10 Day Egypt Itinerary

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Many were surprised when we chose Egypt as our honeymoon destination. As a child I was always fascinated by its mythical history and architecture. So when my husband suggested making a stop in Egypt during our honeymoon, I was beyond excited! During our planning phase we were quite shocked to find Egypt is not a popular travel destination despite being a land of history. Walking the ancient Egyptian paths has enticed travelers for thousands of years. Unfortunately in today’s world there’s a misconception of Egypt being an unsafe place to travel. Well, today I am here to share with you our experience across Egypt and hopefully you will add it as your next travel destination.

10 Day Itinerary:

Day 1 - Arrival at Cairo
Day 2 - Alexandria
Day 3 - 4 Giza
Day 5 - Aswan - Nile Cruise
Day 6 - Abu Simbel Temple & Kom-Ombo
Day 7 - Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple
Day 8 - Valley of Kings
Day 9 - Hurghada
Day 10 - Cairo

Things you need to know before traveling to Egypt

Located in the northeastern corner of Africa, the majority of Egypt’s landscape is located in the desert, making the winter months the best time to travel. Any time between October and April is great for travel when the temperatures are low, these months are also the busiest.
Visa. You are required to have a visa to enter Egypt. The cost for a visa is $25 you can obtain a visa upon arrival or online. I recommend having it ready before your arrival.
Airport Security Lines. Across Egypt all the airport security lines are divided by male and female, so pay attention! You don’t want to get to the front of the line and then be asked to join a different line. Trust me it happened to me.
Currency. Currently the rate is $30.90 (EGP) Egyptian Pounds to $1 USD. Before you leave the airport I recommend to take cash out. Most places accept Credit Cards but you’ll need cash for tipping, markets and public bathrooms.
Tipping. Tipping is one of the main source of income for locals. Expect to tip for everything and anything. You might not think of anything when someone offers to take your picture, but don’t be surprised when that person returns your phone or camera and asks for a tip.
Haggling in Egypt. Although uncomfortable Egyptians expect you to bargain, don't be afraid to negotiate prices on souvenirs, taxis until you get close to the “real” price.
What to wear in Egypt? I struggled so much with this. Egypt is a conservative country and as a visitor it is best to respect their cultural norms. Although tourists are not required to dress conservatively it is best to follow along and not get unwanted attention. The only time you are required to be fully covered is upon entry to a Mosque.
Is it safe? Yes! Egypt is safe to travel. I would of course practice common sense and don't do things you wouldn’t do in your own city. Egypt is trying to boost their tourism and there’s a big priority in keeping its travelers safe.
Lastly, Egypt is really budget friendly. I was quite surprised to learn how inexpensive it is to travel there, given all its attractions. Another reason why you should add it to your list!

After a lot of research, my husband and I kept going back and forth deciding whether we wanted to travel the country on our own or join a tour and have 20 strangers join our honeymoon. Ultimately we opted to go on a tour and have 20 more people join our honeymoon, romantic right? But here’s why. After pricing the cost of trains, air planes, hotels and car rental, the deal on the tour was really hard to pass. We paid $807 per person, with hotels, meals and transportation included. Pretty hard to pass up huh?. Plus we were hitting up all the destinations we had on our list. We chose to do the Egypt Nile Jewel - 9 Days tour with Tourradar. This was not my first time booking with them and I would highly recommend them. My first tour with Tourradar was my solo trip to Serengeti.

Day 1 - Arrival at Cairo

We flew into Cairo International Airport early morning. The airport was pretty quiet and empty, making the customs and immigration process easy to manage. We took an hour long cab ride to Giza. Despite the distance the total price of our cab was roughly $15 plus tip. We arrived in Cairo a few days before our tour started to have some days to explore on our own. We stayed at the Best View Pyramids Hotel and got a room that overlooked the pyramids. Amazing right? Plus at night time we got a front row seat to the Pyramids’ light show.

Day 2 - Alexandria

On our second day we were able to arrange a day trip to Alexandria. Although you can do a day trip to Alexandria, I wish we had spent more time there. The drive to Alexandria is pretty long from Cairo. Took us about 3 hours each way. We started by visiting Serapeum of Alexandria and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. Then headed over to the Alexandria Library which my husband was so excited to see! Unfortunately we went on a Friday, which is the only day they close. Sad, I know! After our disappointing trip to the library we spent most of our day exploring the Citadel of Qaitbay and ended our day at the Sidi Morsi Abu al-Abbas Mosque.

