Looking to spend some time in Egypt? Two weeks will get you to everything you might want to see, and it’s inexpensive enough that you can travel without breaking the bank. You’ll be happiest if you can get there between October and April so that you beat the summer heat — I went in March, which was perfect. If you’re planning a trip, here’s a day-by-day guide to get you through!

Day 1: The Pyramids of Giza & the Grand Egyptian Museum

Start your day with a visit to the iconic Pyramids of Giza. Take your time here — ride a camel or a horse, see the Sphinx, and have lunch overlooking the pyramids (I recommend the amazing Mamlouk Pyramids Restaurant, especially if you like grilled chicken and freshly baked bread).

After you finish up with an Egyptian tea with mint, head over to the Grand Egyptian Museum, also known as GEM. Only a tiny section is open as of April 2024, but it’s worth seeing, and there’s much more to come in the future.

Day 2: The Egyptian Museum & Historic Coptic Cairo

Stay in Cairo for a visit to the fabulous Egyptian Museum. This place is huge and varied — I would give it at least three hours. After you’re finished, treat yourself to a delicious lemon-mint smoothie at Le Poivre or head up to lunch at Koshary El Tahrir.

In the afternoon, visit the churches of old Coptic Cairo and the nineteenth-century Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which sits inside the Cairo Citadel. If you want to shop, the busy Khan el-Khalili market is not far away, but be warned that the goods on offer are not always of the best quality.

Day 3: Dahshur’s Bent Pyramid & Saqqara’s Step Pyramid

Today you’ll be heading to the incredible pyramids at Dahshur and Saqqara. Start out with a visit to the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur — and go all the way into their narrow, hot passageways if you dare.

Next, go to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the very first pyramid to be built in the world! While you’re at Saqqara, make sure that you take time to explore — this is a big site, and there’s a lot to see. We were lucky that the Tomb of Ptahhotep and his son Akhethotep was open; if you can get in, you’ll be treated to some spectacular carvings. Take time to admire the the Hypostyle Hall and entrance colonnade as well.

End your day with a drink at the rooftop of the Ritz-Carlton as you watch sunset over the Nile.

Day 4: Road Trip to Lake Qarun

This is a relaxing day! Sleep in before you drive to the town of Tunis in the Fayoum (a.k.a. Faiyum) Oasis. Take a felucca ride on Lake Qarun, followed by a horseback adventure along the water’s edge. Spend a lazy afternoon exploring the town or looking out over the water, and stay overnight in or near Tunis.

Day 5: Fayoum Highlights: Valley of the Whales to Fayoum Falls

Today you’ll explore the southern and western sections of the Fayoum Oasis. Start by visiting Wadi Al-Hitan, or Valley of the Whales, where you can see the largest concentration of fossils of the earliest whales that ever existed. Make sure to visit the site’s tiny but interesting Fossil & Climate Change Museum (and take the time to admire the architecture, which is straight out of Star Wars).

Admire the desert’s incredible rock formations and shell fossils as you head to see the large, round rocks at Watermelon Valley. Drive along — and maybe on (depending on your vehicle) — the desert’s large stretch of dunes. Make your way to the Wadi El Rayan Lake overlook before driving down for a swim at Magic Lake. End your day’s driving with a look at Egypt’s largest waterfalls at Wadi El Rayan Fayoum Falls. The falls aren’t huge compared to those in many other countries, but it’s cool to see rushing falls in the middle of a desert. Spend the night either out in the desert or back in Tunis.

Day 6: Fayoum’s Ancient Road & Greco-Roman Ruins

Enjoy your final day at Fayoum by traveling to the northern side of Lake Qarun. Stop by giant round rocks — much bigger than watermelons — before you head up into the rugged mountains. Next, go to see Lake Moeris Quarry Road, the oldest surviving paved road in the world. Your next stop is the Petrified Forest open-air museum, where you can see animal fossils and many fine examples of petrified wood. Finally, visit the eerily empty Temple of Qasr El-Sagha, and then wander around the third-century ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman port town of Dimeh El-Sebaa before your drive back to Cairo.

Day 7: Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

Wake up early for your flight from Cairo to Luxor. You’ll be visiting two giant temple complexes once you arrive: Karnak and Luxor. After you’ve dropped off your bags at your hotel, hop over to the Karnak Temple Complex as soon as you can — it gets crowded by the time 10:30 rolls around. Once you’ve explored Karnak — it’s the largest temple complex in Egypt, so give yourself plenty of time — drive to the slightly younger and smaller Luxor Temple (you can also walk from Karnak to Luxor along the Avenue of the Sphinxes, but be warned that it’s over two kilometers in the hot sun). You’ll be tired, so this is a good day to have a late lunch and spend the afternoon by the pool.

