Best of the Holy Land, Jordan & Egypt with Nile Cruise — Self-Launched 17 Days

Land at Ben Gurion and take the Israel Railways train from the airport to Tel Aviv HaHagana or Savidor (~35 ILS / £8, 20 mins) — far cheaper than a taxi. Check into a hostel in the Florentin or Neve Tzedek area. Spend the evening walking Rothschild Boulevard and the Tel Aviv promenade, and grab a falafel or hummus dinner in Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel). Sort out a Rav-Kav transit card today — it works on buses, trains and light rail nationwide.

🚌Israel Railways airport train ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Florentin/Neve Tzedek (~£22–35)

• →Airport train to Tel Aviv
• →Rothschild Boulevard & Neve Tzedek walk
• →Carmel Market dinner
• →Buy Rav-Kav transit card

Book a day tour from Tel Aviv (GetYourGuide/Viator, £60–75 including Masada entry and cable car) or take the 421 public bus to Masada and the Dead Sea independently — the tour is better value once you factor in the taxi from the bus stop. Climb or cable-car up Masada for Herod's palace, synagogue and bathhouse, float in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokek, and stop at the Ein Gedi oasis springs. Continue by bus (Egged 486/444, ~£10) into Jerusalem in the evening and check into a hostel in the Old City or Nachlaot.

🚌Organised day tour or public Egged bus ~£10

🛏Jerusalem hostel, Old City or Nachlaot (~£25–40)

• →Masada fortress & cable car
• →Dead Sea float at Ein Bokek
• →Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
• →Bus to Jerusalem

Walk or take the light rail to the Israel Museum (£12 entry) to see the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls, plus the model of Herodian Jerusalem. Then take bus 27 to Yad Vashem (free, closed Saturdays). In the afternoon bus 234 from outside Damascus Gate to Bethlehem (~30 mins, ~£3), visit the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square, and return by bus before dark. Note current travel advice before crossing into the West Bank and keep your passport on you.

🚌Light rail + local buses ~£7

🛏Jerusalem hostel (~£25–40)

• →Shrine of the Book / Dead Sea Scrolls
• →Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial
• →Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
• →Manger Square

A fully walkable day: enter through Jaffa or Damascus Gate, walk the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount (non-Muslim entry via the Mughrabi Bridge, check opening hours). Descend to Mount Zion for the Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper, walk down through the Garden of Gethsemane, then up the Mount of Olives for the classic panorama. Finish with a graze at Mahane Yehuda market — the best cheap dinner in the city.

🚌On foot + light rail ~£2

🛏Jerusalem hostel (~£25–40)

• →Via Dolorosa & Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Western Wall & Temple Mount
• →Mount of Olives viewpoint
• →Mahane Yehuda market food crawl

Longest self-drive-style day — cheapest on a small-group day tour (GetYourGuide, £70–90) covering Jericho viewpoint, the Beit She'an Roman excavations (£7 entry) and a Golan Heights winery tasting (£10–15). Alternatively take bus 961 from Jerusalem to Tiberias (~£9, 2h45) and do Golan separately with a shared taxi from Tiberias. Check into a guesthouse by the Sea of Galilee; the water temperature at sunset is worth the walk.

🚌Small-group tour or Egged bus ~£10

🛏Tiberias guesthouse / Sea of Galilee hostel (~£30–45)

• →Beit She'an Roman city
• →Golan Heights wine tasting
• →Druze villages drive
• →Jericho viewpoint

Take bus 459 or 450 around the lake to Capernaum's ancient synagogue (£4), the Mount of Beatitudes, and Tabgha. In the afternoon bus to Nazareth (~£4, 50 mins) for the Church of the Annunciation and the old market. Optionally add a wooden boat trip on the Sea of Galilee (£12 booked locally at Ein Gev or Tiberias marina). Return to Tiberias by bus.

🚌Egged buses around the lake ~£8

🛏Tiberias guesthouse (~£30–45)

• →Capernaum synagogue ruins
• →Mount of Beatitudes
• →Tabgha
• →Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth
• →Optional Sea of Galilee boat trip

Train from Tiberias area (bus to Afula then train) to Akko to see the Crusader halls and underground tunnels (£10 entry — worth it) and the sea walls. Continue by train to Haifa for the Baha'i Shrine and the Persian Garden terrace viewpoint (free), then to Caesarea (bus from Hadera or Binyamina station, £5) for the Roman theatre and Herod's harbour, and finally to Jaffa for the old port and the Tel Aviv beach. Stay in Jaffa or central Tel Aviv.

🚌Israel Railways + local bus ~£12

🛏Tel Aviv hostel (~£25–40)

• →Acre Crusader halls & sea walls
• →Baha'i Shrine, Haifa
• →Caesarea Roman theatre
• →Jaffa old port
• →Tel Aviv beach

Take the JETT coach from Tel Aviv (book a day or two ahead, ~£25), crossing at Sheikh Hussein Bridge; expect 1–2 hours at the border plus a Jordanian visa on arrival (~£45, or use the Jordan Pass if you're staying 3+ nights — it includes your Petra entry and roughly halves the total). On the way, stop at Jerash (~£8 entry / included in Jordan Pass) for the colonnaded streets and Temple of Artemis — possible via a shared taxi from Amman if the direct coach doesn't stop. Check into a hostel in downtown Amman and eat knafeh on Rainbow Street.

