash for small purchases and tips, so withdraw some Egyptian pounds in small denominations, and stick to bottled water. No meals are included today.

After breakfast you head to the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure have risen above the desert for about 4,500 years. Your Egyptologist explains how they were planned and built, and what role they played in the king's journey to the afterlife. Walk around to the panoramic viewpoint for the classic shot of all three, then continue to the Great Sphinx, with its lion's body and royal head carved from one mass of limestone.

Next is the Grand Egyptian Museum, a short drive away and a vast museum dedicated to a single civilization. It shows the Tutankhamun collection together, from the golden mask and jewelry to the gilded shrines and chariots discovered in 1922. Your guide leads you up the Grand Staircase, lined with statues of kings and gods, and through the Tutankhamun galleries.

Lunch is at a local restaurant, and you return to the hotel by evening. Get some rest, because tomorrow begins with an early flight.

An early pickup takes you to Cairo Airport for a morning flight south to Aswan, Egypt's southern gateway. Your Aswan guide meets you and begins at the High Dam, finished in 1970, which brought the Nile's flood under control and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.

You then take a short motorboat ride to the Temple of Philae, the sanctuary of Isis. Threatened by rising water after the first Aswan dam, it was dismantled and rebuilt on a nearby island in a UNESCO-led rescue. Walk through its courtyard and colonnades and look for the scenes of Isis nursing the infant Horus; the temple was one of the last strongholds of the ancient religion.

After lunch you transfer to the dock and board your Nile cruise ship. Check in to your cabin and spend the rest of the afternoon on deck, watching feluccas tack between Aswan's granite islands as the ship prepares to sail. Dinner is served on board.

After breakfast on board, the ship sails north to Kom Ombo, arriving in the late morning or early afternoon. The temple stands on a bend in the river and is built as two temples in one, with one half for Horus and the other for Sobek, the crocodile god. Each has its own entrance, hall, and sanctuary, mirrored down the center. Your guide shows you the famous relief of medical instruments and the nilometer, a stone well used to measure the height of the river.

Beside the temple, the Crocodile Museum displays mummified crocodiles found nearby, a glimpse into how animals were honored as living images of the gods.

You return to the ship for lunch as it continues sailing toward Edfu. The afternoon is free: settle onto the sun deck and watch the Nile Valley drift past, with farmland, palm groves, and villages on the banks and the desert never far behind them. Dinner is served on board, and the ship spends the night at Edfu.

After breakfast you go ashore for a short ride by horse-drawn carriage or tuk-tuk (the carriage is not included) to the Temple of Edfu. Built under the Ptolemies and dedicated to the falcon god Horus, it is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, with its towering pylon, roofed halls, and inner sanctuary largely intact. Look for the granite falcon at the entrance and the wall reliefs of Horus defeating his rival Seth, shown as a hippopotamus.

Back on board, lunch is served as the ship sails on to Luxor, usually arriving in the afternoon or evening. Depending on the arrival time, you may visit Luxor Temple after dark, when its colonnades and statues are dramatically lit. Standing on the corniche in the middle of the city, it was built mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, and its entrance is guarded by colossal statues of Ramses and a single obelisk.

Dinner is served on board, and the ship spends the night moored in Luxor.

After breakfast you check out of the ship and cross to the West Bank, the burial ground of ancient Thebes. In the Valley of the Kings, the pharaohs of the New Kingdom lie in tombs tunneled into the hills, their walls painted with guides to the afterlife in colors that still look fresh. Your ticket typically covers three tombs; Tutankhamun's tomb requires a separate ticket that is not included.

Next is the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a series of terraces rising against the cliffs, built for one of the few women to rule Egypt as pharaoh. A photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, the two giant seated statues of Amenhotep III, rounds out the tour.

After lunch at a local restaurant you transfer to Luxor Airport for a connecting flight to Sharm El Sheikh via Cairo. You land on the Red Sea coast in the evening and transfer to your beach resort to check in and unwind after a long travel day. Keep your swimwear in your carry-on; tomorrow is a free day.

