Egypt Tour Package from Abu Dhabi and Dubai: Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea

Cairo-only short breaks are the lowest-priced Egypt trips from the UAE, because they need one flight each way and no domestic legs. Adding a Nile cruise adds two domestic flights and three or four nights on board, but meals and most sightseeing on the cruise are included, so the extra cost buys a lot. Red Sea nights in Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh usually cost less per night than Cairo hotels of the same grade.

• Hotel location: a hotel near the pyramids in Giza saves time on the pyramids day; a hotel on the Nile in central Cairo is better for museums, Khan el-Khalili and evenings out
• Cruise grade: standard and deluxe ships cover the same route, but cabins, food and the sun deck differ
• Private touring: our recent Egypt packages used private transfers and a private guide, which costs more than shared tours but keeps the pace yours
• Domestic flights: we include them where the route needs them, so you are not on a 10-hour train

November to February is the busiest and most expensive season, especially over Christmas, New Year and the UAE winter break. Summer is cheaper, but Luxor and Aswan are very hot, so summer trips suit Cairo and the Red Sea better. If your dates are flexible, look at the cheapest tour packages this month first.

1. 01

   Day 1: Arrive in Cairo

   Land at Cairo International Airport. Our representative is waiting there and takes you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free. If you arrive early, walk along the Nile or have dinner with a view of the pyramids from a Giza rooftop.

2. 02

   Day 2: The pyramids of Giza and the museum

   Morning on the Giza plateau with an Egyptologist guide: the Sphinx, the panorama point, and the three pyramids of Khufu (the Great Pyramid), Khafre and Menkaure. In the afternoon, the museum and the treasures of Tutankhamun. Optional: the sound and light show at the pyramids in the evening.

3. 03

   Day 3: Fly to Luxor, Karnak and Luxor temples

   Early flight to Luxor and transfer to your Nile cruise ship, your home for four nights. After lunch on board, visit the East Bank: the vast Karnak Temple complex with its forest of columns, and Luxor Temple, lit up beautifully after dark.

4. 04

   Day 4: The West Bank of Luxor

   Cross to the West Bank for the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs were buried in painted rock tombs, the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut against the cliffs, and the Colossi of Memnon. The ship sails south in the afternoon. Optional: a sunrise balloon flight over the West Bank before the tour.

5. 05

   Day 5: Edfu and Kom Ombo

   A horse carriage ride to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, a temple that still has its roof, walls and towering gateway. Back on board for lunch while the ship sails to Kom Ombo, a temple shared by two gods, the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris, on a bend of the river.

6. 06

   Day 6: Aswan, Philae and a felucca

   Arrive in Aswan. Visit the High Dam and the island temple of Philae by motorboat, then sail around Elephantine Island on a felucca, a traditional sailing boat, past the Aga Khan Mausoleum.

7. 07

   Day 7: Fly back to Cairo

   Disembark after breakfast and fly from Aswan to Cairo. Free afternoon for Khan el-Khalili bazaar, or add a guided visit to Islamic and Coptic Cairo.

8. 08

   Day 8: Fly home

   Breakfast, check-out and transfer to Cairo airport for your flight to Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

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  Colossi of Memnon, Luxor

  Two seated statues of Amenhotep III, each about 18 metres tall, standing in the fields on the way to the Valley of the Kings. A short photo stop on the West Bank day.

• 

  Temple of Hatshepsut

  The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, one of the few women to rule as pharaoh, built in terraces into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. Go early: there is little shade.

• 

  Philae and the felucca in Aswan

  A motorboat to the island temple of Isis at Philae, then an hour on a felucca as the sun goes down. Aswan is the calmest stop on the river.

Short on time? A 4-night Cairo break covers the essentials: arrival day, a pyramids and museum day, a day for Saqqara and Memphis or Islamic Cairo, and a free morning before you fly home. Our 3-night and 4-night Cairo packages have followed this pattern. For ten nights or more, we add three or four nights on the Red Sea after the cruise, or Alexandria before it.

With ten nights, the route can end on the beach. This is how a Cairo, Nile cruise and Red Sea trip usually runs:

1. 01

   Days 1 to 3: Cairo

   Arrival, a full day at the pyramids and the museum, and a day for Saqqara or Islamic and Coptic Cairo.

2. 02

   Days 4 to 6: Nile cruise, Aswan to Luxor

   Fly to Aswan and board the ship. Philae, the High Dam and a felucca, then Kom Ombo and Edfu as you sail north, and Karnak and Luxor Temple on arrival.

3. 03

   Day 7: The West Bank, then the coast

   The Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut in the morning, then the road to Hurghada, or a flight to Sharm El Sheikh via Cairo.

4. 04

   Days 8 to 10: Red Sea

   Beach days, a snorkelling boat trip to the reefs, and time by the pool. Optional diving or a desert safari.

Travelling with children? Egypt is a great history lesson, but the days start early and the sites are hot and dusty. A camel ride at Giza and the felucca in Aswan are usually the children's highlights. For more ideas, see our family tours from Abu Dhabi.

After the temples, three or four nights on the Red Sea turn a sightseeing trip into a holiday. The water is clear and warm for most of the year, and the coral reefs are easy to reach: you can snorkel straight from many hotel beaches.

• 

  Sharm El Sheikh, 3 to 4 nights

  On the tip of the Sinai, with Naama Bay's promenade, cliff-side beaches and the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park nearby. Our Cairo, Nile and Sharm package spent three nights in Naama Bay on half board.

• Hurghada, 3 to 4 nights

  On the mainland coast, about four hours by road from Luxor, so it pairs naturally with a Nile cruise.

• 

  Alexandria, 1 to 2 nights

  Egypt's Mediterranean city, about three hours from Cairo by road: the Qaitbay Citadel, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the seafront corniche. It appears in our 10-night Cairo, Alexandria and Nile cruise route.

• Snorkelling boat trips to offshore reefs and islands, with lunch on board
• Diving for beginners and certified divers, at dive centres in both towns
• Glass-bottom boats and semi-submarines for children and non-swimmers
• Desert trips by quad bike or jeep, with a Bedouin dinner
• Day trips from Sharm to Ras Mohammed National Park, or a night climb of Mount Sinai to see the sunrise

Which to choose? Sharm suits couples and divers, and anyone who wants a resort town with restaurants and shops in walking distance. Hurghada suits families and people coming straight from Luxor. Both have halal food in every hotel and large family resorts.

Want a two-country trip instead? Egypt pairs well with our Turkey tour packages from UAE for Istanbul and Cappadocia, or our Azerbaijan tour package for a cooler, shorter break later in the year.

In the cooler months, pack layers: a desert morning in Luxor or a balloon flight at dawn can be cold, even when the afternoon is warm. In summer, we start every tour very early and plan indoor museums for the hottest hours.

Book six to eight weeks ahead for most dates, and earlier for December, January and Eid, when good cruise cabins and Giza hotels with pyramid views sell out first.