8-Day Cairo, Nile Cruise & Hurghada Tour
The Giza Pyramids, three nights cruising from Aswan to Luxor and two nights by the Red Sea. Flights, hotels and your cruise cabin are included.
The short answer
8-Day Cairo, Nile Cruise & Hurghada Tour is an 8-day, 7-night trip to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada: 2 nights in Cairo, 3 on a Nile cruise and 2 in Hurghada. Starts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Sundays. It includes domestic flights, an Egyptologist guide, entrance fees and transfers. Prices start at $2,243 per person, two sharing (Comfort, October–April).
02Overview
A first look
This eight-day tour does the history first and the beach last. You land in Cairo and have a free evening to rest, then the next day comes the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum. That same day you fly south to Aswan and join your Nile cruise ship for three nights, with Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor Temple, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings on the way to Luxor.
From Luxor a private car takes you to Hurghada on the Red Sea, five hours away, for two nights and a day of snorkeling at Orange Bay. A flight brings you back to Cairo for the last night. We book both domestic flights, every transfer, your hotels and your cruise cabin. You choose the standard of hotel and ship when you book, and the sightseeing stays the same.
What lingers
- 01A free first evening in Cairo to rest before the Giza day
- 02Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum with an Egyptologist
- 03Three nights on a Nile cruise ship from Aswan to Luxor, full board
- 04Philae, Kom Ombo and Edfu temples, then Luxor Temple and Karnak
- 05The Valley of the Kings, with three tombs included
- 06A snorkeling day at Orange Bay, Giftun Island, with lunch and two guided sessions
Choose your comfort level
Prices are per person in USD, from 2 people sharing a double room, including accommodation at the properties listed or similar.
| Comfort level | Where you stay or similar | Per personfrom, Oct–Apr | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfortfrom $2,2434★ hotels · 5★ Nile cruises | Cairo · 2 nightsJewel Sport City Nile Cruise · 3 nightsTower Prestige · Royal Elite Hurghada · 2 nightsSwiss Inn Resort Hurghada | $2,243May–Sep: from $2,039 | |
| Classicfrom $2,3365★ hotels · 5★ Nile cruises | Nile Cruise · 3 nightsSun Times · Stephanie Hurghada · 2 nightsAMC Royal Hotel & Spa | $2,336May–Sep: from $2,039 | |
| Prestigefrom $2,9575★ deluxe hotels · 5★ deluxe Nile cruises | Nile Cruise · 3 nightsSonesta Moon Goddess · Nile Serenity Hurghada · 2 nightsHilton Hurghada Plaza | $2,957May–Sep: from $2,781 | |
| Luxuryfrom $4,3825★ luxury hotels · 5★ luxury Nile cruises | Cairo · 2 nightsSt. Regis Cairo Nile Cruise · 3 nightsSonesta St. George I · Cleopatra | $4,382May–Sep: from $3,563 |
Nile cruise on full board. You'll stay in these properties, or a similar choice of the same quality. Choose your date in the booking panel for the exact price.
Day by day
Detailed itinerary
8 Days / 7 Nights · Cairo · Aswan · Kom Ombo · Edfu · Luxor · Hurghada
- 1
Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at Cairo Airport and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and rest after the flight. Tomorrow is a full sightseeing day, so an early night helps.
- 2
This is a very full day, so expect an early start. Your Egyptologist takes you to the Giza Plateau for the pyramids and the Great Sphinx (the Giza visit takes 4 to 6 hours), then lunch and the Grand Egyptian Museum, about eight hours in all. After that you transfer to Cairo Airport for the one-hour flight to Aswan, and a private transfer takes you to your cruise ship.
The airline sets the flight time, so we arrange the day around it, including Philae Temple, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk, your first cruise sightseeing. The guide, the entrance fees and the transport are included. Dinner and the night are on board.
- 3
The ship travels north toward Luxor. With your English-speaking Egyptologist guide you go ashore at the Temple of Kom Ombo, which stands right on the riverbank, and at the Temple of Edfu. The entrance fees and the transport are included. Between visits there is time on deck, with date palms and farmland along the banks.
- 4
The ship reaches Luxor. Your Egyptologist guide takes you to Luxor Temple and Karnak, the largest temple complex in Egypt, including its Sacred Lake. Entrance fees and transport are included. The rest of the day is on board, with dinner and your last night on the Nile.
- 5
After breakfast you leave the ship for the West Bank with your Egyptologist guide: the Valley of the Kings, with three tombs included, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. Entrance fees and transport are included. Then a private air-conditioned car takes you from Luxor to Hurghada on the Red Sea, a drive of about five hours.
