The desert land of Cleopatra, the Pharaohs and the last standing of the seven ancient wonders of the world, Egypt is only a five to six hour flight from London, UK and a beautiful week destination spot filled with endless history and mysteries. Here’s a perfect itinerary to spend 168 jam-packed and part-relaxful hours (AKA 7 days, or one week) from Thursday afternoon to Thursday evening. 

96 hours in Giza and Cairo

Thursday late afternoon – Land at Cairo Sphinx International airport and make a bee line for the mobile network ‘we’ stand to get yourself a cheap eSIM (or physical) that will last you the whole week. Ring your hotel to send a taxi for you if they’re willing, that way you avoid being scammed higher by all the taxi men waiting at the gates (although they’ll nicely try to give you tour cards for your time there). 

Thursday night – Get settled in your hotel. If you stay in Giza, you may be lucky enough to get a rooftop view of the pyramids which means you’ll get sky-high seats to the night time light shows.

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Friday morning – Get ready for your tour guide to arrive with their driver outside your hotel bright and early – usually 7-9am. AirBnB experiences will gift you value for money with a jam-packed day including the Giza pyramids (pay extra for entrance into the Great pyramid), the grand Sphinx, Valley of the temples where you can throw a coin for good luck, then take a camel ride by the Queen pyramids all by 11am.

Friday afternoon – Continuing into the afternoon pause for traditional Egyptian lunch: koshari, resume with demonstrations of Papyrus plants being made into paper, glow in the dark papyrus paintings, jewellery behind the scenes, and stop by the Heaven Essence store for perfume scent testing with plenty of complimentary Egyptian tea. Visit the desert for a quad bike ATV ride to round off the end of an adventurous tour day one.

Friday evening – Walk around the corner to Rooftop 7000 (on the fourth floor with a luminous elevator) for a late dinner, they’ll cover you in blankets next to burning flames to keep you warm in the crispy cool night as you look out at the Giza pyramids and the night time light show. If you’re opting for the cocktail list, just keep in mind it will be alcohol-free but smoothie-licious.

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Saturday morning – Another bright and early morning for day two of the tour days. Your tour guide and driver will collect you from your hotel to drive you across the River Nile from Giza to Cairo for the Egyptian Museum (the pink exterior one, as there’s two others specialising in other areas), the Citadel with a visit to the breathtaking Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and Old Cairo with the Hanging Church, the Cavern Church where the Holy Family (Mary, Joesph and Jesus) visited, Ben Synagogue, and lighting candles in your respective place of worship.

Saturday afternoon – Start the afternoon with more traditional lunch: koshari, falafels, lentil soup and a mixed fruit smoothie for the vegan option (there’s mixed grills and koftas for the meat eaters).

Saturday evening – Come back and relax at your hotel after a day full of history and numinosity.

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Sunday morning – Choose between taking it easy this day, but I wouldn’t necessarily advise doing what we did with a 2 hour car ride to Wale Al Ryyan for the mini waterfall for a few minutes then turning around for another 2 hour car ride back. Save your money, and energy, and wait it out until the evening.

Sunday evening – Ask your hotel in advance for a driver to Khan El-Khalili market in the night time. Drive over the Nile and see the mosques and churches lit up in neon before walking through the vivacious, starry market that’s existed since 1389. Have dinner at Saheb Asara before going to a little street amidst the market where you can pay peanuts for seats in the street party atmosphere and have shisha, Egyptian tea and complimentary nuts and snacks at one of the most popular café’s. Expect drums, tambourines, dancers and vibrant music all night.

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Monday morning – Get ready to check out of your Giza hotel.

Monday afternoon – Fly from Cairo International airport to Luxor for only an hour duration, versus the 12 hours or so it would take to drive or with a train.

Monday evening – Take a taxi to your second hotel and take in Luxor, it’s a stunning airport. Set up your bags and relax for the night before getting dinner across the road, by the beach side of the River Nile.

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96 hours in Luxor

Tuesday morning/afternoon – Wake up bright and early for a 7am start for the Luxor temples. You’ll get a stunning morning view of the hot air balloons dancing across the sky from your patio if you wake up early enough (they usually set off at 6am, so are floating across the sky around 7-8am). Your day tour of the archaeological sites begins with the Valleys of the Kings and Temple of Hatshepsut, then the Temple of Medinat Habu (my favourite), Karnak Temple and ends with Luxor Temple.

During the valley, you’ll be exposed to the bright sun from 10am onwards, and the busy crowds piling up will make the 7am start make sense. Get a goal cart to get from place to place for the King’s tombs, but walk from one to the other once you’re in the main arena. See King Tutankahumn’s tomb and mummy, King Ramses I and III’s tombs and King Mentpah under one paid ticket.

Later, you’ll stop by a local family chiseling business where you can try part of the sculpting process, and the team around you will erupt in a chorus of “wow”‘s when the man holds up a finished product (a vase or any marble, onyx item) to a light and the object begins to glow.

Tuesday late afternoon – Take a brief, romantic horse and carriage ride from Luxor Temple to the edge of the East Bank, before getting on a 5 minute boat ride, or felucca like the Ancient Egyptians, back to the West Bank.

Tuesday evening – Languish with a seafood platter from the same go to restaurant by your apartments, the Little Nile Beach. Egyptians are so hospitable and that culminated in our experience of the hosts here in Luxor and the restaurant owners themselves – they’ll even invite you to use their deck chairs and benches anytime of the day to read, and chill even if you’re not a paying customer. The owner, Ahmed, found us a good luck coin under the table’s candle on our first night dining there, and said we were calm, with “good souls and hearts” and “fitting for Africa, like cousins” – Luxor definitely brought a tear to my eye once or twice.

Wednesday morning – Take breakfast: falafels, traditional beans, chopped up melons and oranges, tomatoes, Egyptian bread, eggs and more on the rooftop of your hotel and bask in the views.

Wednesday afternoon – Continue your rest day in the apartment, and ask your hotel’s host for a ride on their motorbike if you need to go for snacks to a nearby shop because of the sandy and rocky terrain by the river banks.

Thursday morning – Check out of your Luxor apartment and park your suitcases there – they’ll nicely hold them for you while you can relax at the same dining place opposite you by the river.

Thursday afternoon – Take a taxi to Luxor airport in preparation for your evening flight.

Thursday evening – Fly from Egypt at sunset, see the sky change from light orange to a deeper hue mixing with stronger purples and blues before you’re plunged into the night. Arrive back in London/the UK at night time, adjusting to the 30 degree temperature drop!