Egypt is a bucket list destination for most people, but planning out a trip there can be a little daunting. This 9 day Egypt itinerary is fantastic for first time visitors, because it takes you to the key Ancient Egypt sites but also gives you a taste of modern Egyptian culture. You’ll check the pyramids off your bucket list, take a Nile cruise, visit temples that are thousands of years old, see King Tut’s mummy, visit a Nubian village, explore Coptic Cairo, and get plenty of time to shop for one of a kind souvenirs in between.
Why should you listen to us?
Because we lead group trips to Egypt and have done this exact itinerary twice. Our guests on our recent group trip were all first time visitors to Egypt, and they absolutely raved about how much they got to see during such a short period of time.
We have personally experienced everything listed in this 9 day Egypt itinerary, and we’ve included timestamps for each activity to give you an idea of how much time to set aside for them.
If this is your first visit to the land of pyramids and mummies, our 20 Things To Know Before You Visit Egypt gives helpful tips on how to be mindful and respectful of the culture, societal norms to be aware of, and things that pleasantly surprised us on our first visit. Our Egypt packing list can also be found HERE, and you can download the PDF version via the form below.
Is a guide necessary for Egypt?
We 100% think that Egypt is best seen with a guide. As much as we absolutely love Egypt, it would be incredibly overwhelming to navigate on your own. And you’ll notice that the people who went to Egypt and did not enjoy it are usually the people who tried to do it all on their own. For us, a local guide is nonnegotiable for a trip to Egypt.
Lucky for you, we’ve got one to recommend: Wanderluxe Tours is who we have used for both of our trips to Egypt, and who we’ve got lined up for our future trips. They will recreate this exact 9 day Egypt itinerary for you and take care of all the behind the scene logistics!
Not only will you get an Egyptologist guide to explain all the historical sites to you, Wanderluxe Tours will also help you get your Tourist Visa upon arrival, provide all airport transfers + transportation during your trip with snacks and drinks available onboard, book your accommodations/Nile Cruise/domestic flights for you, make restaurant reservations on your behalf, reserve your tickets for all temples/sites/experiences, take pictures of you at the sites, and help you negotiate with vendors and shops to get the best deals. All you have to do is book your flight to Egypt and show up ready to have the adventure of a lifetime!
We’re not exaggerating when we say that Wanderluxe Tours is the best tour company we’ve had anywhere in the world. They truly go above and beyond to make sure your trip to Egypt is the bucket list trip you always dreamed of whether it’s just for a long layover or a trip like this 9 day Egypt itinerary. And if you book through them and mention The Stickered Suitcase, they’ll take especially good care of you!
Day 1: Get Settled in Cairo
Day 1 of your 9 day Egypt itinerary is all about getting settled and conquering your jet lag. You’ll have 2 nights in Cairo before setting sail on your Nile Cruise, so no need to hit the ground running. This itinerary is jam packed, so making sure your well rested before you dive into all the fun is crucial.
After you get checked in, take a stroll around your accommodations. Get dinner at your hotel if you want something easy or from a nearby local restaurant if you’re feeling adventurous.
We have a few recommendations on where to stay for your time in Cairo:
Wanderluxe Villa – Recently opened luxury serviced apartments located only 20 minutes from the Cairo Airport. This is a fantastic option for families or larger groups who want something spacious and conveniently located but at a lower cost than big chains in Cairo. Each unit features multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, a dining room, and a large living room. It also has a rooftop terrace that offer fantastic views of New Cairo!
The villa is in an extremely safe area and steps away from several restaurants. If shawarma is on your foodie list for Egypt, there’s a great spot that’s only a 2 minute walk away. We love supporting locally owned businesses when we travel, and staying at Wanderluxe means you’re supporting a local family’s business.
Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino – Luxury accommodations in the heart of Cairo that offer Nile River and city views. There are several delicious restaurants on site, including a breakfast buffet that tops any other we’ve seen in our travels. The beds are comfortable and and the staff is very pleasant. This is a safe, reliable, and centrally located option in the city center. If you don’t want to eat at the hotel, Luuma is a quick Uber ride away and offers Nile views plus delicious food.
