The good kind of pyramid scheme: one week in Egypt

When planning our honeymoon in Africa, I knew I wanted to include Egypt as our third and final stop. I’ve always loved Ancient Egyptian history, and while the pyramids and the Sphinx were a huge draw, there is so much more to Egypt. It’s worth spending 2 – 3 days in Cairo to cover the major attractions and museums but, in my opinion, the best way to cover the rest of the country is by boat!

Egypt Itinerary Overview

Days 1 – 3: Cairo

Days 4 – 8: Luxor, Essna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan via a Nile cruise

Day 1: Cairo

Stay at Le Meridien Cairo Airport: We landed in Cairo late at night and since we knew we were flying to Luxor 48 hours later, we opted to stay in New Cairo. Le Meriden is actually connected to the airport via an indoor breezeway, which made our airport departures and arrivals so easy.

Day 2: Cairo

Great Pyramids, Sphinx, Sakkara Pyramid, and Memphis: We opted for a guide and driver to take us to each of the sites and are so glad we did. Traffic was insane, and we wanted to be able to glean as much history while experiencing as little heckling as possible. I can’t recommend our guide, Mina Samir, enough. In addition to being a wealth of knowledge, he’s also an incredible photographer and will either take pictures for you or show you how to get the best pictures on your own (he also offers fully edited packages for a fee).

Cocktails at Shinko: We found Shinko on our way to dinner at Kazoku and are so glad we stopped in for after-dinner drinks. The little cozy venue offers super creative, delicious drinks, and a welcoming staff of bartenders. A helpful tip: imported alcohol is incredibly expensive in Egypt due to government taxation, so opt to try local spirits, which run a quarter of the cost (and are way more interesting to taste).

Dinner at Kazoku: You may judge us for eating at a Japanese restaurant in Egypt (I know, I felt that way too), but after a month away from home, our stomachs were craving something on the lighter side. We were very impressed how fresh and delicious the sushi was.

Day 3: Cairo

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization: We started our day with a visit to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which has an enormous collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting the Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day. By far the most impressive exhibit was the Hall of Mummies, which includes 20 Royal mummies,18 kings, and 2 queens. A helpful tip: All of the mummies will eventually move to the new Grand Egyptian Museum when it is completed.

The Citadel: After the museum, we drove to the Citadel of Salah El-Din. Completed in 1183 AD, the Citadel served as the seat of government in Egypt for 700 years. Now, its one of the best spots in the city for a panoramic view of Cairo. While visiting, be sure to check out the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which is inside the Citadel complex.

Stroll through Khan El Khalili: Khan El Khalili is a famous bazaar in the historic center of Cairo. After the Citadel, we explored the bazaar’s alleyways, which were lined with stalls and vendors selling everything from jewelry to colorful textiles and aromatic spices.

Dinner at Sachi Heliopolis: Sachi Heliopolis was named the best restaurant in Egypt by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2022.

Day 4: Board a Nile Cruise in Luxor

A Nile cruise is a great way to explore ancient Egyptian sites if you want to avoid the hassle of flying between cities, finding hotels, and booking transportation/guides. There are many different Nile Cruise options, so you may want to explore what works for your budget and how many nights you want to sail. Since this trip was part of our honeymoon, we opted for a four-night cruise on The Oberoi Zahra and had the best experience. The Zahra was a smaller cruise compared to some of the other options; and with fewer cabins, the level of service and the quality were exceptional.

After boarding in Luxor, we started by visiting the Temple of Karnak, the largest temple complex in Egypt. The Great Hypostyle Hall features 134 columns with a jaw-dropping amount of color still intact.

Day 5: Luxor – Essna

Our second day on Luxor’s West Bank was the most interesting day of the cruise for me. We explored the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where some of the highlights included King Tut’s and Queen Nefertari’s tombs.

We also visited the temple of Queen Hatshepsut (pictured below), who was Egypt’s queen regnant from 1479 BC until 1458 BC, as well as the Colossus of Memnon.

Day 6: Essna – Edfu – Kom Ombo

We sailed to Edfu first thing in the morning and started our day with a tour of the Temple of Edfu, one of best-preserved temples in Egypt (pictured below). The site is dedicated to the god Horus, one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities.

During lunch, we sailed from Essna to Kom Ombo, where we spent the afternoon wandering through the Temple of Kom Ombo. This temple is an unusual double temple and is dedicated to two deities: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, the sun god. The Kom Ombo Temple complex also has a crocodile museum where you can see mummified crocodiles – definitely worth the visit.

Day 7: Kom Ombo – Aswan

During our last full day, we sailed from Kom Ombo to Aswan to visit Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika. This complex was created for the goddess Isis. The entire Philae complex was actually dismantled and relocated during 1977-1980 to Agilkia island as part of a wider UNESCO project to protect Nubian monuments threatened by floods from the construction of the Aswan Dam.

Following lunch, we had a lazy afternoon of massages and lounging by the ship’s pool. It was a great way to spend our final afternoon before starting our journey back home.