Intro

“The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” – You can read about all of them in the history books, but there is only one still standing – The Great Pyramids of Giza. Who doesn’t remember learning about Ancient Egypt in your elementary social studies class and being intrigued by it all? Not only were the pyramids fascinating, but what about the mummies, hieroglyphics, pharaohs, and the Nile River? While Egypt seems like a mythical location, it’s a real place you can visit today! I did not know what to expect with our trip to Egypt, but my expectations were exceeded. We had such an incredible adventure during our time in Egypt and I believe with the right planning, you could also have the trip of a lifetime.

Do you need help planning a trip to Egypt? Keep reading!

Before you go

Passport & Visas

For any international traveling in general, I would recommend that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your entry. This also applies to Egypt. You do need a visa to enter Egypt. While there is an option to get a visa upon arrival, we opted to get an electronic visa through the government’s website. You can apply for the visa starting 90 days before your trip, but it will ask for your travel information (hotel address, tour details, etc.), so you can do this after you have planned your whole trip. Be warned: Double-check the information before you submit your application. I accidentally forgot to put everyone’s middle names on their applications and had to redo all of the applications and pay again. They also didn’t like the quality of one of the pictures of our passports, so I had to retake the picture as well.

I remember the visa website not being the easiest to navigate and getting a visa stressing me out, but once we got there, I don’t even remember them checking it! That’s not to say you should skip getting a visa, but don’t let this process stress you out. Apply for it online and print off any verification they give you to show at the airport.

Vaccinations

When we went in 2022, COVID restrictions and protocols were still happening. We did have to show proof of our COVID vaccination and it needed to have a QR code. Check this before you go. We also checked the CDC’s website for recommended vaccinations. We ended up getting shots for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and I needed an updated Tdap anyways. These are not required but a precaution for traveling to the country. We went to our local health department to get these shots.

Reservations

We used Booking.com for our hotels, Ernst’s website to book the sleeper train to the Nile River, Viator for the Nile cruise (we had a Viator coupon), and Get Your Guide for one tour. We used Discovery Travel Group for two other days of tours and I would say it was by far one of the best choices we made on the trip. I was given the personal email of the guide who owns and runs this tour company and I was able to customize our days with him. He was AMAZING and I would highly recommend emailing him to set up a tour. He was highly educated in Egyptian history and a flexible guide. (My dad needed a specific ATM to get money out of with his credit card, and our guide went to at least 5 trying to help him.) I heard some people say they did not enjoy their time in Egypt because it was stressful, and I personally think paying for a tour guide and driver makes things so much easier and seamless. If you would like his email, please contact us.

Real Talk: We were originally supposed to take our Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor. A few days before our cruise, the company called and said the cruise going that direction had been canceled because there were not enough people for the boat, so they rebooked us on the cruise going from Luxor to Aswan. We had already booked our sleeper train tickets, so we had to cancel those, and rebook tickets to take us first from Cairo to Luxor to get to the cruise and then Aswan back to Cairo after the cruise. When you book Nile cruises on Viator, you cannot pick what boat you will be on. Because of the switch, they ended up putting us on a nicer boat (Le Fayan) and we could not complain. It was a very nice boat at a very good price! I highly recommend this Nile Cruise boat. This was the cruise itinerary we ended up taking.

Also, the sleeper train from Cairo is not the most luxurious… I would actually say it’s the opposite and is quite roughing it. (The website can also not be user-friendly.) I would recommend it for the experience and the price to get to and from the Nile River, but if you want to sleep well and get there quicker, you might be better off on a flight.

Weather

Summer is the off-season in Egypt because of the high temperatures. We went in the summer, and as you can imagine in the desert, it was very hot. Coming from Texas, it was not unbearable and it was a more dry heat, but when you get past 100 degrees, it can still be pretty miserable. Luckily, most tours leave in the early mornings and guides do a good job of keeping you cool. Evenings can be slightly cooler which is a welcomed relief.

Packing

Egypt is a conservative country. While I did see some female tourists wearing shorts and tank tops, this is not recommended unless you are by the pool or at the beach. If you plan to go in the summer, you will want to have coverage but stay cool. We brought lots of loose linen pants and cotton shirts with short sleeves. The streets of Cairo are dirty and when you are touring, you could be walking in sand, so I would recommend closed-toe shoes or boots to keep your feet clean. We brought light scarves in case we needed them for head coverage at religious sites. I would also recommend bringing sunscreen to avoid sunburns.

Phone

I kept my phone on airplane mode the whole time and used Wifi when available. Rebecca used the AT&T international $10/day pass when she needed service. You can turn on your data and use your phone normally for $10 per 24 hours.

