Cairo or Luxor as a day trip from the Red Sea

Both work, but not from every resort. Cairo is a day by plane from Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Marsa Alam and Dahab. Luxor is a day by road from Hurghada and Marsa Alam and a day by plane from Sharm El Sheikh; this site has no Luxor day tour from Dahab. On every by-plane day, the flights are not included in the tour price.

Which resort goes where

The Red Sea tours on this site start from four bases. All drive figures below come from map routing without traffic, so read them as the shortest the drive can take.

The flights are never part of a tour price on this site. Each by-plane tour includes the hotel pickup and return, the transfers and the guide; ask how the flights fit the day when you book. More on how these days work is in Egypt day trips by plane.

What a Cairo day covers

From Hurghada and Marsa Alam the day in Cairo runs in the same order: the Giza pyramids, the Sphinx and Valley Temple, lunch at a local restaurant, the Grand Egyptian Museum, whose collection includes the treasures of King Tutankhamun, and Khan El Khalili bazaar. In Cairo, the pyramids are 41.5 km from the airport, about 46 min without traffic.

• From Sharm El Sheikh the museum comes first, then the pyramids 4.9 km away, about 9 min without traffic, the Sphinx, lunch and Khan El Khalili. A felucca ride (a traditional Nile sailboat) can be arranged as an option.
• From Dahab the order is the pyramids, the Sphinx and Valley Temple, lunch and the museum, then the airport: there is no Khan El Khalili stop.

Lunch is included on all four. Going inside the Great Pyramid is optional and not included. The step-by-step day from Hurghada is in Cairo in a day from Hurghada.

What a Luxor day covers

From Sharm El Sheikh, by plane: Karnak Temple (8.6 km from the Luxor airport, about 11 min without traffic), Luxor Temple, lunch, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon, with an English-speaking Egyptologist (a guide trained in ancient Egyptian history). Tickets for the tombs of Tutankhamun or Seti I are not included.

From Hurghada, by road: the Luxor day from Hurghada crosses the Eastern Desert to Karnak, then visits the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, lunch at a local restaurant and the Colossi of Memnon, with an English-speaking Egyptologist; there is no Luxor Temple stop, and Tutankhamun's tomb ticket is optional, not included. The drive back is 277.5 km, about 3 h 33 min without traffic. It is one of the site's newer tours: its program follows how the day usually runs and is confirmed with your quote.

From Marsa Alam, by road: Karnak, Luxor Temple, lunch, Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon, with an English-speaking guide. This day has no Valley of the Kings stop, and its included list mentions shopping opportunities in Luxor. The drive back to Marsa Alam is 359.3 km, about 4 h 16 min without traffic.

Cairo or Luxor: how to choose

• What you want to see. The pyramids, the Sphinx and the Tutankhamun treasures are in Cairo. Temples and the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings are in Luxor, and of the Red Sea days to Luxor, the ones from Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh visit the tombs; the one from Marsa Alam does not.
• From Hurghada, it is plane or road. Cairo means two flights and 7.2 km to the airport; Luxor means no flights but 289.7 km of road out and 277.5 km back, without traffic.
• The heat. In July, Luxor's average daily high is 41.4°C, against 34.8°C in Cairo. In January the averages are 23.0°C in Luxor and 19.0°C in Cairo. These are monthly averages, not forecasts.
• From Marsa Alam, both days are long. Cairo means 281 km of road to Hurghada airport, two flights and 277.1 km back, about 3 h 14 min without traffic. Luxor means no flights but 355 km of road out and 359.3 km back. See early starts and long drives before you pick.

Questions

Can you do a day trip to Cairo from Hurghada?

Yes. Our Cairo tour from Hurghada flies to Cairo and back on the same day, with hotel pickup and return, a private English-speaking Egyptologist guide and lunch at a local restaurant. The flights are not included in the tour price.

Can I take a day trip from Hurghada to the pyramids?

Yes, on the same tour. The Giza pyramids are its first stop in Cairo, followed by the Sphinx and Valley Temple, lunch, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Khan El Khalili.

Can you do a day trip to Luxor from Hurghada?

Yes, by road, with no flights: hotel pickup and return, a private English-speaking Egyptologist guide and lunch at a local restaurant, as described above.

Can you do a day trip from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo?

Yes, by plane. The tour visits the Grand Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, the Sphinx and Valley Temple and Khan El Khalili, with lunch included; the flights from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo and back are not included in the tour price. All the Red Sea resorts are on the Red Sea page.