Tour Overview
This private 3-day trip from Hurghada strings together three of Egypt's best-known sights: the Pyramids, Abu Simbel and Luxor. You fly to Cairo for Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum, then fly on to Aswan for the night. Day two is Abu Simbel and the first-class train to Luxor, and day three covers the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak before the drive back to the Red Sea.
Tour Highlights
- Cover Egypt's three great names, Giza, Abu Simbel and Luxor, in one trip that runs from Cairo south to Aswan and back up the Nile to Luxor.
- Walk around the Great Pyramid of Khufu, stand before the Great Sphinx and see Tutankhamun's treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum on day one.
- Stand in front of the four seated colossi of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, each about 20 meters high, cut straight into the cliff.
- Ride the first-class train north along the Nile from Aswan to Luxor and spend the second night in a 5-star Luxor hotel.
- Finish with the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's terraced temple and the vast columned hall of Karnak.
Tour Route
Can you see the Pyramids, Abu Simbel and Luxor in 3 days from Hurghada?
Yes, the main sights of each, if you are ready for three busy days. The two flights and the train do most of the long-distance work, so each day goes to one region. The trip does not include Aswan's own sights, such as Philae, or Luxor Temple.
The route runs north to Cairo, south to Aswan, then north again by train to Luxor, which is the closest of the three to the Red Sea. That is why only the final leg home is by road, and why you never sit in a car for the long drive to Cairo.
Why were the Abu Simbel temples moved?
When the Aswan High Dam was built in the 1960s, the rising waters of Lake Nasser would have covered both temples. In a UNESCO rescue campaign, engineers cut them into large blocks and rebuilt them on higher ground, inside an artificial hill, keeping their original orientation toward the rising sun.
What should you pack for a 3-day trip with flights and a train?
Pack light, in one small bag you can carry yourself, since you change hotels each night and travel by plane, train and car. Keep your passport with you at all times. Add comfortable shoes, a hat, sunscreen and a light layer for early mornings and air-conditioned trains.
How is this different from the Luxor day trip and the 2-day trips from Hurghada?
The Luxor day trip from Hurghada covers only the Luxor sites you see on day three. The 2-day Cairo and Luxor trip has the same Cairo day and the same Luxor sights, but no Abu Simbel and no Aswan night.
The 2-day Luxor and Abu Simbel trip pairs Luxor with Abu Simbel by road and rail but leaves out Cairo. This 3-day trip is the only one of these that brings all three together, at the cost of one extra night on the road.
Tour Itinerary
Every day is full: two flights and three Cairo sites on day one, an early Abu Simbel trip and a train on day two, and four Luxor sites before the drive home on day three.
We pick you up from your hotel in Hurghada and take you to Hurghada Airport for the flight to Cairo. At Cairo Airport your private Egyptologist guide meets you, and you head straight to the Giza Plateau on the western edge of the city.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu, built around 2560 BC from more than two million stone blocks, is the last standing wonder of the ancient world. Your guide then shows you the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple of Khafre, built of huge granite and limestone blocks.
Close to the Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum is the largest museum in the world devoted to one civilization. Its highlights include the colossal statue of Ramesses II in the entrance hall, the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues and the full Tutankhamun collection.
Lunch is included at a restaurant overlooking the Pyramids or the Nile. Afterward you visit the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, opened in 1902, whose two floors hold a vast collection of statues, coffins and everyday objects from every period of ancient Egypt.
From the museum we take you to Cairo Airport for the flight south to Aswan. On arrival you transfer to your 5-star hotel in Aswan and check in for the night. Dinner is not part of the program, and an early night is wise before the Abu Simbel morning.
With a breakfast box from the hotel, you check out and set off with your guide for Abu Simbel near the Sudanese border. Ramesses II cut two temples into the rock there, the Great Temple for himself and the gods, and a smaller one for Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor.
Back in Aswan, lunch is included at a local restaurant. Then you board the first-class train north to Luxor, a ride beside the Nile past fields and villages. In Luxor you check in to your 5-star hotel for the second night of the trip.
After breakfast you check out and cross to the West Bank. In the Valley of the Kings your ticket opens a selection of the 63 known royal tombs. Next is Hatshepsut's terraced temple against the cliffs, then the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant in Luxor. Then your guide takes you through Karnak, where kings built for Amun for some two thousand years, and its Great Hypostyle Hall. Finally an air-conditioned car drives you back across the desert to your hotel in Hurghada.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
It starts at your hotel in Hurghada, where we pick you up early on day one for the drive to Hurghada Airport. It ends on the evening of day three, when the car from Luxor drops you back at your hotel in Hurghada.
The price covers flights from Hurghada to Cairo and from Cairo to Aswan, a first-class train from Aswan to Luxor, one 5-star night in Aswan and one in Luxor, a breakfast box and a hotel breakfast, three lunches, private Egyptologist guides, entrance fees to all sites in the program, mineral water and taxes.
Yes. Your guides are private to you and your companions. The per-person price falls as your group grows, because guide, car and transfer costs are shared, and it changes by season, mainly because domestic airfares and hotel rates rise in winter and over Christmas and New Year.
No. Aswan is your base for the first night and the starting point for Abu Simbel, but Philae, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk are not in the program. If you want them, the 2-day Luxor and Aswan trip covers them, or you can add a night and an Aswan day tour.
Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.