Day 3 - Cairo

We were picked up by Tourradar to take us over to our hotel to meet the 20 strangers who would spend the remaining 9 days of our honeymoon with us. On this day, we spent most of our day dealing with logistics. To my fellow travelers, I would suggest to take day to tour around Cairo, visit some shops, do an oil and papyrus tour.

Day 4 - The Great Pyramids of Giza

Entry fee: 240 EGP

Entry to visit inside the Great Pyramid: 440 EGP

Camel ride: 50 EGP

We woke up bright and early to see the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza. No trip to Egypt is complete without visiting the last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The pyramids are truly incredible and awe-inspiring, no video or photo will do justice. You really have to be there to see how incredible the pyramids are.

Originally built as tombs for pharaohs, these monumental relics have become one of the most visited sites in the world dating back to 4,500 years ago. Filled with treasures, the tombs were built in preparedness for Egypt's pharaohs afterlife.

The main three pyramids you see at the Giza plateau were built for Pharaoh Khufu, known for the The Great Pyramid, Khufu's son, Pharaoh Khafre the second largest one and Pharaoh Menkaure the smallest one.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a mythical creature with the head of a human and body of a lion. The Sphinx was built along with the second pyramid to guard the pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre. It is so impressive to see up close!

After your visit to the pyramids head over to the Panorama point for amazing views and a camel ride. The camel ride was one of my favorite activities in Egypt and surprisingly a very hard one. It is not easy getting on a camel, I leanerd!

Sakkara

After our visit to the pyramids of Giza, we made a trip to visit Sakkara. Best known as the Step Pyramid of Djoser. This site is unique to see because it was the first pyramid ever, and it is constructed of six tombs built on top of each other. You can also go inside the pyramid, which is super cool. Not recommended for those who fear of enclosed spaces, the ceilings are very low and the walk ways are very narrow.

Day 5 - Aswan - Philae Temple

Entry Free: 100 EGP

Early morning we were transferred to the airport to catch our flight to Aswan, where we would start our Nile cruise. The cruise is AMAZING and a MUST DO! We had amazing views of the Nile and it was the best way to visit all the sites along the Nile.

Philae Temple

After our arrival we took a boat ride over to Agilkia Island to explore the Temple of Isis at Philae. Built by the last dynasty of ancient Egypt, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, the temple is dedicated to Isis. Wife of Osiris and mother to Horus, Isis is the goddess of healing, birth, and magic. The walls of the temple are covered with relief sculptures narrating Isis mythology.

A fascinating fact about this temple is that in order to prevent the submersion of the temple UNESCO deconstructed and reassembled the temple from the Philae Island to Agilika Island. Thanks to UNESCO, us travelers can visit this site today. It was by far one of my favorites.

Day 6 - Abu Simbel Temple & Kom-Ombo

Day six was by far the toughest. In order to visit Abu Simbel Temple, we had to to leave by 5AM. Brutal right? Located along Lake Nasser’s, Abu Simbel is about 3 hours away from Aswan. It is worth the trip. This was my favorite temple to visit, and one that was at the top of my list. Don’t be fooled by the photos you see online, this temple is extremely busy and you want to get there early.

Abu Simbel Temple

Entry Fee: 215 EGP

Carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, on the west bank of the Nile, this site consists of two temples. The largest one being dedicated to Ramses II himself, Ra-Horakhty, Amun and Ptah, with four large statues of Ramses II featured on the façade. A smaller temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari, Ramesses' favorite wife. These are truly the most beautiful temples in Egypt and ones you don’t want to miss.

Kom-Ombo

Entry Fee: 80 EGP

The Temple of Kom-Ombo is unique because it is a “double” temple perfectly symmetrical along its main axis. The southern half of the temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, and the northern part of the temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus. It is super cool to visit the temple at night time, the also offer a night light show, and at the end of your visit you can head over to the crocodile museum.

