Best things to do in Egypt

The main things to do in Egypt follow the Nile and the coasts: see the pyramids of Giza and Cairo's museums, walk Luxor's temples and royal tombs, take the boat to Philae and the road to Abu Simbel from Aswan, see Roman and medieval Alexandria, and snorkel the Red Sea reefs from Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Marsa Alam or Dahab. Each fits in a day from one base.

Egypt Day Tours (egyptdaytours.net) is a site dedicated to day tours in Egypt, so this list goes base by base: what each sight is, what to know before you go, and which of our tours does it.

Cairo and Giza

See the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx

The three 4th-dynasty pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure stand on the Giza plateau with the Sphinx below them, and the Great Pyramid is the only surviving wonder of the ancient world (UNESCO). They are 16.5 km from a Downtown or Zamalek hotel, about 20 min without traffic. Our half-day pyramids and Sphinx tour covers them; things to do in Giza adds the rest of the plateau and Saqqara.

Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum and the royal mummies

The Grand Egyptian Museum, opened on 1 November 2025 near the pyramids, holds the Tutankhamun Galleries, and its tickets are booked online in advance for a set entry time. The royal mummies, 17 kings and 3 queens, are at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo. Our Grand Egyptian Museum tour is a half day with an Egyptologist guide.

Walk medieval Cairo

Historic Cairo, on UNESCO's list since 1979, is one of the world's oldest Islamic cities. Our Coptic and Islamic Cairo day tour covers the Citadel, the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, Coptic Cairo, Al-Muizz Street and the Khan El Khalili bazaar in one day, with lunch. More in things to do in Cairo; every tour from the capital is on the Cairo page.

Luxor

Walk Karnak and Luxor Temple

Luxor stands on ancient Thebes. On the east bank, Karnak's Amun precinct is the largest temple complex in Egypt, according to Britannica, and Luxor Temple, 3.2 km away, takes last visitors at 7 p.m. Our Luxor East Bank tour covers both, with lunch.

Cross to the Valley of the Kings

On the west bank, the Valley of the Kings holds the tombs of almost all the kings of the 18th to 20th dynasties, among them Tutankhamun's, found in 1922; the standard ticket covers three tombs. Our East and West Banks tour adds Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon to the two temples in one full day. More in things to do in Luxor and on the Luxor page.

Fly in a balloon at sunrise

Our hot-air balloon ride takes off on the west bank at sunrise, with views of the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Nile; the balloon is shared with other guests, the transfers private.

Aswan

Take the boat to Philae

Philae's temple of Isis was moved to the island of Agilkia during the UNESCO Nubia campaign of the 1960s and is reached by motorboat. Our High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae tour includes the boat; Philae takes last visitors at 3 p.m.

Make the long day to Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel's two rock-cut temples of Ramses II were taken apart and rebuilt on higher ground between 1963 and 1968. They are 283.4 km from an Aswan hotel, about 3 h 26 min without traffic, on our Abu Simbel day trip. More in things to do in Aswan and on the Aswan page.

Alexandria

See Greek, Roman and medieval Alexandria

A day in Alexandria covers the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, underground tombs of the 2nd century AD that mix Egyptian, Greek and Roman styles; the Roman Theater; Pompey's Pillar; the Citadel of Qaitbay, built over the ruins of the ancient Lighthouse between 1477 and 1479; and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern library inspired by the ancient one. Our Alexandria in a day tour starts from an Alexandria hotel; from Cairo the drive is 216.1 km, about 2 h 26 min without traffic, on our Alexandria day trip from Cairo. Every tour from the city is on the Alexandria page.

The Red Sea and Sinai

Snorkel around Giftun Island from Hurghada

Our Giftun Island trip is a full day on a boat from Hurghada with two snorkeling stops on the reefs, beach time on the island and an open buffet lunch on board, with the gear included. The Hurghada page has the Dolphin House, the desert and the submarine.

Snorkel Ras Mohammed from Sharm El Sheikh

Ras Mohammed, declared a protected area in 1983, is a national park reached by boat from Sharm El Sheikh. Our Ras Mohammed trip includes the park entrance fee, lunch on board and a stop at White Island, a sandbank in the park; it is a new tour, confirmed with your quote. More on the Sharm El Sheikh page.

Climb Mount Sinai for sunrise

Mount Sinai, 2,285 meters high, is held to be where Moses received the Ten Commandments, and St Catherine's Monastery at its foot was founded by the emperor Justinian I (Britannica, UNESCO). The night climb reaches the summit for sunrise. It starts 215.6 km from a Sharm El Sheikh hotel, about 3 h 10 min without traffic, on our Mount Sinai tour from Sharm El Sheikh, with a Bedouin guide for the climb, or 129 km from Dahab, about 2 h 6 min, on our Mount Sinai tour from Dahab.

Snorkel at Samadai from Marsa Alam

Samadai is a protected lagoon where spinner dolphins rest, and visits follow the reserve's rules. Our Samadai Dolphin House trip is a day on a shared boat with lunch on board and the snorkeling gear. The Marsa Alam page has the other sea and desert days.

Swim at the Blue Hole in Dahab

The Blue Hole lies in the Abu Galum protectorate in Dahab, and Egypt's environment minister has called it one of the most important diving sites in the world. Our Blue Hole, quad and camel day snorkels there with the gear included, then adds a quad ride and a camel ride; the Blue Hole is 9.7 km from the hotel, about 14 min without traffic. See the Dahab page.

From the coast, Cairo and Luxor are days by plane or long days by road; the flights are not included in the tour price. Cairo or Luxor from the Red Sea compares them.

Tickets at the main sites

Foreign adult tickets in Egyptian pounds (EGP), from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, as of August 2026. Most of our tours include the entrance fees to the sites in their program; each tour page lists them.

What is Egypt known for?

For its ancient monuments. Egypt has 7 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and five of them are in this list: Memphis and its Necropolis (the pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur), Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (Luxor), the Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae and Historic Cairo, all inscribed in 1979, and the Saint Catherine Area in Sinai, inscribed in 2002.

For how many days each base needs, read how many days for day tours by city; with a single day, only one day in Egypt helps you pick the city.