Egypt Destinations Guide: Where to Go and How Long to Stay

Last updated: 5 November 2026

Key Takeaways

Best Places to Visit in Egypt: Cairo, Luxor or Aswan?

Cairo and Giza start the classic route with the Pyramids, Luxor holds the temples and tombs, and Aswan is the centre of Nubian culture. The table compares them with the Red Sea and the oases.

Use the first 3 rows for a first trip. The Red Sea and Siwa need extra days, while Fayoum works as a 1 day trip from Cairo.

Karnak and Luxor Temple stand on the East Bank, and the ancient necropolis lies on the West Bank. Our Luxor guide with a 2 days plan covers both banks.

How Many Days Do You Need in Egypt?

Allow 7 to 10 days for the highlights, or 12 to 14 days with a beach resort or Siwa. Luxor needs 2 days and Aswan 2 full days; the guide to the 15 best things to do in Aswan shows how to fill them.

A Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan takes 4 nights, and from Aswan to Luxor it takes 3 nights, with the first night moored in Aswan. Our ready-made Egypt itinerary guides show where those nights fit in a full trip.

How Do You Travel Between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan?

Most travellers take the flight of about 1 hour from Cairo to Luxor or Aswan after the Pyramids, then join a Nile cruise that stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo. Compare Nile cruise options from Luxor and from Aswan to choose the direction and length.

Where Do the Red Sea and the Oases Fit In?

The Red Sea works best as an add-on after the Cairo, Luxor and Aswan core. Hurghada is about 4 hours by private car from Luxor, so it suits the end of an Aswan to Luxor Nile cruise. Dahab lies about 80 km north-east of Sharm El Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, and its pace is slower than Sharm's.

Siwa can follow the core too, or replace the Nile cruise: we run a 10 days tour through Cairo, Alexandria, Siwa and the Western Desert. Our Egypt tour packages by length cover other multi-day routes.

Egypt Destinations Guide by Region

Egypt splits into 4 travel regions. Start with the one that matches your first stop:

• Lower Egypt: Cairo, Giza and Alexandria, with guides to Zamalek, Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili.
• Upper Egypt: Luxor, Aswan and the Nile cruises between them, plus a Lake Nasser guide.
• Red Sea and Sinai: Dahab, the Blue Hole, Safaga and St. Catherine, with a Red Sea overview.
• Western Desert and oases: the Siwa Oasis salt lakes and Oracle Temple guide, then Dakhla, Kharga, Farafra, Bahariya and Fayoum.

For tours in each region, see our private tours by Egypt region.

Plan Your Route Through Egypt

Pick your places with this Egypt destinations guide, and Travel Joy Egypt will turn them into a private route with your own guide, driver and car. Send your dates and the places you want through the enquiry form, and we will build a tailor-made route through Egypt around them.