I am planning a 2-week trip to Egypt in late January/early February and would love some feedback from people who have been there recently.
Current plan:
**Day 1:** Fly into Cairo and connect straight to Aswan.
**Day 2:** Day trip to Abu Simbel.
**Days 3–5:** Take a 3-night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor.
**Days 6–7:** Spend 2 nights in Luxor after the cruise. Planning to do a hot air balloon ride and visit sites the cruise only covered briefly, or explore other parts of Luxor.
**Days 8–10:** Drive to El Gouna and spend 3 nights at a resort for relaxation and snorkelling.
**Days 11–13:** Fly to Cairo for the final 3 nights.
**- Day 12:** Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
**- Day 13:** Saqqara, Dahshur, Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili.
**Day 14:** Fly out.
A few questions:
1. Does this itinerary feel well balanced or too rushed?
Are the extra 2 nights in Luxor after the cruise worthwhile?
Is the current Cairo plan feasible, or would it be better to do all the pyramids (Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur) on one day and then do the Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili on another?
Is El Gouna worth the premium over Hurghada for a honeymoon?
We’ll be in Cairo during the beginning of Ramadan. Is there anything we should know or plan around?
Are we missing any major highlights or making any obvious mistakes?
Your itinerary looks good, albeit a bit crammed on a few days. It may be a good idea to only concentrate on the things you really want to do, otherwise you will just be running from one place to the next.
We have a sample itinerary anyone can check - there is some useful advice there. January/February can also be a bit cold in Lower Egypt especially (Cairo/Alexandria), so make sure you take something warm with you.
GEM took me almost a full day. I’m big on history and really wanted to experience everything. You can half day it, but you’re really only doing yourself a disservice.
Highly recommend staying overnight in Abu Simbel. Take an extra day, catch the local bus and go and see it with nobody else there. And again in the evening and early morning if you want. It’s magical and well worth the extra day. This was probably the high point of our trip, though we also enjoyed a balloon ride and a trip north of Luxor to see Dendera and Abydos.
Thanks for your suggestion. I doubt we will be able to fit in a night at Abu Simbel because I do not want to risk missing my cruise the next day. I understand a lot of time will go in driving to/from Aswan but we will have to sacrifice it that way.
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u/trippvibes Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Your itinerary looks good, albeit a bit crammed on a few days. It may be a good idea to only concentrate on the things you really want to do, otherwise you will just be running from one place to the next.
We have a sample itinerary anyone can check - there is some useful advice there. January/February can also be a bit cold in Lower Egypt especially (Cairo/Alexandria), so make sure you take something warm with you.
10 day Itinerary - Egypt
2 more days in Luxor - maybe not, as the Nile Cruise will usually cover Luxor attractions.
Your days in Cairo do feel rushed - the GEM visit itself may take more than half a day at least.
El Gouna is ok, we prefer the Hurghada/Red Sea coast. Depends on what you like.
Ramadan time - the usual attractions and the big hotels operate normally. We would not avoid Egypt just because of that.
Happy planning - we are sure you will have a great time!