The Pyramids and the Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum, a Nile cruise between the great temples of Luxor and Aswan, and Abu Simbel — the essential Egypt everyone pictures, with a private Egyptologist and every entry fee included.
A classic Egypt tour is the timeless first-time itinerary — the Pyramids and the Sphinx, the museums of Cairo, then south by Nile cruise to the great temples of Luxor and Aswan, usually finishing at Abu Simbel. It is the "greatest hits" of ancient Egypt, arranged in one logical north-to-south route, with a private Egyptologist for every site. Every tour on this page bundles 4-star hotels, a 5-star cruise, all internal travel and every entry fee — only your flight and e-visa are separate.
If it is your first time in Egypt, the classic circuit is where to start. You will stand at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza, walk the hypostyle hall at Karnak in Luxor, descend into a painted tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and sail the Nile past Edfu and Kom Ombo to Aswan. It is the itinerary that has defined a trip to Egypt for two centuries — and the one our Egyptologists know street by street, stone by stone.
Our 13 classic tours run from a 7-day essentials trip to a 14-day grand tour — with and without Red Sea extensions, with and without Alexandria. Prefer five-star throughout and a luxury cruise vessel? See our luxury Egypt tours. Otherwise, use the filters below to narrow by length, or scroll through all thirteen.
From a 7-day essentials trip to a 14-day grand tour — every one covers the iconic circuit with a private Egyptologist. Filter by length or feature.
7 Days 6 Nights
The classic Egypt starter — Cairo highlights plus a Luxor–Aswan Nile cruise. The shortest complete version of the iconic circuit.
Best Value 8 Days 7 Nights
Sleeper train to Aswan, a 3-night Nile cruise to Luxor, and full Cairo. Our best-value way to see classic Egypt.
8 Days 7 Nights
The same classic route with domestic flights between Cairo and Aswan — you gain two half-days of sightseeing.
Best-Seller 8 Days 7 Nights
Cairo, a 4-night Nile cruise plus the great rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel. The complete classic circuit — our bestseller.
9 Days 8 Nights
The classic circuit plus a few Red Sea beach days at the end — the history-and-relax combination most first-timers want.
9 Days 8 Nights
The classic circuit plus a Mediterranean day in Alexandria — the Library, catacombs and Qaitbay Citadel.
10 Days 9 Nights
A slower pace than our 9-day — more Cairo, an unhurried cruise, then full Red Sea reef time.
10% OFF 10 Days 9 Nights
The full cultural stack — Cairo, Alexandria, a Nile cruise and Abu Simbel in one classic trip.
11 Days 10 Nights
Two museum days in Cairo, a 4-night Nile cruise, then four nights on the Red Sea. Classic Egypt, unrushed.
12 Days 11 Nights
Our most relaxed family-friendly classic itinerary — slower Cairo, a longer cruise, and a full beach week.
12 Days 11 Nights
The classic circuit plus the white-and-black deserts of Bahariya — the iconic Egypt, then the road less travelled.
14 Days 13 Nights
Our grand classic tour — every major region of Egypt, no rushing. Ideal for a single, complete first trip.
14 Days 13 Nights
The full classic circuit plus Sharm El Sheikh — Sinai mountains and Ras Mohamed reef to finish.
Every classic tour follows the same logical route down the Nile. Here are the monuments you'll stand in front of, north to south — the reason the classic circuit has defined a trip to Egypt for 200 years.
Want the classic circuit at a slower pace, or with Alexandria, the White Desert or a Red Sea finish added? Ask Maro to tailor the route →
A Cairo-based, Egyptian-owned operator — not a reseller. Six reasons that matters for a first trip to Egypt.
Every guide is a qualified Egyptologist who can read the hieroglyphs on the wall in front of you. On a classic tour that is the whole difference — the stones only come alive with the right person beside them.
We run the classic circuit north-to-south in the order that flows — Cairo first, then Nile cruise, then Aswan — so you're never backtracking and the big set-pieces land in the right rhythm.