🚌JETT coach ~£25 + shared taxi/taxi ~£10

🛏Amman hostel downtown (~£18–28)

• →JETT coach Tel Aviv–Amman
• →Jerash Roman city
• →Amman citadel or Rainbow Street evening

JETT runs a daily morning coach Amman–Petra (~£15, 3.5h, 6:30am) — book online in advance. Drop your bag at your guesthouse near the gates and enter Petra early: the Siq, the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs, and if your legs hold, the climb to the Monastery (800 steps, doable in 45 mins). Sunset from the Treasury viewpoint is included in your ticket. Get the 2-day Petra ticket (£65 / incl. Jordan Pass) so you're not sprinting through the best site on the trip.

🚌JETT coach Amman–Petra ~£15

🛏Petra guesthouse near the visitor centre (~£18–30)

• →Petra via the Siq
• →The Treasury (Al-Khazneh)
• →Royal Tombs & Street of Facades
• →Monastery hike

Morning at Little Petra and the Petra Museum (free), then a shared minibus or the 3pm JETT back toward Amman, hopping off at Madaba to see St George's Byzantine mosaic map (£3) and at Mount Nebo (£3) for the view across the Jordan Valley to Jericho. Taxi or local bus from Madaba back to Amman (~£5). Sort your Cairo flight tonight — direct Amman–Cairo on Royal Jordanian or EgyptAir runs from around £110 one-way.

🚌Shared minibus + local bus ~£22

🛏Amman hostel (~£18–28)

• →Little Petra
• →St George's Church mosaic, Madaba
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Bus back to Amman

Morning flight Amman–Cairo (~£110, 2h). Take the airport bus or Uber to downtown (£5) and check into a hostel near Tahrir Square. Afternoon: the Egyptian Museum (£12) — note the Tutankhamun collection is now split with the new Grand Egyptian Museum, so check which is open/which galleries you want — then the Citadel and Alabaster Mosque (£7). Evening wander and haggle in Khan el-Khalili and eat koshari at Abou Tarek (£3).

🚌Flight ~£110 + airport bus/Uber ~£5

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel (~£12–22)

• →Flight to Cairo
• →Egyptian Museum
• →Citadel & Alabaster Mosque
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar

Uber to Giza (£4) for opening time — the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx and the plateau (£12 entry; going inside the Great Pyramid is extra, ~£15 and claustrophobic but memorable). Then Uber or a private driver for the afternoon (£25–30 for Saqqara + Memphis + return) to see the Step Pyramid of Zoser and the Statue of Ramesses II in Memphis. Consider the light-and-sound show at Giza (£18) or an evening Nile dinner felucca if you have energy.

🚌Uber + private driver ~£18

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel (~£12–22)

• →Great Pyramids of Giza
• →Sphinx
• →Step Pyramid at Saqqara
• →Memphis open-air museum

Cheap morning flight Cairo–Aswan with Nile Air or EgyptAir (~£55, book ahead; the overnight sleeper train is £40–60 if you prefer). Check into a guesthouse in Aswan, then visit the Aswan High Dam (£3), Philae Temple by boat (£8 entry + boat), and Sail a felucca to Kitchener's Island's botanical garden (£8 per person shared, cheaper if you join other travellers at the corniche). Walk Elephantine Island in the late afternoon. Book your Nile cruise today — 4-night Aswan–Luxor cruises cost £250–400 per person in a shared twin booked direct with operators or via a local agent in Aswan.

🚌Flight ~£55 + local boats/taxis ~£10

🛏Aswan guesthouse (~£15–25)

• →Flight to Aswan
• →Aswan High Dam
• →Philae Temple
• →Felucca to Kitchener's Island
• →Elephantine Island

Morning embarkation on your Nile cruise (4 nights, full board). Optional early start for Abu Simbel — book the shared minibus direct in Aswan (£30–45, not the £135 some guides charge) and be back by 1pm; it's a 3am departure but the temples are the single best thing on the Nile. Sail in the afternoon and stop at Kom Ombo at sunset for the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris.

🚌Included in cruise / Abu Simbel minibus ~£35

🛏Nile cruise cabin, full board (cruise cost £250–400 total)

• →Abu Simbel (optional)
• →Nile cruise embarkation
• →Kom Ombo Temple

Horse-drawn calèche from the ship to the Temple of Horus at Edfu (£8 entry, £5 carriage shared) — worth going early before the heat. Sail on to Esna, cross the Esna Lock in the late afternoon, and watch the mayhem from the top deck. Evening on the ship: dinner, deck bar and the standard Egyptian cruise routine.

🚌Included in cruise

🛏Nile cruise cabin, full board

• →Horus Temple, Edfu
• →Horse-drawn carriage ride
• →Esna Lock transit
• →Sunset on deck

Disembark in Luxor early and head to the West Bank with a shared taxi or local guide (£15–20 for the half day): Valley of the Kings (£12, three tombs included; Tutankhamun extra), Hatshepsut's mortuary temple (£8) and the Colossi of Memnon. Afternoon: Luxor Temple (£7) and, if there's time, Karnak (£10) — either on foot along the corniche or by taxi. Stay overnight in Luxor rather than flying straight back to Cairo (the original tour's late-night flight is a common complaint).

🚌Shared taxi + ferry across the Nile ~£12

🛏Luxor guesthouse near the corniche (~£15–25)

• →Valley of the Kings
• →Hatshepsut Temple
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Luxor Temple & Karnak

Morning flight Luxor–Cairo (~£50, 1h) or the overnight sleeper train if you're tight on budget. Use the day for last-minute shopping, a final koshari lunch, or an optional day trip to Alexandria by train (£6 each way, 2h15) if you have a night flight. Head to the airport by Uber or the airport bus (~£4). Allow 3 hours before an international departure.

🚌Flight Luxor–Cairo ~£50 + airport transfer ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Flight to Cairo
• →Optional Alexandria day trip
• →Last-minute bazaar shopping