Only breakfast is included today.
- 6
Your driver brings you from the hotel to the marina, and a motorboat carries you out to Orange Bay at Giftun Island. A guide leads two snorkeling stops over the reef, with masks, fins and life jackets provided, and in between you can rest on a sunbed on the sand. Lunch is hot, water is included, and the boat returns you to Hurghada before you go back to the hotel.
- 7
After breakfast a transfer takes you to Hurghada Airport for the one-hour flight to Cairo. The airline sets the flight time. You are met on arrival and taken to your hotel. There is no sightseeing planned today, so the rest of the day is yours. Staying a last night in Cairo is deliberate: it is a safety window in case a domestic flight is delayed, so you reach your flight home without stress.
- 8
Today you check out of your Cairo hotel after breakfast. Your private driver is waiting to take you to the airport for the flight home, and the representative helps with your bags. The drive is planned at about ninety minutes, so keep some spare time in hand.
Bundled in
- Domestic flights
The fine print
What's included – and what isn't
Included
- Two nights in Cairo hotels and two nights in Hurghada, all with breakfast, and three nights on a Nile cruise ship on full board
- Domestic flights Cairo to Aswan and Hurghada to Cairo
- All airport, hotel and ship transfers by air-conditioned vehicle, including the private transfer from Luxor to Hurghada
- Entrance fees to every site in the itinerary, including three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and transport on every sightseeing day
- Orange Bay snorkeling day with boat, equipment, life jackets, sunbed, hot lunch and bottled water
- English-speaking Egyptologist guide on the Giza day and on every Nile cruise sightseeing day
- Meet-and-assist at the airport
- All service charges and taxes
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egypt entry visa
- Gratuities for guides, drivers and ship staff
- Drinks on board and meals other than those stated
- Travel insurance and personal expenses
Field notes
From our Egyptologists
- 01
At Giza, arrive early for the clearest views and the least heat on the plateau.
- 02
On the Luxor West Bank, the Valley of the Kings gets hotter fastest after 10 a.m.
- 03
For Philae, morning light usually works best from the boat landing side.
- 04
In Hurghada, reef visibility is often better before noon when the sea is calmer.
- 05
Carry small notes for tips and incidental purchases; many drivers and site staff prefer cash.
Tailor it
Make it yours
Choose your hotel and ship standard when you book. Ask us about extra nights in Cairo, Luxor or Hurghada.
All requests handled by your dedicated specialist before booking.
Suited to
Is this for you?
Yes, if
- Travelers who want ancient sites first and sea time afterward. Suited to couples, friends and solo travelers who are comfortable with two flights, a long drive and several hours of walking on sightseeing days.
Maybe not, if
- Travelers who need step-free access to every site, or who want a slow pace in one place. Day 2 and day 5 are long.
Honest assessment
Real trade-offs from our experience managing this tour.
Highlights
- Pyramids, Grand Egyptian Museum, the main Nile temples and the Red Sea in eight days
- Both domestic flights and all transfers handled for you
- Three nights on a ship, so no repacking between Aswan and Luxor
Things to Consider
- Day 2 combines Giza, the museum, a flight to Aswan and the start of the cruise sightseeing
- A five-hour road transfer from Luxor to Hurghada on day 5
- Abu Simbel is not included
Where it fits
A good first trip to Egypt if you want history first and a few days by the sea. Abu Simbel is not included.
Worth knowing
How this compares
Many operators sell the Nile and the Red Sea as separate trips. This itinerary joins them in eight days, with both flights and every transfer booked for you. Hotel and ship standard is your choice; the sightseeing does not change.
