All Around Israel, Jordan & Egypt — Self-Launched 20-Day Version

Land at Ben Gurion and take the Israel Railways train from the airport to Tel Aviv HaHagana or Savidor station (about £3, 20 mins, runs until late). Check into a hostel in the Florentin or Neve Tzedek area. Evening: walk the beach promenade, grab a shakshuka or sabich dinner in the Carmel Market area, and shake off the jet lag. Pick up a Rav-Kav transit card at the station — you'll use it for buses and trains all week.

🚌Israel Railways airport train, ~£3

🛏Florentin/Neve Tzedek hostel (dorm ~£22/night)

• →Airport train to Tel Aviv
• →Beach promenade walk
• →Carmel Market dinner

Take an early bus from Tel Aviv to Nazareth (Egged line ~3h, ~£8) or split the trip via Afula. In Nazareth, walk the Old City and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and St Joseph's Church (free entry). Continue by local bus to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and visit Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes area — self-guided, entry fees are modest (~£3–5 each). Stay overnight in Tiberias so you can enjoy the lakefront.

🚌Egged/Intercity bus Tel Aviv–Nazareth–Tiberias, ~£10 total

🛏Tiberias hostel or guesthouse (~£28/night)

• →Basilica of the Annunciation
• →St Joseph's Church, Nazareth
• →Capernaum ruins
• →Sea of Galilee shoreline

Travel back down the coast by train/bus: Caesarea (Roman theatre and hippodrome, ~£8 entry) is a short hop off the coastal line. In Haifa see the Baha'i Gardens terraces (free — the formal tours are free but book ahead). At Rosh Hanikra take the cable car down to the sea grottoes (~£8). Finish in Acre: explore the Crusader city, the Turkish bathhouse and the harbour, then stay overnight inside the old walls. Acre's hummus is legendary — eat at Hummus Said.

🚌Coastal train Haifa–Acre + local buses, ~£12

🛏Acre Old City guesthouse (~£30/night)

• →Caesarea Roman theatre
• →Baha'i Gardens Haifa
• →Rosh Hanikra cable car & grottoes
• →Acre Crusader city & harbour

Bus or shared sherut from Acre/Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, then take the Egged bus to Masada (line 486). Climb Masada by the Snake Path at sunrise (free entry before 8am for hikers) or take the cable car (~£16). Spend the afternoon floating at Ein Bokek public beach on the Dead Sea (free access; mud available on the shore). Stay overnight in Ein Bokek or a nearby kibbutz guesthouse.

🚌Egged bus Jerusalem–Masada–Ein Bokek, ~£12

🛏Ein Bokek budget guesthouse/hostel (~£35/night)

• →Masada sunrise hike or cable car
• →Masada ancient city & palaces
• →Float in the Dead Sea
• →Dead Sea mud

Take a shared taxi or bus from Jerusalem to Jericho via the Allenby area (about £4, 45 mins). See the Mount of Temptation by cable car (~£10) and the Tel es-Sultan excavations. Then head to Bethlehem (shared taxi ~£5): visit Manger Square, the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and Shepherd's Field. Stay overnight in Bethlehem — guesthouses are cheap and welcoming.

🚌Shared taxi Jerusalem–Jericho–Bethlehem, ~£10

🛏Bethlehem guesthouse (~£25/night)

• →Mount of Temptation cable car
• →Jericho Tel es-Sultan
• →Church of the Nativity
• →Milk Grotto & Shepherd's Field

Return to Jerusalem and walk the Mount of Olives ridge: Church of the Ascension, Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit and the Garden of Gethsemane with the Church of All Nations. Enter the Old City through Lions' Gate, see the Church of St Anne and the Pools of Bethesda, then walk the Via Dolorosa toward the Praetorium. Dusk: watch the Western Wall come alive before Shabbat. Stay in a Jerusalem hostel in the Old City or nearby.

