Self-Launched Grand Egypt: Cairo, Alexandria & Nile Valley by Train, Bus and Felucca

Land at Cairo International Airport, pick up a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange in arrivals (about £6-8 for 20GB) and take a Careem/Uber to your hostel in Zamalek or Downtown (about £3-5, 40-60 min). Change some cash at the airport or an ATM, but use bank ATMs in town for better rates. Evening walk along the Nile Corniche or a cheap koshari dinner (about £2).

🚌Airport transfer by Careem/Uber (£3-5)

🛏Hostel private room or budget hotel, Downtown/Zamalek (£15-25)

• →Airport SIM and cash setup
• →Nile Corniche evening walk
• →Koshari dinner

Book a small-group or shared Giza + Saqqara day tour on GetYourGuide/Klook (about £30-45 including transport and a licensed Egyptologist) or do it yourself: Careem to the Giza plateau (about £4), entry ticket to the pyramid area (about £13), optional entry inside a pyramid (about £10-14). Camel or horse ride around the plateau is negotiable (about £10-15 — agree the price and duration in writing first). Afternoon on to Saqqara for the Step Pyramid complex and Dahshur's Bent Pyramid — easiest as part of a shared tour, otherwise a private driver for half a day is about £30-40.

🚌Careem/Uber plus shared or private driver to Saqqara (£10-20 per person)

🛏Hostel private room or budget hotel, Cairo (£15-25)

• →Giza Pyramids and Sphinx (entry ~£13)
• →Optional interior of a pyramid
• →Camel ride at the pyramids (~£10-15)
• →Saqqara Step Pyramid complex
• →Memphis open-air museum

Self-guided walking day using the metro and Careem. Start at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali (entry about £6), then walk down to Coptic Cairo: the Hanging Church (El Muallaqa), Church of St Sergius and Ben Ezra Synagogue — all free or by donation. Finish with a wander through the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and a mint tea at El Fishawy café (about £3). A local guide isn't needed but a GetYourGuide walking tour runs about £20-30 if you want context.

🚌Metro and Careem (£3-5)

🛏Hostel private room or budget hotel, Cairo (£15-25)

• →Citadel of Saladin and Alabaster Mosque (~£6)
• →Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• →El Fishawy café

Spend the morning at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (entry about £10). A licensed Egyptologist guide is worth it here — book a 2-3 hour small-group museum tour on GetYourGuide for about £20-30, or rent the audio guide. If the Grand Egyptian Museum is fully open at Giza, budget about £25 for entry plus a half day there instead — check before you go. Afternoon: browse the bookshops and cafés of Downtown, then an evening felucca or dinner cruise on the Nile if you fancy it (about £10-20).

🚌Metro and Careem (£3)

🛏Hostel private room or budget hotel, Cairo (£15-25)

• →Egyptian Museum with optional guide (~£20-30)
• →Grand Egyptian Museum (alternative, ~£25)
• →Downtown Cairo wander

Take an early morning train from Cairo Ramses or Misr station to Alexandria (Spanish Talgo or express, 2h15-3h, about £4-8 one way). Book online via the Egyptian National Railways site or at the station the day before. On arrival use the tram and Careem to cover the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (about £4), the Roman amphitheatre (about £3), the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (about £4) and the Qaitbey Fort exterior (about £3). Seafood lunch on the Corniche is the local highlight (about £8). Return on an evening train, or stay one night in a budget hotel near the Corniche (about £20) for a slower pace.

🚌Return train Cairo–Alexandria (£8-16); tram and Careem in town (£3-5)

🛏Return to Cairo hostel (£15-25) or one night in Alexandria budget hotel (~£20)

• →Bibliotheca Alexandrina
• →Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
• →Roman amphitheatre
• →Qaitbey Fort
• →Alexandria National Museum

A free day in Cairo: Islamic Art Museum or a hammam, then stock up on snacks for the train. In the evening board the Watania sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor (about 9-10 hours, departing around 20:00-21:00). A single-berth sleeper cabin is roughly £70-90, a shared double cabin about £50-60 per person, and there are reclining-seat options from about £15-25 if you're on a tight budget. Book online in advance via the Watania/ENR site — sleeper cabins sell out in peak season.

🚌Watania sleeper train Cairo–Luxor (£50-90)

🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin (or budget hotel if you take a daytime train instead)

• →Free morning in Cairo
• →Islamic Art Museum or hammam (optional)

Check into a guesthouse on the West Bank (about £15-25) or in Luxor town. Either join a GetYourGuide/Klook West Bank small-group tour (about £25-40 with an Egyptologist) or self-organise: hire a bicycle (about £4/day) or a local taxi for the day (about £15-20). Valley of the Kings ticket covers three tombs (about £12) with extras for Tutankhamun or Seti I; Hatshepsut's temple is about £5 and the Colossi of Memnon are free. Optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight booked direct with a Luxor operator is about £60-90 — book a day ahead and confirm weather policy.

