Independent Egypt travel guide
Independent travel guides for Egypt's cities, ancient sites, Nile cruises, itineraries, and first-time visitor questions.
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Pick the part of your trip you're researching right now, from practical travel tips and itineraries to Nile cruises, Cairo and Giza, Luxor, Aswan, and the ancient sites.
Egypt Travel Tips Practical know-how for a smooth, confident first trip to Egypt. Explore → 
Ancient Egypt Temples, tombs and pharaonic history, explained for travellers. Explore → 
Nile Cruises How Nile cruising works and how to choose the right sailing. Explore → 
Cairo & Giza The pyramids, the museums and the megacity at the start of most trips. Explore → 
Luxor & Aswan Upper Egypt's open-air museum of temples and tombs along the Nile. Explore → 
Egypt Itineraries Sample day-by-day routes you can adapt to your own dates. Explore → Start here
New to Egypt? These four short reads cover the decisions that shape every trip: timing, first-visit basics, your route, and whether a Nile cruise fits, before you get lost in details.
01 Best Time to Visit Egypt Pick dates that match the weather, crowds and budget you want. Read guide → 02 First-Time Egypt Tips Money, dress, health and etiquette basics for a smooth first trip. Read guide → 03 7-Day Egypt Itinerary A flexible Cairo → Luxor → Aswan route you can adapt to your trip. Read guide → 04 Nile Cruise Guide How river cruising works and how to choose the right sailing. Read guide → Fresh from the blog
The newest guides from our local team, each one written to answer a real planning question first-time visitors actually ask.
Most people visit Abu Simbel from Aswan as a day trip by road: about 280 kilometres and around 3.5 hours each way, usually leaving Aswan at about 5:00 am and getting back at about 1:30 pm. A private car costs around $75 per person, and a guided trip with entry tickets around $150 per person. You can also fly in about 45 minutes or stay a night in Abu Simbel. The road is closed at night.
If you only have time for one, choose Luxor: it is closer to Cairo and has the biggest sights, including Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. If you can do both, plan two nights in each city. It does not matter much which one you start in. Coming from Hurghada, start in Luxor; coming from Cairo, pick the order that fits your flights or train.
The train is the easiest way to get from Luxor to Aswan: about 3 to 3.5 hours, several departures a day and around $40–50 per person in first class. The bus is the cheapest option, at about 350 EGP a seat. A private car takes a similar time but lets you stop at the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo on the way. A Nile cruise turns the journey into a three- or four-night trip, and flights are rarely worth it on this short route.
Questions
Egypt Trip Guide is an independent travel knowledge hub focused on helping people plan a trip to Egypt with clear, practical guides on destinations, Nile cruises, itineraries and travel tips.
No, we are a guide, not a tour seller. Our job is to help you research and understand your options. When you want hands-on help, our planning links can connect you with a local Egypt travel planning partner.
Both. Some readers use the guides to plan a fully independent trip; others read them to understand Egypt properly before asking for local help with a route. The advice is the same either way, so use it however suits your style of travel.
Yes, that is exactly what the site is for. It is built for the research stage: deciding when to go, where to go, whether a Nile cruise fits your trip, and what practical details to prepare for, all before you commit to anything.
The guides are written and reviewed by a team with on-the-ground Egypt travel experience, so the advice reflects how things actually work in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and on the Nile, not just what reads well online.
Our guides are written for travellers and reviewed by our local team before publishing. For details that change often, such as prices, opening hours, and visa or entry rules, we tell you to verify with official sources before you book.
Begin with our Egypt travel planning guide for the big picture, then read the best time to visit and browse a sample 7-day itinerary to shape your dates and route.
