Egypt Upgraded — Self-Launched: Pyramids, Nile & the Valley of the Kings

Land at Cairo International and take an airport taxi or the new airport bus to Downtown (taxi ~£7-9, agree the price first or use Uber/Careem for ~£5). Check into a Downtown guesthouse or budget hotel near Talaat Harb or Tahrir Square. Spend the afternoon acclimatising: walk the streets around Midan Tahrir, grab koshari (Egypt's cheap national dish, ~£1.50) at a local chain, and pick up a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange at the airport or a downtown shop (~£6 for data). Evening: stroll the Nile Corniche or visit the rooftop cafes of Zamalek. Book your Giza guide for tomorrow online this evening.

🚌Airport taxi or Careem/Uber (~£5-9)

🛏Downtown Cairo guesthouse or budget hotel, private en-suite (~£20)

• →Airport transfer to Downtown Cairo
• →Koshari dinner and Corniche walk

Get to Giza early — take the Cairo Metro Line 2 to Giza station then a local minibus, or a Careem for ~£3-4 — and be at the plateau gate for opening (8am) to beat the heat and crowds. Book a licensed Egyptologist guide through GetYourGuide or Klook for a half-day Plateau tour (~£25-35 including guiding; entry ticket to the Giza Plateau is separate at ~£10). See the Great Pyramid, Khafre and Menkaure, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple; the pyramid interior add-on is ~£4-8. In the early afternoon, head to Ramses Station or the Cairo Gateway bus terminal and take a comfortable air-conditioned bus or train to Alexandria (2.5-3 hours, ~£4-6). Base yourself in the Raml Station or Corniche area of Alexandria.

🚌Careem to Giza (~£3) + Cairo-Alexandria bus/train (~£5)

🛏Alexandria budget hotel near the Corniche (~£22)

• →Guided Giza Plateau and Sphinx tour
• →Optional Great Pyramid interior entry
• →Afternoon bus to Alexandria

Self-guided day through Alexandria's ancient layers. Start at the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa (~£3), the largest Roman burial site in Egypt, then walk to Pompey's Pillar and the Serapeum (~£2). After lunch by the harbour, visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (~£2.50) — join one of the free guided walk-throughs if timings allow. Optionally add the Roman Amphitheatre (~£2) and the Qaitbay Citadel on the seafront. In the late afternoon, walk the Corniche, take a horse-drawn calèche, or grab fresh seafood at a Greek-Egyptian taverna in Anfushi (a meal ~£6-8). A local guide for the day can be arranged through GetYourGuide or Klook for ~£25 if you'd rather not self-navigate.

🚌Local taxis and walking (~£4)

🛏Alexandria budget hotel near the Corniche (~£22)

• →Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa
• →Pompey's Pillar and Serapeum
• →Bibliotheca Alexandrina
• →Optional Qaitbay Citadel and Roman Amphitheatre

Take an early bus back toward Cairo and ask the driver to drop you at the Wadi Natrun turn-off, or arrange a shared taxi from Alexandria with a stop en route (~£15-20 split between two or three travellers — a normal taxi direct-for-the-day is ~£30-40). Visit two or three of the Coptic monasteries — Deir Anba Bishoi, Deir al-Suriani and Deir Abu Maqar — free or by small donation; dress modestly and note that photography rules vary. Continue by minibus to Cairo (Midan Ramses area) and check back into a Downtown hotel. In the late afternoon, take a guided or self-guided visit to the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir (~£10 entry; a 2-hour guide via GetYourGuide runs ~£20-25).

🚌Bus/shared taxi Alexandria-Wadi Natrun-Cairo (~£15)

🛏Downtown Cairo guesthouse (~£20)

• →Wadi Natrun Coptic monasteries
• →Egyptian Museum, Tahrir

Two options for the Cairo-Aswan leg. Cheapest: the overnight sleeper train (Wagon-Lits, ~£60-80 for a single cabin including dinner and breakfast — book ahead at en.paris.eg or at Ramses Station), departing Cairo around 8pm and arriving Aswan late morning. Or fly in the morning on a low-cost EgyptAir/Nile Air fare (~£40-70 booked 4-6 weeks out) and gain an afternoon. Once in Aswan, check into a guesthouse on Elephantine Island or in the Nubian village area, then head to the Aswan Souk — free to wander and great for spices, scarves and baskets. In the late afternoon, hire a felucca (negotiate ~£15-20 for two hours, or join a shared boat) across to a Nubian village, walk the lanes and fields, and have a home-cooked Nubian dinner with a host family (arranged via your guesthouse or GetYourGuide, ~£15-20 including the boat).

🚌Overnight sleeper train Cairo-Aswan (~£70) or morning flight (~£55)

🛏Nubian guesthouse / Elephantine Island budget hotel (~£18)

• →Aswan Souk
• →Felucca ride on the Nile
• →Nubian village visit and home-cooked dinner

Join the pre-dawn convoy south to Abu Simbel — the standard budget move is a shared minibus booked through your guesthouse (~£12-18 return with a 3-4 hour site visit), or a seat on the local public bus if you don't mind the slower route. Arrive shortly after sunrise; entry to the twin temples of Ramses II and Nefertari is ~£12, and the scale of the four colossal seated figures is the single most impressive thing on this route. You have around 2.5-3 hours on site, which is ample. Return to Aswan by early afternoon for a siesta, then visit Philae Temple in the late afternoon (~£9 entry plus ~£3 boat to the island; the sound-and-light show is ~£25 if you want it). Evening meal at a Nubian restaurant on the west bank (~£6).

