Splendours of Ancient Egypt: 10 Exceptional Days Between Millennial Cairo and a Luxury Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor

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Splendours of Ancient Egypt: 10 Exceptional Days Between Millennial Cairo and a Luxury Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Splendours of Ancient Egypt: 10 Exceptional Days Between Millennial Cairo and a Luxury Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Splendours of Ancient Egypt: 10 Exceptional Days Between Millennial Cairo and a Luxury Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Splendours of Ancient Egypt: 10 Exceptional Days Between Millennial Cairo and a Luxury Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Splendours of Ancient Egypt: 10 Exceptional Days Between Millennial Cairo and a Luxury Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Duration
10 Days
9 Nights
Destination
Boat Cruise
Group Size
2-20 People
Category
Nile Cruise 7N/8D

The Journey

What if you finally realised the dream of a lifetime? The one of walking where the pharaohs reigned, sailing the Nile as in ancient times, feeling Egypt close to the heart?

This journey is not a simple itinerary. It is an odyssey, a face-to-face encounter with eternity. For 10 days, Egypt opens its doors, its mysteries, its splendours.

It all begins in Cairo. Here, every stone is an enigma, every street an echo of the past. You explore Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis - the first pyramids raise their silhouettes defying the sky before you, testaments to one obsession: to vanquish time and death. But the soul of Cairo also reveals itself in the alleyways of the Coptic quarter, where the Holy Family took refuge and incense still floats in the air of centuries-old churches; and in Islamic Cairo, where minarets soar like prayers towards the sky and the souks rustle with spices, silks and secrets.

Then, like a passage to another world, you leave the city and join the Nile at Aswan. There, an exceptional cruise awaits you aboard a 5-star boat, a jewel of comfort and refinement. Each day carries you from temple to temple: Philae, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Karnak, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings. And at every stop, an emotion. At every bank, a miracle.

To make the stones speak, you are accompanied by a French-speaking Egyptologist guide, learned and passionate, whose every word awakens the gods and makes the hieroglyphs vibrate.


What Is Included in the Price

  • Comfortable accommodation: 3-star hotels in Cairo and Luxor (4-star or 5-star available on request as supplement)
  • Full board in local restaurants and on the boat, except days 1 and 10
  • Transfers in private air-conditioned vehicle
  • Entry tickets to all archaeological sites listed in the programme
  • Experienced and passionate French-speaking Egyptologist guide
  • 5-star cruise ship stay during the Nile cruise


What Is Not Included in the Price

  • Tips (at the discretion of participants)
  • International and domestic flights
  • Egypt entry visa (25 EUR, payable in cash on arrival at the airport)
  • Drinks during meals
  • Optional visits and activities not listed in the programme: Abu Simbel temple visit: 85 EUR
  • Hot air balloon over Luxor: 85 EUR


Included

  • Discovery of historic Cairo: mosques, churches, synagogue, souks and museums
  • Visit to the Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Dahshur and Saqqara sites
  • Full-comfort Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor on a 5-star ship
  • Mythical sites: Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Dendera, Philae
  • Passionate and experienced French-speaking guides
  • Accommodation, meals, visits, transfers and entry tickets for all sites included - no on-site supplement

Excluded

  • International and domestic flights
  • Egypt entry visa 25 EUR
  • Tips for guides, drivers and crew
  • Drinks during meals
  • Optional Abu Simbel temple visit 85 EUR
  • Optional hot air balloon over Luxor 85 EUR

Itinerary

1

Day 1: Airport Welcome - Hotel Transfer

Dinner at own expense
Welcome at Cairo International Airport by our local representative, who accompanies you through a quick passage of formalities. Private transfer in a premium vehicle to your hotel. Check-in and free evening.
2

Day 2: Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis

Lunch Dinner
The day begins with the visit of the archaeological site of Dahshur, a true experimental laboratory for the ancient Egyptians where pyramid construction techniques were tested and perfected. The site houses the famous Bent Pyramid, built under Pharaoh Sneferu. Its distinctive shape, with a changing incline during construction, makes it a crucial step in the architectural evolution leading to the perfect pyramid of Giza. You continue with Saqqara, the vast royal necropolis of the Old Kingdom. Here stands the famous funerary complex of Pharaoh Djoser, dominated by the step pyramid, the first monumental construction entirely in stone in human history, by the architect Imhotep. Discover the complex and the very first columns ever invented in the history of world architecture. The day ends with the discovery of the Memphis Museum, the ancient capital of Egypt, where you admire impressive vestiges including a majestic colossal statue of Ramesses II. Included visits: Dahshur, Saqqara, Memphis Museum. Accommodation: Hotel, Cairo.
3

