The Nile and the Red Sea are the two things most visitors want from Egypt, and they pair well because they demand opposite energy. Temples are early starts and long days on your feet. The coast is doing nothing on purpose.
Sequence matters: temples first
Do the cruise first and the beach second. Sightseeing rewards fresh legs and early mornings, and finishing on the coast means you fly home rested rather than exhausted.
Reversing the order almost always disappoints. Going from a week of sunbeds into 6am starts at the Valley of the Kings is a hard adjustment.
How many days you need
Nine days is a workable minimum: four nights on the river, three or four nights on the coast, plus travel. Twelve days lets you add Cairo at the start without compressing anything.
Which coast to choose
- Hurghada. Closest to Luxor, around four hours by road. The easiest and cheapest link from a Nile cruise. Wide range of resorts.
- Marsa Alam. Further south, quieter, better reefs, and strong for diving. Reachable from Luxor in around four to five hours.
- Sharm El Sheikh. The best diving of the three, particularly Ras Mohammed, but it sits on the Sinai peninsula so you fly rather than drive.
A workable itinerary shape
Fly into Cairo, two days for the Giza Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum. Fly to Luxor, board a four-night cruise to Aswan taking in Karnak Temple, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple and Philae Temple. Fly or transfer to Hurghada or Marsa Alam for three or four nights. Fly home from the coast.
If you want Abu Simbel, add a day in Aswan before moving to the coast.
Things to confirm
- Whether the transfer from Luxor or Aswan to the coast is private or shared
- Whether your resort is all-inclusive, and what that covers
- Which airport you fly home from, since it affects the whole routing
- Reef and snorkelling access from the specific hotel, which varies enormously
A note on diving
If you plan to dive, leave at least 24 hours between your last dive and any flight. Build that into the end of the trip rather than discovering it on your final day.
