3-Day Cairo & Luxor Tour with Flights: Pyramids & Valley of the Kings

After breakfast a private vehicle takes you to the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure stand at the edge of the desert. Your Egyptologist explains the construction techniques and religious ideas behind these 4,500-year-old tombs: how the stone was cut and moved, why the sides line up so precisely with the cardinal points, and what the king expected to find in the afterlife. Take a moment at the base of the Great Pyramid to gauge the size of the blocks, many of them as tall as a child.

You then continue to the Great Sphinx, carved from a single limestone outcrop at the foot of the plateau, where your guide talks through the questions that still surround its face and its date.

Next comes the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization. The full Tutankhamun collection is shown here together, from the gold mask and coffins to chariots, beds, sandals and board games. You climb the grand staircase lined with statues of kings and gods, then tour the Tutankhamun galleries with your guide.

Lunch is at a local restaurant during the day. You return to your hotel by evening and should turn in early, since tomorrow's pickup is very early.

Breakfast and lunch are included.

You are collected early from your hotel and driven to Cairo International Airport for the short morning flight to Luxor. Your Luxor-based guide meets you on arrival, and the day begins on the West Bank.

First is the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs, Tutankhamun among them, were buried in tombs cut deep into the hills. The corridors are painted with texts meant to guide the king through the underworld, and in several tombs the colors still look fresh. Standard entry typically covers three tombs; Tutankhamun's tomb can be added at extra cost. Next is the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a terraced temple set against the cliffs and built for one of Egypt's few female pharaohs, followed by a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two giant seated statues that once guarded a temple of Amenhotep III.

After lunch at a local restaurant you cross to the East Bank for Karnak, the largest religious complex built in the ancient world, where the Great Hypostyle Hall holds 134 massive columns. A short visit to Luxor Temple, set on the Nile corniche and floodlit after sunset, follows.

In the evening you are transferred to Luxor Airport for the flight back to Cairo, landing late. Breakfast and lunch are included; carry water and sun protection, and leave your main luggage at the Cairo hotel.

After breakfast you have free time until your flight, depending on its schedule. After the long Luxor day, a slow morning is welcome: sleep in a little, linger over breakfast, or take a short walk near your hotel.

Your private driver collects you at the agreed time for the transfer to Cairo International Airport. The timing allows for Cairo traffic and check-in, so you arrive without rushing. Plan to reach the airport about three hours before an international departure; security checks start at the terminal entrance and continue before the gates.

If your flight leaves in the evening, ask your hotel in advance about late checkout or luggage storage, which hotels can usually arrange directly.

In just two touring days you have seen the pyramids and the Sphinx, the full Tutankhamun collection, the royal tombs and terraced temple of Luxor's West Bank, and the great temples of Karnak and Luxor on the East Bank.

Breakfast is included today.