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Egypt has always been a travel destination that captured my imagination with its tales of pharaohs, giant pyramids and mummies, so it was no surprise this was one of the first countries my husband and I (unmarried at the time) traveled to together. We enjoyed our stay in this country so much that I decided to share our perfect two-week itinerary with you.
Though it’s been 10 years since we traveled to this country ourselves, our itinerary is still very much up-to-date since the ancient sights in Egypt don’t just pack up and run away. I just HAD to share it with you!
Our perfect two-week itinerary
It was a bit of a search to find the right itinerary because I really wanted to see both the pyramids of Giza AND Abu Simbel and – as it turned out – these two sites are more than a 1.000 km apart (700 miles to be exact) but I finally found what I was looking for and we ended up with a 2 week travel itinerary that was just perfect for us.
In my opinion, two weeks is the perfect amount of time to visit Egypt’s most famous archeological sites (without experiencing a history overdose) and to spend the last few days of your trip relaxing by the Red Sea. We used an online travel agency to book our holiday, but if you want to plan your trip all by yourself, this itinerary can also serve as a guide on how to spend two perfect weeks in Egypt.
Before traveling to Egypt, take a look at my Egypt Travel Guide.
Day 1: Arrival in Cairo
After a 4 hour flight our plane landed in Egypt’s capital. We were picked up at the airport by someone from our travel agency and were driven to our hotel (with pyramid view!). We were very happy that we didn’t have to drive ourselves because the traffic in Cairo was CRAZY!
Day 2-3: Cairo
We started our first full day in Cairo by visiting the Egyptian Museum where we could admire a vast collection of ancient statues and treasures – including the famous mask of Tutankhamun – and we also spotted our very first mummies here. In the afternoon it was time for the Giza pyramid complex. We saw the Great Pyramid of Cheops (the only remaining ancient world wonder) and the two smaller but still very impressive pyramids of Chephren and Mykerinos. Of course we couldn’t leave this site without paying a visit to the Great Sphinx of Giza.
The next day, we visited the old Egyptian city of Memphis where we admired the 10 metre long statue of Ramesses II. It would have been 15 metres long if the feet hadn’t broken off. Then, we went to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is basically the first pyramid the Egyptians ever built. We drove back to Cairo for the afternoon to admire the beautiful Muhammad Ali Mosque. The mosque was built on top of the Citadel of Cairo which meant we could also enjoy a wonderful view over the city while we were there. We ended the day with a stroll along the Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, a busy place with many shops.
Tip: alternatively, you could also book a day trip to the city of Alexandria in the north of Egypt.
Day 4: Transfer to Aswan
After two full days in hectic Cairo, we took a domestic flight to Aswan in the south of Egypt. Our new guide picked us up at the airport and showed us to our hotel, which was beautifully located on an island in the Nile River. We spent the rest of the day by the hotel pool.
Day 5: Aswan
We started the day with a visit to the unfinished obelisk which was never finished because the granite had started to show cracks. It gives you a good idea of the technique the ancient Egyptians used to create these obelisks. Our next stop was at a much more modern construction: the Aswan High Dam. This dam was built to help control the floodings of the Nile and created a huge man-made lake that threatened to flood many archeological sites, like the Philae Temple, which we visited next. To save this temple from ‘drowning’, it had to be moved to higher ground.
Related: My 5 Favourite Ancient Egyptian Temples
In the late afternoon, we went on a felucca ride (a traditional sailboat) to Kitchener’s Island, where the Aswan Botanical Garden is located. I found the garden itself to be less interesting, but the boat ride on the Nile was a lot of fun.
Day 6: Abu Simbel
For me, this was the highlight of our whole trip! We had to get up really early to drive the 300 km (187 miles) through the desert to the Abu Simbel temples (we watched the sunrise from our tour bus), but it was SO worth it!
After this amazing experience, we made the long drive back to Aswan where we boarded a cruise ship, our new home for the next three nights. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and hot tub on the deck of the ship.
Day 7: Cruise on the Nile
We spent most of the day on board our ship as we slowly sailed from Aswan to Luxor. Along the way, we visited the temple of Kom Ombo, special because of its double design (the temple is dedicated to two gods) and the temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. The 79-meter-high facade of this temple will make you feel very small.
Our last “attraction” of the day was the Esna Lock. As our ship approached the lock, we were greeted by Egyptian salesmen, sitting in little boats or standing on the docks, trying to sell us their merchandise.
Day 8-9: Luxor
On our first day in Luxor we visited the west bank of the Nile, where the ancient Egyptians used to bury their dead. We started out with the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, one of the few female pharaohs, and then proceeded to the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where we visited some of the beautifully decorated tombs. Our last stop before returning to the ship was at the very impressive Colossi of Memnon. We had also booked a sound and light show at the Karnak Temple Complex for that evening, but it felt a bit too commercial for my taste. Back at the ship, we were treated to an Egyptian dance performance.
The next day, we admired the Temple of Karnak (in daylight this time) and the Temple of Luxor at the east bank of the Nile. Especially the Karnak Temple was extremely impressive, which shouldn’t be a surprise if I tell you it’s the largest temple complex in Egypt (and the second largest ancient religious site in the world!). We said goodbye to our guide who had been with us for the last 6 days and were driven by minivan to our last hotel in Hurghada where we would spend our remaining days in an all inclusive hotel.
Day 10-13: Relaxing at the Red Sea
It’s no surprise that we spent most of these last days relaxing by the hotel pool. We also booked a snorkeling trip, but as it turned out, snorkeling isn’t my number one hobby. Nevertheless, it was fun to spend some time away from our hotel.
During our stay here, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary and my boyfriend surprised me with a romantic dinner at our hotel. The hotel staff had cleared the terrace of one of their restaurants especially for us. It was a very nice surprise indeed!
Map of our 2 week itinerary
Here’s a little map to put everything in perspective.
We look back on a fantastic two weeks in Egypt. Hopefully our itinerary can serve as inspiration to put together the perfect itinerary yourself.
