One Week Egypt Itinerary and Guide
- margauxgathy6
- May 2
- 9 min read
I travelled solo to Egypt for a week and it was quite the experience. The history was incredible and I learned so much about the culture of the country. A week is enough to see the highlights: Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan, but add more time if you want to go to the coast. This guide will outline the best things to do in each city, how to get around, and where to stay. I’ve also included some of my top tips to make travelling Egypt as safe and comfortable as possible.
Contents
Logistics: Making Bookings and Moving Around
Within cities, moving around is almost exclusively by taxi. Uber works in Cairo, but for other cities, download inDrive, DiDi, or Careem. They save you the haggling. From my experience, inDrive is usually the cheapest and easiest to use.
Between cities, buses are almost always cheaper than trains, but take longer. I booked buses on 12Go Asia, but you can also book directly with companies like GoBus, one of the main operators. Make sure it is instant confirmation, and never have a tight connection as they often run late. Train tickets for foreigners are a lot more expensive for foreigners than for Egyptians, but the trains are relatively reliable. Most of the time you can buy a ticket on the day, but you are not guaranteed to get the first bus or train, as they might be sold out.
I took the sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan, which you can read more about in my guide here.
Booking activities can be done a few days before, but I recommend booking tours further in advance as the best ones may sell out. There is always an option for the day before though! Accommodation does not need to be booked too far in advance, but to secure the best hostel of your choosing, do this at least a week in advance.
Cairo
Cairo is a huge city and is really overwhelming to visit. I would recommend only spending 2 nights here so you get one full day (and maybe a bit) to explore the main sights.
Things to Do
The Pyramids
The Great Pyramids of Giza are obviously the main attraction for everyone visiting Cairo. You can visit as part of a tour, which will include pickups and drop offs, or on your own by taking a taxi or inDrive there and back. I opted to do this as part of a tour, as safety was a big priority, and I wanted to learn more about the history of the place.
You can buy tickets on the door as they don’t restrict the numbers. The ticket gets you area access, which includes the Pyramids and the Sphinx. If you want to go inside any of the Pyramids, you will need to buy an extra ticket. There is nothing much to see inside, but it is part of the experience!
After you’ve visited the Pyramids, you can head over to the panoramic viewpoint. This provides arguably the best view of the Pyramids together. Camel riding is an option at this point, but I strongly discourage this: the camels are not treated well and are visibly distressed. It was really hard to watch. The Sphinx is a much smaller site to visit and is really busy, but it doesn’t take as long to experience.
If you’ve booked a tour which includes the Grand Egyptian Museum, you’ll have lunch after visiting the Pyramids. It was really good, plentiful, and catered to vegetarians and vegans. You’ll then drive to the Museum.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is brand new (end of 2024) and incredible. There is so much to see and it is unbelievably well curated. Your guide will tell you about the main parts, but then you will also have some free time to explore at your leisure. Honestly, this was one of the best museums I have ever been to, so even if you have not booked a tour, I highly recommend going from Cairo. The Tutankhamun exhibit is about to be moved into it from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and this will round off the museum.
Egyptian Museum in Cairo
If you have extra time in Cairo and want to see more, the Old Egyptian Museum is worth a visit. It has a lot of artifacts including mummies and sarcophagi. It gets pretty busy with tour groups, even first thing in the morning. There isn’t a lot of information about the artifacts written in the museum, so you will lack some information if you don’t have a guide. However, as of February 2025, the Tutankhamun sarcophagus and mask have an exhibit in the museum and are incredible to see. They will soon be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum, so double check the status of that move before you go.
Where to Stay
I stayed at Dahab Hostel in Cairo and didn’t have any issues. It is on a rooftop which makes it very peaceful compared to the streets of Cairo, and the staff were all really kind and helpful. I would recommend it for a couple of nights.
Aswan
I took an overnight train from Cairo to Aswan, and spent two nights in Aswan. Because of the train’s arrival time, this meant I had two full days: one to explore Aswan, and one to head to Abu Simbel.
Things to Do
Aswan High Dam
I have been learning about the Aswan High Dam and its controversies in school and university for years, and thought it was incredible to see it in person. You drive onto the dam itself and see lake Nasser and the power production plant.
Unfinished Obelisk
This is one of the main attractions within the city of Aswan itself. I personally thought it was a little underwhelming, but the history of the place is really interesting. You can very easily walk there from town, and it won’t take you more than 20 minutes to see.
Philae Temple
The Philae temple is on an island, and was actually moved when the dam was built due to flooding. You enter the site, take a boat from the pier, and disembark on the island to visit the temple. It was really beautiful and an impressive relocation story.
Nubian Village
I unfortunately did not have time to visit the Nubian Village, but it is a major attraction in Aswan that I highly recommend seeing if you can.
Day trip to Abu Simbel
Day trips to Abu Simbel leave Aswan at 4am. I booked with my hostel the day before, and it cost US$20. It is much cheaper and easier to do it by tour rather than solo. The drive down to Abu Simbel is 3-4 hours, and you will stop once for a toilet and coffee break. You arrive at the site around 8am and have 2.5 hours to explore. This is plenty of time. Tours will not include tickets: you buy these on the door and then head inside. It cost 776/388 EGP (adult/student price; approx. £33.40/£16.70).
It is a really busy place, especially inside the temples themselves, but regardless is very impressive. There are two main temples to see on the shores of lake Nasser, and a small visitor room which tells you about its relocation after the dam’s construction. After exploring, you will get back on the bus to Aswan.
