Israel, Jordan & Egypt with a Nile Cruise — Self-Launched 14 Days

Land at Ben Gurion and take the official Nesher sherut (shared taxi) or the Israel Railways train to Tel Aviv Savidor/HaHagana — both are cheap and run late. Check into a hostel in the Florentin or Neve Tzedek area (Abraham Hostel and Selina are reliable solo-traveller picks). Spend the afternoon walking the beach promenade and the old port of Jaffa, then eat in the Carmel Market area. Note: Israeli sites are often closed Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, so if you arrive near Shabbat, plan a beach day. Book the next morning's Nazareth bus or shared taxi tonight.

🚌Nesher sherut ~£12 or train ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm in Florentin/Neve Tzedek, £20-28

• →Ben Gurion to Tel Aviv by sherut or train
• →Jaffa Old Port and Clock Tower walk
• →Carmel Market food stalls
• →Beach promenade at sunset

Take the early bus or shared taxi to Nazareth (Egged line 826 from Tel Aviv takes about 2h, ~£7). Visit the Church of the Annunciation, St Joseph's Church and the old souk on your own — all free or donation entry. Then take a local bus to Tiberias (~£2) and use it as a base for the Galilee: bus 450/alt routes run to Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes, both free to enter (Capernaum asks a small donation). Sleep in Tiberias or a Galilee guesthouse. Optional: Yardenit baptism site by local bus if you want it.

🚌Egged bus Tel Aviv–Nazareth ~£7, local buses ~£4

🛏Tiberias guesthouse or hostel, £25-35

• →Church of the Annunciation
• →St Joseph's Church and Nazareth souk
• →Mount of Beatitudes viewpoint
• →Capernaum ruins and Benedictine church
• →Sunset over the Sea of Galilee

Bus north to Caesarea (~£6) and walk the Roman theatre, hippodrome and temple ruins on the combined national park ticket (~£10). Continue to Haifa by train (~£3) for the free Baha'i Gardens terraces viewpoint (book the free garden walk online if you want to go inside). Catch the train to Akko (~£3) and explore the Crusader City and the old Turkish prison on the Akko national park ticket (~£10). Rosh Hanikra's cable car is a detour — skip it if you're tight on time, it needs a bus and ~£8. Sleep in Akko's old city or back in Haifa.

🚌Buses and trains ~£12

🛏Akko or Haifa hostel, £25-32

• →Caesarea National Park — Roman theatre and hippodrome
• →Baha'i Gardens, Haifa
• →Crusader City and Turkish prison, Acre
• →Acre harbour sunset walk

Train to Jerusalem (~£5) and drop bags at a hostel near Jaffa Gate or the German Colony. Join a free walking tour of the Old City (tip-based, ~£10 tip) or simply follow the Via Dolorosa yourself: Mount of Olives viewpoint, Gethsemane, Church of All Nations, Zion Gate, the Cardo, Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are all free to enter. In the afternoon take the 231 bus to Bethlehem (~£2), walk Manger Square and queue for the Church of the Nativity grotto (free, long queues — go late afternoon). Note crossing the checkpoint into the West Bank is straightforward; carry your passport.

🚌Train ~£5, buses to Bethlehem ~£4

🛏Jerusalem hostel dorm, £28-38

• →Mount of Olives panoramic viewpoint
• →Gethsemane and Church of All Nations
• →Western Wall and Via Dolorosa
• →Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• →Manger Square and Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Take the 4:00am Egged 486 bus from Jerusalem to Masada for a sunrise hike up the Roman ramp (~£6, book on the Egged app) — cheaper and more atmospheric than the cable car, or ride the cable car up (~£12). The Masada entry ticket (~£10) covers Herod's palaces, the Roman barracks and the ancient synagogue. Then hop the same bus to Ein Gedi beach (~£3) for a Dead Sea float and mud bath — free beach entry, small fee for showers. Return to Jerusalem on the afternoon bus. Book your Eilat bus for tomorrow morning.

🚌Egged bus 486 return ~£12

🛏Jerusalem hostel dorm, £28-38

• →Sunrise hike up Masada
• →Herod's palaces and Roman barracks
• →Dead Sea float and mud bath at Ein Gedi
• →Judean Desert drive

Take the morning Egged 444 bus from Jerusalem to Eilat (~5h, ~£22). From the Eilat central bus station take a taxi or local shuttle to the Arava/Yitzhak Rabin border crossing (~£8), walk across, pay the Israeli exit fee (~£25) and Jordanian visa-on-arrival (free with the Jordan Pass if booked online, ~£65 with Petra included). A shared taxi or JETT bus from Aqaba to Wadi Musa takes ~1.5h (~£8). Afternoon in Petra on the two-day ticket: the Siq, the Treasury, the street of facades, the amphitheatre and the royal tombs. Eat at a cheap Wadi Musa falafel joint.

🚌Egged 444 to Eilat ~£22, border taxi ~£8, Aqaba–Wadi Musa shared taxi ~£8

🛏Wadi Musa budget guesthouse, £18-25

• →Arava border crossing into Jordan
• →Petra: the Siq and the Treasury
• →Petra amphitheatre and royal tombs
• →Time to explore the ancient temples

Use the second Petra day early: hike to the Monastery via the 800 steps (free with the two-day Jordan Pass), or take the cheaper Al-Khubtha trail for the Treasury-from-above viewpoint. Check out and take a shared minibus from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum village (~1.5h, ~£8). Book a Wadi Rum camp with a 2-3 hour 4x4 jeep tour direct — desert camps bundle jeep + dinner + Bedouin tent bed for ~£35-45. The jeep hits the Lawrence Spring, the red dunes, the ancient rock inscriptions and the Nabatean temple, with a Bedouin tea stop and sunset over the desert.

