Questions about visiting Egypt with kids

Hi everyone, We’re two families planning a trip to Egypt with our kids during the autumn 2025 holidays. Our youngest will be 5 1/2 at the time. Do you think this is a good idea? Is a guide absolutely necessary? We were hoping to travel independently (4 adults and 4 kids).

Here’s what I had in mind—let me know if this seems doable or if I’m way off 😉 - Day 1: Cairo (Khan el Khalili souk, Saladin Citadel, and maybe a museum if possible) - Day 2: Saqqara necropolis - Day 3: Giza Plateau - Day 5: Fly to Luxor and visit Luxor Temple in the evening - Day 6: Visit Karnak Temple early in the morning, relax in the afternoon, and a felucca ride in the evening - Day 7: Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple - Day 8: Hot-air balloon ride and Medinet Habu Temple - Day 9: Bus to the Red Sea for diving and chilling until our return flight.

I tried to leave some downtime for the kids, but I’m not sure how realistic the visiting times are. Thanks so much for your thoughts!!

Hi Kinou, First off, for the arrival/departure flights, is J1 the day you arrive or the day before? On J9, you say "departure by bus to the Red Sea and diving + relaxation until the return day." How many days at the coast and where? Is your return flight from Cairo?? Or from the coast? Normally, at 5 years old, kids love walking, so that shouldn’t be a problem, but it depends on your usual habits?? For the visits, it’s quite stripped down, but it depends on how long you plan to stay at each site?? For J1, if you don’t intend to return to Egypt (some never come back), then visit the new museum, especially since all of Tutankhamun’s artifacts won’t be in the old museum anymore and there are many other things. J2, you can add Dahshur, with the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Khufu’s father. In the Red Pyramid, there are three beautiful corbelled chambers—don’t overestimate yourselves, it’s quite sporty and hot. J3, you can add the Coptic and Islamic quarters. And it’s best to group visits in the same areas, so the souk, the Citadel, Coptic and Islamic quarters on the same day. J5, do you already have a Cairo-Luxor flight? If not, check with NileAir (we always use them for domestic flights), otherwise AirCairo or EgyptAir. But depending on the period, NileAir is often the cheapest. Also, from J5 to J8, you can add more without exhausting yourselves. For J9, what time is the bus departure to the coast??? Now, yes, it’s possible to do without a guide, but you should still have at least some background on Egyptian history, otherwise, you’ll quickly get frustrated. In Luxor, are you staying on the east bank (city) or the west bank??? Just in case, if needed, guides, drivers, and we can also book your hot-air balloon flight (very early departure). Normally, they pick you up to take you to the takeoff site—be ready on time, because if you’re not, they might not wait. Flight times are strict. Always specify how many of you there are. For the bus trip, GoBus?? And for the time spent visiting, as I already said, it’s up to you, depending on what you usually do in other places??? Some spend an hour or two at sites, but if it’s like me, we’re used to staying at least half a day at some. We can’t put ourselves in your shoes for that—you know best. Other info or tips? No problem. You’ve also got time until November to fine-tune your trip. Thoutmosis

We are two families and we want to travel to Egypt with our children, the youngest will be 5 1/2 years old, during the autumn 2025 holidays. Do you think this is suitable? Is it absolutely necessary to have a guide? Because we wanted to travel independently (4 adults and 4 children).

Hello,

We went to Egypt (- in 1989) as a couple with a 6-year-old child. Things may have changed since then, but we didn’t have any problems, and the fact that we were with a child (or children) often made it easier to connect with people. Everything went wonderfully. However, we only visited the Red Sea and Sinai with a rental car (starting from Cairo).

Hi , Oh yeah, it’s been a while, and yes, Egypt has changed a lot. We’ve been going there since 2004, and every year we notice big changes. And for kids, it’s true—no problem at all. For sightseeing, as mentioned before, it really depends if they’re used to walking. In 2013, a couple with a teen around 17 years old didn’t want to do much—they barely left the hotel. Plus, Egyptians love kids (like pretty much everywhere) and are very welcoming. Oh, you’re from Vercors? We’ve never been there, but our friends from Saint-Moré in Yonne go there often for vacations. Every time, they send us photos—such beautiful places, like so many others in France. Have a great day! Thoutmosis

Hi Thoutmosis, and thanks for these invaluable tips. To be more specific, J1 is the first full day there, on Saturday (we should arrive in the night from Friday to Saturday). We’d like to visit the new museum if we have time and depending on how tired the kids are. We haven’t booked our Cairo–Luxor flight yet because the itinerary isn’t finalized, so thanks for the info on airlines. For Luxor, we still don’t have accommodation. Do you recommend the east or west bank? The trip to Hurghada will most likely be via GoBus, and our return flight will be from Hurghada. Thanks again

Hi Kinou, Okay for your arrival flight. For your trip to Hurghada, you can either book on their website "https://go-bus.com/"; or, if you have time, once you're there—but book at least 24 hours in advance. For your return flight from Hurghada, when possible, it's the best solution without going back through Cairo. I’ll tell you more about the rest in private. Thoutmosis