Egypt Tours · Style
The Egypt sleeper train runs nightly between Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan in private 2-berth cabins – a route that's been operating since the Belle Époque and remains one of the most enjoyable ways to cover the 700-kilometer Cairo–Aswan stretch. Dinner is served at your cabin, the porter makes up the beds while you eat, and you wake the next morning either gliding past the Nile Valley at Luxor or arriving at Aswan in time for breakfast. Sleeper-train Egypt tours typically combine the overnight train one way (Cairo → Aswan) with the Nile cruise back north and a domestic flight from Luxor to Cairo. The total saving over standard fly-fly is modest; the experience saving is the point.
6 matching tours ·
Rated 4.6 out of 5 from 38 Tripadvisor and Google reviews · ETAA Licence 718 (Category A)
The hallmarks
The Egypt sleeper train runs nightly between Cairo and Aswan in private 2-berth cabins – a route the British administration installed in the 1920s, still running with the same Pullman-era courtesies. Dinner is served at your cabin, the porter makes up the beds while you eat, and you wake the next morning to the Nile Valley gliding past the window at Luxor or arriving at Aswan in time for breakfast.
Picture the bedouin-tinged dinner in your private compartment as the train pulls out of Cairo Ramses at 19:30, the lights of the Delta rolling past, then waking thirteen hours later as the train pulls into Aswan with the desert palm light flooding the window. The journey is part of the trip, not just a transit.
How to choose
Three pillars decide the shape. The biggest is which direction you do by train.
Southbound, almost always. Cairo → Aswan or Cairo → Luxor overnight buys you a full daylight day at the destination on arrival, and the experience is the trip's signature. The reverse (Aswan → Cairo) means you arrive at 5am with limited hotel check-in availability. Our standard sleeper-train structure: train southbound, 3-night Nile cruise back north, fly Luxor → Cairo on the return.
Standard 2-berth is fine for the 10–13 hour journey – upper + lower bunk, fold-down table, ensuite washbasin, USB charging, dinner + breakfast included. Deluxe 2-berth is the upgrade if your party has light sleepers – larger space, better suspension, $50–80 more per cabin. We always book Watania-operated trains, not standard Egyptian National Railways.
Two shapes work best with the train. Train + cruise – overnight train southbound, then 3-night Nile cruise back north, fly home from Luxor. Train + land-only – overnight train southbound, hotel-based for Luxor and Aswan, no cruise at all. The first is the more popular shape; the second suits returning visitors and clients with motion sensitivity. See our land-only slice for the cruise-free combinations.
MidCairo
A nine-day Egypt tour that links Cairo, a night on the sleeper train and a four-night dahabiya cruise from Luxor to Aswan. You see the Giza Pyramids, Saqqara, Memphis and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then the Valley of the Kings, and stop at the temples of Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo along the river. Hotels, the train cabin, the dahabiya, one domestic flight, transfers, entrance fees and a licensed Egyptologist are all part of the plan. Hotel and dahabiya standard is yours to choose when you book.
MidCairo
A nine-day Egypt tour that links Cairo, Alexandria and the Nile by rail and river. You see the Step, Bent and Red Pyramids, spend a full day in Alexandria, take the overnight sleeper train from Alexandria to Luxor, then cruise for four nights from Luxor to Aswan. Your Egyptologist guide, entrance fees, transfers, the domestic flight from Aswan to Cairo, hotels and your cruise cabin are included. The sleeper train runs on set days, so we plan your dates around it.
MidCairo
A ten-day Egypt tour that links Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada. You see the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili, then travel overnight by sleeper train in a private cabin to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, Karnak and Luxor Temple. A private transfer takes you to Hurghada for four days of Red Sea boat trips. An English-speaking Egyptologist, entrance fees and transport are included on the sightseeing days.
MidCairo
A six-day Egypt tour that links Cairo, Aswan and Abu Simbel by overnight sleeper train. You see the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili, then in Aswan the High Dam, Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk, and Abu Simbel by road. The tour ends at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. An English-speaking Egyptologist guide, entrance fees, transport, three nights in hotels and two nights in a private sleeper cabin are included. There are no domestic flights.
BudgetCairo
A five-day Egypt sleeper train tour from Cairo to Luxor and back. You see the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, Saqqara and Memphis, then the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak, and finish at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. You sleep in a private cabin on the train for two nights, with dinner and breakfast on board, and in a hotel for the other two. Private Egyptologist guides, transfers and entrance tickets to the listed temples and tombs are included.
BudgetCairo
This 8-day Egypt tour combines Cairo’s ancient monuments with a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan. In Cairo, our specialist Egyptologist accompanies visits to the Giza Plateau, the Great Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum. You then travel south by overnight sleeper train instead of flying, which keeps the price down, and join a four-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, with scheduled visits to Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Luxor West Bank, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae Temple. You will also see the Aswan High Dam. Unlike a Cairo-only holiday, this itinerary connects Egypt’s principal archaeological sites with the changing scenery of the Nile. Evening options in Luxor include the Karnak sound and light show or a felucca sail, subject to availability and additional cost.
Practical questions
Standard cabins are 2-berth (upper + lower bunk), private door, ensuite washbasin (no shower), USB charging, fold-down table. Deluxe cabins are larger, more storage, identical bedding. Both include a 3-course dinner served at your cabin and continental breakfast in the morning. Western-style toilets are at each end of the carriage. We book the Watania-operated trains, not the standard Egyptian National Railways service.
Cairo → Aswan takes 13 hours (depart Cairo Ramses ~19:30, arrive Aswan ~08:30). Cairo → Luxor takes 10 hours (depart Cairo ~22:00, arrive Luxor ~08:00). The reverse runs the same way. We always book the southbound leg overnight so you maximise daylight at the destination on arrival day.
Prices on this page currently start from $1,032 per person (5 days, two people sharing); each card shows its own from-price. The standard 2-berth Watania cabin is $130–$170 per cabin per leg; deluxe cabins are $230–$290. Both include dinner and breakfast on board. We always price the train as part of the package, not as an upgrade.
Yes. The Watania-operated trains have armed tourist police on board, cabin doors lock from inside, and the carriages are reserved for tourists only (no shared compartments with locals). The track has been operating safely since the Belle Époque. Common-sense precautions: keep passports + valuables in the under-bed safe, don't open your cabin door to non-staff, use the steward call-button rather than walking the corridors at night.
One-way southbound, almost always. Cairo → Aswan overnight buys you a full day at the destination on arrival, and the trip itself is memorable. The reverse (Aswan → Cairo) means you lose daylight on departure day and arrive in Cairo at ~5am with limited check-in availability. Our standard sleeper-train shape: train southbound, 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor, fly Luxor → Cairo. You get the train experience once without sacrificing onward logistics.
From the Cairo desk
Every Egypt tour we run is tailor-made – your dates, your party, your pace. Send a short brief or talk to the Cairo desk direct. Replies within one working day.
– Suhaila & the Cairo team · 38 years · 6 offices · IATA #90255546