Money

Cash is king in Egypt. Don’t expect to be able to use your credit card at very many places. The credit card reader was even down at our hotel and we had to pay in cash for our hotel room. Either bring your ATM card to withdraw money or bring dollars to exchange at a bank. Please be aware if you bring dollars to exchange, they are only looking for the newest-looking bills. I got cash from the bank before I left and they told me the presidents’ faces were too faded and they wouldn’t accept many of my bills. Make sure your cash is crisp, new, and has no tears.

Our 10-day itinerary through Egypt

Day 1: Travel Day

Our flight plan was from Dallas to London to Cairo. The flight into London arrived early the next day. While it was a 3-hour layover, the lines through customs were very long and our bags had to go through security again. We made it to our Cairo flight, but I would not recommend booking with a short layover through Heathrow.

Day 2: Arrive in Cairo

We arrived in Cairo in the afternoon. There will be taxis and vans outside the airport that will be begging to take you to your hotel for $50-$100. You can haggle this price down to a price you are comfortable with. We opted for an Uber which cost around $20, but it was not easy to find where the Uber pick up was. We walked around for a long time and no one could tell us exactly where they were supposed to pick us up. (Some people tried to tell us Ubers weren’t allowed at the airport.) Our Uber ended up finding us and I am pretty sure picking us up in an illegal spot. He almost got a ticket from the police officer, but he ended up driving away without an issue. While Uber was the cheapest option, it was a little stressful to figure it out.

Real Talk: Traffic in Cairo is probably some of the craziest in the world. While not only can congestion be bad during rush hour, there appear to be zero traffic rules and cars swerve in and out of non-existent lanes of traffic. If you’re thinking about renting a car, do not. If you get car sick, be prepared. Riding in a car in Egypt is not for the faint of heart.

We chose to stay at the Pyramid Planet Hotel close to the pyramids. While the price of the hotel was cheap and once inside the hotel, the accommodations were adequate, this hotel is at the top of a seemingly abandoned building in a local neighborhood. If you’re looking to save money, I think this is still a good option, but if you’re wanting something that feels like a traditional hotel, this is not the one for you.

From the Cairo airport to our hotel in Giza, it took us about an hour and a half to get there with traffic. We ended up walking up and down the road near our hotel and picked up something for dinner at one of the local restaurants. We also found a fun dessert place where they served local treats at an extremely affordable price. (Because we were where locals lived and shopped and not a touristy area, we found everything at local stores to be far cheaper.)

Day 3: See The Pyramids

We took this 8-hour tour which included The Pyramids of Giza (we paid extra for the camel ride by the pyramids - 30 minutes was long enough), the Sphinx, the Saqqara pyramid, the ancient city of Memphis, and lunch. It was just the two of us, our tour guide, and a driver. We went at our own pace (fast!) which was nice. We told our driver we needed to exchange money and he took us to a bank before we went to the pyramids. We were given the option to go inside the Giza pyramids for more money, but we decided not to go inside. I heard it wasn’t much to look at.

Real Talk: They almost didn’t let us into the pyramids with our cameras because of the size of the lenses. We hadn’t read anything about that prior to our trip and our guide ended up paying off the people at the gate to let us bring in our cameras. It seemed like a bit of a scam, but I wouldn’t plan to bring a big zoom lens to the pyramids.

We also were given the option of stopping at a perfume factory and papyrus shop - these were clearly places they took tourists to spend money. We smelled the different scents at the perfume factory and found it very interesting to see how they made papyrus, but we did not make any purchases.

Real Talk: While I did find this tour to be good for the price, our guide on the second day through Discovery Travel Group was so good that I wished we had used him for every day we were in Cairo.

Day 4: Egyptian Museum & Khan el-Khalili Market and Sleeper train to Luxor

Real Talk: I emailed back and forth with our guide for a few months before our tour about what we should do and he was helpful and flexible. We did this trip with my whole family and he was able to fit 10 of us (and our luggage) in his van comfortably. Because we went in the summer, there was a lot more availability and flexibility. He told me during the winter, he has tours day after day with no breaks. If you are planning during the winter, make sure you book ahead.

Go to the Egyptian Museum

While there are many museums in Cairo, if you can only go to one, we were told this was the one to go to - especially since it has some of King Tut’s treasures. The Grand Egyptian Museum (set to open in November 2022) will soon be the best museum to visit in Cairo, but it was not quite open when we went there.

Eat like a local

We asked our tour guide to take us to a local Egyptian restaurant for lunch where they served us family-style many traditional dishes. It was delicious and we were treated with such care. The owner even wanted a picture with us after our meal. I wasn’t even sure what we were eating, but I am so glad he ordered a variety of food for our table.

