Looking for the best places to visit in Egypt? Here are ten spots worth building your itinerary around.
Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to Egypt than just the Giza skyline. From wandering around ancient temples, exploring colourful Nubian villages or cruising down the nile, there is so much to see and do in this incredible country.
This list covers 10 of the best places to visit in Egypt so you can start planning out the ultimate itinerary for your visit!
1. The Pyramids of Giza
Yes, it’s the obvious one, and yes, you should still go. Nothing prepares you for how close the pyramids sit to actual Cairo traffic. You’ll be standing in front of a 4,500 year old wonder with a KFC visible over your shoulder.
Go early, ideally right at opening. The crowds build fast and the heat builds faster.
Skip the camel ride hassle near the entrance if you can. Negotiate hard if you do want one, the first price is never the real price.
2. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square is chaotic, slightly dusty, and absolutely worth it. Tutankhamun’s gold mask alone justifies the entry fee.
Hire a guide here. The museum’s labelling system is… let’s call it “vintage”, and a good guide turns a confusing maze of artefacts into an actual story.
Give yourself at least two hours. You’ll want more.
3. Luxor’s Valley of the Kings
This is where Egypt stops being about postcards and starts being about goosebumps. Walking into Tutankhamun’s actual tomb, down into rooms still painted in colour after thousands of years, is something else.
Tickets only cover a handful of tombs, so check which ones are open before you go. Some tombs require a separate, pricier ticket (Tutankhamun’s included).
Go in the morning. The valley has almost no shade and Luxor heat doesn’t mess around.
4. Karnak Temple
Karnak is enormous, and I mean genuinely hard to wrap your head around enormous. The Hypostyle Hall, with its 134 towering columns, is the kind of thing photos just don’t do justice.
Try to catch the sound and light show in the evening if you have time. It’s a bit cheesy, but standing among the columns lit up at night is still a moment.
5. A Nile Cruise Between Luxor and Aswan
If you want to actually feel the rhythm of Egypt rather than rush between sites, get yourself on the Nile. Watching the riverbanks slide past, with farmers and water buffalo doing exactly what they’ve done for centuries, is the most relaxing few days you’ll have in the whole trip.
This is honestly where I’d spend extra money if budget allows. A good cruise turns transport time into the actual highlight of the trip.
6. Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is far. It’s a 3 to 4 hour drive from Aswan, or a short flight if you’d rather not lose a day to a bus. Either way, it’s worth the effort.
The four colossal statues of Ramses II carved into the mountainside are properly jaw dropping in person. The fact that the entire temple was relocated in the 1960s to avoid being flooded by the Aswan Dam makes it even more impressive.
Go for the twice yearly sun alignment if your dates line up (February 22nd and October 22nd), when sunlight reaches all the way into the inner sanctuary. It’s genuinely one of the more clever pieces of ancient engineering you’ll see anywhere.
7. Aswan and the Nubian Villages
Aswan feels noticeably calmer than Cairo or Luxor, and the Nubian villages around it are full of colour, literally. Houses painted in bright blues, yellows, and pinks line the riverbank.
Take a small boat over to a Nubian village for tea with a local family if you get the chance. It’s one of those experiences that ends up being a trip highlight even though it wasn’t on the original itinerary.
The Philae Temple, set on its own island, is also worth a stop here. Like Abu Simbel, it was moved to save it from rising water levels.
8. The White Desert
If you want Egypt that looks nothing like the Egypt in everyone’s photos, head to the White Desert. Chalk rock formations rise out of the sand in shapes that genuinely look sculpted, despite being entirely natural.
Camping out here overnight under a sky with zero light pollution is one of those “I can’t believe this is real” moments. Bring warm layers, desert nights get properly cold.
This one takes more planning since it’s remote, so book through a tour operator who knows the route well.
9. Siwa Oasis
Siwa is for people who want to slow right down. Tucked near the Libyan border, it’s known for olive groves, salt lakes you can float in, and a relaxed pace that feels worlds away from Cairo’s chaos.
The Oracle Temple here is where Alexander the Great reportedly came to confirm his divine status, so there’s history mixed in with the relaxation.
It’s remote, so factor in a long drive or a flight to Mersa Matruh followed by a transfer.
10. Dahab and the Red Sea Coast
After days of temples and desert heat, Dahab is where you decompress. This laid back diving town on the Red Sea coast has some of the best snorkelling and diving in the world, including the famous Blue Hole.
The water here is clear enough that you don’t even need to be a confident swimmer to enjoy floating above the reef. Beachfront cafes line the water, and the whole town runs at a noticeably slower pace than the rest of Egypt.
It’s the perfect last stop if your trip has been temple heavy and you want a few days of actual rest before flying home.
Best Way to Get Around Egypt
Getting around Egypt is part of the planning that trips people up the most, so it’s worth sorting out early. Distances between Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan are big, and the options vary a lot in comfort and cost.
Tour
Organised tours, like this 8-day Egypt itinerary, are by far the easiest way to get around Egypt. Transfers, routing, and timing are all sorted for you, so you just show up and see the country.
Cruise
A Nile cruise is another great way to get around. It doubles up as transport and accommodation between Luxor and Aswan, and you see far more drifting along the river than you ever would flying or driving the same route.
Plane
Domestic flights are the fastest way to cover ground, especially Cairo to Luxor or Aswan. They’re cheap by international standards and save you a long desert drive.
Train
Overnight trains between Cairo and Luxor or Aswan are a proper experience in themselves, sleeper cabins included. They take longer than flying, but you wake up somewhere new without losing a day to travel.
Planning a trip to Egypt? Read these articles next:
- Beyond the Tourist Spots: How to Spend a Day as a Local in Luxor, Egypt
- A Complete Travel Guide to Riyadh for First-Time Visitors
- Egyptian Fava Bean Falafel Recipe – Ta’Meya
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