Egypt: Cairo, Nile Cruise, Luxor & Red Sea — Self-Launched

Land at Cairo International Airport (CAI). Buy an e-visa online before travel (~£20) or get a visa on arrival (~£20-25 for most Western passports); airport ATMs give good rates, so draw Egyptian pounds here. Take an Uber/Careem from the airport to downtown Cairo (~£5-8, 45-60 min) rather than an unmarked taxi. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Tahrir Square or Garden City and spend the evening acclimatising: walk the Nile Corniche, grab koshari for dinner (~£2-3) and sort your SIM card (Vodafone/Orange tourist SIM, ~£8 for 10-15GB).

🚌Uber/Careem from CAI to downtown Cairo ~£5-8

🛏Hostel/budget hotel near Tahrir Square, downtown Cairo (£12-18/night)

• →Nile Corniche evening walk
• →Koshari dinner downtown
• →Buy local SIM card

Get to Giza early (Uber ~£4-6) to beat the heat and crowds. Buy your Giza plateau ticket at the gate (~£10) and add entry inside a pyramid if you want (Great Pyramid ~£12; Khufu's interior is hot and cramped). Walk the plateau, Valley Temple and Sphinx viewpoint; a licensed site guide can be booked through GetYourGuide (~£25-35 split between a few travellers) or you can self-guide with a good audio app. Optionally add the new Grand Egyptian Museum if open — book a timed slot in advance. Late afternoon, return to central Cairo and board the Watania sleeper train from Cairo Ramses to Aswan (book direct on the Watania/ENR site or at the station; ~£45-60 for a single-occupancy cabin, ~£35-45 sharing a twin). Bring wipes, a warm layer and snacks — the train is functional rather than plush.

🚌Uber to Giza ~£5; Cairo–Aswan sleeper train ~£50

🛏Overnight Watania sleeper train, single cabin

• →Giza Pyramids & Sphinx self-guided visit
• →Valley Temple
• →Overnight sleeper train south

Arrive Aswan mid-morning and transfer to your Nile cruise boat to check in (3-night Aswan–Luxor cruises are widely bookable direct or via GetYourGuide/Klook from ~£150-220 per person for a shared twin cabin, all meals on board). Afternoon: shared taxi or Uber to the High Dam (~£3), then a local motorboat across to Philae Temple (~£8-10 for the boat, shared) — ticket ~£8. In the evening, do a felucca sail at sunset (~£6-8 per person shared) and wander the Aswan souq. Dinner on board.

🚌Local taxi/motorboat around Aswan ~£12

🛏Nile cruise boat, shared twin cabin (Aswan–Luxor)

• →High Dam
• →Philae Temple by motorboat
• →Sunset felucca sail
• →Aswan souq

Book a shared minibus for the Abu Simbel run the night before through your cruise or hotel (~£15-20 per person return, leaving ~4am so you arrive before the heat and crowds). Entry ticket ~£12-14. Back on board for lunch as the boat sails downstream; in the late afternoon the cruise stops at Kom Ombo — walk the short distance to the double temple of Sobek and Horus (ticket ~£6). Evening sail and dinner on the sun deck.

🚌Shared minibus Aswan–Abu Simbel–Aswan ~£18

🛏Nile cruise boat, shared twin cabin

• →Abu Simbel temples (Ramses II & Nefertari)
• →Kom Ombo temple
• →Sun-deck sailing

Morning stop at Edfu. Take a horse-and-carriage from the boat landing to the Temple of Horus (~£4-6 return, agree the price first) — ticket ~£7. The temple is one of Egypt's best preserved. Sail on through the Esna Lock in the afternoon (a slow, entertaining spectacle with vendors rowing boats alongside); tea on the sun deck. Arrive Luxor in the evening, dinner on board.

🚌Horse carriage to Edfu Temple ~£5; sailing as part of cruise

🛏Nile cruise boat, shared twin cabin (final night)

• →Edfu Temple (Temple of Horus)
• →Esna Lock transit
• →Sun-deck tea

Disembark after breakfast and drop bags at a guesthouse on the West Bank or in Luxor town (~£12-20/night). Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£0.30) and hire a bicycle (~£3/day) or a shared taxi (~£10 for the day) for the West Bank sites. Valley of the Kings ticket covers three tombs (~£14); Tutankhamun's tomb is an extra ~£6. Add Queen Hatshepsut's temple (~£6) and, if you like, the Carter House (small fee). Afternoon: Karnak Temple (~£10) — go late for softer light — then walk the Avenue of Sphinxes or take a taxi to Luxor Temple (~£7). Optional evening Karnak Sound & Light show (~£14).

🚌Public ferry ~£0.50; bicycle or shared taxi West Bank ~£8

🛏Luxor West Bank guesthouse or budget hotel (£12-20/night)

• →Valley of the Kings incl. Tutankhamun tomb
• →Queen Hatshepsut Temple
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Karnak Temple
• →Luxor Temple

Take a morning GoBus or Blue Bus coach from Luxor to Hurghada (~£6-9, 4-5 hours; book on the GoBus app the day before). Check into a budget hotel near the marina (~£15-22/night). Book a GetYourGuide/Klook full-day Red Sea snorkelling trip with lunch and hotel pickup (~£20-30): typically two snorkel sites with gear included, sometimes a stop at Orange Bay or Giftun Island. Note that diving instead of snorkelling can usually be arranged for ~£30 extra. Evening: dinner at Hurghada Marina.

🚌GoBus Luxor–Hurghada ~£8

🛏Budget hotel near Hurghada Marina (£15-22/night)

• →Full-day Red Sea snorkelling trip (2 sites, lunch included)
• →Hurghada Marina evening

Slow morning — swim, walk the marina or add a short dive/snorkel if you didn't get enough yesterday. Take an afternoon or evening GoBus from Hurghada to Cairo (~£8-12, 6-7 hours); overnight buses are common and save a hotel night, or arrive late and check into a downtown hostel. If you'd rather fly, Air Cairo/Nile Air one-ways Hurghada–Cairo can be ~£40-60.

🚌GoBus Hurghada–Cairo ~£10

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel/budget hotel (£12-18/night) or overnight coach

• →Beach/marina time in Hurghada
• →Coach transfer to Cairo

Morning in Islamic Cairo: wander Khan el-Khalili bazaar for souvenirs and coffee at El Fishawy, and optionally add the Egyptian Museum (~£10) or the Coptic Quarter. Allow 3 hours before your flight for the airport run (Uber ~£5-8). If your flight leaves early, simply head straight to CAI.

🚌Uber to Cairo International Airport ~£7

🛏None (departure day)

• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• →Optional Egyptian Museum