Tips and advice for a 3-week trip to Egypt
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Original post
NI
Hi everyone! 🙂 I’m planning a 3-week trip to Egypt in July 2025, and my itinerary isn’t set yet. I’ve traveled solo as a backpacker before and I’m really into history. Here’s how I’m thinking of organizing it: Since I’ll be arriving and departing from Cairo, I’m thinking of visiting the Giza sites on the 2nd day and saving the city of Cairo and the Grand Egyptian Museum for a few days before my departure, after seeing the sites where the collections come from. After Giza, I’m planning two days of visits to Saqqara: the first in North Saqqara with the tomb of Horemheb, the Pyramid of Unas (entering), the Step Pyramid of Djoser (entering), the Serapeum of Saqqara (entering), the Pyramid of Teti (entering), the Mastaba of Mereruka (entering), the tomb of Maia, and the Imhotep Museum. Does that sound doable in one day? The idea is to have slept in Saqqara the night before to arrive right at opening. The second day would include the Red Pyramids (entering) and admiring the Bent, White, and Black Pyramids from afar in the morning, then the Pyramids of Pepi I and Pepi II, the tomb of Mehu (entering), and the ruins of the Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi in the afternoon. Does anyone know if there are drivers who can take you to these places and what the price range might be? The ruins of Memphis don’t really excite me (maybe I’m wrong), so I might just stop by the museum with the giant reclining statue. I get the impression that the buildings in Abusir are closed to the public—maybe I got that wrong? 😉 It seems complicated to visit the sites of Tell el-Amarna and around Tuna el-Gebel in terms of transport. Next, I’d like to visit the sites of Abydos and the temple at Dendera. I understand it’s necessary to go to Luxor first and then head back to Abydos and Dendera to visit them comfortably in one day. By the way, do you know if negotiated prices with a local guide would be lower than those from agencies like Get Your Guide (110 € if I’m alone)? How many days do you recommend for visiting the tombs in Luxor? I’d like to see a lot of them—would 3 full days be enough? After that, I’d really like to visit the sites of Esna, Edfu, and Kom Ombo on the way to Aswan. The only options I’ve found for this kind of route are by boat. Do you think it’s possible to hire a taxi for the day to make the trip to Aswan with these stops (and at what price!)? After Aswan, I’ll visit the temples of Philae and Abu Simbel over two days. Then, the rest of the trip is less clear: I’m considering visiting Alexandria and Rosetta. Maybe also, depending on how many days I have left, the sites of Bubastis (I’m having trouble understanding the significance of the remaining ruins) to continue to Tanis, which looks nice (is it?). But again, there’s the question of transport to get there.

This is quite a long post for a first message—sorry for all the questions! Have a great evening, Nico
BR Brunomoncel Regular ·
Hi Nico, Three days for the tombs in Luxor is good in our opinion. We spent two 5-hour sessions there for the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Nobles and Artisans, and the Temple of Hatshepsut. We took a private taxi, but it’s totally doable by bike—you’re in control of your time and it costs less. There are bike rental places. We went to Aswan, stopping at Edfu and Kom Ombo by taxi for 70 €, but we’re not great negotiators. Bruno
NI Nicoenvoyage ·
Hi Bruno! Thanks for your reply. How about exploring Luxor by bike? I really love that alternative when I travel! Can you get around between the sites that way? Glad to hear it worked out for you! How long ago was this? Did you have any trouble finding a driver who’d do that route in Luxor? Nico
BR Brunomoncel Regular ·
Hi Nico, Yes, the distances are doable by bike. We were there at the end of December. The route between Luxor and Aswan with visits along the way is a classic. Your accommodation can arrange that for you, or a specialized tour agency. Bruno
NI Nicoenvoyage ·
Perfect, thanks a lot! I was also thinking of visiting Alexandria, its Qaitbay Fort, and the catacombs. The city of Rosetta, not far away, doesn’t seem to have much tourist interest, and since I’m short on time, I’ll unfortunately have to skip it. I was wondering how to get back from Abu Simbel to Alexandria? There aren’t any buses that cover that route—maybe there’s a direct one from Aswan to Alexandria, or trains? That would already be something, as I’m struggling to find info. Have a great evening!
