Self-Launched Golden Egypt: Cairo, Giza & Luxor Independently

Land at Cairo International Airport (CAI). Buy your visa on arrival at the bank counter before passport control (approx. £20-25 for most Western passports — check current rules) and pick up a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange in arrivals (~£6-8 for a 10-15GB data bundle). Take an Uber or Careem from the airport to Giza/Haram district (roughly £5-9, 45-60 mins depending on traffic) rather than haggling with taxi touts. Check into a budget hotel or hostel with pyramid views in Haram. Spend the late afternoon walking to the Pyramids plateau viewpoint for sunset, then eat koshari (Egypt's cheap national dish, ~£2-3) at a local spot like Koshary Abou Tarek downtown or a neighbourhood branch in Giza.

🚌Airport Uber/Careem to Giza (~£7)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Giza-Haram with rooftop pyramid view (~£18-22/night, private room)

• →Visa on arrival & local SIM setup
• →Sunset walk to Pyramids plateau viewpoint
• →Koshari dinner in Giza/downtown

Start early (7-7:30am) to beat the heat and crowds at the Giza Plateau. Buy your entry ticket at the gate (~£14-16 for the plateau; Great Pyramid interior and Cheops boat museum cost extra) — or pre-book a small-group skip-the-line entry plus local Egyptologist guide via GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£25-40 if you want the history explained. Walk the Sphinx viewpoint and the panorama point. Mid-morning, take an Uber or local microbus to Saqqara (~£6-9, 45 mins) for the Step Pyramid complex and the tombs of the nobles (~£9-11 entry). Return to Giza for your bags, then head to Ramses Station or Giza Station for the Watania overnight sleeper train to Luxor (book online in advance, roughly £45-65 for a single-occupancy cabin including breakfast — book direct at watania.com or via a local agent). Alternative: a 1-hour domestic flight Cairo–Luxor on EgyptAir/Nile Air for ~£45-80 if you prefer speed.

🚌Uber to Saqqara (~£8 return), overnight sleeper train Cairo–Luxor (~£55)

🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin (Watania, single berth)

• →Giza Plateau & Sphinx (self-guided or small-group guide)
• →Step Pyramid of Djoser & Saqqara tombs
• →Overnight sleeper train to Luxor

Arrive Luxor early morning, drop your bag at your hotel near the Corniche, and have a proper Egyptian breakfast (foul, tameya, bread — ~£2). Spend the late morning at Karnak Temple (~£10-12 entry) — arrive by 8am if the heat is biting, or go in the late afternoon for better light. Grab a cheap local lunch, then rest during the hottest hours. Late afternoon, walk the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple (~£7-9 entry) as the sun drops — it's beautifully lit after dark. In the evening, either take a cheap public Nile ferry (~30p) or a shared felucca (~£5-8 per person for sunset) and eat at a budget riverside restaurant or street grill. Book any hot-air-balloon or West Bank guide you want for tomorrow evening at your hotel or on GetYourGuide (balloon flights ~£70-90 and are weather-dependent).

🚌Local taxi/Uber in Luxor (~£3), public Nile ferry or shared felucca (~£5)

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse near Luxor Corniche (~£15-18/night)

• →Karnak Temple
• →Avenue of Sphinxes walk & Luxor Temple
• →Sunset felucca on the Nile

Cross to the West Bank early (public ferry ~30p, then a local minibus or hired driver for the day ~£10-15). Buy your Valley of the Kings ticket at the gate (~£16-18, includes 3 tombs; Tutankhamun's tomb and Seti I cost extra) and allow 2-3 hours. Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Bahri (~£7-9) and stop at the Colossi of Memnon (free roadside view). A licensed local guide at the gate or pre-booked via GetYourGuide (~£25-35 for a half-day West Bank tour) adds real value here. Back in Luxor by mid-afternoon: shower, eat, and take the Watania overnight sleeper train back to Cairo (~£45-65), or fly Luxor–Cairo (~£45-80) if you'd rather sleep in a bed.

🚌West Bank ferry + local minibus/driver (~£14), overnight sleeper train Luxor–Cairo (~£55)

🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin (Watania) — or budget hotel in Cairo if flying

• →Valley of the Kings (3 tombs included)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir al-Bahri
• →Colossi of Memnon viewpoint

Arrive Cairo and check into a budget hotel downtown or in Giza. Head to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (~£11-14 entry) for Tutankhamun's treasures — alternatively, the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza is now the blockbuster option (check opening status and tickets in advance, ~£20-25). Take an Uber to Coptic Cairo and visit the Hanging Church and Church of St Sergius (free/donation). Then continue to the Citadel of Saladin for the Mohamed Ali Mosque (~£7-9). Finish at Khan el-Khalili bazaar for tea at El Fishawy café (~£1-2) and souvenir browsing — agree prices firmly before buying. Dinner: cheap and excellent street food around downtown or a rooftop restaurant if you want a treat (~£8-12).

🚌Uber/Careem around Cairo (~£6 total)

🛏Budget hotel in downtown Cairo or Giza (~£18-22/night)

• →Egyptian Museum (or Grand Egyptian Museum)
• →Hanging Church, Coptic Cairo
• →Citadel of Saladin & Mohamed Ali Mosque
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar & El Fishawy tea

Breakfast at your hotel or a local ahwa, then a last wander — the Nile Corniche, Zamalek's tree-lined streets, or a final shawarma. Take an Uber or Careem to Cairo International Airport (~£6-9) leaving 3 hours before an international flight. If you have a late flight, consider a half-day trip to Dahshur's Red and Bent Pyramids (~£10 entry, ~45 mins by Uber) — far quieter than Giza and a great final Egypt memory.

🚌Uber/Careem to Cairo airport (~£7)

🛏—

• →Nile Corniche walk or Zamalek wander
• →Optional Dahshur pyramids side trip
• →Airport transfer