I have dreamed of visiting Egypt all my life. I was that weird kid cutting out newspaper clippings of mummies and writing my name in hieroglyphs. Whenever I imagined myself in Egypt, I saw myself uncovering a secret passage inside the Great Pyramid, discovering visiting a lost temple and walking on top of up to the colossal statues of Abu Simbel.
When I finally did visit Egypt, 25 years later, the experience was bittersweet. The temples and the history were just as I had imagined them to be. Majestic. Magical. The place, however, gets a bad rep because of all the scams and touts. It scared me off multiple times and while that reputation is valid, the experience, surprisingly, wasn’t all that bad, considering it was a DIY, no-guides, no-tours trip.
This 10 day Egypt itinerary is the route I’d recommend: Cairo and Giza, a flight south to Aswan, then the road north to Luxor. We travelled independently, skipped the cruise, and drove from Aswan to Luxor with temple stops on the way. I also stayed a night at Abu Simbel, managed to visit a lot of lesser-known temples and somehow survived the scams.
Is 7 or 10 days enough for Egypt?
Ten days lets you cover Cairo, Aswan and Luxor at your own pace. Seven days works too, with less Cairo and a faster Aswan.
I did nine days in Egypt and managed to do an overnight stay in Abu Simbel, covered a lot of temples like Dendera, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Esna and visited all the tombs that I possibly could in the Valley of the Kings.
I would have preferred to do a longer stay in Cairo, but I just wanted to come out of this trip with a good experience and not just memories of scams and touts. I managed to do that, partly because I gave myself less time to be harassed anywhere.
If you want to do a Nile cruise or see Coptic Cairo, plan to add a few more days to this itinerary.
Best time to visit Egypt
October to March are the best months to visit Egypt since the heat is bearable and you can be out for longer without the sun sucking up too much of your energy. In summers (May through September), temperatures regularly hit 40°C+, so think twice before booking. We visited in late January and the weather was perfect. Neither too cold nor too hot.
10-day Egypt itinerary at a glance
| Day | Sleep in | Plan | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Cairo or Giza | Pyramids, Sphinx, Grand Egyptian Museum and time in Cairo | Arrive and use local transport |
| 4 | Abu Simbel | Fly south, then onward to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel at night | Cairo → Aswan flight. Aswan → ABS by flight or road transfer |
| 5 | Aswan | Abu Simbel then leave for Aswan | Return road trip or flight |
| 6 | Aswan | Philae, felucca ride, then a slower afternoon | Taxi and boat for Philae |
| 7 | Luxor | Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna on the way north | Prearranged road transfer |
| 8 | Luxor | West Bank: Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut | Driver or tour |
| 9 | Luxor | East Bank: Karnak and Luxor Temple | Local transport like inDrive |
| 10 | Cairo / Home | Dendera if you have time. Fly back to Cairo; return home at night or the day after | Prearranged taxi. Luxor → Cairo by flight |
Days 1–3: Cairo and Giza
I’m gonna start with something controversial. I spent one night in Giza and that was enough for me. People will want to visit Coptic Cairo, the Khan el-Khalili market, Saqqara. So did I at one point. But suffice it to say, all the YouTube videos had me thinking twice. My main objective for coming here was ancient Egyptian history and I did something that I mostly never do – I just skipped everything else. I left for Aswan late in the evening on Day 2 after spending the whole day at the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
But that’s not to say these other places aren’t worth seeing. If you have a day to spare, stay. Visit Saqqara or roam around Tahrir Square and the markets.
- Day 1: Arrive, check in, rest.
- Day 2: Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx in the morning, then the Grand Egyptian Museum in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Pick the Cairo you want to experience: Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo, the old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the markets or Saqqara.
The Giza Pyramids guide has all the details about the tickets, entrances, shuttles and everything you need to know about visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Day 4: Fly to Aswan and travel onward to Abu Simbel
Fly from Cairo to Aswan in the morning. It’s about an hour in the air. From Aswan, Abu Simbel is roughly three hours south by road, or a short flight to Abu Simbel airport (ABS). Doing the day trip instead? Sleep in Aswan tonight and skip to Day 5.
Note: We landed in Aswan the previous night, slept in a colourful Nubian village hotel, and left for Abu Simbel after breakfast.
Attend the Sound and Light Show at Abu Simbel. The narration and the story might be dated, but seeing these temples lit up at night under the starry skies is worth it.
