Egypt in 6 Days: Cairo and Luxor by Sleeper Train
Overview
The overnight train south is the reason this itinerary works. It saves two hotel nights and two mornings at an airport, and it puts the transfer where you were going to be asleep anyway. Six days is short for Egypt, but with the travelling done at night it stretches further than it sounds.
Cairo takes the first full day. You start on the Giza Plateau, at the Great Pyramid of Khufu and along the line to Khafre and Menkaure, finishing at the Sphinx where Khafre's causeway ends. The afternoon goes to the Grand Egyptian Museum two kilometres east, where the complete Tutankhamun assemblage now sits in two purpose-built galleries — 5,398 objects from a single tomb, the gold mask among them, together for the first time since Howard Carter cleared the tomb in 1922. You board the train that evening and wake in Upper Egypt.
Luxor fills the middle of the trip and both banks are covered. Karnak comes first: a complex successive pharaohs enlarged over two thousand years, where the Hypostyle Hall's 134 sandstone columns still hold traces of their original paint high up where the light cannot reach them. Luxor Temple stands a few kilometres south on the corniche, joined to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes now excavated along its full length. The following morning crosses the river for three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, cut deep into the limestone with painted ceilings that have survived three thousand years underground, and Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, terraced directly into the cliff at Deir el-Bahari and unlike anything else the New Kingdom built.
The train north returns you to Cairo for the last full day, which is spent in the oldest parts of the city rather than at another monument. Coptic Cairo sits inside the walls of the Roman fortress of Babylon: the Hanging Church built across a gate tower, the crypt below the Church of St Sergius and Bacchus, the Ben Ezra Synagogue a short walk from both. Khan el-Khalili follows, laid out in the fourteenth century and still worked by coppersmiths, perfume sellers and lantern makers.
Everything runs privately, so the pace bends around what you want to see rather than a coach group's timetable.
Send us your dates and group size and we'll come back with availability and a per-person price.
Daily Itinerary
Your representative meets you inside Cairo International Airport, past passport control, holding a sign with your name. They handle the arrival formalities, wait while your luggage comes through and walk you out to a waiting air-conditioned vehicle. The drive into the city runs from 40 minutes to well over an hour depending on traffic and the hour you land. Your guide confirms tomorrow's pickup at check-in. The rest of the day is unscheduled.
Overnight: Cairo
Included visits: None
Meals: None
Important notes: Airport pickup is included whatever time you arrive.
Breakfast at the hotel, then out to Giza with your guide. You begin at the Great Pyramid of Khufu, work along to Khafre and Menkaure, and stop at the panorama point where all three sit in one frame. The Sphinx comes last. The afternoon belongs to the Grand Egyptian Museum: the Grand Hall with its Ramses II colossus, the Grand Staircase, and the two Tutankhamun galleries. You transfer to Giza railway station in the evening for the sleeper train to Luxor, with dinner served in your cabin.
Overnight: Sleeper train
Included visits: Great Pyramid, Khafre and Menkaure pyramids, Sphinx, Grand Egyptian Museum
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Optional experiences: Entry inside one of the pyramids; camel or horse ride across the plateau; Saqqara and Memphis as a half-day extension
Important notes: The GEM runs on timed entry and needs two hours minimum. Cabins are compact — pack an overnight bag and let the rest of your luggage travel stowed. Lunch is not included today.
The train reaches Luxor in the morning and your guide meets you on the platform. After dropping bags at your hotel you head for Karnak, which needs a couple of hours and is best done before the heat builds. Luxor Temple follows on the corniche. You check in properly in the afternoon, and the evening is free.
Overnight: Luxor
Included visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple
Meals: Breakfast
Optional experiences: Luxor Temple again after dark, when it is lit; the sound and light show at Karnak; a felucca hour on the river
Important notes: Karnak is large and mostly unshaded — hat and water. Your room may not be ready on arrival, but you can change and leave luggage at reception. Lunch is not included.
Across the river after breakfast. Three tombs in the Valley of the Kings come first, then Hatshepsut's terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari, and the two seated Colossi of Memnon on the road back. You check out afterwards, with free time in Luxor before the evening transfer to the railway station for the sleeper train to Cairo. Dinner is served in your cabin.
Overnight: Sleeper train
Included visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Optional experiences: Dawn hot-air balloon over the West Bank, before the tour begins; the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I, ticketed separately
Important notes: Uneven ground and warm, still air inside the tombs — closed shoes are worth wearing. Reception will hold your bags after checkout. Lunch is not included.
Breakfast is served on the train before it reaches Cairo in the morning. Your representative meets you at the station and takes you to your hotel to drop bags. You then visit Coptic Cairo, inside the Roman walls of Babylon, for the Hanging Church, the crypt of St Sergius and Bacchus and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Khan el-Khalili follows, with time for tea at one of the older cafés. The evening is free.
Overnight: Cairo
Included visits: Hanging Church, Church of St Sergius and Bacchus, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Khan el-Khalili
Meals: Breakfast
Optional experiences: The Citadel and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali added to the morning; a Nile dinner cruise
Important notes: Shoulders and knees should be covered at the religious sites. Lunch is not included.
Breakfast at your hotel, then free time until your transfer. Late checkout can usually be arranged for a fee if you fly in the evening, and reception will hold your luggage if you would rather check out and use the last hours in the city. Your driver collects you with enough margin for Cairo traffic and airport queues.
Included visits: None
Meals: Breakfast
Important notes: Allow three hours before an international departure.
What's Included
- Airport meet-and-greet by our representative on arrival and departure
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers and sightseeing
- Three nights in Cairo on a bed-and-breakfast basis
- Two nights in a sleeper-train cabin, dinner and breakfast served on board
- One night in Luxor on a bed-and-breakfast basis
- Sightseeing runs privately, just your party and your guide
- Licensed English-speaking Egyptologist on all tours
- Entrance tickets to every site named in the itinerary
- Meals as set out day by day below
- All service charges and applicable taxes
Not Included
- International flights
- Egypt visa
- Optional tours
- Personal expenses
- Tipping
Our Travelers Testimonials
Authentic perspective from those who have experienced the unparalleled elegance of our curated journeys.
Exclusive Pyramids Photography
Immortalize your profound journey looking over the ancient horizon with an internationally acclaimed professional photographer.
Reserve SessionSignature Brands