🚌Shared minibus Abu Simbel return (~£15) + local boats

🛏Nubian guesthouse / Elephantine Island budget hotel (~£18)

• →Abu Simbel temples with shared minibus
• →Philae Temple late-afternoon visit

Skip the luxury cruise and take the local route downriver. Book a seat on the Aswan-Luxor train (a 3rd/local class ticket is a few pounds; air-conditioned 1st/2nd class is ~£4-7) and hop off at Kom Ombo, or take a shared minibus taxi (~£4-6). Check into a simple guesthouse or hotel near the temple and visit the unusual double temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder in the late afternoon when the light softens and the tour boats have gone (~£4 entry). Watch the sunset over the Nile from the riverside corniche and eat at a local grill house (~£5). Note: with a local train you can spread this leg over two easy days — alternatively stay on the train and go straight to Luxor today and use the saved time for a slower morning tomorrow.

🚌Local train or shared minibus Aswan-Kom Ombo (~£6)

🛏Kom Ombo simple guesthouse (~£15)

• →Kom Ombo double temple
• →Riverside sunset at Kom Ombo

A deliberately easy day: take a late-morning train or shared minibus onward to Luxor (~£3-5, about 1.5 hours) and check into a guesthouse on the West Bank (cheaper, quieter, and steps from the ferry). Spend the afternoon at the Luxor Museum (~£6) or simply wander Luxor Temple at golden hour (~£6 entry, wonderfully lit after dark). Sort the logistics for tomorrow: buy your Valley of the Kings tickets, arrange a West Bank bicycle or a shared taxi driver, and book a local Egyptologist guide for the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut (a half-day private guide is ~£25-35; small-group share options via GetYourGuide/Klook are ~£15-20). Dinner on the West Bank (~£6).

🚌Local train/shared minibus Kom Ombo-Luxor (~£4) + ferry (~£0.30)

🛏Luxor West Bank guesthouse (~£16)

• →Luxor Museum or Luxor Temple
• →West Bank orientation and logistics

Cross on the early ferry and cycle or take a shared taxi down the West Bank, passing farmers' fields, to be at the Valley of the Kings gate for opening. The basic ticket (~£15) covers three tombs of your choice; the tomb of Tutankhamun and the spectacular Seti I cost extra (~£10-15 each) and are well worth one of them. Descend the rock-hewn corridors and see the painted Book of the Dead scenes. Then move on to the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri (~£8) and stop at the Colossi of Memnon (free) on the way back. Optional add-ons: the Valley of the Queens and Nefertari's tomb (~£25, timed entry), or Medinat Habu (~£5) — the best-preserved temple on the West Bank. Lunch at a West Bank family restaurant (~£5).

🚌Shared taxi or bicycle on the West Bank (~£6)

🛏Luxor West Bank guesthouse (~£16)

• →Valley of the Kings
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional Medinat Habu or Queen Nefertari's tomb

Spend the morning at Karnak (~£10), the biggest temple complex in the world — go early and allow 2.5-3 hours to walk the Hypostyle Hall, obelisks and sacred lake; a guide here adds real value (~£20-25 half-day) but the site interpretive boards are decent. Walk or take a calèche back along the new corniche to Luxor Temple, or save it for the evening when it's floodlit. Spend the afternoon at the lively Luxor bazaar and the mummification museum (~£4), then return to the West Bank. If you want more, the Tombs of the Nobles and Deir el-Medina (the artisans' village, ~£5) are a short cycle ride and rarely busy.

🚌Walking, calèche, West Bank ferry (~£4)

🛏Luxor West Bank guesthouse (~£16)

• →Karnak Temple Complex
• →Luxor bazaar and Mummification Museum
• →Optional Deir el-Medina and Tombs of the Nobles

Take the daytime air-conditioned train back to Cairo (about 9-10 hours, 1st class ~£15-22; book on the Egyptian National Railways site or at the station the day before) or the overnight sleeper (~£60-80) if you're short of time — the day train is cheaper and lets you watch Upper Egypt slide past. Arrive Cairo in the evening and check back into Downtown. If you're flying out early, this is a good night to swap to a hotel near the airport. Dinner on the hoof near Talaat Harb (~£5). Alternatively, fly Luxor-Cairo in under an hour (~£40-60 on a low-cost fare) and use the spare afternoon for Islamic Cairo — the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and the Al-Azhar area are free to wander.

🚌Luxor-Cairo 1st class train (~£18) or flight (~£50)

🛏Downtown Cairo guesthouse (~£20)

• →Daytime train across Upper Egypt
• →Optional evening at Khan el-Khalili

Depending on your flight time, take a final wander through Islamic or Coptic Cairo (the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue and the old walls are free or by donation and easily reached by metro to Mar Girgis), or visit Saqqara and Memphis by Careem or shared taxi (~£30 return trip plus ~£10 entry to the Step Pyramid complex) if you have a late flight. Head to the airport by Careem (~£5-9) allowing a good two hours for Cairo traffic and check-in.

🚌Careem to Cairo Airport (~£7)

🛏Departure day — no accommodation required

• →Optional Coptic Cairo walk
• →Optional Saqqara and Memphis day trip