Day 8: Luxor’s West Bank Temples, Hatshepsut to the Ramesseum

This will be your second day in Luxor. Get up early to beat the crowds that flock to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, built to honor the one Egyptian queen who crowned herself Pharaoh. Queen Hatshepsut is an incredible historical figure, and her temple is worth the hype. Next, drive to the impressive Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu. After you’ve learned about the defeat of the Sea Peoples, swing by and take a look at the Colossi of Memnon & Amenhotep III. Finally, make sure you take the time to visit the enormous statues and fascinating archaeological remains at the Ramasseum, the memorial temple of Ramses II.

Day 9: Valley of the Kings & Valley of the Nobles

This will be your final day in Luxor, and probably the most fabulous — because it’s time to see the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Nobles. First, get to the Valley of the Kings early and visit 4 tombs: Ramses I, Ramses IV, Ramses V/VI, and Tausert/Setnakht. The colors are simply amazing.

Next, go to the vastly underrated (and under-visited) Valley of the Nobles to see incredible scenes of daily life at the Tomb of Vizier Rekhmire, and finish with the remarkable and unusual painted ceilings in the Tomb of Sennefer. Should you still have time and energy, you could also explore the Tomb of Ramose — this tomb may be small, but it has some beautiful hieroglyphs.

At this point, I would recommend getting on a Nile cruise to make the trip over the next two days to Aswan. You can do this by car, of course, but a Nile cruise is the highlight of many people’s Egypt experience.

Day 10: Nile Cruise to Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples

You will wake up and find you (and the boat) in the not-so-charming town of Edfu. From the dock, you’ll have a short horse-drawn carriage ride to the Temple of Edfu. This well-preserved shrine, dedicated to Horus and his consort Hathor, boasts some of the finest hieroglyphs I saw on my trip.

You’ll then get back on the boat for a trip upriver to the Temple of Kom Ombo, which was dedicated to Sobek (the crocodile god) and Horus the Elder. If you like crocodile images, this is the place for you!

Day 11: Aswan’s Unfinished Obelisk & Nubian Museum

Your boat will have to finish its journey in Aswan, where you can start your day by visiting two engineering marvels. First, drive out to the Aswan Dam, one of the world’s largest embankment dams. Built in the 1960s, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world at the time of its completion.

Head back into town to see the Unfinished Obelisk. Trust me, this is much more interesting than it sounds — you get to see how an obelisk was carved out of the ground (and we still don’t know how it would have gotten from this spot to Luxor). After lunch, visit the Nubian Museum to learn about the history and culture of Upper Egypt.

Day 12: Abu Simbel: A Masterpiece in the Desert

You’ll need to drive for nearly four hours or take a flight to visit Abu Simbel, two massive temples cut into the rock on the western bank of Lake Nasser. Abu Simbel is notable as a temple in its own right, but it’s also famous because the temples had to be moved part and parcel in the 1960s when they were threatened by the rising waters of the soon-to-be-completed Aswan Dam.

Day 13: Aswan Botanical Garden & Nubian Village

This is your final day in Aswan. Start out with a short boat ride to the somewhat-neglected Aswan Botanical Garden on Kitchener’s Island. While the garden has seen better days, this is still a great opportunity to see native birds and plants from all over the world.

Take a motorboat to visit the colorfully-painted houses at the Nubian Village. Following lunch, end your temple-visiting adventure with a trip to the Philae Temple complex. Dedicated to Isis, Philae faced the same danger of rising waters as Abu Simbel in the 1960s, and it was also moved to higher ground.

Day 14: Flying Back to Cairo & Heading Home

It’s time to say farewell to the Nile at Aswan and make your way home. In all likelihood, today will be spent first flying from Aswan to Cairo and then home (or your next port of call). Safe travels!

Want to Learn More Before You Go to Egypt?

• Visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo: Treasures and Troubles: Discover Tutankhamun’s treasures and centuries of ancient art inside Egypt’s most famous museum.

• Explore Ancient Nubia: Egypt Beyond the Pyramids: Uncover the unique culture of southern Egypt at the Nubian Museum and Village in Aswan.

• 14 Fun Things to Do in Fayoum: Egypt’s Desert Surprise: Enjoy off-the-beaten-path adventures just a few hours from Cairo.

More Places in Egypt Worth Your Time

If you want a few other options to add to your itinerary, you could consider:

• Alexandria — for more history and Mediterranean charm
• The Black and White Deserts — for a strikingly different landscape
• Hurghada or Marsa Alam — for snorkeling or diving in the turquoise lagoons and coral reefs of the Red Sea