Places to See in Egypt

Giza · Greater Cairo

Giza Pyramids

The three great pyramids and their causeways, tombs and boat pits — the only one of the seven ancient wonders still standing.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Karnak Temple

The largest religious complex of the ancient world, built and enlarged by pharaohs over more than 1,300 years.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Valley of the Kings

The hidden desert valley where New Kingdom pharaohs — including Tutankhamun — were buried in decorated rock-cut tombs.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Red Sea snorkeling

Warm, crystal-clear water and vivid coral gardens make the Red Sea off Hurghada one of the world's great snorkelling spots.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Egyptian Museum

Cairo's historic museum on Tahrir Square, home for over a century to one of the greatest collections of ancient artefacts.

Abu Simbel · Upper Egypt

Abu Simbel temples

Two colossal rock temples carved by Ramesses II — and famously relocated block by block to escape the rising Nile.

Marsa Alam · Red Sea

Abu Dabbab Bay

A shallow, sandy bay north of Marsa Alam with a seagrass meadow on its floor — which is why green turtles feed here, and why a dugong does too.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Al-Rifa'i Mosque

The royal mosque opposite Sultan Hassan, holding the tombs of Egypt's last kings — and of the last Shah of Iran.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Amwaj Island

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Bab Zuweila

The last surviving southern gate of medieval Cairo, with two minarets you can climb for the best rooftop view in the old city.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Bedouin village, Hurghada

The Bedouin settlement the desert tours stop at: sweet tea in the shade, a short camel ride, and time to look around before the drive back.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Ben Ezra Synagogue

A small synagogue in Coptic Cairo whose storeroom held a thousand years of discarded paper — the single richest source on medieval Mediterranean life.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Coptic Museum

The world's largest collection of Coptic art, and the missing middle of Egypt's story — what happened between the pharaohs and Islam.

Dahab · South Sinai

Dahab Lagoon & Masbat Promenade

The shallow windward lagoon and the seafront strip behind it — cushions on the sand, kite lines overhead and a reef that starts where the promenade ends.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Eden Island

A quiet sandbar and its reef away from the main Giftun run, where the boats are fewer and the coral heads start almost under the ladder.

El Gouna · Red Sea

El Gouna Duty-Free

One of Egypt's in-country duty-free outlets, which travellers who have recently arrived may buy from on production of a passport showing the entry stamp. It sits in El Gouna, about 25 km north of Hurghada, which makes it easy to combine with a half-day in the town rather than a trip of its own.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Gayer-Anderson Museum

Two joined Ottoman houses left fully furnished — the best answer in Cairo to what a merchant's home actually looked like inside.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Hula Hula Island

A bare white sandbank off Hurghada that appears out of open water, ringed by shallows that run turquoise for a hundred metres before the reef edge.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Jaz Nile Cruise

The classic Luxor–Aswan sailing on one of Jaz's Nile boats, stopping at Edfu and Kom Ombo on the way.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Jaz Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Mahmya Island

The long sand spit on the north side of Giftun, inside the national park — a managed beach with shade, a restaurant and a reef that starts a few metres out.

Makadi Bay · Red Sea

Makadi desert & coast

The gravel plain and low mountains behind Makadi Bay, where the quad and buggy safaris run — and the coast road back with the Red Sea on one side and desert on the other.

Eastern Desert · Red Sea

Mons Claudianus

Granite for the Pantheon's columns was cut here, and the workers' town is still standing.

Eastern Desert · Red Sea

Mons Porphyrites

The only known source of imperial porphyry in the Roman world, high in the mountains behind Hurghada.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Mosque of Amr ibn al-As

The first mosque built in Africa, founded in 642 on the spot where the conquering general pitched his tent.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Museum of Islamic Art

The finest collection of Islamic art anywhere, in a building most visitors walk past — carved wood, enamelled glass and a thousand years of craft.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Mövenpick Nile Cruise

Mövenpick's Nile boats — the Royal Lily among them — on the standard Luxor–Aswan sailing with the temple moorings.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Mövenpick Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC)

The museum that holds the royal mummies — twenty-two kings and queens in a purpose-built hall, shown as people rather than exhibits.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Nemo Island

The budget end of the Hurghada island run — a beach stop and two reef anchorages where the anemones and their clownfish are the reliable sighting.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Oberoi Nile Cruise

Oberoi run two boats on the Nile, the Zahra and the Philae, and they are the most expensive way to make this trip.