The price you see includes hotels, the cruise, internal flights, entries, guide and transfers. No "optional" museum tickets sprung on you at the gate.
From booking to the flight home you have Maro's direct WhatsApp. A delayed train or a changed flight is handled before it becomes your problem.
56 verified reviews, 98% recommend rate. The same company, same contact, since 2013 — not a freshly-rebranded operator.
Every 2026 classic booking includes a free extra — a hot-air balloon over Luxor, a camel ride at the pyramids, or an Abu Simbel day trip. Your choice.
We've welcomed travellers from 32 countries in the past year. Dedicated country desks for our four biggest markets — tailored flight advice, timing and average spend.
Direct flights from JFK, IAD, ORD & LAX. Peak for American travellers: Oct–Feb. Our 10 and 12-day classic itineraries lead US bookings.
Direct BA & EgyptAir from Heathrow and Manchester. Peak for Brits: Nov–March. Our 8 and 10-day classic trips are the UK favourite.
Via Dubai or Doha. Peak for Aussies: April–May & Sept–Oct. Longer 12–14 day classic tours, often paired with Jordan.
Via European or Gulf hubs. Peak for Canadians: Oct–March. Cold-escape 10–12 day Nile classics are the Canadian best-seller.
Also serving travellers from Germany, France, Italy, the UAE, Singapore and South Africa. Ask Maro which classic tour fits your market →
Send me your dates, how many of you are travelling, and how long you have. I'll reply the same day with my honest pick from the 13 classic tours here — or a custom version if nothing quite fits. No commitment, no deposit at this stage.
EXCELLENT rating · 56 reviews · Real guests from the past two seasons.
Maro and his team organised everything — Cairo, cruise, Abu Simbel, even a last-minute Alexandria add-on. Our guide Ahmed made the Valley of the Kings actually make sense. Everything ran on time. Will book again.
We chose this company to have a private accredited Egyptologist rather than a big group, and it was the right call. Maria could answer every question. Transport was modern, clean and always on time — no small thing in Cairo.
The tour was superb and our guide Khaled extremely knowledgeable. He balanced the pace of each stop perfectly and was endlessly patient and available. A perfect first trip to Egypt. Grazie!
After running 1,200+ classic Egypt tours, these are the eight things I tell every first-time traveller before they board the plane.
Seven days is the shortest complete version, but eight days with Abu Simbel is the real sweet spot — it adds the one great site a 7-day trip has to skip. Fewer than seven and you start cutting the Nile cruise or Luxor short, which defeats the point.
The great temples of Upper Egypt line the river between Luxor and Aswan. A 3–4 night cruise is the most scenic and efficient way to see Edfu, Kom Ombo, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings. Doing them by road instead means long, hot drives and backtracking.
The GEM beside the Pyramids now holds the complete Tutankhamun collection together for the first time. Give it a proper half-day at the start — it frames everything you'll then see in the field. We build it into every classic tour.
Abu Simbel is a long way south of Aswan. The dawn flight (about $380) gets you there and back in a morning; the road convoy is cheaper (about $180) but a 3am start and a long drive. On an 8-day-plus classic tour it's worth every dollar either way.
The classic circuit is mostly outdoors — pyramids, temples, tombs. October to April gives you comfortable 20–28°C days and clear skies. Summer is 15–25% cheaper but Luxor and Aswan hit 40°C+ by midday, so sightseeing shifts to early morning.
The stone at archaeological sites is uneven, dusty and hot — closed walking shoes, not sandals. Photography is allowed at most sites with a small extra ticket (30–300 EGP); flash is banned inside tombs because it damages 3,000-year-old pigment.
On a Luxor-to-Aswan cruise, port-side cabins (left facing the bow) get the sunset-over-the-Nile view; Aswan-to-Luxor, ask for starboard. Avoid the lowest deck — engine hum. We book specific cabins by number where we can.
Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan and the Nile valley are heavily protected tourist zones with a dedicated tourism police presence, listed as safe for travel with normal precautions by the US, UK, Canadian and Australian governments. Your guide is with you the whole day.