Where to Stay
Almost all backpackers stay at Go Inn Backpackers. It’s okay for Egyptian standards, but isn’t the cleanest hostel I’ve stayed at. However, it has a great terrace overlooking the Nile which is perfect for relaxing on during the day and ideal for sunset. You can also rent kayaks from them and swim from here. It also has a little restaurant which has a limited menu, and is 10 minutes walking to a Carrefour supermarket, which is amazing if you can cook in the kitchen.
Luxor
I again stayed 2 nights in Luxor. There is a lot to see in this city, and most people split their time doing the East and West Banks. I did both on one day which was exhausting, but if you are pressed for time, this is the best way to do it. If you can stay an extra day and do the East Bank on day 1 and West Bank on day 2, I would recommend that. I did a tour of all of these sites to save time and to learn more about the place, and it also included lunch. If you do this on one day, I recommend bringing snacks and plenty of water too.
Things to Do
West Bank: Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is where most tombs of the famous Egyptian Kings are located. They actually discovered the 63rd tomb of the site the day before I visited. You can enter 3 tombs with the main ticket, but to enter any more, including Tutankhamoun’s tomb, you have to pay extra. The main ticket cost 750/375 EGP (adult/student; approx. £32.30/£16.15). You can pay 20 EGP (approx. 30p) for a ticket for the golf cart shuttle, but this really is not worth it if you don’t mind walking five minutes to the tomb entrances.
The site itself is very bright, so bring sunglasses! The Tombs are very impressive and incredibly well preserved. They do get busy though, so be prepared for crowds.
West Bank: Temple of Hatshepsut
The Temple of Hatshepsut is carved into the rock and has a very impressive facade. The inside is unfortunately less well preserved. The tickets cost 440/220 EGP (adult/student; approx. £19/£9.47), and again you can buy a golf cart ticket for 20 EGP (approx. 30p).
East Bank: Karnak Temple
Karnak Temple was hands down my favourite site in Egypt (no offense to the Pyramids!). It was absolutely stunning. As the second largest temple complex in the world (after Angkor Wat), you could easily spend a whole day here. We saw the highlights in a couple of hours and were still blown away. The entrance ticket was 600/300 EGP (adult/student; approx. £26/£13). If there is ony one site you visit in Luxor, make it this one!
East Bank: Luxor Temple
We arrived at Luxor Temple for sunset, which made it beautiful. However, we were so tired by this point that it became difficult to enjoy. Regardless, it was absolutely stunning and a great way to finish the day. The tickets were 500/250 EGP (adult/student; approx. £21.54/£10.77).
Walk Along the River
It is a really lovely walk along the river in Luxor, and there is a modern boardwalk which allows you to do that. It’s especially nice at sunset. However, be prepared to be hassled left, right, and centre by Egyptian men if you are a (solo travelling) woman. It is some of the worst harrassment I have ever experienced. Stand strong and ignore them all.
Where to Stay
I stayed at Mr Hostel Luxor, but honestly would not recommend it. The options are limited, but do some research and prioritise safety and female-only dorms if you can.
Budget
My daily average for Egypt was £63, which included food, activities, accommodation, visa, SIM card, and miscellaneous purchases. It is a high average because I did tours in every city I went to, and it includes the expensive sleeper train. However, for my comfort and safety, I would argue that this is the best way to go, especially as a solo female traveller. It is definitely doable for less, probably around £40/day if you do a smaller number of tours. Being a student also saves you a lot of money at each of the tourist sites!
Food is extremely cheap: you can eat full meals for less than £1-£2, but most will be between £2 and £4. Accommodation in hostel dorms ranges from £6 to £10 per night. The visa cost me $25, and I took out an unlimited data eSIM for $35.
Most places are cash only, but all tourist sites are card only, so make sure you have both.
Top Tips
Here are some top tips I’ve noted to help you travel Egypt safely and comfortably:
If you are a student, don’t book tours with entry tickets, as it is more expensive. You can buy tickets on the door when you get to each site. With a valid student ID, you get half price off all attractions. They prefer you to have an official ‘International Student Card’, but if yours has an expiry date and your photo on it, it should work most of the time if you are persistent. However, students over the age of 30 don’t get any discount. If they are resisting, tell them your age and have your passport on hand for verification. Generally, you just have to speak nicely if your ID isn’t exactly what they are looking for.
Almost all toilets charge you 10 EGP (approx. 45p) to use, even within tourist sites. From my experience, they have all been very clean and have both soap and toilet paper.
If having a guide is not a priority for you, then a lot of places will be cheaper without a tour.
Don’t get scammed: Everyone in Egypt wants your money. Do not assume people are doing things to be kind, most of the time they want something in return. Even for the smallest things like showing you how to get on the train, people will ask for a tip. Don’t be afraid to say no if you have not asked for their help.
WiFi is generally very weak throughout the country. Mobile data is also not great, even in cities, but I recommend getting a SIM card with a lot of data for when the WiFi doesn’t work at all. There will be no service in the desert for long drives between cities, so be prepared with maps downloaded.
Learn the Arabic numbers! You have no idea how many times this will come in useful: checking the license plates of drivers (inDrive shows you English numbers, but the license plates do not), train numbers, platform numbers, prices, etc. If you can haggle in Arabic prices too, it will serve you well.
Travelling Egypt, especially solo, is not easy. However, it is extremely rewarding and such an interesting country to visit. I hope this guide helps you plan a safe and comfortable trip. And, while sustainability isn’t a priority for many Egyptians, make sure you don’t contribute to this mindset. As always, leave only your footprints behind :)
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