Hurghada · Red Sea

SS Thistlegorm

A British armed freighter sunk in 1941 with her wartime cargo still in the holds — motorcycles, trucks and rifles on the seabed of the Strait of Gubal.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Sanctuary Nile Cruise

Sanctuary's two Sun Boats — small, quiet and at the luxury end, sailing Luxor to Aswan.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Sanctuary Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Safaga · Red Sea

Sharm El Naga

A protected bay between Hurghada and Safaga with a house reef that starts at the beach — no boat needed to reach coral in good condition.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Sonesta Nile Cruise

Sonesta's Nile boats — St. George, Star Goddess, Moon Goddess — on three, four and seven-night sailings.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Sonesta Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Giza · Greater Cairo

Sphinx Airport Duty-Free

Sphinx International Airport opened west of Cairo in 2019 to take pressure off the main airport, and sits much closer to Giza than Cairo International does. Its duty-free shop follows the same in-country rules as the others: passport, entry stamp, and a window counted from the day you arrived in Egypt.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Steigenberger Nile Cruise

The Legacy, Regency, Minerva and Royale — Steigenberger's Nile boats, four nights from Luxor and three from Aswan.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Steigenberger Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

TUI Nile Cruise

TUI's Luxor–Aswan sailing, with the same temple moorings and a German-speaking crew on most departures.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

TUI Nile Cruise — Aswan to Luxor

The return leg — three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, with the same temple moorings.

Dahab · South Sinai

The Bells

A narrow chimney in the reef wall north of the Blue Hole that opens at about twenty-eight metres onto open blue — the usual way divers enter the Blue Hole drift.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

The Nile at Aswan

The most beautiful stretch of the river — granite islands, white sails and the First Cataract below the dam.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

The Nile at Cairo

The river the city was built around — walked along the corniche, or seen properly from the water on a felucca.

Sidi Abdel Rahman · Matrouh

The North Coast (Sahel)

Egypt's Mediterranean summer coast — white sand, water the colour of a swimming pool, and a beach-club season that runs June to September.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Utopia Island

A small reef island south of Hurghada with a beach on the lee side and coral shallow enough to see clearly from a glass-bottom boat.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Giftun Island

A protected Red Sea island off Hurghada ringed by white-sand beaches, turquoise shallows and healthy coral.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Khan el-Khalili

A working market since the 14th century — a maze of lanes for metalwork, glass, spice and coffee at the heart of Islamic Cairo.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Citadel of Saladin

Saladin's mighty hilltop fortress that guarded Cairo for centuries, crowned by the Alabaster Mosque.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Luxor Temple

A graceful riverside temple in the centre of Luxor, especially magical when floodlit after dark.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Orange Bay

A postcard-perfect sandbar off Hurghada with shallow turquoise water, soft white sand and easy reef snorkelling.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Coptic Cairo

The ancient Christian quarter of Cairo, where churches, a synagogue and a fine museum preserve 2,000 years of heritage.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Desert safari, Hurghada

A thrilling run into the Eastern Desert by quad bike or 4x4, ending with a Bedouin dinner under the stars.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Temple of Hatshepsut

The dramatic terraced temple of Egypt's most successful female pharaoh, set against sheer cliffs at Deir el-Bahari.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Dolphin House reef

A Red Sea reef where wild spinner dolphins gather — a chance to swim and snorkel alongside them in the open sea.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Grand Egyptian Museum

The world's largest museum devoted to a single civilisation — and the first home to display Tutankhamun's complete treasure.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Hot-air balloon over Luxor

A sunrise hot-air balloon flight over Luxor's west bank — temples, the Nile and the desert valleys spread out below.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Philae Temple

A graceful Ptolemaic temple to the goddess Isis, on an island in the Nile reached by boat.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Colossi of Memnon

Two 18-metre stone statues that have guarded the Theban plain for over 3,400 years.

Dendera · Upper Egypt

Dendera Temple of Hathor

One of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt, dedicated to the goddess Hathor.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Aswan High Dam

The colossal 20th-century dam that created Lake Nasser and reshaped modern Egypt.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Valley of the Queens

The west-bank valley where queens and royal children were laid to rest, including the exquisite tomb of Nefertari.

Abydos · Upper Egypt

Temple of Seti I (Abydos)

A beautifully carved temple at Egypt's holiest ancient city, home to the famous Abydos King List.

