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🇪🇬Things to Do in Egypt
From the Pyramids of Giza to the temples of Luxor - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Nearly everything on a first trip to Egypt sits along one river. Cairo and Giza anchor the north, Luxor and Aswan hold most of ancient Egypt's grandest temples further south, and a Nile cruise is the classic way to connect them without backtracking by road. Here are 10 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Pyramids of Giza & the Sphinx
The last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, on the edge of Cairo. Go early to beat both the heat and the crowds, and consider paying the separate ticket to enter inside the Great Pyramid itself.
📍 Giza
🚉 Cairo metro line 2 to Giza station, then bus 900 or a taxi for the last 8km to the plateau gate; the new Grand Egyptian Museum stop is closer to the western entrance.
Karnak Temple, Luxor
The largest religious complex ever built, expanded by successive pharaohs over 2,000 years. The hypostyle hall of 134 massive columns is the single most photographed section.
📍 Luxor
🚉 Luxor station is about 3km south of Karnak - the standard way there is a caleche or a taxi along the newly excavated Avenue of Sphinxes, which now runs the whole way from Luxor Temple.
Valley of the Kings, Luxor
The burial site of New Kingdom pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, whose nearly intact tomb was discovered here in 1922. A standard ticket covers three tombs; Tutankhamun's requires a separate, additional ticket.
📍 Luxor
🚉 The valley is on the west bank: cross by the public ferry from Luxor's corniche, then take a taxi or bicycle for the 6km inland - there is no bus service to the tombs themselves.
Nile River Cruise
A multi-day cruise between Luxor and Aswan is the classic way to see Edfu and Kom Ombo's temples along the way, without the backtracking a road trip would require.
📍 Luxor to Aswan
🚉 Cruises board at Luxor or Aswan, both of which have railway stations on the Cairo-Aswan sleeper line, with the boats moored within a few minutes of each.
Red Sea Diving
Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada are Egypt's main dive hubs, with coral reef visibility that ranks among the best in the world - the Ras Mohammed National Park near Sharm is a particular highlight.
📍 Sharm El Sheikh & Hurghada, Red Sea Coast
🚉 Neither resort has a railway: Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh are reached by air, or by Go Bus and Blue Bus coaches from Cairo, six to eight hours across the desert.
Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza
A new museum built specifically to house Tutankhamun's full treasure collection and much of the Egyptian Museum's older holdings, located near the pyramids themselves.
📍 Giza
🚉 The museum sits beside the Cairo-Alexandria desert road near the pyramids; a shuttle links it to the Giza plateau, and Cairo metro line 2 to Giza plus a taxi is the public-transport route.
Abu Simbel
Two massive rock temples built by Ramesses II near the Sudanese border, relocated in the 1960s to save them from flooding when the Aswan High Dam was built. Most visitors reach it on an early-morning flight or convoy from Aswan.
📍 Abu Simbel, near Aswan
🚉 There is no railway - convoys of buses and minibuses leave Aswan around 4am for the three-hour desert drive, or you can fly the 45 minutes from Aswan airport.
Siwa Oasis
A remote desert oasis near the Libyan border, with natural salt lakes and the ruins of an oracle temple once visited by Alexander the Great.
📍 Siwa Oasis
🚉 Siwa is 8 hours from Cairo and 4 from Marsa Matrouh by bus, which is the only public transport in; West and Middle Delta buses run daily from Cairo's Turgoman terminal.
Alexandria
Egypt's Mediterranean port city, built on the legacy of its ancient library. The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a striking piece of contemporary architecture, stands roughly where the original once did.
📍 Alexandria
🚉 Nearest station: Misr station in Alexandria, two and a half hours from Cairo on the fast trains, with the tram network and the corniche buses running from outside to Montazah and the library.
White Desert
A surreal landscape of wind-carved white chalk formations south of the Bahariya Oasis, usually visited on an overnight camping trip from Cairo.
📍 Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert
🚉 Access is from Bahariya Oasis, five hours by bus from Cairo's Turgoman terminal, and the desert itself can only be entered in a 4x4 with a licensed guide, arranged in Bawiti.
Mark Egypt, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Egypt?
A week covers Cairo/Giza plus Luxor and Aswan, including a short Nile cruise between them. Ten days leaves room for the Red Sea coast or a desert oasis trip as well.
What's the best time to visit Egypt?
October-April has the most comfortable temperatures, especially in Upper Egypt (Luxor and Aswan), where summer heat regularly passes 40°C (104°F). The Red Sea coast is more forgiving of summer heat if diving is the priority.
Is Egypt good for a first-time visit?
Yes, with an organized tour or driver-guide making the logistics considerably easier for a first trip - domestic flights connect Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, and English is common in tourist areas.
Do I need a visa to visit Egypt?
Many nationalities can get an Egyptian e-visa or visa on arrival for short tourist stays; requirements and fees vary by passport, so it is worth applying online in advance rather than relying on arrival processing. Check the official visa information for your nationality: visa2egypt.gov.eg.
What are some things to do in Egypt on a tight budget?
Street food like taameya and koshari is very cheap, shared microbuses cost far less than private taxis or hired drivers, and some temple exteriors and the view of the Pyramids from outside the paid perimeter are free.
Can I rent a car in Egypt, and what licence do I need?
You can, but few visitors do: Cairo traffic is relentless, and hiring a car with a driver costs little more and removes the problem. If you drive yourself, an International Driving Permit is required alongside your home licence, and the minimum age is usually 25 with a credit card for the deposit. Some desert routes, including the road to Abu Simbel and the Western Desert tracks, are convoy-only or require a permit and a licensed guide regardless of what you are driving. Official traffic and licence information is published by the Ministry of Interior at moi.gov.eg; cars are available from Hertz, Avis and Sixt.