Compare
Similar tours to compare
On the ground
Your route
Snapshot
Good to know
- Travel style
- Guided Multi-Day Tour with Nile Cruise and Red Sea Stay
- Accommodation
- Cairo and Hurghada hotels and a Nile cruise ship, standard chosen at booking
- Destinations
- Cairo · Aswan · Kom Ombo · Edfu · Luxor · Hurghada
- Includes
- 2 nights in Cairo hotels and 2 nights in Hurghada, with breakfast · 3 nights on a Nile cruise ship, full board · Flights Cairo to Aswan and Hurghada to Cairo · Entrance fees to every listed site · Orange Bay snorkeling day with lunch · All transfers by air-conditioned vehicle
- Best for
- First-time visitors · History-focused travelers who also want a beach stop · Couples and friends who want temples and the Red Sea in one trip
The morning of
Meeting point & timing
- Where
- Cairo International Airport (CAI), Arrivals HallMap
Before you go
What to pack & wear
What to bring
- Passport and any required travel documents
- Comfortable walking shoes with good grip
- Swimwear and a towel for the Orange Bay day
- Sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher
- Sun hat and sunglasses
- Refillable water bottle
- Any personal medication
- Light layer for the ship and for flights
What to wear
- Lightweight, breathable clothing for sun and heat
- Closed shoes for temples and uneven ground
- Clothing that covers shoulders and knees at mosques and temples
- Swimwear and a cover-up for the beach and boat
- A hat and sunglasses
- A light jacket for evenings on the river in winter
Children & families
Children are welcome. Every child takes a seat in the vehicle, so transport, guiding and meals are charged at the adult rate at any age. Entrance tickets are free for children under 6 and full price from 6. Cabin and hotel prices depend on the child's age and the room or cabin used, so we give you the exact figure when you tell us the age at booking. Life jackets are provided for the snorkeling day, and children should be comfortable in the water.
Accessibility
Who can join this
This tour involves a lot of walking on large archaeological sites, with uneven stone, sand, steps and some narrow tomb passages. The Valley of the Kings and Karnak have long outdoor stretches with little shade. Boarding the ship, the boat to Philae and the motorboat to Orange Bay involve steps and a gangway. The vehicles are private and air-conditioned, but we cannot promise wheelchair access at every site. Tell us your needs when you book and we will tell you honestly which parts are suitable.
– Responsible travel
How we travel here
The itinerary uses two domestic flights, a Nile cruise ship, a motorboat and private road transfers, and the vehicle type can vary, so we do not claim a carbon saving. Sightseeing is guided by local Egyptologists and arranged through local suppliers in Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada, so most of the money you spend stays in the places you visit. We ask guests to take water bottles that can be refilled, not to touch painted walls in tombs and not to touch or stand on coral when snorkeling.
Licensed Egyptologist guides
State-licensed, and people we have worked with for years
Fair wages on the ground
Drivers + guides paid above market
Site preservation
We follow the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' site rules: marked paths, no touching reliefs
Local teams, real help
Our own offices in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh
If plans change
Cancellation and refunds
If you cancel, your refund depends on how early you tell us and on the type of trip. Read our current cancellation and refund policy
Asked & answered
Frequent questions
01Are the domestic flights included?
Yes. The flight from Cairo to Aswan on day 2 and the flight from Hurghada to Cairo on day 7 are booked for you and included in the price. The airline sets the flight times. International flights are not.02How many nights are on the Nile cruise?
Three nights on board, from Aswan to Luxor, on full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. The other four nights are in hotels with breakfast: one in Cairo, two in Hurghada and one more in Cairo.03Which cruise ship and hotels will we have?
You choose a standard when you book, from budget to luxury, and we name the ship and hotels for your dates. The itinerary and sightseeing are the same at every standard.04Is day 2 too much?
It is the busiest day: the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a flight to Aswan and the start of the cruise sightseeing. We arrange the Aswan visits around your flight time. Tell us your arrival time, and we will help you plan around it.05What does the Hurghada day include?
Day 6 is a boat trip to Orange Bay on Giftun Island, with two guided snorkeling sessions, equipment, life jackets, a beach sunbed, a hot lunch and bottled water.06What is not included?
International flights, the Egypt visa, tips for guides, drivers and ship staff, drinks other than those stated, and meals other than those listed, including lunch and dinner on day 5.07Is Abu Simbel included?
No. This itinerary does not include Abu Simbel. Ask us about longer tours that do.08When is the best time to go?
October to April is cooler and the most comfortable for walking around temples. Summers are hot in Luxor and Aswan, so sightseeing starts early. The Red Sea is warm for swimming for most of the year.09Will I make my international flight?
Domestic and international tickets are separate bookings, so a delayed domestic flight can cost you the connection. That is why this tour finishes with a last night in Cairo, which we prefer. If you shorten it and connect through Cairo the same day, choose a late-evening or night international flight. Take travel insurance that covers missed connections.
Last updated Product ID: TOU-CAI-110707
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days · 7 nights
- Starts
- Tue, Wed, Thu or Sun
- Route
- Cairo → Aswan → Kom Ombo → Edfu → Luxor → Hurghada → Cairo
- Nights
- 2 Cairo · 3 Nile cruise · 2 Hurghada
- Includes
- Domestic flights, Egyptologist guide, entrance fees, transfers