Day 7 - Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

We spent a great portion of our day relaxing and enjoying our cruise before our arrival to Luxor. Sitting on east bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt, Luxor is world's greatest open-air museum where ancient tombs and temples are scattered along the east and west bank of the Nile River.

Karnak Temple

Entry Fee: 150 EGP

On our arrival in Luxor we visited the Karnak Temple. Dedicated to the ram-headed god Amun. The temple complex, once part of the ancient city of Thebes, offers a mix of temples, chapels, statues and obelisks. At Karnak there is a series of 10 pylons constructed by Egyptian rulers. The Pylons are decorated with scenes depicting the ruler who built them. It is the largest religious building ever constructed.

Luxor Temple

Entry Fee: 140 EGP

One of the most popular temples in Egypt, built on the east bank of the Nile by Amenhotep III. The Luxor temple is a place of worship dedicated to three gods; Amun the god of the sun and air, Mut known as the mother goddess and Khons known as the son of goddess Mut.

Once known as the Sacred Way, before you enter the temple, you can see an impressive avenue of sphinxes, which once stretched all the way to Karnak Temple.

These temples and gods host a yearly festival, Opet Festival, which is held during the flood season.

Day 8 - Valley of the Kings

Entrance Fee: 260 EGP

Entrance Fee to Tutankhamun: 300 EGP

Hot air balloon ride: US$ 120

We started our day with an amazing hot air balloon ride over the West Bank of Luxor which I highly recommend doing, then headed over to the Valley of Kings. This is one of Egypt’s most spectacular areas, it is a burial ground containing staggering amounts of incredibly decorated tombs of ancient pharaohs.

With over 60 tombs in this small area, there are only a few open to the public. The entry to the Valley of Kings includes entries to three tombs of your choosing. Be careful to not lose your ticket. You cannot enter the tombs without them.

Tombs you can chose from with your entry ticket:

KV1 – Ramesses VII
KV2 – Ramesses IV
KV6 – Ramesses IX
KV8 – Merenptah
KV11 – Ramesses III
KV14 – Tausert-Setnakht
KV15 – Seti II
KV16 – Ramesses I
KV47 – Siptah

We chose the following per recommendation of our tour guide.

KV1: Tomb of Ramesses VII

KV2: Tomb of Ramesses IV

KV8 – Merenptah

We also added Tutankhamun’s tomb, the most famous in Egypt, after it was discovered by Egyptologist Howard Carter. At the time of its discovery it was one of the most intact tombs and still had Tutankhamun’s mummy inside it, which you can see during your visit. Kinda creepy if you ask me. The rest of his treasures can be seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Colossi of Memnon

Towering at 60 feet, visit these two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III which stand at the front of the ruined Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III. The twin statues were completed in 1350 BC and despite part of them being destroyed they are incredible to see.

Temple of Hatshepsu

Entrance fee: 140 EGP

Our last temple in our itinerary was the Temple of Hatshepsut. Built into a cliff face with a series of terraces, this mortuary temple was built by Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the only Pharaoh Queen to rule Egypt. The temple is located beneath the cliffs at Deir El-Bahari on the West Bank of the River Nile.

Day 9 - Hurghada

After a very busy week visiting sites and temples we were finally able to relax and enjoy a day at the beach. Before heading back to Cairo, we made a stop at Hurghada. Located by the Red Sea, Hurghada offers amazing beaches with a rich coral life, offering visitors with great opportunities to scuba dive or snorkel. Unfortunately, after all the nonstop days we had behind us, we opted to stay and enjoy a relaxing day at the beach.

Day 10 - Cairo

Egyptian Museum

Entrance fee to Museum: 75 EGP

At our arrival in Cairo, we headed over to the Egyptian museum which houses the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world as well as Tutankhamun's treasures, including his iconic gold burial mask. Tutankhamun’s exhibit was my favorite to see, especially after visiting his tomb.

Khan El Khalil

To end our day we made a last visit to Khan El Khalili, a bazaar filled with souvenir shops and cafes. It is super crowded, so be careful with your belongings. This is the perfect spot to buy souvenirs but be ready to bargain!

Egypt will forever be one of my favorites place visited. Every place we visited was mesmerizing. To be in front of the Pyramids of Giza and visiting all the temples I studied throughout my lifetime is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. I hope you enjoy reading this, and add Egypt to your travel bucket list!