Marriott Mena House – If you have a big budget and want pyramid views, Marriott Mena House is a very popular option. The luxury hotel is next door to the pyramids and the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum. It has 3 restaurants on site that offer international, Italian, and Indian cuisine.
Day 2: Check the Pyramids & The Great Sphinx Off Your Bucket List
9am-12:30pm: Wake up early and get to the pyramids around 9am. You’ll buy your tickets on arrival which are around 700-900 EGP ($14.50-18 USD), and if you want to go INSIDE the Great Pyramid, it’s an additional 1,5000 EGP ($30ish USD). You should know that going inside the pyramid is not a task for the claustrophobic or weak – it’s a very narrow passageway with no airflow up a steep incline. If you’re up for the challenge though, it’s pretty cool to get to say you went inside one of the pyramids!
There is a small visitor center near the ticket counter where you can learn about the overall history of the pyramids and the sphinx and see some of the tools and methods used for building them. Then, head outside and take one of the buses to the Giza Plateau (the buses are included in your ticket price). If you’re with a private tour company, like Wanderluxe, they might be able to get your private transportation bus closer to the pyramids and work in more stops along the way for photo opportunities with fewer crowds.
If you want to do a camel ride in front of the pyramids, there are several vendors there to do it through. Booking with a tour company means this cost will likely be included and a good company will choose one of the vendors where the camels are treated the most humanely. If you’re going without a guide, expect to pay 800-1035 EGP ($15-20 USD) for a 20-30 minute camel ride.
If you decide to go inside the pyramids, do that after your camel ride The inside closes sooner than the rest of the pyramid complex. Otherwise, take your time exploring the pyramids! Who knows when you’ll get to be in the presence of one of the 7 Wonders of the World again.
12:30-1pm: After your finished with the pyramids, head over to the The Great Sphinx for even more iconic photos. You’ll only need around 30 minutes here though to get all the pictures you want.
1pm-2:30pm: Grab lunch from a local restaurant. For fantastic pyramid views, 9 Pyramids Lounge is a popular option. The food was mediocre compared to the rest of the food we had in Egypt, but the views were spectacular.
3-4pm: Visit Golden Eagle Papyrus to see a demonstration of how papyrus paper is made plus the opportunity to buy some for yourself as a souvenir! This is a fantastic lightweight souvenir that’s unique to Egypt. You will see papyrus artwork throughout the trip, but buying it directly from the Papyrus shop ensures authenticity and quality. As with every place in Egypt though, you’ll need to haggle to get the best price
Evening: You’ve had a big day! Go back to your hotel and rest or if you don’t want the fun to end, do the Pyramids Sound and Light Show or an ATV ride in front of the pyramids.
Day 3: Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple
7-8:30am(ish): Catch an early morning flight from Cairo to Luxor – that’s where your Nile Cruise will set sail from!
10am-12:30pm: Spend the morning exploring Karnak Temple. This is one of the largest temple complexes in the world. It took over 1,500 years to be fully built with over 30 different pharaohs contributing to the massive project. The Hypostyle Hall is the star of the show here, with its massive sandstone columns covered completely in hieroglyphics. You’ll feel so tiny standing beside them!
Tickets to enter the temple are around 600-650 EGP ($12-15 USD).
1-6:30pm: Board your Nile Cruise and enjoy lunch onboard! Take some time to get settled into your room and get to know your home for the next few days.
6:30-8:00pm: Head to Luxor temple to see it lit up at night! The cost is 500-550 EGP ($10-12 USD).
Going during this time frame also means you will get to hear the call to prayer being played over the speakers from the mosque next door to the temple. It ends up being a beautiful mixture of old and new as you look at statues from thousands of years ago but hear the call to prayer observed by so many in Egypt today.
