Israel, Jordan & Egypt: Mediterranean Ancient Wonders (Self-Launched, 17 Days)

Arrive at Ben Gurion (TLV). Take the Israel Railways train from the airport to Tel Aviv HaHagana or HaShalom (~25 ILS, £5-6, 20 mins) rather than an airport taxi, then walk or hop a local bus to a hostel in Jaffa or the Old North. Israeli hostels run £20-30 a night. Pick up a Rav-Kav transit card at the station for cheap bus and light rail rides. Evening: walk the Jaffa promenade and grab hummus and sabich in the Jaffa flea market area.

🚌Airport train TLV to Tel Aviv ~£6, Rav-Kav card

🛏Hostel in Jaffa / Old North, dorm £20-27

• →Jaffa old town and port walk
• →Jaffa flea market and street food

Base yourself in Nazareth or Tiberias. From Tel Aviv take the Egged/Nateev Express bus to Nazareth (~2h, £7-9) or a train to Haifa then bus. In Nazareth visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and Church of St Joseph — free entry. In the afternoon use local buses or a shared taxi to Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee: Capernaum synagogue and church (~10 ILS) and the Mount of Beatitudes viewpoint (free, walkable from the bus road). Mt Tabor needs a shared taxi from Afula — skip it if you're short on light.

🚌Bus Tel Aviv-Nazareth ~£8, local buses £4

🛏Nazareth or Tiberias budget guesthouse, £22-30

• →Basilica of the Annunciation
• →Church of St Joseph
• →Capernaum
• →Mount of Beatitudes viewpoint
• →Sea of Galilee shore

Take the train north from Tel Aviv or Haifa to Caesarea (Binyamina + bus/shuttle) and pay the Caesarea National Park entry (~40 ILS) for the Roman theatre, hippodrome and harbour. Continue by train to Haifa and walk (or bus) up to the Baha'i Gardens — the free-viewing terraces are open without a tour, or join the free guided walk if timings work. From Haifa take the train to Akko (Acre) and enter the Crusader City and Knights' Halls complex (~45 ILS); the old Turkish prison is part of the same ticket. Return by train to your base — a 1-day train pass is cheap and covers all three.

🚌Israel Railways day of trains ~£10-12

🛏Return to Tel Aviv hostel, £20-27, or stay in Haifa

• →Caesarea Roman theatre and harbour
• →Baha'i Gardens terraces
• →Acre Crusader City and Knights' Halls

Bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (~1h, £6-8) and check into a hostel near the Old City or in West Jerusalem. Walk or take the light rail to the Mount of Olives for the panorama, then descend through Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations into the Old City. Do the Old City yourself: Zion Gate, the Cardo, the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are all free. Yad Vashem is free and reachable by bus/light rail (allow two hours, closed Saturdays). Read up on the Via Dolorosa stations in advance or join a free walking tour and tip.

🚌Bus Tel Aviv-Jerusalem ~£7, local light rail £2

🛏Jerusalem hostel, dorm £22-30

• →Mount of Olives panorama
• →Gethsemane and Church of All Nations
• →Western Wall
• →Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Yad Vashem

From Jerusalem take the Arab bus from the Damascus Gate station to Bethlehem (~10-15 ILS, 40 mins) and to Jericho from the East Jerusalem bus station. Manger Square, the Church of the Nativity, St Catherine's and the Milk Grotto are free; expect queues at the Nativity grotto. In Jericho see the Sea Level marker and Tel Jericho; the Mount of Temptation cable car costs ~£10. An organised shared-group day tour from a Bethlehem or Jerusalem operator typically runs £45-65 and saves you a lot of bus waiting — book direct, not through the big package.

🚌Arab buses / shared taxi ~£6-8 total

🛏Jerusalem hostel, £22-30

• →Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
• →Milk Grotto and Shepherds' Fields area
• →Jericho Sea Level marker
• →Mount of Temptation cable car

Take the earliest Egged bus from Jerusalem towards Ein Gedi/Dead Sea (line 486/444, ~£8-10, around 1.5h to Masada junction). The Masada cable car up is ~76 ILS return; alternatively hike the Snake Path up for sunrise (free, ~1h, start in the dark with a headtorch) — bring lots of water. After Masada, hitch or bus to Ein Bokek/Ein Gedi public beach for the Dead Sea float (free public beach, showers cost a few shekels). Late afternoon take the bus south to Eilat (~3h, £12-15) and sleep near the central bus station. Qumran Caves are a roadside stop on the same line if you want to break the journey.

