Egypt Expedition

13 – 29 November 2026

Open the day-by-day schedule.

Quick contacts

Local times · Egypt = Paris +1 h · tap a place › for details

Week 1 · Luxor & the Nile

Day 1Paris
  • Arrivals and meet-up in Paris.

Night: Paris

Day 2Paris → Luxor
✈ easyJet EJU 4593
11:20 Paris CDG T2D17:20 Luxor LXR
  • Transfer to the hotel.

Night: Hôtel d'Égypte Autrement, Luxor (included in package)

Day 4On the Nile
  • Full day sailing on the boat.

Night: on board

Day 5On the Nile

Night: on board

Day 6Kom Ombo → Abu Simbel

Night: hotel in Abu Simbel (supplement 95 € + 75 € per person)

Week 2 · Aswan, Alexandria & Cairo

Day 8Aswan → Luxor

Night: hotel in Luxor

Day 9Luxor → Cairo → Alexandria
✈ Nile Air NP72 Ref. 82G84T
09:25 Luxor LXR10:35 Cairo CAI T1

Night: apartment in Alexandria — address

Day 10Alexandria
  • 09:00 Pick-up at the apartment for a 5-hour van tour of Alexandria. GetYourGuide ref. GYGFWVX66X85.
    • Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa
    • Pompey's Pillar (Serapeum)
    • Roman Amphitheatre
    • St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
    • Bibliotheca Alexandrina
    • Citadel of Qaitbay
    • Oldest and largest mosque in the city

Night: apartment in Alexandria

Day 11Alexandria → Cairo
  • Morning Free.
  • 12:00 Private van to Cairo — Fleet Limousine, WhatsApp +20 102 227 7717.
  • 15:00–18:00 Arrival at the Zamalek apartment.
  • Evening Family gathering.

Night: Lemon Spaces, Zamalek — address

Day 14Cairo
  • Day Free — shopping, Zamalek, or see Cairo ideas.
  • 16:00–00:00 Reception, House of Khéops.

Night: Zamalek

Day 15Cairo
  • Morning Free.
  • 15:00 Anna's flight back to Paris.
  • 15:00–02:30 Wedding ceremony, Dahab Island Palace.

Night: Zamalek

Day 16Cairo

Night: Zamalek

Day 17Cairo → Paris
  • Shelia, Madeleine, Matthew and Richard: Uber to Sphinx International Airport (SPX). Allow about 1 h from Zamalek; aim to arrive 2 h before departure.
✈ easyJet EJU 4582 Ref. KD4FPFJ
13:40 Cairo Sphinx SPX17:35 Paris CDG T2D

Places

Luxor & the Nile

Karnak TempleDay 3 Luxor TempleDay 3 EdfuDay 3 Dahabieh / SandalDays 3–7 Gebel el-SilsilaDay 5 Valley of the KingsDay 8

Aswan & Abu Simbel

Kom OmboDay 6 Abu SimbelDays 6–7 PhilaeDay 7 · TBC AswanDay 7

Alexandria & Cairo

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AlexandriaDay 10
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ZamalekDays 11–17 NMECDay 12 Coptic CairoDay 12 Pyramids & SphinxDay 13 Grand Egyptian MuseumOptional

Free time in Cairo

For 24, 25, 26 (morning) and 28 November.

  1. Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) 3–4 h
    Next to the Giza pyramids — can be paired with Day 13. Tickets online only.
  2. Saladin Citadel & Mohammed Ali Mosque 3 h
    Panoramic city views. Combine with the Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifa'i mosques.
  3. Khan el-Khalili & Al-Moez Street 4–5 h
    Best in the evening: dinner at Naguib Mahfouz, tea at El-Fishawy café, walk through the market and Al-Moez Street.
  4. Ibn Tulun Mosque & Gayer-Anderson Museum 1.5 h
    Less touristic.
  5. Manial Palace 1.5 h
    Palace and gardens on Roda Island, on the Nile.
  6. Felucca on the Nile 1 h
    Best at sunset. From the Zamalek or Maadi Corniche.
  7. Downtown, Tahrir Square & the (old) Egyptian Museum 2 h

Where to eat

Traditional Egyptian

  • Abou El Sid — Zamalek, best for dinner
  • Sobhy Kaber — very local
  • Koshary Abou Tarek — Downtown, koshary
  • Zooba — modern Egyptian street food, Maadi and Zamalek
  • Kababgy — Sofitel Zamalek, Nile view, sunset and dinner

Special places

  • Mazeej Rooftop — Downtown
  • Naguib Mahfouz — Khan el-Khalili
  • Khufu's — at the Pyramids
  • Ratios — brunch / café, Maadi (check closing times)

Contacts & bookings

Emergency (Egypt)