After you explore the temples, stroll down the newly opened Avenue of Sphinxes to see the reconstructed ancient boat. This avenue once connected Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.
8:30pm: Have a late dinner back onboard the cruise. They know to serve dinner late because everyone wants to see Luxor Temple lit up at night!
Day 4: Valley of the Kings & Temple of Hatshepsut
5am-7am: If you want to see the best sunrise in all of Egypt, you should book a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. It requires an early wake up call and advance booking, but the incredible views make it SO worth it. This experience topped our list of 18 incredible bucket list experiences around the world.
The cost for the sunrise departure is typically $100-$200/person. A perk of having your tour guide book the tour for you is that they will know which company is the most reputable to use.
7:30-8:30am: On your way to see the Valley of the Kings on foot, swing by Ali Baba Restaurant for breakfast and coffee. The crepes are great! If you choose to sit on the very top floor, you’ll have fab views of the Colossi of Memnon, two large statues of Amenhotep III that are all that remains of his mortuary temple.
8:30am-11am: Spend a few hours exploring the Valley of the Kings! This necropolis has some of the best preserved hieroglyphics in all of Egypt. The colors inside the tombs are incredible to see in person.
Tickets cost 750 EGP (around $15 USD) and give you entry to the three tombs of your choice. The tomb of Ramses IV is a must, as it has some of the most beautifully intact hieroglyphics and artwork inside.
If you want to go inside King Tut’s tomb and see his mummy, it’s an additional $15. In our opinion, this is 100% worth the cost. His mummy is on full display behind a glass case, but all the treasures from his tomb are in the Grand Egyptian Museum. It’s a toss up of whether or not they will allow photos. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t.
11am-12pm: Visit an alabaster shop. Alabaster has been used throughout Egypt for thousands of years. While it was once used for Canopic jars, sarcophagi, and statues, today it is typically used for smaller items that make for good souvenirs like bowls, vases, lamps, and smaller alabaster statues.
We visited Hapi for Alabaster and had a good experience. They gave a demonstration on how alabaster is traditionally carved and shaped and its luminescent qualities before giving us some time to shop. You will need to haggle for a good price on your souvenirs!
12pm-1pm: Spend an hour admiring the impressive the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Tickets are around 450 EGP ($9 USD).
Queen Hatshepsut was one of only a few female pharaohs throughout Ancient Egypt’s 3,000 year history. She is known for being an incredibly successful pharaoh who led trade expeditions to new regions and for not involving Egypt in any conflicts during her reign.
Her multi-story temple is built into a cliffside and is stunning to see in person. Large statues of Hatshepsut can be found outside the temple, giving visitors a chance to see how her imagery is typically masculine to command respect and authority as a female ruler.
Rest of day: Most Nile cruises depart for Edfu after lunch time. If yours does too, you’ll need to head back to the boat after visiting the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Enjoy a quiet evening onboard admiring the Nile views or taking a nap – you deserve it after all the fun you’ve had so far!
Day 5: Temple of Edfu & Temple of Kom Ombo
8am-9:30am: Explore the Temple of Edfu, an impressive temple dedicated to the God Horus (the god of protection). You’ll have the option of taking a horse-drawn carriage ride to the temple or private transportation. After Kayla saw how the horses were so badly mistreated during her first visit, we opted for the bus. Our guide arranged for it to be on the curb waiting for us as soon as we stepped off the boat.
Tickets to Edfu Temple are around 550 EGP ($11 USD). The vendors outside the temple can be extremely pushy – more so than other areas of Egypt. This is because it is a poverty stricken area with most of the tours landing in Edfu at the same time. Vendors know they have a narrow window to try and make money, which can lead to an overwhelming and stressful experience for tourists.
Having a guide with you to shepherd your way through the crowded market area makes for a better experience than trying to navigate it alone. The market area outside the temple is small though and once inside the temple complex, it is not overwhelming.