🚌Egged bus Jerusalem-Masada-Dead Sea-Eilat ~£22

🛏Eilat hostel, dorm £20-28

• →Masada sunrise hike or cable car
• →Herod's palaces and Roman barracks
• →Dead Sea float at Ein Bokek
• →Optional Qumran Caves stop

Get the morning bus or shared taxi from Eilat to the Yitzhak Rabin/Arava border (~£6-8, 30-40 mins), cross on foot, pay the Israeli exit fee (~£10) and the Jordanian visa-on-arrival ($40-56 — Jordan's Jordan Pass covers the visa AND your Petra entry, so buy it online before you travel). On the Jordanian side take a shared taxi to Aqaba then a minibus to Wadi Musa, or a direct taxi if you're splitting it (£20-30 for the car). Buy Petra entry (included in the Jordan Pass if you have one, otherwise ~50 JOD for 1 day). Spend the afternoon walking the Siq to the Treasury, the amphitheatre and the Royal Tombs. Optional Petra by Night runs Mon/Wed/Thu (~17 JOD) — book on arrival.

🚌Border taxi + Aqaba-Wadi Musa minibus ~£25 incl. exit fee

🛏Wadi Musa budget guesthouse, £15-22

• →Arava border crossing
• →Petra: Siq, Treasury, amphitheatre, Royal Tombs
• →Optional Petra by Night

Re-enter Petra on your second day (Jordan Pass makes this free) and climb to the Monastery via the 800 steps, or hire a local guide at the gate for a couple of hours (~£25 split). Late afternoon take a minibus or shared taxi back to Aqaba (~£6-8) and stay in Aqaba's budget guesthouse strip. Sort out your onward crossing tonight: the Aqaba–Nuweiba ferry (AB Maritime, ~£35-45, 1-3h depending on the faster/slower boat) is the easiest route into Sinai, or head overland via Taba (longer, cheaper, needs a Taba visa stamp).

🚌Wadi Musa-Aqaba shared minibus ~£7

🛏Aqaba guesthouse, £15-20

• →Petra Monastery hike
• →Aqaba Red Sea waterfront
• →Book ferry or Taba crossing for tomorrow

Take the morning ferry Aqaba–Nuweiba (~£40, bring patience, schedules are loose) or the cheaper Taba land crossing; from Nuweiba/Taba take a shared minibus or taxi to Saint Catherine (~2-3h, £10-15). Drop bags at a simple guesthouse next to the monastery and start the night climb around 11pm-1am — the Camel Path and the Steps of Repentance are both well-marked and free, bring a headtorch, warm layer and water. Watch the desert sunrise from the summit, then descend for breakfast and visit Saint Catherine's Monastery (free, check opening days) with the Burning Bush and Jethro's Well.

🚌Ferry ~£40 + shared minibus ~£12

🛏Saint Catherine guesthouse, £12-18

• →Mount Sinai night climb and sunrise
• →Saint Catherine's Monastery
• →Burning Bush and Jethro's Well

Bus or shared taxi from Saint Catherine to Cairo (~6h) — or take a bus to Sharm el-Sheikh and fly to Cairo if you'd rather save the day's drive. Base yourself downtown near Tahrir Square (hostels £10-16). In the afternoon take the metro to Giza and see the Pyramids and Sphinx (Giza plateau ticket ~15 GBP equivalent, and Saqqara's Step Pyramid and Teti pyramid are a cheap Uber away, ~£5). A short camel ride at Giza can be haggled for £5-10. Memphis open-air museum and the Ramses II statue are on the Saqqara road and can be added to a split taxi day (~£25 for a car/driver).