BR Brunomoncel Regular ·
Hey Nico, no train or bus from Abu Simbel to Cairo or Alexandria. You have to go via Aswan. We took the bus to Aswan in the early afternoon, then hopped on an overnight train to Cairo. Officially, there are no buses from Aswan for tourists to Cairo or Alexandria... but they still offered it to us outside the station. How safe is that? There *is* a train from Aswan to Alexandria.
JO Jojoone1 Globetrotter ·
You absolutely shouldn't miss the Luxor Museum. It's a bit pricey compared to the country's standards, but some of the pieces are unforgettable.
« Tout le monde s'interroge sur comment laisser une meilleure planète à nos enfants, mais on devrait plutôt penser à laisser de meilleurs enfants pour notre planète. » Clint Eastwood
TH Thoutmosis Regular ·
Hello everyone, Staying in Saqqarah is possible, but there aren’t many options. There’s the "Pyramids View Guest Villa," not far from the White Pyramid and the Pyramid of Senusret III, as well as the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid in Dahshur, since the villa is located south of the Saqqarah necropolis. But if you stay in Giza facing the pyramids, it takes less than an hour to get to Saqqarah, as the site opens at 6 AM. However, since you’ll also need to visit Dahshur, why not stay there? Memphis has few identifiable ruins, but the most impressive part is the colossus of Ramses. You can also enter the Bent Pyramid—bats included! For the Red Pyramid, don’t overestimate yourself: the descent is at nearly 45° in a passage about one meter high. Don’t rush in; stay calm, breathe steadily to avoid getting winded quickly. It can also get very hot inside, but it’s worth it—three beautiful corbelled chambers (no sarcophagus, just a huge hole). Yes, for Abu Sir, it’s closed. A few years ago, excavations were still happening, so I planned to go, but I missed the chance. For Amarna, take the bus to Assiut, stay overnight, then take a taxi to the site. It’s about 110 km away, roughly a 1h50 drive. For the rest, it depends on how you want to explore and whether you’re heading to Assiut for Amarna. If you skip Amarna, return from Cairo to Luxor by train (seated or sleeper, preferably overnight), plane (NileAir), or bus. Both bus and train take at least 10 hours. Once in Luxor, hire a taxi for the day to visit Abydos and Dendera (with our driver, we always eat before visiting Dendera—it depends on whether the tourists are hungry). To head toward Aswan, our driver covers all possible stops: Esna, Mo'Ala, the Tombs of El Kab, Edfu, and Kom Ombo. Some drivers and agencies typically only stop at Esna, Edfu, and Kom Ombo. Then visit Aswan. Alexandria isn’t really my cup of tea, and Rosetta is just a fishing port? Tanis has few ruins (plus, everything there was looted from Pi-Ramesses to build the city of Tanis, which is why some archaeologists struggled to understand it). If you want to include it, start there: Cairo, Saqqarah, Dahshur, El Amarna, then head south to Luxor and Aswan (Abu Simbel). Price-wise, it’ll cost you less than with local agencies. But three weeks is doable if well planned. Thoutmosis
MA Madi58 ·
hi it's tempting "but is it really doable by bike" even with the heat? do you know if tuk-tuks could take us to these sites?
madi58
TH Thoutmosis Regular ·
Hi Madi, absolutely not—don’t cycle in the middle of July, even very early in the morning. We’re used to cycling when we’re in Luxor; almost everything is done by bike, but NEVER from the end of April until the end of October. Even though the heat doesn’t bother me—I’ve already experienced (and since people didn’t believe me, I sent the photo) over 50°C in Aswan and 60°C in Abu Simbel. In Luxor, the average during this period is between 40°C and 50°C—don’t overestimate yourself. Heatstroke can happen quickly; it happened to me in July 2007. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious for me, but I felt it, so I did what was necessary. As for tuk-tuks, I pass. They’re often driven by minors (and I’ve seen it), and in case of an accident, they’ll leave you there with the problems. On the road to Qena (Dendera), there’s a police station with a pound full of motorcycles and tuk-tuks of all kinds, confiscated for this reason among others. The police are getting stricter about driving. And for the sites along the road, they’ll drop you off, no more than that, but taxis can go everywhere. Thoutmosis

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