11am-6(ish)pm: Sail to Kom Ombo. The main attraction in Edfu is the temple, so it’s a quick stop. We used our downtime on the boat to eat lunch and play games with our group. Our guide also hosted a Q&A where we could ask him anything about Egyptian history or modern day culture. This chunk of time was also a fab time to do some laundry in the sinks in our rooms and let it air dry in the breeze on our balcony.
The rest of our 9 day Egypt itinerary is pretty jam packed, so enjoy your downtime while you can!
6-7:15pm: Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo at night. Like Luxor Temple, Kom Ombo Temple is beautiful lit up at night. Our favorite fun fact about this temple is that it has a relief on one of the walls that depicts a 365 day calendar that most of the world now goes by today for the yearly calendar. The ancient Egyptians created this model to track the annual flooding of the Nile. Their year was divided into 12 months and 4 month seasons. Sound familiar?
The cost to visit the temple is 450 EGP ($9 USD) and includes entry to the mummified crocodile museum.
7:15-7:30pm: Visit the Mummified Crocodile Museum in Kom Ombo. This museum is quick to walk through but has visuals of the crocodile god Sobek, plus numerous mummified crocodiles on display.
7:30-8pm: Buy your outfit for “traditional night”. For our group, the traditional night onboard our cruise fell on the day we were in Kom Ombo. This is a night typically held on Nile River cruises where guests are invited to wear traditional Egyptian attire to dinner and for the evening’s entertainment.
Kom Ombo has several shops near where the cruise boats dock where you can find galabeyas and other traditional attire for a good price (you have to haggle to get the good price though!).
Day 6: Abu Simbel, Sunset Felucca, & Spice Market
Abu Simbel is an optional day tour out of Aswan. If you don’t want to do the trek to Abu Simbel, you can sleep in and spend the day exploring Aswan. If you want to check out one of the most well known historical sites in Egypt though, follow the below itinerary:
5am(ish): Depart for Abu Simbel. It takes around 3 hours to reach Abu Simbel from Aswan. Leaving early ensures you’ll have time to explore and that you’ll get there early enough to beat the heat. There are a few places to stop along the way for a toilet break or to pick up some snacks. You will also have to pass through a couple of checkpoints since Abu Simbel is close to the Sudan border.
8:30(ish)-10:45am(ish): Marvel at the colossal size and impressive design of the two temples at Abu Simbel, then spend some time exploring inside both.
Abu Simbel consists of a larger temple for Ramses II and a smaller one for his wife, Nefertari. The temples are both built into sandstone cliffs with enormous statues marking the entrance. The hieroglyphics inside the temples depict reenactments of battle scenes and ancient deities in vivid detail.
In the 1960s, Abu Simbel made headlines around the world when it was discovered that the recently built Aswan High Dam was putting Abu Simbel in danger of being completely submerged in water. UNESCO stepped in and carefully dismantled the temples piece by piece, moved it over 60 meters uphill, and painstakingly reassembled both temples to be exactly as they once were.
Near the gift shop at Abu Simbel, there is an area where you can watch video footage showing the huge effort by UNESCO to move the temples.
Tickets for Abu Simbel are around 750 EGP ($15 USD). However, doing it as a day trip from Aswan with a guide will likely be $100+ USD, as they will need to factor in fuel prices plus their guide services.
11am-1:30pm: Drive back to the cruise, and have lunch once back onboard. Spend a few hours relaxing before the night’s adventures.
4-4:45pm: Take a sunset felucca ride on the Nile. This is such a calm and relaxing activity and a way to see the Nile from a closer perspective than being on the larger cruise boat. We lucked out with a boat whose crew doubled as musicians, so we got to hear some traditional live music as we sailed. The boats typically also have jewelry and other smaller items that you can purchase onboard.
5:15-7:15pm: Shop ’til you drop the Aswan Spice Market. As the name suggests, this is a fantastic place to stock up on high quality spices to take back home with you!
