Ancient Egypt Tours: Pharaonic Sites, Royal Tombs & Dynastic Discoveries
Tours focused on Egypt’s ancient civilisation — Old, Middle, and New Kingdom sites. The Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Abu Simbel, and the new Grand Egyptian Museum. Egyptologist-guided with serious historical depth.
What Makes an Ancient Egypt Tour Worth Its Name
Most “ancient Egypt” tours rush through the Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, and the Valley of the Kings on a 7-day schedule that doesn’t leave time to actually understand the dynastic timeline. The Ancient Egypt Tours below are sequenced chronologically where possible: Old Kingdom (Saqqara, Giza, Dahshur) first, Middle Kingdom (the Faiyum, Beni Hasan), then New Kingdom (Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel). Your Egyptologist guide will frame each site in dynastic context so the timeline starts to make sense — not just “old stuff.”
Every package below includes the new Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza (opened October 2025), which now houses the complete Tutankhamun collection plus 100,000 other artefacts. Plan a half-day minimum.
13 Ancient Egypt Tour Packages — Pharaonic Sites & Dynastic Itineraries
From 7-day classics to 14-day grand tours covering every major archaeological site. WhatsApp Maro for private departures with PhD-level Egyptologist guides.
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor
7-Day Ancient Egypt Tour: Cairo Pyramids & Pharaonic Nile Cruise
5.0 17 reviews
- Pyramids + Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- 3-night deluxe Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- Internal flights + all transfers included
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor
8-Day Ancient Egypt & Antiquities Tour: Cairo & 3-Night Nile Cruise by Flight
5.0 16 reviews
- Pyramids, Saqqara & Egyptian Museum
- 3-night 5★ Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- Domestic flights + 7 nights included
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor
8-Day Ancient Egypt Archaeology Tour: Cairo & 3-Night Nile Cruise by Sleeper Train
5.0 16 reviews
- Pyramids, Saqqara & Egyptian Museum
- 3-night 5★ Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 2 nights on the sleeper train
Cairo · Nile · Abu Simbel
8-Day Ancient Egypt Tour: Cairo, 4-Night Nile Cruise & Abu Simbel (Ramses II Temple)
5.0 18 reviews
- 3 nights Cairo + 4-night Nile cruise
- Abu Simbel temples day trip
- Karnak, Luxor, Philae, Edfu, Kom Ombo
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor · Alexandria
9-Day Pharaonic Egypt Tour: Cairo, Nile Cruise & Alexandria’s Greco-Egyptian Heritage
5.0 18 reviews
- Pyramids + Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- 3-night 5★ Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- Alexandria day trip + domestic flights
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor · Hurghada
9-Day Ancient Egypt Tour: Cairo, Pharaonic Nile Cruise & Hurghada Recovery Days
5.0 18 reviews
- Pyramids + Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 2 nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada
Cairo · Alexandria · Nile
10-Day Ancient Egypt Discovery Tour: Cairo, Alexandria, Nile Cruise & Abu Simbel
5.0 20 reviews
- Mediterranean day in Alexandria
- 4-night Nile cruise + Abu Simbel
- All flights, hotels & guides included
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor · Hurghada
10-Day Ancient Egypt Tour: Cairo, Pharaonic Nile Cruise & Hurghada Beach Time
5.0 16 reviews
- Pyramids, Saqqara & Egyptian Museum
- 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 2 nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor · Hurghada
11-Day Pharaonic Egypt Tour: Cairo, Pharaonic Nile Cruise & Hurghada
5.0 19 reviews
- Pyramids, Egyptian Museum & Old Cairo
- 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 2 nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada
Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Bahariya
12-Day Ancient Egypt & White Desert Tour: Cairo, Nile Cruise & Bahariya Oasis
5.0 14 reviews
- 4-night Nile cruise + Abu Simbel
- Bahariya Oasis & the White Desert
- Pyramids, Saqqara & Egyptian Museum
Cairo · Aswan · Luxor · Hurghada
12-Day Ancient Egypt Antiquities Tour: Cairo, Nile Cruise & Hurghada
5.0 16 reviews
- Pyramids, Egyptian Museum & Old Cairo
- 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 3 nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada
Cairo · Nile · Hurghada · Alexandria
14-Day Grand Pharaonic Egypt Tour: Cairo, Alexandria, Nile Cruise & Hurghada
5.0 16 reviews
- 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 4 nights on the Red Sea in Hurghada
- Alexandria day trip + Old Cairo
Cairo · Nile · Sharm · Alexandria
14-Day Ancient Egypt Discovery: Cairo, Alexandria, Pharaonic Nile Cruise & Sharm El Sheikh
5.0 16 reviews
- 3-night Nile cruise Aswan → Luxor
- 3 nights in Sharm El Sheikh
- Alexandria day trip + Old Cairo
What I Tell Every History-Reader Before They Land
If you’ve read your Bauval, Lehner, Kemp, or Wilkinson and want a tour that respects what you already know, these ten tips will help you get the most from your time at the sites.