Transport

Fleet Limousine — airport pick-up 21 Nov, Alexandria → Cairo 23 Nov
WhatsApp +20 102 227 7717

Alexandria apartment · 21–23 Nov

El Omaraa Palace Building, 10th floor, apartment 1001
13 Motosh Basha St., Bahary — next to Kesm El Gomrok (Customs Department)

Open in Maps

Cairo apartment · 23–29 Nov

Lemon Spaces — Unit 608, Iconia Zamalek
Mohamed Thakeb Street, Zamalek, Cairo

WhatsApp +20 120 009 5067 Email Open in Maps

Booking references

14 NoveasyJet EJU 4593 CDG → LXR
21 NovNile Air NP72 LXR → CAI82G84T
22 NovGetYourGuide, Alexandria tourGYGFWVX66X85
29 NoveasyJet EJU 4582 SPX → CDGKD4FPFJ

Practical

Time
  • Egypt = Paris +1 h in November (UTC+2).
  • Sunset around 17:00. Sites usually open 06:00–17:00 in Upper Egypt.
Money
  • Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP / LE). About 60 EGP = 1 € (Nov 2026, approximate).
  • Cards accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and museums. Cash needed for markets, taxis, tips and toilets.
  • Carry small notes (10, 20, 50 EGP). Tipping (baksheesh) is expected for small services; about 10 % in restaurants.
  • ATMs are common in cities; withdraw in Luxor and Aswan before the cruise.
Weather
  • Luxor / Aswan: about 29–31 °C by day, 14–16 °C at night.
  • Cairo / Alexandria: about 23–25 °C by day, 14–16 °C at night. Some rain possible in Alexandria.
  • Abu Simbel and desert evenings are cool: bring a layer for the Sound & Light show and the boat.
Packing & health
  • Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, comfortable walking shoes, a light scarf.
  • Drink bottled water only; avoid ice and raw salads outside good restaurants.
  • Basic stomach medicine and hand gel.
  • Plugs: type C/F, 220 V — same as France, no adapter needed.
Customs
  • Mosques and churches: shoulders and knees covered; women cover hair in mosques; shoes off in mosques.
  • Photography allowed at most sites without flash. Drones are prohibited in Egypt.
  • Expect offers from guides and sellers at sites; a firm "la, shukran" (no, thank you) is enough.
Getting around Cairo
  • Uber and Careem work in Cairo and Alexandria. Agree prices before getting into a regular taxi.
  • Metro line 1, stop Mar Girgis, for Coptic Cairo.
  • Traffic is heavy: allow extra time, especially to the airports and Giza.
Useful words
Hello
salam aleikum
Thank you
shukran
No, thank you
la, shukran
Yes / No
aywa / la
How much?
bikam?
Water
mayya
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Avenue of ram-headed sphinxes at Karnak

Karnak Temple Complex

The largest religious site ever built. On the east bank of the Nile in Luxor — ancient Thebes — over 200 structures were raised, torn down and rebuilt by dozens of pharaohs across nearly 2,000 years. It's less a temple than a city of the gods.

Don't miss

Columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall
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Luxor Temple colonnade lit at night

Luxor Temple

The Colonnade of Amenhotep III is a monumental 100-metre processional hallway from the New Kingdom — the grand entrance to the temple.

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Pylon of the Temple of Horus at Edfu

Temple of Horus, Edfu

The best-preserved temple in Egypt, and the second largest after Karnak. Built under the Ptolemies between 237 and 57 BC, then buried under sand and silt for centuries — which is exactly why its roofs, halls and sanctuaries survived almost intact. Walking in, you see a temple as the Egyptians saw it.

The myth

Edfu was the legendary battlefield of Horus and Seth — order against chaos. The whole saga is carved along the temple's outer walls.

Highlights

Recent discoveries

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A dahabieh with striped sails on the Nile

Dahabieh or Sandal

No big cruise ship: the Nile at the pace of the wind, with fields, palm groves and villages sliding past.

A traditional Nile sailing boat
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Rock-cut chapels at Gebel el-Silsila

Gebel el-Silsila

Where Egypt's temples came from. About 65 km north of Aswan, the Nile squeezes between steep sandstone cliffs — this was the country's main sandstone quarry, ancient Kheny.

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Temple of Kom Ombo

Temple of Kom Ombo

A temple split in two. On a bend of the Nile 45 km north of Aswan, this Ptolemaic temple (180–47 BC, with Roman additions) is perfectly symmetrical: two gates, two courts, two hypostyle halls, two sanctuaries — for two gods.

Look for

The Crocodile Museum

Mummified crocodiles in the Crocodile Museum

Right by the exit, included in the temple ticket. Dozens of mummified Nile crocodiles — from hatchlings to giants over 4 m — plus clay coffins, eggs and offerings to Sobek. Official page.