Day 7: Nubian Village & Philae Temple
7:45-11:30am: Day 7 of this 9 Day Egypt itinerary is our favorite. From the dock in Aswan, take a smaller boat down the smaller channels of the Nile before heading by boat to the nearby Nubian Village. This is a fantastic way to see some of the Nile’s wildlife up close!
The Nubian Village is unlike anywhere else you’ll visit in Egypt. The Nubians are warm people who live a much quieter life than the rest of Egypt, mainly because they don’t have hundreds of car horns honking a any given moment. The village was peaceful and quiet in the early morning hours that we visited.
It doesn’t just sound different in the Nubian Village. It looks different too. The houses are colorful and painted with vibrant images and murals. And some of them have crocodiles as pets (Yes, we’re being serious!).
During our visit, we toured a local’s home, got $2 henna tattoos, and shopped at the market stalls that lined the streets. Our favorite part though was going inside a preschool classroom, where we were taught the Arabic alphabet and numbers!
If you’re a bookworm, on the way back to shore, have your guide point out the hotel where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile!
11:45am-12:45pm: Grab lunch from Porto Sono in Aswan. Their Nubian chicken tajine and the fish tajine are absolutely incredible and definitely one of the foods you need to try when you’re in Egypt. It was our favorite meal the whole trip!
1:00-2:15pm: Spend some time exploring the waterside temple known as the Temple of Philae. The temple is unique in that it is only reachable by boat.
The Temple of Philae is known as being one of the last places where Ancient Egyptian religion survived after Christianity swept through the area in 550AD. It is dedicated to the goddess Isis (the goddess of birth, healing, and magic), her husband, Osiris (the god of death and the afterlife), and their son Horus (the falcon god of protection and healing).
According to Ancient Egyptian lore, Isis used her magic to resurrect Osiris after he was murdered and dismembered into 14 pieces that were then scattered. Isis gathered all the pieces of her husband and used magic to resurrect him so they could conceive their son, Horus.
4:30(ish) pm: Take an evening flight from Aswan back to Cairo. Get checked back into your Cairo hotel and just have dinner there – it’s been a long day!
Day 8: Grand Egyptian Museum & Mosque of Muhammad Ali
9am-12:30pm: Lucky for you, the Grand Egyptian Museum (AKA the GEM) is officially open! This is the world’s largest archaeological facility dedicated to a single civilization. You could easily spend several days exploring everything the GEM has to offer. But here are the highlights you should definitely see on your first visit:
As soon as you walk into the GEM, you’re met with a giant statue of Ramses II. Similar to Abu Simbel, on the summer and winter solstices, light streams through a window at the GEM’s entrance and illuminates the face of the pharaoh.
You’re going to feel inclined to immediately start exploring the main building. Instead, go straight from the entrance out the back of the building to Khufu’s Boat Museum. In the 1950s while archaeologists were working outside the pyramids, they found discovered 2 sealed pits. Each pit was filled with dismantled boats.
It took over 10 years to reconstruct one of the boats, and you can now see it on display within the museum. It is absolutely spectacular in design and size. The second boat is currently undergoing reassembly efforts with a designated place already created for it at the museum beside the first one.
Head back to the main building after you’ve finished with Khufu’s boats, and take the central staircase (or escalator) to the top. Along the way, you’ll get to enjoy a vertical exhibition along the stairs that ascend through history. The bottom portion is dedicated to how pharaohs were depicted throughout Ancient Egyptian history and the top of the climb ends with common burial practices.
The next highlight you should absolutely see on your first visit to the GEM is the Tutankhamun collection. The GEM holds the world’s largest collection of King Tut’s treasures. It is truly a magnificent display. If you visited his tomb on day 4 of this 9 day Egypt itinerary, you know it wasn’t that large of a tomb. However it was filled to the brim with artifacts when it was discovered. Some of the highlights from King Tut’s tomb at the GEM include the golden burial mask, ornate sarcophagi, the royal diadem that he actually wore, his beds, shoes and clothing, his golden throne, chariots, jewelry, and even his mummy wrappings.