Edfu · Upper Egypt

Temple of Horus (Edfu)

The most completely preserved ancient temple in Egypt, dedicated to the falcon-god Horus.

Kom Ombo · Upper Egypt

Kom Ombo Temple

An unusual symmetrical temple honouring two gods at once, right on the Nile's edge.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Luxor Museum

A refined, well-curated museum showcasing masterpieces found in and around ancient Thebes.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Medinet Habu

A vast, vividly carved temple complex on Luxor's west bank, second only to Karnak in scale.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Nile Cruise

The classic way to see Upper Egypt — floating between temple towns as the desert drifts past.

Saqqara · Greater Cairo

Saqqara & Step Pyramid

The vast necropolis of ancient Memphis, home to the Step Pyramid — the world's oldest large stone building.

Dahshur · Greater Cairo

Dahshur Pyramids

A quiet desert field holding the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid — key steps toward the perfect pyramid.

Memphis · Greater Cairo

Memphis Open-Air Museum

The remains of Egypt's ancient capital, centred on a giant fallen colossus of Ramesses II.

Giza · Greater Cairo

Great Sphinx of Giza

The world's most famous statue — a colossal lion with a pharaoh's head, carved from the living rock.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Al-Muizz Street

A medieval street in Islamic Cairo lined with some of the world's finest Islamic monuments.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Hurghada Old Town (El Dahar)

Hurghada's older, more traditional quarter, home to the lively local souk.

Hurghada · Red Sea

El Mina Mosque

Hurghada's largest and most photogenic mosque, with twin minarets on the seafront.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Hurghada Museum

A sleek modern museum bringing 5,000 years of Egyptian art to the Red Sea coast.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Hurghada Grand Aquarium

A family-friendly aquarium and mini marine zoo showcasing Red Sea and tropical species.

El Gouna · Red Sea

El Gouna

A stylish resort town of islands and lagoons, often called the 'Venice of the Red Sea'.

Eastern Desert · Red Sea

Monasteries of St Anthony & St Paul

Two fortified desert monasteries an hour apart in the Red Sea mountains — the oldest continuously inhabited in the world, and the cave of the first hermit.

Bahariya Oasis · New Valley

Bahariya Oasis

A palm-filled oasis ringed by black volcanic hills — the launch point for White Desert safaris.

White Desert · New Valley

White Desert

A dreamlike national park of wind-sculpted white chalk formations rising from golden sand.

Alexandria · Alexandria

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

A three-level underground necropolis where Egyptian and Greco-Roman art blend uniquely.

Alexandria · Alexandria

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

A dramatic disc-shaped library on the Alexandria seafront, reviving the legendary ancient library.

Alexandria · Alexandria

Citadel of Qaitbay

A stout medieval fortress guarding Alexandria's harbour, built where the ancient Pharos once stood.

Alexandria · Alexandria

Pompey's Pillar & Serapeum

A towering red-granite Roman column rising from the ruins of the Serapeum temple.

Alexandria · Alexandria

Roman Amphitheatre (Kom el-Dikka)

A beautifully preserved Roman theatre with marble seating, at the heart of ancient Alexandria.

Alexandria · Alexandria

Montazah Palace Gardens

A former royal summer palace set in extensive seaside gardens on Alexandria's eastern shore.

Saint Catherine · South Sinai

Saint Catherine's Monastery

An ancient fortified monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai, home to priceless icons and manuscripts.

Saint Catherine · South Sinai

Mount Sinai

The holy mountain where, by tradition, Moses received the Ten Commandments — climbed for its famous sunrise.

Sharm El Sheikh · South Sinai

Ras Muhammad National Park

A protected headland at Sinai's tip with some of the Red Sea's most spectacular coral walls.

Dahab · South Sinai

Blue Hole, Dahab

A famous deep-blue marine sinkhole ringed by reef, just north of the laid-back town of Dahab.

Nuweiba · South Sinai

Colored Canyon

A slot canyon near Nuweiba whose towering walls glow in bands of red, gold and purple.

Siwa Oasis · Matrouh

Siwa Oasis

A far-flung oasis near the Libyan border, famed for salt lakes, palm groves and the ancient Oracle of Amun.

Bahariya Oasis · New Valley

Black Desert

A stark expanse of orange sand studded with black, volcano-shaped hills near Bahariya.

Farafra Oasis · New Valley

Crystal Mountain

A small desert ridge shot through with sparkling quartz crystals, on the road to the White Desert.