Day 5: Abu Simbel day trip or overnight
If you stayed overnight: be at the gate when it opens at 6 AM, before the tour buses roll in. Head back to Aswan by afternoon.
If you’re doing the day trip: this is the day with a 3 AM alarm. It’s a long day, mostly on the road, but the experience is worth it.
Whichever version you choose, don’t forget to add these colossal statues to your Egypt itinerary. My Abu Simbel overnight guide covers the drive, tickets, timing and all the details about how to do an overnight trip on a budget.
Day 6: Aswan, Philae and an afternoon off
Go to Philae Temple in the morning. Take a taxi to Shellal (Marina Philae), about 20 minutes from central Aswan, then a motorboat across to the island. Agree the return fare and waiting time before you step aboard.
After that, pick one: a Nubian village visit, a felucca at sunset, or a relaxing time by the river. I chose to watch the feluccas from my Nile-view room since I was still coming down from the fever I had picked up the previous day.
You can find the details on Philae, the boats, where to stay and what I skipped in my Aswan travel guide.
Day 7: Aswan to Luxor via Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna
Day 7 is a travel day but with three temple stops in between at Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna.
If you came for the history, don’t skip these. Kom Ombo has two sanctuaries side by side, one for Sobek and one for Horus. Edfu’s Temple of Horus is enormous and Esna has the most colourful painted columns and ceiling. These three temples plus the drive will eat most of the day, so choose to relax once you reach Luxor.
Days 8–9: Luxor West Bank and East
Day 8, West Bank: Start early for the Valley of the Kings. The standard ticket covers three tombs but there are a few paid tombs that are really worth the money. Then cover the other sites on the West Bank like Hatshepsut Temple, Medinet Habu, Ramesseum.
Book a driver for the day to quickly travel between the various sites. We couldn’t pre-book a cab and instead decided to book an inDrive that morning. Luckily, the driver who came turned out to be nice, so we negotiated with him to be our driver for the whole day.
Day 9, East Bank: Start with Karnak Temple early in the morning. Head to Luxor Temple later in the day. You can then spend the rest of the time shopping for souvenirs or just relaxing at your hotel.
My Luxor travel guide breaks down both banks and the two-day plan.
Day 10: Dendera. Return to Cairo or fly home
You can choose to do a day trip from Luxor on this day if you can start early in the morning. Dendera’s Temple of Hathor is north of Luxor and can be easily covered in a morning. We left our hotel at 6 AM and were back by 10 AM for breakfast.
After this, catch a flight out of Luxor to Cairo where you can catch your international flight back home. Be sure to keep a good enough buffer since the domestic flights in Egypt are usually delayed.
7-day Egypt itinerary: what to cut
Keep the same route, but reduce your time in Cairo and keep Abu Simbel as a day trip:
- Days 1–2: Cairo and Giza
- Day 3: Aswan – Philae and feluccas
- Day 4: Abu Simbel day trip
- Day 5: Aswan to Luxor via Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna
- Days 6–7: Luxor, West Bank first, then East Bank
This works best with a late flight out of Luxor on Day 7, or an extra night before your international flight.
Overland or a Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor?
Nile cruises between Aswan and Luxor are most popular with tourists. You sail the Nile, and do not have to worry about a single transfer. But you are at their mercy when it comes to the itinerary and the schedule. You might just get a day in Luxor and quick stops along the way at Kom Ombo and Edfu.
But if doing it all at your own pace matters to you, travelling by road gives you the freedom. We did just that, chose our own temple stops, spent however long we wanted at each of them (we were out of Edfu in record time, but spent a long time in Esna admiring the painted ceiling) and we were able to do it within our budget.
In short, if you have been dreaming about sailing down the river Nile, choose a Nile cruise. If the temples and your own pace matter more, take the road.
Where to stay in Egypt: Cairo, Aswan and Luxor
- Cairo/Giza: Stay in Cairo for the city days, and in Giza for the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. We stayed at one of the many pyramid-view hotels within walking distance of the Sphinx Gate. While heading back, since our return flight was early in the morning, we chose to stay at the Novotel Cairo Airport for ease of access.
- Aswan: We started in a Nubian village hotel called Nebro Nubian and moved to a Nile-view room at Obelisk Nile Hotel. The village is lovely but awkward if you arrive at night and leave after breakfast (which is what we did). I would choose a Nile-view room every time. See the Aswan guide before booking.
