How Many Days in Egypt? Classic 7, 10 and 14-Day Itineraries

Egypt looks compact on a map, but Cairo to Aswan is nearly 900 kilometres (550 miles). The key to a great first itinerary is matching the number of regions to the days you actually have on the ground, and using short one-hour domestic flights instead of exhausting overnight trains.

With 4 to 5 days, focus on two bases at most: three days in Cairo and Giza (the Pyramids, Saqqara, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo) plus either a day trip to Alexandria or a quick overnight flight to Luxor for Karnak and the Valley of the Kings.

With 7 to 8 days — our most booked length for first-time visitors — you can comfortably cover the classic triangle: three nights in Cairo, a morning flight to Luxor, and a four-night Nile cruise down to Aswan, adding a morning trip to Abu Simbel before flying back to Cairo.

With 10 days, you have two rewarding ways to expand the classic route: either add three relaxing nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada at the end of your Nile cruise, or keep the focus on history by adding Alexandria on the Mediterranean and extra time in Luxor for Dendera and Abydos.

With 12 to 15 days, the country opens up: you can sail at a slower pace on a dahabiya, camp overnight under the stars in the White Desert, and still finish with beach time on the Red Sea without ever feeling rushed.