🚌Bicycle hire or local taxi (£4-20)

🛏West Bank guesthouse (£15-25)

• →Valley of the Kings (~£12)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut (~£5)
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional sunrise hot-air balloon (~£60-90)

Day trip north to the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, one of Egypt's best-preserved temples with its famous zodiac ceiling (entry about £5). Reach it by taking a train or minibus from Luxor to Qena (about £2-3, 1-1.5h) and then a tuk-tuk to the temple (about £3-5 return), or share a taxi from Luxor for about £25-35 for the vehicle. Return to Luxor in the afternoon and catch the evening Sound and Light Show at Karnak if you want spectacle (about £15).

🚌Train/minibus to Qena plus tuk-tuk (£6-10 per person) or shared taxi (~£30/vehicle)

🛏West Bank guesthouse (£15-25)

• →Temple of Hathor, Dendera (~£5)
• →Optional Karnak Sound and Light Show (~£15)

Morning at Karnak (entry about £8) and Luxor Temple (about £6) — walk the Avenue of Sphinxes between them or take a cheap taxi. Late afternoon, board a daytime train or minibus south to Aswan (2.5-3.5h, £3-8); if you'd rather sleep in, take the evening train and start Aswan fresh. Check into a budget hotel or Nubian guesthouse in Aswan (about £15-25), and eat at a Nubian restaurant on Elephantine Island.

🚌Train Luxor–Aswan (£3-8)

🛏Aswan budget hotel or Nubian guesthouse (£15-25)

• →Karnak Temple (~£8)
• →Luxor Temple (~£6)
• →Avenue of Sphinxes walk

Hire a local driver or take a taxi for the half-day loop: Aswan High Dam viewpoint (about £2), then a boat across to Philae Temple (entry about £6 plus boat about £5-8 shared). In the late afternoon take a felucca sail around Elephantine and Kitchener's Island botanical garden (about £8-15 per person for 2 hours, negotiate direct with the boatmen at the Corniche). Optional Sound and Light Show at Philae in the evening, about £15.

🚌Taxi half-day (£10-15 per person shared) and local boats

🛏Aswan budget hotel or Nubian guesthouse (£15-25)

• →Aswan High Dam
• →Philae Temple with boat crossing
• →Felucca sail around Kitchener's Island
• →Optional Philae Sound and Light Show

The big optional from the cruise itinerary, done independently and far cheaper than the $200 onboard price. Either join a shared minibus/convoy tour from Aswan (about £25-40 booked via your hotel or GetYourGuide, 3h each way with a 2h site visit) or take the public bus from Aswan bus station (about £6-10 return) and pay the Abu Simbel entry (about £13). Sunrise departure is worth the early alarm. Afternoon back in Aswan: nap, then a walk through the Nubian village on Elephantine Island.

🚌Shared minibus tour (£25-40) or public bus (£6-10)

🛏Aswan budget hotel or Nubian guesthouse (£15-25)

• →Abu Simbel Temples (~£13 entry)
• →Nubian village walk, Elephantine Island

Take a morning train or minibus from Aswan towards Luxor and break the journey at Kom Ombo (entry about £5) for the riverside double temple, then continue to Edfu for the Temple of Horus (about £6), reachable by tuk-tuk from Edfu town (about £3-4). Both are easy independent stops — just tell the driver or buy segment tickets. Arrive Luxor in the evening and check back into a guesthouse (about £15-25). Alternatively, a one-night budget Nile cruise Aswan–Luxor can be booked locally for about £60-100 per person if you want a taste of the cruise experience.

🚌Train/minibus with stops (£5-10)

🛏Luxor guesthouse (£15-25)

• →Kom Ombo Temple (~£5)
• →Edfu Temple of Horus (~£6)
• →Optional one-night budget Nile cruise (~£60-100)

A slow morning on the West Bank — Deir el-Medina workmen's village or the Valley of the Queens if you have energy (about £4-6 each). Optional second sunrise balloon flight for those who skipped it. Take an afternoon or evening flight Luxor–Cairo (about £45-75 one way with EgyptAir or Nile Air, 1h10) or the overnight sleeper train back (about £50-90). Check into a Cairo hotel near the airport or Downtown for your final night.

🚌Domestic flight Luxor–Cairo (£45-75) or sleeper train (£50-90)

🛏Cairo budget hotel (£15-25)

• →Deir el-Medina or Valley of the Queens (optional)
• →Optional second balloon flight

Final Egyptian breakfast, pick up any last souvenirs — the Friday market or a Downtown papyrus and perfume shop — and take a Careem/Uber to Cairo International (about £3-5). If your flight is late, the Grand Egyptian Museum or a Nile-side café makes a good last stop, and airport lounges can be booked via Klook for about £20.

🚌Careem/Uber to Cairo International (£3-5)

🛏—

• →Last-minute shopping
• →Optional Grand Egyptian Museum visit