Go to Khan el-Khalili Market

If you like to browse a local market and pick up souvenirs, this is the market for you. Our tour guide first took us around the market to show us where things were, and then sat down at a coffee shop nearby and let us walk around. Be ready to be hassled (not sure here, but all over Egypt) to come into shops. If you make eye contact, they will attempt to hold you there as long as possible to buy something.

Get on the sleeper train to Luxor

With the traffic, I would say we just barely made our train. I had booked our tickets out of the Cairo Train Station and our tour guide took us to the Giza Train Station. It ended up being completely fine, but it was something that happened that gave me some anxiety.

Day 5: Check into Nile Cruise and see Luxor Temples

Real Talk: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Nile Cruise, but it ended up being an amazing and easy (and epic) way to see Egypt and all of the temples. The cruise included all meals, excursions to temples, and a personal tour guide for our group. All of these things were set up for us - all we had to do was meet our guide at the time he gave us and they provided transportation to and from the ship. The food on board was good, the service was attentive, the pool was nice, and the rooms were comfortable. I couldn’t recommend it more!

Check into the cruise ship and put your bags down

Optional: Take a sailboat ride along the Nile

While we were exhausted from our lack of sleep on the sleeper train, when they offered a sailboat ride along the Nile, we decided to do it because… Why not?

Tour the Temple of Karnak

Tour Luxor Temple

Day 6: Hot Air Balloon Ride and Valley of the Kings

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride over the Valley of the Kings

We had to wake up VERY early for this excursion. I wasn’t nervous until they said that we would be in a hot air balloon with… 30 other people?! I didn’t realize they made them that big! We had an incredible pilot for our balloon and it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime ride.

Tour the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari

Tour the Valley of the Kings

We were able to tour three different pharaoh'’ final resting places. It was really cool to see these in real life and hear the history of the area.

Stop at an Alabaster shop

This was another “tourist trap” location where the tours stop, but I did end up haggling and buying a pretty vase to take home.

Day 7: Cruise along the river and see more temples

Tour the Temple of Horus at Edfu

We took a horse-drawn carriage to this temple which added some excitement to see another temple.

Tour the Temple of Kom Ombo and Crocodile Museum

If you want to see some mummified crocodiles, you’re in luck! There is a whole museum to talk about the history of the crocodiles in this area.

Day 8: A long drive to see the most epic temple

Drive to Abu Simbel Temple Complex

When you think of epic Egyptian temples, this one probably comes to mind. This is another early morning. It is a 3-hour drive there and a 3-hour drive back, but you wouldn’t want to miss this temple – especially since they had to deconstruct it from its original location because of the building of a dam. You’ll be even more impressed when you see it!

Take a boat ride to the Temple of Philae

While we weren’t able to spend very much time at this temple, it was one of my favorites because it was on an island.

Take the train back to Cairo (or fly back if one time on the train was enough for you!)

Day 9: Mosques in Cairo
We opted on our last day in Cairo to see the local mosques with our favorite tour guide. Other people may choose to see the churches or other museums, but we decided to see all of the beautiful mosques in the city. Our original guide was sick that day, but he sent the other tour guide with us and we had a great time with him as well. He was able to give us the history of the mosques as well as explain the history and traditions of the Islamic faith.

Check into hotel

We stayed at the Nile View Inn for our last night in Cairo. It was on the 16th floor of a seemingly random building by the Nile, but the rooms were clean, breakfast was provided, and we had a great view.

Visit Mosque of Ibn Tuluna and Mosque of Al-Hakim

See Saladin Citadel/Muhammad Ali Mosque

Walk down Muizz Street / Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatimi Street

Our tour guide stopped and let us try different local drinks from a vendor and took us to a place for lunch where locals eat. He also insisted on buying us a watermelon from the market to share at lunch.

Sunset and dessert at Al-Azhar Park

We ended up sitting at a cafe at the park and enjoyed a dessert and the views on our last evening in Cairo.

Day 10: Fly home

We asked the hotel to set up a ride for us to get to the airport since we were leaving so early in the morning and didn’t want to worry about finding an Uber or taxi.

That’s it!

Before we went to Egypt, I had heard mixed reviews about people’s time there. I had heard Egypt wasn’t safe. I heard Cario was dirty. While everyone’s perspectives of a place may be different and everyone has different experiences, I personally loved our time in Egypt. While I believe it’s more of an experience for seasoned travelers, if you love history and jumping into a different culture, I would put Egypt on your list of places in the world to visit.

Do you have any questions or comments? Please leave them below!

Travel Guide: Egypt in 10 Days