🚌Shared minibus Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum ~£8

🛏Wadi Rum Bedouin desert camp, £35-45 incl. jeep and dinner

• →Petra Monastery hike or Al-Khubtha trail
• →Shared minibus to Wadi Rum village
• →4x4 jeep safari and ancient rock inscriptions
• →Bedouin camp dinner and stargazing

Early transfer back to Aqaba (~£8 shared taxi), then cross at Taba into Egypt: Aqaba–Taba border shared taxi or JETT bus (~£12), pay the Egyptian visa-on-arrival (~£20) and Israeli exit fee if not already paid (~£25). From Taba take the local bus to Cairo (~7-8h, ~£15) or, if you're short on time, a cheap flight Sharm/Aqaba–Cairo. Evening arrival in Cairo: check in near Tahrir Square or Zamalek, eat koshari on the street (~£2). Book tomorrow's Pyramids guide or just DIY it with Uber.

🚌Shared taxi to Aqaba ~£8, border taxi ~£12, bus to Cairo ~£15

🛏Cairo budget hotel near Tahrir, £15-22

• →Aqaba–Taba border crossing
• →Overnight-style local bus to Cairo
• →Koshari dinner downtown

Take an Uber to Giza (~£2) and buy the plateau ticket (~£8) plus separate entries for the Great Pyramid interior (~£10) or Khafre's Pyramid if you want to climb inside. A local guide at the gate costs ~£15-20 for two hours — bargain down, or use a GetYourGuide Giza + Sphinx small-group tour (~£25). Afternoon: the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (~£8) with Tutankhamun's treasures and royal mummies hall (extra ~£8). Evening walk through Khan el-Khalili bazaar — no entry fee, just tea and haggling.

🚌Ubers around town ~£5

🛏Cairo budget hotel near Tahrir, £15-22

• →Giza Plateau and the Great Sphinx
• →Optional Great Pyramid interior
• →Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar walk

Hire a driver for half a day to Saqqara (~£25-30 for the car, split if you meet people at the hostel) — ticket ~£8 covers the Step Pyramid of Djoser complex, the Unas pyramid and the Teti pyramid, with Imhotep Museum included. On the way back stop at Memphis (small ticket). Afternoon in Coptic Cairo: the Hanging Church, Abu Serga and the Babylon Fortress gates — all free or donation. Pack for tomorrow's early flight or overnight train to Aswan; buy the sleeper train if you want to save a hotel night.

🚌Half-day private car ~£12 pp if split

🛏Cairo budget hotel near Tahrir, £15-22

• →Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser
• →Unas and Teti pyramids
• →Coptic Cairo — Hanging Church and Babylon Fortress
• →Khan el-Khalili or Abou Tarek koshari dinner

Take the morning EgyptAir/Nile Air flight Cairo–Aswan (~£25-35, 1h15) or the overnight sleeper train (~£35). Check into a budget guesthouse or board your Nile cruise — 3-night Aswan–Luxor cruises start from ~£160-220 pp booked direct with Nile Cruise operators or via Klook, full board and stops included. Afternoon: Aswan High Dam (~£3), motorboat to Agilika Island for the Temple of Philae (~£8 ticket + ~£5 boat), then a felucca sail at sunset (~£5 pp shared).

🚌Domestic flight Cairo–Aswan ~£30

🛏Onboard Nile cruise (3 nights ~£180 pp full board) or Aswan guesthouse

• →Aswan High Dam
• →Motorboat to Agilika Island
• →Temple of Philae
• →Sunset felucca sail

Cruise day. Morning stop at Kom Ombo for the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris (~£5, best seen from the river). Sail on to Edfu and take a horse carriage (~£3 return) or walk to the Temple of Horus (~£7), the best-preserved temple in Egypt — go at opening or late afternoon to avoid cruise crowds. Lunch and dinner onboard. If you're travelling independently by train instead, both temples are a short taxi/tuk-tuk ride from the stations on the Aswan–Luxor line.

🚌Included in cruise (or train + tuk-tuk ~£10)

🛏Onboard Nile cruise, full board

• →Temple of Sobek and Haroeris, Kom Ombo
• →Temple of Horus, Edfu
• →Onboard dinner and deck sunset

Cross to the West Bank early (~£2 ferry or ~£5 by road). The West Bank ticket (~£10) covers three royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings — Tutankhamun's tomb costs extra (~£7). Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari (~£6) and the free Colossi of Memnon. Rent a bike (~£3) or shared taxi (~£10 for the loop) to cover the sites cheaply. Evening: optional Sound and Light Show at Karnak (~£20) or just a mint tea on the corniche. Last night onboard or in a Luxor guesthouse.

🚌Ferry and shared taxi ~£8

🛏Onboard cruise or Luxor West Bank guesthouse, £15-20

• →Valley of the Kings — three royal tombs
• →Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional Karnak sound and light show

Check out of the cruise early and visit Karnak Temple complex (~£8) and Luxor Temple (~£6) — go at 7am before the heat and crowds. Then either fly Luxor–Cairo (~£40-55, 1h) or take the day train (~£15, 9-10h) to catch your international departure. If your flight leaves from Luxor, simply head to Luxor airport. Leave buffer time — Egyptian domestic flights run late.

🚌Luxor–Cairo flight ~£45 or train ~£15

🛏—

• →Karnak Temple complex
• →Luxor Temple
• →Last Egyptian breakfast on the corniche