Two capitals, one week

6 Days in Egypt: Cairo and Luxor by Sleeper Train

Giza, Saqqara and both banks of Luxor in under a week, with the night train doing the travelling.

6 days · 5 nights · Cairo and Luxor · Private

Starting priceUSD 1,075Per person sharing a room, at the lowest group rate. Hotels, the season and your choices set the quote.Your written quote confirms the price for your party, dates and choices.

Nothing is booked until you accept a written quote
A Deluxe Travel Egypt brand: read the reviews

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The colonnade and surrounding remains at Luxor Temple.

Duration: 6 days · 5 nights
On the road: Two nights on the sleeper train between Cairo and Luxor
At the sites: Four full days of sightseeing
Format: Private
Pace: Active

Before you choose

Is this the right tour for you?

This six-day tour pairs Egypt's two great ancient capitals, Memphis and Thebes, and fits them into less than a week by travelling on the sleeper train both ways. Two of the five nights are spent on the train, so no day is lost on the road.

The first full day is the oldest story. At Giza the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure stand above the Sphinx; at Saqqara, Djoser's Step Pyramid is the first building in Egypt of truly monumental scale built throughout of stone. That evening the train leaves for Luxor.

Luxor gets two days. The first is the East Bank: Karnak, less a temple than a temple city, and Luxor Temple, where Amun came each year to visit. The second crosses to the West Bank for the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's terraced temple and the Colossi of Memnon, before the night train back to Cairo. The last full day is Cairo itself: the old churches of Coptic Cairo, the Citadel with Muhammad Ali's mosque, and the bazaar of Khan el-Khalili.

Hotels in Cairo and Luxor with breakfast, both nights on the train with dinner and breakfast, an Egyptologist guide, transfers and entrance fees are included.

Our advice

The sleeper train is what makes six days enough. If a night on a train is not for you, ask for domestic flights instead, and expect the quote to change.

Consider instead: Want Aswan and Abu Simbel too? The 7-day tour adds them by the same train.

6 days

Day by day

Two capitals, a thousand years and more apart. Memphis built its kings mountains to be seen from afar; Thebes, later, hid its kings in a valley and built temples for the gods instead: Egypt reimagining eternity between one night train and the next.

Day 1
Arrive in Cairo
Met at Cairo airport with a name sign, helped through arrival and taken to your hotel. The rest of the day is free.
Day 2
Giza and Saqqara, then the night train
The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, then Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser. In the evening, the sleeper train to Luxor, with dinner on board.
Giza Plateau: Three generations of kings built here; the plateau asks who did the building, and how they lived.
Day 3
Luxor: Karnak and Luxor Temple
Met off the train for Karnak, the precinct of Amun, and Luxor Temple at the other end of the avenue of sphinxes. Night in a Luxor hotel.
Karnak: Not a temple. A temple city.
Day 4
The West Bank, then the train north
The Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. A sunrise balloon over the West Bank can be added first. In the evening, the sleeper train back to Cairo.
Valley of the Kings: The royal cemetery of the New Kingdom, cut into a dry valley beneath a pyramid-shaped peak.
Day 5
Coptic Cairo, the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili
Arrive in Cairo for the Church of St Sergius in Coptic Cairo, the Citadel and Muhammad Ali's mosque, then the old bazaar. Night in Cairo.
Cairo Citadel: A medieval fortress above the whole of Cairo, and the seat of Egypt's rulers for more than six centuries.
Day 6
Departure
Transfer to Cairo airport for your flight home.

The story behind these places

The details

What is included

Highlights

The pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Djoser's Step Pyramid
Karnak and Luxor Temple
The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon
Coptic Cairo, the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili
Two nights on the sleeper train

Included

Meet and assist on arrival and in each city
2 nights in a Cairo hotel with breakfast
2 nights on the sleeper train with dinner and breakfast
1 night in a Luxor hotel with breakfast
Sightseeing in the itinerary, with entrance fees
Professional Egyptologist guide
Transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
Taxes and service charges

Not included

Entry visa
International flights
Entry inside a pyramid, Tutankhamun's tomb and the Royal Mummies Hall
Optional tours
Tips and personal spending
Travel insurance
Supplement at Christmas, New Year and Easter

Places you visit

Giza pyramids
Great Sphinx
Saqqara
Step Pyramid of Djoser
Karnak
Luxor Temple
Valley of the Kings
Temple of Hatshepsut
Colossi of Memnon
Church of St Sergius
Cairo Citadel
Mosque of Muhammad Ali
Khan el-Khalili

Group: Private: your party only
Transport: Sleeper train; air-conditioned vehicles for transfers and tours
Departure: Arrival in Cairo on day 1
Meeting point: Cairo International Airport
Guide languages: English, Other languages on request
Best time to go: October to April for cooler days in Luxor; book the train early in peak season
Entrance tickets: Included: entrance fees for the sites in the itinerary
Optional extras: Entry inside a pyramid, Tutankhamun's tomb and the Royal Mummies Hall; a sunrise balloon over the West Bank
Cancellation: Multi-day terms: ask when you enquire.
Your price: Set in your written quote for your party, dates and pickup, with the payment and cancellation terms.

Details checked 30 September 2026

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Karnak and the West Bank
A photoshoot in Luxor's temples
A photographer who knows Karnak's columns and quieter corners, and the hours when the light comes through them.
Late afternoon · About 2 hours. At opening time or in the last hours before closing.
We confirm the photographer and their portfolio, temple permissions, the edited set and the delivery date.
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Build this day and choose your additions

Photo: Djehouty, CC BY-SA 4.0

Questions

Before you ask

What is the sleeper train like?

Two nights are spent on the overnight train between Cairo and Luxor, in a sleeping compartment, with dinner and breakfast on board. It saves two hotel nights and two days of travel.

Will we see Tutankhamun's treasures?

Not on this itinerary. They are shown at the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza; ask to add it on day 5 or before you fly home.

Is the price for children different?

Yes. The parent company's terms charge nothing up to 2 years, a quarter of the price from 2 to 6, and half from 6 to 12. Tell us the children's ages and the quote shows it.

Deluxe Trips Egypt

Ask for this tour, for your dates.

Send your dates and party size here. We reply with a written quote: the price for your party, what is included and the terms. Nothing is booked until you accept it.

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