After you’ve finished with Tut, head over to the magnificent statue of Queen Hatshepsut coming into power. This statue differs than the ones at her temple that you saw on day 4 of this itinerary. Here, she can be seen kneeling making an offering of Maat (translation: order, truth, or justice) to the god Amun.
Spend your remaining time at the GEM getting lost in the collections that interest you most!
1-2pm: Grab lunch near the GEM, pyramids, or Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
2:30-4pm: Take a peek inside the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. This mosque was one of Cairo’s most iconic landmarks and dates back to the 1800s. We had several people on our recent group trip to Egypt comment that this stop was one of their favorites from the trip. Head coverings are not required inside the mosque, but it is important that you have shoulders to knees covered out of respect, as this is an active place of worship.
The mosque has a lovely quiet white marble courtyard outside the entrance. Inside the alabaster mosque, the walls and ceiling are decked out in ornate gold and green intricate designs, beautiful chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and orb lights illuminate the space creating a dramatic effect.
Outside the mosque, head over to the wall that lines the courtyard for panoramic views of Cairo that make for a great photo opportunity!
Day 9: Memphis, Saqqara, Carpet School, & Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
It’s the final day of your 9 day Egypt itinerary! You’ve got a full day ahead, but you can sleep on the flight back home!
9:30-10:15am: Memphis was one of the ancient capitals of Egypt. Today, you can find the Mit Rahina open air museum nearby that houses an 11 meter long statue of Ramses II. Outside the museum is a sphinx thought to be Hatshepsut of Amenhotep II.
10:30-11:30am: See the oldest Egyptian stone structure (AKA the first pyramid) and explore the tombs nearby to see unique hieroglyphics featuring fish, hippos, ducks, birds of all kinds, and mongoose.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser was the first pyramid to ever be built. The step formation shows the thought processes that went into the initial designs for the Pyramids of Giza and signifies a turning point in how Ancient Egyptians handled the funerary process.
12:00-1:00pm: Visit the Oriental Carpet School to see demonstrations on how the carpets are made by hand on giant looms. Then have the chance to shop for carpets or wall hangings. If you buy a larger carpet, they will include shipping in the price for you!
1:15-2:00pm: Enjoy a farm to table meal at Valley of Kings Restaurant off Saqara Al Syahi Road. During our visit, we also got to see a demonstration on how Egyptian bread is made, enjoy some live music, and get hand rolled ice cream for dessert.
2:30-4:00pm: Spend some time visiting the places of worship in Coptic Cairo and wander its cobbled streets. You should visit the Ben-Ezra Synagogue first upon arrival, as it closes earlier than the other places of worship you’ll be visiting. Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church is probably the most famous in the area though, as you can take the stairs down to a cavern and see where Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus are said to have spent some time as they fled from King Herod.
The Hanging Church is also worth a visit. It is one of the oldest churches in Egypt, dating back to the 3rd century. There are colorful mosaics outside the entrance, and the inside has intricate woodwork that differs from the other churches in Coptic Cairo.
After you’ve visited these three churches, spend some time shopping. This is a fabulous area to get books, artwork, or other souvenirs that you might not have seen during other parts of this 9 day Egypt itinerary.
4:15-5:15pm: If you’re wanting an inexpensive and unique souvenir, visit the pottery shops on Al Fostat Street. This is your warning that you might need to purchase an additional suitcase to bring back all the pottery you buy though! Our group really enjoyed shopping here, because they have one of a kind pieces varying in sizes and prices that we didn’t see anywhere else on our trip!
5:30-6:30pm: End your 9 day Egypt itinerary by visiting Khan el-Khalili bazaar. The bazaar dates back to 1382 and is designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a bustling place selling everything from incense to handcrafted jewelry to artwork and brass lamps. They have run of the mill souvenirs that you can find pretty much everywhere else in Egypt, but if you do some digging, you can find treasures here also!
Do you have anything else we should add to our 9 day Egypt itinerary? Let us know in the comments below, so we can experience it on our next trip!
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