Farafra Oasis · New Valley

Farafra Oasis

The most remote of Egypt's Western Desert oases, known for hot springs and folk art.

Dakhla Oasis · New Valley

Dakhla Oasis

A lush chain of villages and lakes centred on the beautifully preserved medieval town of Al-Qasr.

Kharga Oasis · New Valley

Kharga Oasis

The largest of the Western Desert oases, dotted with Persian-era temples and Roman forts.

Siwa Oasis · Matrouh

Great Sand Sea

An immense sea of sand dunes stretching from Siwa deep into the Sahara.

Wadi Al-Hitan · Fayoum

Wadi Al-Hitan (Valley of the Whales)

A desert valley scattered with the fossilised skeletons of prehistoric whales.

Wadi El Rayan · Fayoum

Wadi El Rayan

A protected area of twin desert lakes linked by Egypt's only natural waterfalls.

Lake Qarun · Fayoum

Lake Qarun

A large salt lake in the Fayoum depression, ringed by fishing villages and rich in birdlife.

Tunis Village · Fayoum

Tunis Village

A tranquil hilltop village famous for its pottery workshops and rural charm.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Cairo Tower

Cairo's landmark lattice tower on Gezira Island, offering the best 360° views of the city.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Al-Azhar Mosque

One of the world's oldest universities and a serene, historic mosque in the heart of Islamic Cairo.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Mosque of Sultan Hassan

A soaring 14th-century mosque and school, considered a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Mosque of Ibn Tulun

A vast, austere 9th-century mosque famous for its spiral minaret.

Heliopolis · Greater Cairo

Baron Empain Palace

An eccentric early-1900s mansion inspired by Hindu and Cambodian temples.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Manial Palace

A lavish early-20th-century royal palace blending Ottoman, Moorish and Persian styles, set in botanical gardens.

Meidum · Greater Cairo

Meidum Pyramid

A dramatic three-stepped pyramid core rising from its own rubble, on the road toward Fayoum.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Unfinished Obelisk

A colossal obelisk still attached to the bedrock, revealing how the ancient Egyptians cut granite.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Nubian Village

A vividly painted village on the Nile where you can experience warm Nubian culture and cuisine.

Aswan · Upper Egypt

Elephantine Island

A green island in the Nile holding layers of ancient ruins, temples and an early Nilometer.

Esna · Upper Egypt

Temple of Khnum (Esna)

A Greco-Roman temple sunk below the modern town, famed for its recently cleaned, brilliantly coloured ceiling.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

The Ramesseum

The romantic ruins of Ramesses II's memorial temple, with a toppled colossus that inspired the poem 'Ozymandias'.

Luxor · Upper Egypt

Deir el-Medina

The remarkably preserved village of the artisans who cut and painted the royal tombs.

Minya · Minya

Tell el-Amarna

The ruins of the revolutionary city built by the pharaoh Akhenaten to worship a single sun-god.

Minya · Minya

Beni Hasan

A row of cliff-cut tombs above the Nile, painted with unusually vivid scenes of daily life.

Lahun · Fayoum

Lahun Pyramid

A ruined mudbrick pyramid at the entrance to the Fayoum, built for the 12th-Dynasty king Senusret II.

Hawara · Fayoum

Hawara Pyramid

A weathered mudbrick pyramid in the Fayoum, once fronted by the legendary Labyrinth of antiquity.

Minya · Minya

Tuna el-Gebel

A vast desert necropolis near Minya, known for its animal catacombs and Greek-style tomb-chapels.

Abu Simbel · Upper Egypt

Temple of Nefertari (Abu Simbel)

The smaller Abu Simbel temple, dedicated by Ramesses II to his queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Muhammad Ali Mosque (Alabaster Mosque)

The alabaster-clad Ottoman mosque whose domes and twin minarets crown Cairo's Citadel.

Cairo · Greater Cairo

Hanging Church

One of the oldest and most beautiful Coptic churches in Egypt, suspended above a Roman gatehouse.

Hurghada · Red Sea

Hurghada House Reef

The shallow coral reef running along Hurghada's shoreline — calm, close in, and where most first dives and night dives happen.

Eastern Desert · Red Sea

Ghost City — Umm El Howeitat

An abandoned phosphate-mining settlement in the Eastern Desert near Safaga, left empty and slowly taken back by the sand.