Day 3: Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum

Lunch Dinner
A day devoted to the discovery of the mythical Giza plateau. Visit of the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, symbols of the mathematical, astronomical and geological achievements of ancient Egypt. Stop at the majestic Sphinx and the Valley Temple, known for its anti-seismic engineering. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, let yourself be enchanted by a majestic immersion in the Grand Egyptian Museum, an invaluable cultural jewel and shrine of pharaonic memory. Between finely preserved monumental statues, sarcophagi with enigmatic ornaments and the legendary treasure of Tutankhamun, each room invites you to an intimate encounter with the timeless brilliance of a thousand-year civilisation. Included visits: Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Valley Temple, Grand Egyptian Museum. Accommodation: Hotel, Cairo.
4

Day 4: Coptic Quarter - Islamic Quarter - Sleeper Train to Aswan

Lunch Dinner
The morning is devoted to the discovery of Christian Cairo, an opportunity to learn about the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, the conditions of the separation of the Coptic Church from the universal Church, and the role played by the Coptic Church in the social and political landscape of modern Egypt. Visit of the Hanging Church built above the Roman fortress of Babylon, one of the oldest places of Christian worship. Discovery of the Crypt of the Holy Family. Passage through the Ben Ezra Synagogue, a high place of Egyptian Judaism known for its geniza whose documents recount the history of Jews since the tenth century. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you change scene and dynasty and plunge into the medieval history of Cairo. Visit of the Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, a 14th-century masterpiece impressing by its monumental architecture - an opportunity to learn about the four juridical schools of Sunni Islam studied in this mosque. Discovery of the Al-Rifai Mosque opposite, which houses royal tombs including those of the last King of Egypt and the Shah of Iran. Visit of the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Mohamed Ali, offering a spectacular view over Cairo's sea of minarets. Optional stroll through the Khan el-Khalili souk. Transfer to the station for the sleeper train to Aswan. Double cabins with two bunk beds, washbasin and electric socket. Dinner and breakfast served on board. Included visits: Hanging Church, Holy Family Crypt, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Sultan Hassan Mosque, Al-Rifai Mosque, Citadel of Saladin, Mohamed Ali Mosque. Accommodation: Sleeper train.
5

Day 5: Arrival in Aswan - Temple of Philae - Boarding the Cruise Ship

Lunch Dinner
Arrival late morning in Aswan. Departure by vehicle to visit the mysterious Temple of Philae, located on an island in the heart of the Nile. This enchanting site offers unique landscapes between lush nature and majestic vestiges dedicated to the goddess Isis. The place radiates a spiritual and peaceful atmosphere, witness to the religious transition of ancient Egypt towards the Christian era. The temple was moved stone by stone in the 1970s under UNESCO auspices to save it from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam. Check-in on the cruise ship. In the evening, you can take a walk to discover the Aswan souk, known for its spice shops. Included visits: Temple of Philae. Accommodation: 5-star cruise ship, Aswan.
6

Day 6: Optional Abu Simbel - Navigation to Kom Ombo - Temple of Kom Ombo

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Early morning, optional excursion to Abu Simbel, located 280 km south of Aswan, one of the most impressive sites of ancient Egypt. This monumental complex, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for its two majestic temples carved into the rock by Ramesses II, in homage to himself and his beloved wife Nefertari. The monumental facades, adorned with colossal statues, testify to the pharaoh's power and his desire to leave an eternal imprint. When the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge the site in the 1960s, an impressive UNESCO-led rescue operation dismantled and moved the temples block by block to higher ground, 65 metres above their original location - a worldwide symbol of international cultural cooperation. Return on board and start of navigation towards Kom Ombo, a peaceful Nile journey offering typical landscapes of villages, date palm plantations, banana trees and mango trees. In the afternoon, visit of the Temple of Kom Ombo, unique in its kind with its double symmetry dedicated to two deities: Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and Horus, the falcon god. This temple illustrates the balance between opposing forces: good and evil, chaos and order. The site is also remarkable for its representations related to ancient medicine (surgical instruments engraved in stone), astronomy (solar calendars) and the philosophy of balance dear to Egyptian civilisation. Included visits: Temple of Kom Ombo. Accommodation: 5-star cruise ship, on the Nile.
7