Want the full pre-trip pack — a day-by-day of the classic circuit, packing checklist, visa walkthrough and tipping guide? It's free for every confirmed Egypt Planners guest.
Straight answers from our Cairo office — the same answers you'd get from Maro on WhatsApp.
A classic (or classical) Egypt tour is the timeless, first-time itinerary that covers Egypt's iconic ancient sites in one trip: the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum and the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, then the great temples of the south — Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Kom Ombo and Edfu (usually by Nile cruise), Philae and the High Dam at Aswan, and often Abu Simbel. It is the "greatest hits" of ancient Egypt, done in a logical north-to-south route with an Egyptologist guide. It is not a beach holiday or a niche themed trip — it is the essential Egypt everyone pictures.
Seven days is the shortest complete version — two to three days in Cairo plus a 3-night Luxor–Aswan Nile cruise. Eight days is the sweet spot, and adding Abu Simbel makes it a truly complete classic circuit. If you want to add Alexandria, the Red Sea for a few beach days, or a slower pace, 9–12 days is ideal. Fourteen days lets you combine everything — Cairo, Alexandria, the full Nile cruise, Abu Simbel and a Red Sea finish — without rushing. Most first-time visitors choose 8–10 days.
Yes — the Nile cruise is the heart of the classic circuit. Almost every classic Egypt itinerary includes a 3- or 4-night cruise between Luxor and Aswan, because the great temples of Upper Egypt (Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae) sit along that stretch of river, and sailing between them is both the most scenic and the most efficient way to see them. On our packages the cruise is full-board with an Egyptologist for every temple visit. If you prefer not to cruise, we can do the same sites by land with domestic flights and hotels instead — just ask.
Our 13 classic tours start from $1,205 per person (8 days, Cairo plus a cruise by sleeper train) and go up to $2,100 (14 days, Cairo, Alexandria, cruise and Sharm El Sheikh). Most travellers land between $1,300 and $1,700 per person for 8–11 days. Prices are per person based on two sharing and include 4-star hotels, a 5-star Nile cruise, all internal flights or train, every entry fee, a private Egyptologist and all transfers. Only your international flight and Egypt e-visa are separate. For a 5-star-throughout or luxury-cruise upgrade, see our luxury tours.
In and around Cairo: the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, and Saqqara and Memphis (the Step Pyramid). In Luxor: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Between Luxor and Aswan by cruise: the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo. In Aswan: the Philae Temple, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk. And, on many itineraries, Abu Simbel — the great rock-cut temples of Ramesses II. Alexandria (Library, catacombs, Qaitbay Citadel) is an optional classic add-on.
October through April is the main season — comfortable temperatures in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan (20–28°C / 68–82°F) and clear skies for photography at the open-air sites. November and March are our favourite months: shoulder-season pricing with reliable weather. December and early January (Christmas and New Year) are the busiest and priciest weeks, so book 4–6 months ahead. June to August is hot in Luxor and Aswan (often 40°C / 104°F by midday) but prices drop 15–25%, and early-morning sightseeing keeps it manageable.
Yes. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which opened next to the Giza Pyramids, is now the default Cairo museum day on every classic tour we run — entry, guiding and transport are built into the package. It houses the complete Tutankhamun collection together for the first time. On some itineraries we also visit the older Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, which still holds the royal mummies. We will tell you exactly which museums your itinerary includes before you book.
Every classic tour on this page is fully private by default — your own Egyptologist, your own vehicle, your own pace — and fully customisable. Add or drop days, add Abu Simbel or Alexandria, upgrade the hotels or the Nile cruise vessel, change the cruise direction, or slow the whole thing down. We also build classic itineraries from scratch. The fastest way is to message Maro on WhatsApp with your dates, party size and must-see sites, and he will send a tailored version of the closest package the same day.
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Send us your dates. We'll match you to one of the 13 classic tours above — or build a custom version that fits better. First reply usually within 4 hours.
