Summer in Egypt: questions about guided tours, cruises, and the Cairo Museum

Hi there! I’m planning a 15-day trip to Egypt in the second half of July. Yeah, I know it’s not the best time, but we don’t really have a choice. Plus, we’ve traveled a lot and feel like we handle the heat pretty well.

We’re thinking of a classic itinerary: Cairo (pyramids and museum) Aswan-Luxor or Luxor-Aswan cruise + hot-air balloon in Luxor +/- Abu Simbel (not sure if it’ll be too rushed) 3-4 days by the Red Sea

I’ve got a few questions (I might have more later—I went to Egypt 15 years ago, so things have changed!):

1) Do we know the opening dates for the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo? 2) Can we book a French-speaking guided tour for Cairo in advance? I assume the cruise part is easier to arrange through an agency. 3) We see cruises going both Aswan-Luxor and Luxor-Aswan. Is one direction better than the other? Intuitively, it seems more logical to fly Cairo-Aswan, cruise up to Luxor, then take a bus from Luxor to the Red Sea rather than the other way around. But when I was in Egypt before, I remember going *down* the Nile (and didn’t visit the Red Sea).

Thanks in advance!!

Hello everyone, Whether you've traveled or not, you’ve probably never experienced heat like Egypt’s 😉. Don’t overestimate yourself—we’ve already had 60°C in Abu Simbel, and that wasn’t even in the middle of July or August. Also, where will you be arriving—Cairo, Luxor, or Aswan? In Cairo, plan for about 3 days on-site, then head to Aswan, either by plane, train, or bus. For domestic flights, we often use NileAir, which can be cheaper than EgyptAir depending on the period. There’s also Cairo Air. The sleeper train to Aswan costs around 90 € per person in a double cabin. For seated trains, Cairo-Aswan in 1st class is about 70 € and 2nd class around 60 €. Buses are a few euros cheaper, but sleeping can be tricky. The Cairo-Aswan train takes about 15 hours when everything goes smoothly. Now, you’ll need to sync your arrival in Aswan with your cruise departure. The best is to arrive at least two days before boarding so that the day after you arrive in Aswan, you can visit Abu Simbel. Then, take your cruise up to Luxor (I’m assuming it’s on a large boat). From Luxor, you can take a flight or train back to Cairo. Aside from the cruise, you don’t need a local agency for the rest. With the contacts I can give you, it’ll be more than enough and cheaper. In 15 days, including the Red Sea, is way too much—don’t forget the distances. Plus, traveling in Egypt isn’t like traveling at home. You’ll have to plan tightly, and even then, I wouldn’t do it. The museum is open. Train tickets for sleeper cabins should be booked at least 48 hours in advance, and seated tickets 24 hours ahead. For hot-air balloon rides, it’s better to book in advance. Take your time to sort all this out—by July, you’ll still have time, even for your round-trip and domestic flights. Thoutmosis