Egypt itinerary: 5 days in Cairo and Luxor, day by day
The short answer: Two days in Cairo, then fly to Luxor for two nights. Day 1 is Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, day 2 historic Cairo, day 3 the flight south, day 4 both banks of Luxor, and day 5 a balloon at dawn before you fly home. Aswan and Abu Simbel need more days.
The five days
Day 1The pyramids and the Grand Egyptian MuseumGiza
The Giza plateau and the Sphinx in the morning, then the museum next to it, where Tutankhamun's burial goods have their own galleries. This day assumes you landed the night before.
- The tour
- Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum · from USD 60 per person
- Night
- Cairo or Giza
Day 2Historic CairoCairo
Salah al-Din's Citadel and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Hanging Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo, and Khan el-Khalili at the end of the day.
- The tour
- Historic Cairo in a day · from USD 60 per person
- Night
- Cairo or Giza
Day 3Fly southCairo to Luxor
The flight to Luxor is about an hour. Keep the afternoon free: the next two starts are early.
- Night
- Luxor
Day 4Both banks of ancient ThebesLuxor
The West Bank first, while it is cool: the Valley of the Kings, the Colossi of Memnon and Hatshepsut's temple. Then Karnak and Luxor Temple on the East Bank.
- The tour
- Luxor's East and West Banks · from USD 70 per person
- Night
- Luxor
Day 5A balloon at dawn, then homeLuxor
Rise over the West Bank at sunrise, back at your hotel by breakfast, then the flight home by way of Cairo.
- The tour
- Hot-air balloon over Luxor at sunrise · from USD 119 per person
The 4 tours in this plan start from USD 309 per person together. That is the sum of their starting prices at the lowest group rate; solo travellers and couples pay more, and hotels on nights no tour covers, domestic flights and visas are not in it. Your written quote confirms the price.
Open this plan in Your tripFlight time: about an hour, per the route planner Rome2rio. The order of days is our judgement.
Why this order
- Cairo first: international flights land in Cairo, and the Grand Egyptian Museum explains what you will see in Luxor.
- Two nights in Luxor, not one: in our judgement the West Bank is best in the early morning, and that needs you to wake up there.
- The balloon on the last morning: flights are weather-dependent, so it helps to have the tour days done before it.
Ways to change it
Saqqara instead of historic Cairo
Swap day 2 for Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur if the oldest pyramids matter more to you than the medieval city.
The sleeper train instead of the flight
Leave Cairo on the evening of day 2 and wake up in Luxor: a night on the train replaces a night in a hotel. See [Cairo to Luxor](/guides/cairo-to-luxor).
Luxor beyond the kings
Replace the balloon with [Luxor's other West Bank](/tours/luxor-west-bank-medinet-habu-deir-el-medina-nobles): the tomb-builders' village and Medinet Habu.
What five days leave out
Aswan, the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, and Abu Simbel. They need at least two more days: see Egypt in 7 days.
Where to go from here
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Official statements are attributed to their source; where we give a judgement, we say so. This guide names no school, boat or hotel.
Photo: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0
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