🚌Local tram/bus in Jerusalem, ~£3

🛏Jerusalem Old City hostel (~£30/night)

• →Mount of Olives viewpoints
• →Garden of Gethsemane
• →Lions' Gate & Via Dolorosa
• →Western Wall at dusk

Spend the morning on the Via Dolorosa's Stations of the Cross, then visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (free entry) and wander the four quarters — Armenian Quarter and Byzantine Cardo. After lunch, take the light rail to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum (free, closed Saturdays). Browse the Old City souk for spices and street food. Second night in Jerusalem.

🚌Jerusalem light rail, ~£2

🛏Jerusalem hostel (~£30/night)

• →Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Old City quarters & Cardo
• →Via Dolorosa Stations of the Cross
• →Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum (free)

Bus south from Jerusalem; stop again at the Dead Sea for a final float and mud at a public beach with facilities. Continue on the long-haul bus to Eilat (a 5–6h ride, ~£18; the Egged 444 runs daily). Check into an Eilat hostel, then spend the evening on the North Beach promenade — the Red Sea is beautifully swimmable here.

🚌Egged bus Jerusalem–Eilat, ~£18

🛏Eilat hostel (~£30/night)

• →Dead Sea beach & mud
• →Eilat promenade evening

Cross the Arava land border from Eilat to Aqaba (taxi to border ~£6, Jordan visa-on-arrival or free with Jordan Pass). From Aqaba take a JETT bus or shared taxi to Wadi Musa (~£7, 2h). Buy the Jordan Pass online in advance (includes visa + Petra entry). Enter Petra in the afternoon: walk through the Siq, the Treasury, the Roman Theatre, and tombs and caves. Stay in Wadi Musa.

🚌Taxi to border + JETT bus Aqaba–Wadi Musa, ~£13

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel (~£22/night)

• →Arava border crossing
• →Petra: Siq, Treasury, Roman Theatre
• →Petra caves & tombs

Full second day at Petra with your Jordan Pass: hike up to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) — a steep but rewarding climb — and explore the High Place of Sacrifice. In the afternoon take a shared taxi to Little Petra (~£8 return). If you're there on Mon/Wed/Thu, book Petra by Night (candlelit Siq to the Treasury, ~£12). Eat at the Cave Bar or local mansaf restaurants in Wadi Musa.

🚌Shared taxi to Little Petra, ~£8

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel (~£22/night)

• →Petra Monastery hike
• →High Place of Sacrifice
• →Little Petra
• →Petra by Night (selected nights)

Hire a local 4x4 with a Bedouin guide for a half-day Wadi Rum tour (~£40 shared), sleeping the night before in a Bedouin camp if you like. Then travel to Aqaba, cross the Taba land border into Egypt (taxi + shuttle, ~£15). Continue north to the Sinai, overnighting in St Catherine's village or a Bedouin camp near Mount Sinai.

🚌4x4 + Aqaba–Taba taxi + Sinai minibus, ~£45

🛏St Catherine's / Sinai Bedouin camp (~£18/night)

• →Wadi Rum 4x4 desert tour
• →Bedouin camp & culture
• →Taba border crossing

Start climbing Mount Sinai at 3am for a just-before-sunrise summit (torch needed, water essential). Come down to visit St Catherine's Monastery, its library, the church and the Burning Bush (closed certain days — check first). Then travel by local bus or shared taxi toward Cairo or Aswan; a smart option is to overnight in Sharm or Dahab and fly budget to Aswan the next day.

🚌Sinai minibus + optional budget flight to Aswan, ~£35

🛏Dahab or Cairo hostel (~£16/night)

• →Mount Sinai sunrise hike
• →St Catherine's Monastery
• →Burning Bush & Jethro's Well

Base in Cairo. Take the Metro (Line 2 to El Monib, then microbus) or a cheap Uber to Giza and tour the Great Pyramid, Chephren and Mycerinus plus the Sphinx (site entry ~£4, pyramid entry extra). A short camel ride around the plateau edge is negotiable (~£8). In the afternoon hire a driver for Saqqara (Step Pyramid of Djoser, King Titi pyramid) and Memphis Open Air Museum — organise as a shared day trip via your hostel.