Day 7: Temple of Edfu - Navigation to Luxor - Illuminated Luxor Temple

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
The morning begins with the visit of the Temple of Edfu, majestically dedicated to the falcon god Horus. It is the best-preserved temple in Egypt, an impressive witness to Ptolemaic architecture. Every wall recounts the eternal victory of the forces of light over darkness, symbolised by the triumph of Horus over Seth, the god of chaos. The atmosphere is striking, almost mystical. After this plunge into myth, navigation resumes towards Luxor. The Nile slowly scrolls past, bordered by incredible landscapes: slender palms, fertile fields and peasants working the land alongside their animals. Late afternoon, arrival in Luxor. At nightfall, visit of the Temple of Luxor, bathed in golden light. Its majestic colonnades and imposing statues take on an almost unreal dimension under the stars. A magical experience, like a journey in time, at the heart of eternal Egypt. Included visits: Temple of Edfu, Temple of Luxor (illuminated). Accommodation: 5-star cruise ship, Luxor.
8

Day 8: Valley of the Kings - Temple of Hatshepsut - Colossi of Memnon - Temple of Karnak

Lunch Dinner
After disembarkation, you begin with the Valley of the Kings, the famous royal necropolis where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom rest. You explore three tombs carved into the limestone, magnificently decorated with scenes and sacred texts designed to guide the deceased sovereign in his journey to the afterlife. These coloured frescoes, witnesses to exceptional craftsmanship, reveal the spiritual and artistic richness of ancient Egypt. You continue with the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a unique edifice erected against the cliff face. This spectacular terraced-architecture temple served to legitimise the power of this woman-pharaoh, one of the rare ones to have reigned over Egypt with such authority. On the return route, a stop before the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues more than 18 metres high, vestiges of the disappeared temple of Amenhotep III. The afternoon is devoted to the Temple of Karnak, one of the vastest religious complexes of the ancient world. You discover its obelisks, its majestic hypostyle hall with imposing columns and its countless hieroglyphs engraved on the walls. This impressive site was partially buried for centuries and rediscovered by French archaeologists, notably through the work of Auguste Mariette and the Franco-Egyptian missions. Transfer to the hotel. Included visits: Valley of the Kings (3 tombs), Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Karnak. Accommodation: Hotel, Luxor.
9

Day 9: Temple of Dendera - A Sacred Centre Dedicated to Hathor and Astronomy

Lunch
Departure by vehicle to reach the Temple of Dendera, located 60 km north of Luxor. This site is one of the best-preserved of all ancient Egypt, and its architecture and symbolism make it an exceptional place. The main temple is dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of love, music, maternity, joy and compassion. It was built under the Ptolemies (around 125 BC) and completed under the Roman Emperor Tiberius, blending traditional Egyptian influences with Greco-Roman touches. Dendera was not merely a place of worship: it was also a centre of knowledge, particularly in medicine, healing rituals and above all sacred astronomy. The priests observed the stars, planets and lunar cycles to determine the dates of religious festivals and the auspicious moments for rites. One of the temple's jewels is the astronomical ceiling of the hypostyle hall, magnificently decorated and restored, with representations of the night sky, constellations, the sun sailing in its celestial barque and scenes describing the hours of day and night. The ceiling is oriented according to the cardinal points, proof of refined astronomical observation. On the temple terrace stands a replica of the famous Dendera Zodiac (the original is today on display at the Louvre). This unique circular bas-relief shows a representation of the night sky in a mixed Egyptian and Greco-Roman reading, with the twelve signs of the zodiac alongside Egyptian gods associated with the planets. Return to Luxor and night at the hotel. Included visits: Temple of Dendera. Accommodation: Hotel, Luxor.
10

Day 10: Return Flight - Transfer to Luxor Airport

Breakfast at own expense
Transfer to Luxor Airport for your return flight, your head filled with unforgettable memories.

Prices & Accommodation

Starting Price

Per Person €999.00

Optional Extras

Abu Simbel Temple Visit (optional, day 6) €85.00 / person
Hot Air Balloon over Luxor (optional) €85.00 / person
Egypt Entry Visa €25.00 / person

Accommodation

Contact us for detailed accommodation information for this tour.