Visit Saqqara Before Giza
The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara (2670 BCE) predates the Great Pyramid by 80 years and is the architectural prototype Imhotep used. Visiting Saqqara before Giza makes the engineering progression coherent. Most tours do Giza first; ask Maro to flip the order on a private departure.
Hire a Class A Egyptologist Guide
The Ministry of Tourism licenses guides as Class A (Egyptology degree, fluent English, 5+ years experience), Class B, and Class C. For a serious ancient Egypt tour, insist on Class A. Premium is $80–$150/day above standard guiding. Worth every dollar at sites like Karnak, Abydos, or the Old Kingdom mastabas.
Read at Least One Book Before You Arrive
Toby Wilkinson’s “The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt” is the single best one-volume history. Mark Lehner’s “The Complete Pyramids” for the architectural side. Erik Hornung’s “The Valley of the Kings” for the New Kingdom royal burials. One of these will transform your trip.
Plan a Half-Day at the New Grand Egyptian Museum
The GEM at Giza opened October 2025 and now holds the complete Tutankhamun collection (5,400+ items, including the gold mask) plus 100,000 other artefacts. The old Egyptian Museum at Tahrir is being reorganised; the Royal Mummies Hall has moved to NMEC. Don’t try to do GEM in 90 minutes.
Book Abydos & Dendera as a Side-Trip
Abydos (Seti I’s temple, the Osirion) and Dendera (Hathor’s temple, with its famous zodiac) are 90 minutes north of Luxor and missed by 95% of itineraries. A full-day trip from Luxor with a private driver is $80–$150 per person. For a serious ancient Egypt tour, both are unmissable.
The Valley of the Kings Standard Ticket Covers 3 Tombs — Choose Wisely
The Valley of the Kings standard ticket includes 3 tombs of your choice (excluding KV62 Tutankhamun, KV9 Ramses VI, and KV17 Seti I, which require separate tickets). Best 3 picks: Ramses III (KV11), Merenptah (KV8), and Tausert/Setnakht (KV14). Or pay extra for the truly spectacular Seti I (KV17) at $50/ticket — the deepest, most preserved royal tomb in Egypt.
Karnak in the Morning, Luxor Temple at Sunset
This is the canonical Luxor day. Karnak at 07:30 (cool, empty), then back to the cruise boat for lunch + nap, then Luxor Temple at 17:30 when the lighting starts and the temple is gold-floodlit. Don’t do them on the same morning — you’ll exhaust both visits.
Bring Cash for Tomb Photo Permits
Photography inside many tombs (Valley of the Kings, Tombs of the Nobles, Saqqara mastabas) requires a separate photo permit, sold at the ticket office for 300 EGP per camera. Phones are usually free; SLRs need the permit. Bring change in EGP — they don’t accept cards.
The Pyramid Inner Chamber — Worth the Claustrophobia?
You can pay extra ($25–$30) to enter the Great Pyramid’s inner Grand Gallery and King’s Chamber. The climb is steep, low-ceilinged, and hot. The chamber itself is empty — just the granite sarcophagus. For most travellers it’s a one-time, do-it-once experience. Worth it once; not for the claustrophobic.