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Colossal statues of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel

Ramesses II's statement in stone. Two temples carved straight into a sandstone cliff in the 13th century BC, at the edge of Nubia, to show everyone coming up the Nile who was in charge.

The two temples

The sun miracle

On 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun shoots 55 m into the sanctuary and lights three of the four seated gods — Ra-Horakhty, Amun-Ra and Ramesses deified. Ptah, god of the underworld, stays in the dark.

The great rescue

In the 1960s the Aswan High Dam was about to drown the temples under Lake Nasser. From 1964 to 1968 a UNESCO campaign cut them into more than 1,000 blocks of up to 20 tonnes and rebuilt them 65 m higher on an artificial hill — keeping the solar alignment working. The project led to the creation of the World Heritage Convention.

Sound & Light show

Sound and Light show projected on the facade

At night, the story of Ramesses and Nefertari is projected onto the façades. Bring a warm layer — the desert gets cold.

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First pylon of the Temple of Isis at Philae

Philae — Temple of Isis to be confirmed

An island temple reached by boat, dedicated to Isis, goddess of magic, motherhood and healing. It was one of the last places where the old Egyptian religion was practised — until the 6th century AD.

Trajan's Kiosk at Philae
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Philae seen from the water near Aswan

Aswan

Egypt's gateway to Africa and the heart of Nubia. Ancient Swenett is slower and gentler than Cairo or Luxor: golden dunes running straight into the blue Nile, granite islands and white feluccas.

For thousands of years it was a trading post and a granite quarry; today it's a hub for rescued monuments and the classic starting point for Nile cruises.

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Painted burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings

The peak of Egyptian funerary art. Cut into the limestone cliffs of Luxor's West Bank during the New Kingdom (c. 1539–1075 BC), these tombs plunge into the rock to protect the pharaohs and guide their souls through the afterlife. Walls and ceilings still burn with original colours: star maps, gods and sacred texts.

Great tombs

Limited mobility or claustrophobia

Easy choices

  • KV2 – Ramesses IV — close to the entrance. Wide, gentle ramp with handrails, high ceilings, short distance.
  • KV6 – Ramesses IX — wide entrance with daylight, gentle slope, no stairs.
  • KV62 – Tutankhamun — shortest entry in the valley: a few steps, in and out in 5 minutes. Separate ticket; can be crowded.

Avoid

  • KV8 – Merenptah and KV17 – Seti I: long, steep staircases.
  • Inside the Great Pyramid (Giza): long, narrow, low passages.

Tips

  • Take the electric tram (tuf-tuf) from the visitor centre up to the tombs.
  • Go early: tombs are emptier and cooler before the tour buses arrive.
  • Tell the guide in advance; they can wait for a quiet moment before entering.
Tomb corridor

More on Wikipedia

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Alexandria

Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, capital of the Ptolemies and Cleopatra, home of the Lighthouse and the great Library. Today a breezy Mediterranean city of corniches and cafés.

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Zamalek

A green island in the middle of the Nile, in the heart of Cairo. Tree-lined streets, embassies in old villas, galleries, cafés and restaurants — calm by Cairo standards, central, and one of the nicest places to stay in the city.

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Museum gallery

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

7,000 years of Egypt in one walk — from prehistory through the pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Copts and Islamic dynasties to today. The first museum in the Arab world to tell the whole story in one timeline. nmec.gov.eg

The Royal Mummies Hall

The highlight. A dim, underground hall designed like the Valley of the Kings, home to 22 royal mummies — Ramesses II and Hatshepsut among them. They arrived from the old Tahrir museum in 2021 during the televised Pharaohs' Golden Parade. Each is shown with its coffin and CT scans that tell its life story.

Also

Suggested time: 3 h.

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The Hanging Church, Coptic Cairo

Coptic Cairo

Cairo before Cairo: a walled quarter built on the Roman Babylon Fortress, where churches, a synagogue and a mosque stand a few steps apart.

Practical

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Pyramids of Giza at sunset

Pyramids of Giza & the Sphinx

The last surviving Wonder of the ancient world. Pyramid building peaked here on the Giza Plateau under the 4th Dynasty, about 4,500 years ago. Fun fact: neighbouring Sudan (ancient Kush) actually has more pyramids than Egypt.

The Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx

Carved straight out of the bedrock: a lion's body with a king's head wearing the royal nemes. About 73 m long and 20 m high, it faces due east, toward the rising sun.

Practical

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Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

The world's largest museum devoted to a single civilisation, fully opened in November 2025 beside the Giza pyramids. A 3,200-year-old, 11 m statue of Ramesses II greets you in the atrium, then a monumental Grand Staircase lined with kings and gods climbs toward a window framing the pyramids.

Practical

Not in the original agenda — added as an option.