🚌Metro/Uber + shared driver, ~£15

🛏Cairo hostel in Downtown/Zamalek (~£15/night)

• →Giza Pyramids & Sphinx
• →Short camel ride
• →Saqqara Step Pyramid
• →Memphis Open Air Museum

Take a morning budget flight Cairo–Aswan (~£50, or overnight sleeper train ~£25). Book a budget Nile cruise or, cheaper, a felucca + train combo. Visit the Aswan High Dam and take a boat to the Temple of Philae (~£8). Explore the Nubian market in the evening and eat grilled fish by the Nile. Board your cruise or check into an Aswan guesthouse.

🚌Budget flight or sleeper train to Aswan, ~£30–50

🛏Aswan guesthouse or Nile cruise (~£35/night)

• →Flight/train to Aswan
• →Aswan High Dam
• →Temple of Philae by boat
• →Nubian market & riverside dinner

Sail north (or travel by minibus if not cruising). Stop at Kom Ombo to see the twin temples of Sobek and Haroeris, then continue to Edfu and visit the beautifully preserved Temple of Horus — reached by horse cart from the riverside. Sail on toward Luxor, taking in the Nile scenery. Overnight aboard or in Edfu/Luxor.

🚌Nile cruise / minibus leg, included in cruise fare or ~£10 minibus

🛏Nile cruise or Luxor guesthouse (~£30/night)

• →Kom Ombo temples (Sobek & Haroeris)
• →Temple of Horus, Edfu

Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£1). Tour the Theban Necropolis: the Valley of the Kings (ticket covers 3 tombs, ~£10; Tutankhamun's tomb extra), plus Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. Rent a bike or share a taxi for the day. Free afternoon to relax. Optional hot-air balloon at sunrise (~£70) if you fancy it.

🚌Public ferry + shared taxi/bike on West Bank, ~£8

🛏Luxor guesthouse (~£18/night)

• →Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)
• →Hatshepsut Temple
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Nile ferry crossing

Morning at Karnak Temple (grand hypostyle hall) and Luxor Temple, both walkable from the corniche (~£8 combined). Afternoon free to shop or relax, then catch an evening budget flight or the overnight sleeper train back to Cairo (~£25 train / ~£55 flight).

🚌Sleeper train or budget flight Luxor–Cairo, ~£25–55

🛏Sleeper train berth or Cairo hostel (~£18/night)

• →Karnak Temple
• →Luxor Temple
• →Overnight train to Cairo

Visit the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square (or the newer Grand Egyptian Museum if open, ~£12). Walk Downtown Cairo's Art Deco streets, then head to Islamic Cairo: the Citadel of Salah al-Din and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Stop at the Hanging Church and Coptic Cairo. In the evening, a Nile dinner cruise or a rooftop koshary dinner — koshary is £2 and legendary.

🚌Metro/Uber around Cairo, ~£6

🛏Cairo hostel (~£15/night)

• →Egyptian Museum (or GEM)
• →Cairo city center walk
• →Citadel of Salah al-Din
• →Mosque of Muhammad Ali & Coptic Cairo

A free day to shape as you like: revisit Khan el-Khalili bazaar for souvenirs, visit Al-Azhar Park for skyline views, or add an optional day trip to Alexandria by train (~£8, 2.5h) or Saqqara/Dahshur. Relax at a rooftop café with mint tea. Last night in Cairo.

🚌Metro/Uber, ~£5

🛏Cairo hostel (~£15/night)

• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• →Al-Azhar Park
• →Optional Alexandria day trip
• →Rooftop café evening

Breakfast at your hostel, then take the airport shuttle or an Uber to Cairo International (Uber ~£5). If your flight is early, pre-book a private transfer the previous evening. Depart with Petra, Jerusalem, the Sinai and the Nile behind you — none of it arranged by anyone but yourself.

🚌Uber/airport shuttle to Cairo International, ~£5

🛏—

• →Transfer to Cairo Airport
• →Departure