Add Abu Simbel — Don’t Skip It
The two temples of Ramses II are 280km south of Aswan and require a domestic flight or 3-hour pre-dawn drive. Most short itineraries skip them. They are the single most photographed site in Egypt for a reason. The 4-night Nile cruise + Abu Simbel packages above are the right way to include them.
Speak to Maro — no pressure, no sales pitch.
Send me your dates, how many of you are travelling, and what you care most about seeing. I’ll reply the same day with my honest pick from the packages here, or a custom version if nothing quite fits. No commitment, no deposit asked for at this stage.
Why Travellers Choose Us
Six reasons 247+ verified reviewers keep coming back, and why Maro’s WhatsApp inbox is full of return travellers planning their second and third Egypt trips.
14+ Years & 1,200+ Groups
Maro Saeed has personally guided over 1,200 international groups across Egypt with a 4.9-star average rating from 247+ verified reviews.
Class A Egyptologist Guides
Every itinerary uses Ministry-of-Tourism-licensed Class A guides — no junior staff, no shortcuts on guide quality.
24/7 WhatsApp Support
Direct line to Maro or our Cairo office throughout your trip. No call centre, no ticket queues, no time-zone gymnastics.
Transparent Pricing
Every quote line-items inclusions and exclusions. No hidden “service fees,” no last-minute upcharges, no booking surprises.
Direct Booking, No Middlemen
Egypt Planners is the operator, not a reseller. You pay us, we deliver — no Booking.com markup, no agency commission stack.
Fully Licensed & Bonded
Egyptian Ministry of Commerce-licensed operator (Reg. #256841) and member of the Egyptian Tour Operators Association.
What Our Travellers Actually Say
EXCELLENT rating · 56 reviews · Real guests from the past two seasons.
Tour piramidi Saqqara, Memphis, Giza
Il tour è stato molto interessante e la nostra guida Khaled molto preparato. Ha saputo bilanciare i tempi delle diverse tappe, è stato molto esauriente e disponibile. Grazie!
A must do!
We chose this tour company to empower local guides and we were very satisfied with our decision. Maria is a passionate accredited Egyptologist who can answer every question. The transportation is modern, clean and always on time — difficult to manage in a city like Cairo.
Best of Egypt in 10 days
Maro and his team organised everything — Cairo, cruise, Abu Simbel, even a last-minute Alexandria add-on. Hotels were 5-star without the 5-star headache. Our guide Ahmed made the Valley of the Kings actually make sense. Will book again.
Ancient Egypt Tours — FAQ
What is the best ancient Egypt tour for first-time visitors?
The 8-Day Ancient Egypt & Antiquities Tour (Cairo + 3-night Nile cruise by flight) is the canonical first-time itinerary: Pyramids, Saqqara, Egyptian Museum, Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae. Add Abu Simbel for the full New Kingdom story.
Can I get a PhD-level Egyptologist guide?
Yes. We work with several PhD Egyptologists for private departures — extra $150–$250/day premium over a standard Class A guide. Recommended for serious history readers and academic groups.
What’s included in the new Grand Egyptian Museum?
The complete Tutankhamun collection (5,400+ items, including the gold mask), 100,000+ artefacts spanning 7,000 years, and 12 main galleries. The old Egyptian Museum at Tahrir is being reorganised. The Royal Mummies are now at NMEC (different museum).
Are Abydos and Dendera included in standard tours?
Not usually — they require a side-trip from Luxor. We can add them to any package as a full-day excursion ($80–150 per person). Strongly recommended for ancient-history enthusiasts.
Best time of year for an ancient Egypt tour?
October to April. Cooler temperatures (22–28°C) make outdoor temple visits comfortable. Avoid June–August: 38–45°C in Upper Egypt is unsafe at sites like Karnak.
Can I extend with Western Desert sites (Bahariya, Siwa)?
Yes. The 12-Day Ancient Egypt & White Desert Tour above includes 2 nights at Bahariya. Siwa Oasis (8 hours west of Cairo) requires an extra 3 nights — WhatsApp Maro for pricing.