- Luxor: The East Bank is easier for transport, souvenir shopping and the main temples. The West Bank is quieter but far from everything else. From Pavillon Winter Luxor, we could walk to restaurants and souvenir shops in the evening.
- Abu Simbel: Limited options, but I would highly recommend Tuya Hotel which is walkable from the temples. See the Abu Simbel overnight guide.
Egypt trip budget from India
| Cost | Amount per person | What was included / shared? |
|---|---|---|
| International flights | Rs 50,000 | From Bangalore. Cheaper on low-cost carriers. |
| Domestic travel | Rs 15,000 | Cairo-Aswan and Luxor-Cairo |
| Hotels (8 nights) | Rs 20,000 | Mid-range, about Rs 5,000 a room per night, shared |
| Drivers and taxis | Rs 12,500 | Rs 25,000 for two: Abu Simbel transfer, Aswan to Luxor with 3 stops, Dendera, local taxis |
| Tickets and tours | Rs 26,000 | Every temple and tomb we could find (list below) |
| Food, tips and data | Rs 5,000 | Rs 10,000 for two. Food cost a lot less than I expected |
| Total per person | ~Rs 1.3 lakhs or USD 1,400 | January 2026 exchange rate |
Hotels and food are pretty inexpensive in Egypt – you can find rooms with great views in a 4-star hotel for Rs 10,000 – Rs 12,000 and even a multi-course veg meal in Zooba inside the Grand Egyptian Museum cost us only Rs 1,000 for two. The tickets to all the monuments will do you in though. We spent over Rs 26,000 per person for all the tickets, but consider this to be the higher end of things since I pretty much visited all the temples and tombs I could find. This included entry to Khufu’s Pyramid interior, the GEM, Philae, Abu Simbel and its Sound and Light Show, all the temples in Luxor (East & West Bank), the standard and all the paid Valley of the Kings tombs, Dendera, Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna.
Keep a higher budget if you are planning to do a Nile cruise.
Is Egypt safe? Scams and haggling to expect
This was the biggest question I had before I decided to travel. Having seen all those videos on YouTube and read a lot of blog posts, I wasn’t sure how many scams we would be exposed to, especially since we were travelling without any tours or guides. We were honestly fine in Cairo and Aswan and were hassled the most in Luxor. Luxor was a constant noise of touts ready to take you for a ride – both the literal and the figurative kind.
- In Giza, we were approached by a guy near the Sphinx Gate trying to get us to follow him to the “ticket counter” when we knew it was right beside the gate.
- We were overcharged for the boat ride to Philae since we were just the two of us. We had no choice but to pay the amount asked after a little bit of haggling. We just decided to skip Kalabsha Temple after this experience.
- I lost count of the times we were approached by touts in Luxor, especially outside our hotel, which shared the same grounds as the Winter Palace, so it was scam-central. We just kept our heads down and went about on our own.
- It was also so frustrating to book a cab for a day for the West Bank and for a day trip to Dendera and Abydos. The amount quoted was always in US dollars and always exorbitant. The first thing they would always ask was the hotel we were staying at and the price would vary based on our replies. We were honestly so fed up that we decided to skip Abydos altogether. One day in Luxor is all it took for me to want to go back home.
Some tips to survive:
- Agree the total price, the stops and the waiting time before you get in, and whether it covers the return.
- Ask if the price is per person or for the whole car or boat.
- Carry small notes for tips. Baksheesh is a big thing in Egypt.
- Keep your head down, pretend you can’t hear and walk away if you are being harassed by touts. Sounds rude, but I’ve learned that being nice in this situation doesn’t work.
Egypt visa and eSIM essentials
Visa: e-Visa for Indian citizens. Apply online or via agents. We applied on Atlys and got the visa instantly.
eSIM and data: eSIM works well and uses local carriers like Vodafone, Orange or Etisalat. I found that they had good coverage even in Abu Simbel.
Egypt needs patience, but with a little planning, you can have a wonderful time exploring temples, cosplaying Evie/Rick from The Mummy, and finally agreeing with the tinfoil-hat theorists that maybe these insane structures were built by aliens after all.
Would I do it again? Yes! Give me another night under the stars in Abu Simbel and perhaps fewer taxi negotiations.
