Egypt 8-Day Tour from Cairo with Nile Cruise

After breakfast, your guide takes you to the Giza Plateau to see the **Ancient Pyramids of Giza**: the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. You have time to view them from the main plateau, hear how royal tombs were planned and learn about the workers, engineers and religious beliefs behind their construction. The Sphinx is nearby, carved from the bedrock with the body of a lion and the head of a king.

After the plateau, continue into central Cairo for the **Egyptian Museum of Cairo**. Its galleries bring together statues, jewellery, funerary objects and other pieces from several periods of Egyptian history. Your guide explains the objects that matter most, including treasures associated with King Tutankhamun, while leaving time for you to look at smaller details on your own.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring water, as the Giza visit involves walking over uneven ground and open areas. The order of the two visits can change with traffic and museum access arrangements, but both are covered during the day.

Leave Cairo by road for a full-day excursion to Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. The journey takes several hours each way, so the day starts early and includes a comfortable transfer. As you approach the city, the landscape changes from the Nile Valley’s dense urban growth to a coastal setting shaped by Greek, Roman and later Egyptian history.

Begin at **The Modern Library of Alexandria**, a major cultural centre built near the site associated with the ancient library. Continue underground to the **Kom el-Shoqafa Catacombs**, where a descending staircase leads into a Roman-era burial complex with a mixture of Egyptian, Greek and Roman artistic details.

The visit continues to **Pompey's Column**, a large red-granite column from the Roman period, before reaching **The Citadel of Sultan Qeitbay** beside the Eastern Harbour. The fortress occupies the area traditionally linked with the ancient Pharos lighthouse. There is time to take in the sea views and have a meal during the day before returning to Cairo in the evening.

After breakfast, transfer to Cairo Airport for your domestic flight to Aswan. On arrival, our team collects you and takes you towards the Nile, where you board the cruise vessel and settle into your cabin. Luggage handling and check-in are arranged before sightseeing, giving you time to become familiar with the ship and its facilities.

Your first Aswan visit is **Temple of Philae**, reached by a short boat ride across the water. The temple complex was moved to higher ground during the construction of the High Dam, and its courtyards, pylons and reliefs now sit on an island setting. Your guide explains the sanctuary’s links with Isis and the careful relocation work that protected it from rising water.

Back on board, the afternoon is unhurried. You can watch the riverbanks from the deck, where villages, palms and rocky stretches pass at a slower pace than Cairo. The ship spends the night in Aswan, ready for the following day’s early excursion.

Set out early by road for the **Abu Simbel Temple Complex**, travelling through the desert south of Aswan. The journey takes several hours in each direction, but the scale and setting of the temples make this one of the day’s major experiences. On arrival, your guide leads you towards the rock-cut façades of Ramesses II and explains the scenes carved across the entrance and inner chambers.

Inside, the halls and sanctuaries contain reliefs connected with royal power, warfare and the gods. A second temple, dedicated to Nefertari, stands nearby. Your guide also explains how both temples were relocated in sections during the creation of Lake Nasser, an important detail to understand before looking closely at the façades.

Return to Aswan for lunch and rejoin the cruise. The ship begins its northbound sailing according to the vessel’s navigation schedule. The afternoon is a chance to rest after the road journey, read on deck or watch the desert and agricultural banks change as the ship moves towards Luxor.

Spend the morning on the Nile cruise as the vessel continues north. Breakfast is followed by time on deck, where the view shifts between cultivated fields, palm groves, villages and stretches of dry desert. The pace is deliberately slower today, giving you a chance to enjoy the river rather than move constantly between vehicles and monuments.

Depending on the ship’s sailing schedule, the crew may arrange visits to temples along the route, such as Kom Ombo and Edfu. At Kom Ombo, the riverside sanctuary is divided between the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus. Edfu’s temple is reached by a short local transfer and has a well-preserved pylon, courtyards and columned halls. Your guide confirms the exact order and timing on board.

Return to the ship after each visit and continue towards Luxor. Meals are taken on board, while the evening can be spent on the sun deck or in the lounge. The third cruise night keeps the journey comfortable before the final sightseeing day.

After breakfast, disembark in Luxor and begin on the west bank of the Nile. At the **Valley of the Kings**, your guide explains why rulers chose this desert valley for hidden rock-cut tombs. You enter the tombs included in the day’s visit, following painted corridors and chambers decorated with scenes intended to guide the dead through the afterlife. Tomb access can vary, and your guide explains the arrangements on the ground.

Continue to **Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple**, built in terraces against the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. The long approach, colonnades and surviving reliefs show how the temple presented Hatshepsut’s rule and religious role. There is time to walk between the terraces, though the site is exposed, so a hat and water are useful.

Cross to Luxor’s east bank for the **Karnak Temple Complex**. Walk through its pylons, courts and columned spaces while your guide sets out the temple’s long development under successive pharaohs. After the visit, transfer to your Luxor hotel or onward accommodation and prepare for the final departure arrangements.

Enjoy breakfast and complete your final check-out. Our team arranges the transfer to the airport or the next agreed departure point, allowing enough time for luggage, airport procedures and the onward journey. The exact transfer route depends on your booking and departure plans.

If your international flight leaves from Cairo, you travel back by domestic flight or another prearranged connection, with the required timing confirmed in advance. Travellers leaving from Luxor can go directly to Luxor International Airport. Keep passports, boarding documents and valuables in your hand luggage during the transfer.

This final morning is kept practical rather than filling the schedule with another monument. Your guide or representative helps with the departure logistics and confirms where to meet the driver. Allow extra time at the airport for check-in and security, especially when travelling with souvenirs or checked luggage.