Today is entirely free. Sharm El Sheikh sits where the Sinai mountains meet the Red Sea, and its resorts line bays with calm, clear water, so the easiest plan is the pool, the beach, and time to recover from a week of touring and sailing.

If you want to see what lies beneath the surface, your resort concierge can arrange optional activities, booked and paid locally. The top choice is a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park at the southern tip of Sinai, one of the Red Sea's best-known diving and snorkeling areas, where coral walls drop into deep blue water and schools of fish gather along the reef. Other options include boat excursions to nearby islands and sunset cruises along the coast.

Practical tips: use reef-safe sunscreen, wear a swim shirt for long snorkeling sessions, and never touch or stand on coral. Drink plenty of water, as the dry desert air can dehydrate you faster than you expect. Breakfast is included; lunch and dinner are at your own expense.

A second free day lets you choose your own pace. If yesterday was for rest, today can be for the water, and the reverse works just as well.

Optional activities, arranged locally and paid separately, include a full-day snorkeling or diving trip to the reefs of Ras Mohammed, a glass-bottom boat tour for those who would rather stay dry, or a desert safari into the Sinai mountains with a Bedouin-style dinner under the stars. The Sinai sky, far from big-city light, is a fine place to see the stars on a clear night.

Or you can simply stay put. The resort's pools, beach, and restaurants are designed for days without plans, and a long lunch in the shade followed by an afternoon swim is a good way to spend your last full day on the coast. Pack most of your things tonight, since tomorrow begins with a flight. Breakfast is included; lunch and dinner are at your own expense.

After breakfast you check out of your resort and transfer to Sharm El Sheikh Airport for your flight back to Cairo. It is a short hop compared with the long road journeys some itineraries use, and it leaves you more of the day in the capital.

On arrival in Cairo you are met and transferred privately to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. You might revisit a favorite neighborhood, walk along the Nile, or pick up last-minute gifts. If you missed Khan el-Khalili earlier in the trip, this is a good chance to see the old bazaar, with its spice stalls, lanterns, and traditional cafés, on your own.

If you would rather rest, a quiet dinner and an early night are a smart choice, since tomorrow starts early with the drive to Alexandria. Only breakfast is included today, leaving you free to choose where to have lunch and dinner. Ask your hotel concierge for a nearby recommendation if you want to try classic Egyptian dishes.

After an early breakfast you drive north on the desert road to Alexandria, about two and a half to three hours, arriving mid-morning. Alexander the Great founded the city in 331 BC, and under the Ptolemies it became the leading center of learning in the Mediterranean world.

Your Alexandria guide starts at the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, a Roman-era burial complex cut into the rock over several levels, where Egyptian and classical art blend in unexpected ways, such as the god Anubis in Roman armor. Next is Pompey's Pillar, a tall red granite column overlooking the ruins of the Serapeum temple.

After lunch at a seafood restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean, you visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern library built to revive the spirit of the ancient one (entry to the interior exhibitions is extra). The day ends at the Qaitbay Citadel, a 15th-century fort built on the site of the ancient Lighthouse, with sweeping views of the Corniche. In the early evening you drive back to Cairo, arriving at night.

Your final morning begins with breakfast at the hotel, the last meal included in the trip. Depending on your flight time, you may have a few free hours for a walk, a coffee, or careful packing of fragile souvenirs such as glass perfume bottles and alabaster.

A private driver then takes you to Cairo International Airport for your international departure. Your driver plans around Cairo's unpredictable traffic and check-in time, so you arrive relaxed and on schedule. Expect security screening at the terminal entrance, and leave yourself a little extra time for it.

Two closing reminders: any antique-looking souvenirs must be modern replicas, as genuine antiquities cannot leave Egypt, and gratuities for your driver and porters are not included, so keep some small notes at hand. Your trip has taken you from the pyramids to the Nile, the coral reefs of Sinai, and the Mediterranean, and it ends where it started, in Cairo.