Field guide · 10 of 20
Luxor, Aswan or Cairo: how to split your time
For eight days: three nights in Cairo, fly to Luxor for one or two nights, then sail three or four nights to Aswan and fly home from there. Cairo is the pyramids and the museum; Luxor is the temples and tombs; Aswan is the river. Abu Simbel is a 45-minute flight or a four-hour drive from Aswan.
What each city is for
Cairo is the Old Kingdom and the modern country. Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur show the pyramids in the order they were built; the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir hold what came out of the ground; Islamic and Coptic Cairo show the fourteen centuries since. It is loud, large and worth three nights.
Luxor is the New Kingdom. Karnak and Luxor Temple on the east bank; the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, Medinet Habu and the Tombs of the Nobles on the west. It has more that is worth seeing per square kilometre than anywhere else in the country, and most visitors under-allocate it.
Aswan is the river and the south. Philae, the Unfinished Obelisk, the Nubian villages, Elephantine Island, feluccas at sunset, and the base for Abu Simbel. It is where the trip slows down.
A sample eight-day split
| Night | Sleep in | The day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairo | Arrive; evening on the Nile corniche or at the hotel |
| 2 | Cairo | Giza at opening; Grand Egyptian Museum in the afternoon or on a late-opening evening |
| 3 | Cairo | Saqqara and Dahshur in the morning; Islamic Cairo late afternoon |
| 4 | Luxor | Morning flight (about one hour); Karnak in the late afternoon; Luxor Temple after dark |
| 5 | On the boat | West Bank from 6am: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Medinet Habu; drive to Esna and board |
| 6 | On the boat | El Kab, Edfu, sailing |
| 7 | On the boat | Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, sail into Aswan |
| 8 | Aswan or home | Philae at opening; fly to Cairo for the onward flight, or stay a ninth night for Abu Simbel |
The split is three Cairo, one Luxor hotel night plus one West Bank day, three nights on the river, and Aswan on the last morning. If you have a ninth or tenth day, give it to Luxor's West Bank first and Abu Simbel second.
Direction: north to south, or the reverse
Most people fly into Cairo, so the natural order is Cairo, Luxor, sail south, Aswan, fly home via Cairo. It also runs chronologically: Old Kingdom first, New Kingdom second.
The reverse, Cairo, fly to Aswan, sail north to Luxor, fly back, has one advantage: the current is with you, so the boat sails more and motors less, and you end in Luxor, where the sites are densest and you can add a day. We use it for travellers with ten or more days. For eight, south is simpler.
Moving between them
| Leg | Options | Our usual choice |
|---|---|---|
| Cairo to Luxor | Flight about 1 hour; overnight sleeper train about 9 hours; road about 650 km | Early morning flight |
| Cairo to Aswan | Flight about 1h20; sleeper train about 12 hours | Flight |
| Luxor to Aswan | Dahabiya 4–5 nights; cruise ship 3–4 nights; road about 3–4 hours; train about 3 hours | Dahabiya |
| Aswan to Abu Simbel | Flight about 45 minutes; road about 280 km, 3.5–4 hours each way | Flight, unless the party wants the desert road |
| Aswan to Cairo | Flight about 1h20 | Flight, timed to the international connection |
The sleeper train runs from Giza station in the evening and arrives in Luxor or Aswan the next morning, with one- and two-berth compartments. It is a reasonable way to travel for people who like trains and saves a hotel night. It is frequently late, the dinner is basic, and the cabins are small. We book it when asked, and we say this first.
The road between Luxor and Aswan takes three to four hours with the temples at Edfu and Kom Ombo along the way. It is how you travel if you are not taking a boat, and it works. It is not the same as the river.
Abu Simbel as a day trip
The two temples at Abu Simbel sit 280 km south of Aswan on Lake Nasser. By road, day trips leave Aswan around 4am and return mid-afternoon; there are checkpoints, and the desert is flat and empty. By air, EgyptAir runs the 45-minute hop several times a week, with the schedule shaped around a morning visit of about two hours and a return before lunch. The site opens at 6am.
If the dates allow, a night at Abu Simbel is the better version: the temples at sunset after the day visitors have flown out, and the sound and light show with almost no one there. Around the sun alignment on 22 February and 22 October the site is very crowded on the day itself and busy either side; the 21st or 23rd gives nearly the same light with fewer people.
Where to cut, if you must
Seven days: drop the third Cairo night and do Saqqara on the morning of the Luxor flight. Six days: drop the river, fly Luxor to Aswan or drive it with stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo. Five days: drop Aswan entirely and give Luxor two full days. We would not cut Luxor's West Bank below one full morning under any plan.
Where to add, if you can
Nine days: a second West Bank morning for the Tombs of the Nobles and Deir el-Medina. Ten: Abu Simbel with a night. Eleven: a fifth night on the dahabiya. Twelve: a day with nothing in Aswan, which is not nothing.
How we build it
We start from your arrival and departure flights and work inward: the boat first, because it sets the rhythm, then flights, hotel nights and sites, with your Egyptologist on every leg. The complete private plan is in your inbox within 48 hours of first contact, no obligation.
FAQ
Is it better to fly or take the train from Cairo to Luxor? Fly. The flight is about one hour; the sleeper train is about nine and often late. The train suits travellers who enjoy it and want to save a hotel night.
How many days in Luxor versus Aswan? Give Luxor two full days and Aswan one, plus the days on the river between them. Luxor has far more to see; Aswan is for the river, Philae and Abu Simbel.
Can you do Abu Simbel as a day trip from Aswan? Yes. A 45-minute flight each way with about two hours at the site, or a 4am departure by road, 3.5–4 hours each way. An overnight at Abu Simbel is quieter if you have the day.
Send us your arrival and departure flights and we will build the split around them. Message us your dates and the complete plan follows within 48 hours.