Best of Cairo & Luxor - 6 days

Welcome to Egypt. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport you'll be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or if arriving early, you can opt to pre book our optional private Backstreets of Cairo tour, which introduces you to the highlights of Egypt's bustling capital.

After a good night's rest, enjoy a full day of touring. The first stop this morning is the famous pyramids and the iconic Sphinx at the Giza Plateau. Sole survivors from the ancient Greek, listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids are the planet’s oldest tourist attraction. Known as Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus, the pyramids were already more than 2,000 years old when Herodotus the Greek historian visited them (in 5th century BC). A highly skilled corps of mathematicians, masons, surveyors and stone cutters carried out the job of building the pyramids. 100,000 workers were used to carry out the back-breaking task of moving and laying the stones of the largest pyramid - Cheops and about 2.5 million limestone blocks, quarried locally and weighing in excess of 6 million tonnes were used to construct it. Leaving the Pyramids of Giza, stop at a government supervised papyrus emporium where you can buy genuine papyrus at quite reasonable prices.

Continuing to the necropolis of Saqqara, explore the myriad tombs and temples at this site and see Zhoser’s Step Pyramid which constructed by Imhotep, the pharaoh’s chief architect in 2700 BC. The remainder of today is free to relax or explore Egypt’s capital at leisure. Perhaps head to Khan el Khalili Bazaar, the ideal place for souvenir shopping.

Cairo - Luxor. Take a guided tour of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo this morning. In this iconic museum, you'll discover a fascinating array of relics and antiquities from nearly every period of ancient Egyptian history. Get up close and personal with the well-preserved mummies of Yuya and Thuyu, King Tutankhamun's great-grandparents. Explore the museum's extensive collection of statues, jewellery, and sarcophagi, offering a glimpse into the grandeur of ancient Egypt.

Afterwards, you will head back to the hotel and get a transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Luxor. On arrival to Luxor, you will be transferred to your hotel.

This morning, drive to Dendera which is one of Egypt's best preserved temple complexes, located 60km north of Luxor. This vast complex covers 40,000 square metres and its temples, chapels and shrines were gradually built over thousands of years. Dendera's crowning glory is the 2000 year old Temple of Hathor, with its exquisitely decorated ceiling. After a guided tour of this incredible site you willreturn to Luxor where the afternoon is free to spend at leisure. Take a stroll around town or enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool.

This evening there is an optional visit to view the beautiful Temple of Luxor, beautifully illuminated at night (book locally).

4000 year-old Luxor is ancient Egypt at its very best. This morning, visit Luxor’s famous West Bank. Your first stop is the famous Valley of the Kings which is studded with beautifully decorated tombs, including the tombs of Ramses II, Seti I, Amenhotep II and of course, King Tutankhamen. After exploring this incredible site you will travel to visit the Valley of the Queens and the beautiful limestone, colonnaded Temple of Hatshepsut, who was one of only three Egyptian ruling queens. The final stop on the West Bank is to see the imposing 18m-high Colossi of Memnon, which is all that remains of the temple of the hedonistic Amenophis III.

Returning to the hotel at around midday, there's time to have lunch and relax by the pool before visiting the colossal Temple of Karnak later this afternoon. More than a temple, Karnak is a spectacular complex of sanctuaries, pylons, chapels, halls and obelisks, all dedicated to the Theban gods and to the greater glory of Egypt’s Middle and New Kingdom rulers.

Our tour comes to an end today with a transfer to Luxor Airport to meet your onward flight.

For information about visas, top travel tips and much more, take a look through our travel guide.