🚌Bus Saint Catherine-Cairo ~£10, metro and Uber ~£6

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel, dorm £10-16

• →Pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx
• →Short camel ride
• →Saqqara Step Pyramid and Teti pyramid
• →Memphis Open-Air Museum

Take a domestic flight Cairo–Aswan (EgyptAir/Nile Air, booked weeks ahead £40-70) rather than the 13-hour overnight train — or take the sleeper train (Wagons-Lits, ~£50-60) if flights are pricey. In Aswan, a split taxi to the High Dam and the motorboat to Agilika Island for the Temple of Philae costs £20-25 for a small group. In the late afternoon hire a felucca for a 2-hour sail around Elephantine Island (~£15-20 for the boat, split between 3-4 people). Nubian dinner and music in a Nubian village guesthouse is a great alternative to a cruise's entertainment.

🚌Domestic flight Cairo-Aswan ~£55, local taxis/boats ~£12

🛏Aswan guesthouse or Nubian village stay, £12-18

• →Aswan High Dam
• →Temple of Philae by motorboat
• →Felucca sail
• →Nubian village evening

Take the morning train from Aswan to Kom Ombo (~1h, £2-4) and walk to the riverside Temple of Sobek and Haroeris (ticket ~£4). Continue by train or shared microbus to Edfu and take a local tuk-tuk (~£2) to the Temple of Horus, the best-preserved in Egypt (~£5). Then the train north to Luxor (~2h, £3-5). Skip the Nile cruise — the temples are on the same line as the railway and much cheaper. Check into a West Bank or Luxor town guesthouse (£10-16) and eat at a locals' koshari place for £2-3.

🚌Aswan-Edfu-Luxor trains ~£12

🛏Luxor guesthouse, £10-16

• →Temple of Kom Ombo
• →Temple of Horus, Edfu
• →Tuk-tuk ride through Edfu

Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£0.5) and hire a bicycle (£3-4/day) or split a taxi (£15-20 for the day) around the West Bank. Valley of the Kings ticket covers three tombs (~£6-8; Tutankhamun and Seti I cost extra). Add the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (~£4) and the Colossi of Memnon (free roadside stop). Optional extra: a sunrise hot-air balloon over the West Bank, booked direct with a local operator the day before (£60-90) — far cheaper than via an agency package.

🚌Ferry, bike hire or shared taxi ~£10

🛏Luxor guesthouse, £10-16

• →Valley of the Kings (three tombs)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional hot-air balloon

Early start for Karnak Temple complex (~£6-8) — go at opening to beat the heat and the crowds — then walk the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple (~£4). Local lunch at a restaurant in Luxor town (~£4). In the evening fly Luxor–Cairo (£35-55) or take the overnight sleeper train (£40-55). Check back into a downtown Cairo hostel.

🚌Flight Luxor-Cairo ~£45 or sleeper train ~£45

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel, £10-16

• →Karnak Temple complex
• →Luxor Temple
• →Avenue of Sphinxes walk

Start at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (ticket ~£5-7) — note that many Tutankhamun treasures now sit in the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza; check which is open before you go and pick accordingly (GEM ticket ~£20). Then take the metro to Coptic Cairo for the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue (free/donation), and finish at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali (~£5). Uber between them costs £2-3 a hop. Evening: a cheap dinner on a Nile Corniche balcony or a felucca sunset sail for £5-8 split.

🚌Metro and Ubers ~£6

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel, £10-16

• →Egyptian Museum or Grand Egyptian Museum
• →Coptic Cairo churches
• →Citadel of Saladin
• →Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali

A self-paced day: wander Khan el-Khalili bazaar for souvenirs and mint tea at El Fishawy, walk Al-Muizz Street's Mamluk architecture (free), and pick up papyrus, spices and cotton goods. Optional extras booked direct: a cooking class (£20-30), a Nile dinner cruise (£15-25) or a day trip to Dahshur's Red and Bent Pyramids (£25 split taxi). Sort your airport transfer for tomorrow — the airport bus or an Uber is £3-6 versus a hotel-arranged car.

🚌Metro and Ubers ~£5

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel, £10-16

• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• →Al-Muizz Street walk
• →Optional cooking class or Nile cruise

Breakfast, check out and take the public airport bus or Uber to Cairo International (CAI) — allow three hours before an international flight given Cairo traffic. Confirm your e-visa paperwork and any exit fees before leaving. If your flight is late, the Egyptian Museum or a downtown cafe makes a good final stop with bags stored at the hostel.

🚌Uber or airport bus to CAI ~£5

🛏—

• →Airport transfer