Cairo and Giza together contain Egypt’s most famous Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, as well as numerous additional uniquely Egyptian experiences like the 900-year old Khan el Khalili souk, Cairo’s imposing Citadel fortress, various medieval grand mosques, various historic Coptic Christian churches, and modern Egypt’s bustling food and culture scene. Meanwhile, Luxor is the more slow-paced small city along the Nile in southern Egypt that serves as a base for exploring Egypt’s most famous tombs and temples, especially the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hapshetsut’s mortuary temple, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, and more.

Cairo and Giza together contain Egypt’s most famous Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, as well as numerous additional uniquely Egyptian experiences like the 900-year old Khan el Khalili souk, Cairo’s imposing Citadel fortress, various medieval grand mosques, various historic Coptic Christian churches, and modern Egypt’s bustling food and culture scene. Meanwhile, Luxor is the more slow-paced small city along the Nile in southern Egypt that serves as a base for exploring Egypt’s most famous tombs and temples, especially the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hapshetsut’s mortuary temple, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, and more.

However, many visitors to Egypt want to soak up some sun and relax on Egypt’s beautiful turquoise beaches after a week of exploring ancient pyramids, tombs, and temples. A jaunt over to Egypt’s Red Sea coast for a few days after finishing up in the sites of the Nile Valley is often a great way to cap off a trip to Egypt before heading back home.

Cairo and Giza together contain Egypt’s most famous Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, as well as numerous additional uniquely Egyptian experiences like the 900-year old Khan el Khalili souk, Cairo’s imposing Citadel fortress, various medieval grand mosques, various historic Coptic Christian churches, and modern Egypt’s bustling food and culture scene. Meanwhile, Luxor is the more slow-paced small city along the Nile in southern Egypt that serves as a base for exploring Egypt’s most famous tombs and temples, especially the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hapshetsut’s mortuary temple, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, and more.

But some visitors who haven’t had enough of impressive ancient temples yet want to make the journey down to Aswan and Abu Simbel for more. Aswan is a peaceful village along the Nile in the far south of Egypt, and Abu Simbel is an enormous set of temples built by the Pharaoh Ramses II three hours even further south of Aswan. Therefore, Aswan is a necessary overnight base for the journey to visit the additional temples. And while you’re in Aswan, an extra day to explore the Temple of Isis at Philae, see the Unfinished Obelisk, and/or visit the Nubian Museum is also a good idea.

Cairo and Giza together contain Egypt’s most famous Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, as well as numerous additional uniquely Egyptian experiences like the 900-year old Khan el Khalili souk, Cairo’s imposing Citadel fortress, various medieval grand mosques, various historic Coptic Christian churches, and modern Egypt’s bustling food and culture scene. Meanwhile, Luxor is the more slow-paced small city along the Nile in southern Egypt that serves as a base for exploring Egypt’s most famous tombs and temples, especially the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hapshetsut’s mortuary temple, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, and more.

But some visitors who haven’t had enough of impressive ancient temples yet want to make the journey down to Aswan and Abu Simbel for more. Aswan is a peaceful village along the Nile in the far south of Egypt, and Abu Simbel is an enormous set of temples built by the Pharaoh Ramses II three hours even further south of Aswan. Therefore, Aswan is a necessary overnight base for the journey to visit the additional temples. And while you’re in Aswan, an extra day to explore the Temple of Isis at Philae, see the Unfinished Obelisk, and/or visit the Nubian Museum is also a good idea.

After after spending so much time in the Nile Valley exploring all of those pyramids, tombs, and temples , many visitors to Egypt want to wrap up their trips by heading over to Egypt’s beautiful Red Sea coast to relax and unwind before heading home. Beautiful upscale resorts, white sand beaches, cool turquoise water, great dining, and tons of outdoor activities like four-wheeling in the desert and water sports can be found at Egypt’s best Red Sea towns and resorts.

Egypt is packed with more places to visit, sites to explore, and things to experience than most people could get to in a lifetime. For first-time visitors to Egypt, the above sites and places are the most common bucket-list must-see itinerary items. But other times, visitors have additional cities or options in mind that they want to include in their trips, which are totally doable as well.

Some of the most common additional add-ons to standard Egypt touring itineraries include the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria, which served as the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt and was the home of the famous Cleopatra; the southern Sinai resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, which also serves as an overnight base for visits to Mount Siani in the south-center of the peninsula; a desert oasis trip, which can be done as a day trip from Cairo to a smaller oasis, an overnight trip to a larger oasis further out in the desert, or a multi-day trip to an oasis resort; visits to even more ancient temples further outside of Luxor and Aswan for those who want to see the less-visited ruins; and much more.

Some travelers to Egypt want to spend extended periods of time visiting the country, sometimes ranging from two weeks or more to well over a full month. Indeed, Egypt has so much history, life, and culture to experience and explore that one could easily spend months visiting Egypt and still never see and do everything the country has to offer.

Having spent years living and traveling all over Egypt for similar purposes, we can also help plan and book these types of trips as well, whether you want to stay in hotels and just tour the country at a slower pace or you want to rent apartments or villas and blend in with a more local way of life for a while.