Egypt Highlights Deluxe
A week that gathers the essentials — Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor — with sleeper-train nights between them.
What does Egypt Highlights Deluxe include, and what does it cost?
Egypt Highlights Deluxe is a private 7-day, 6-night journey through Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and Luxor, from €1,179 per person. It includes a private Egyptologist guide throughout, 6 nights' accommodation in 4- or 5-star hotels and sleeper-train berths Cairo↔Luxor (both directions). International flights are not included. A flight version, in place of the two sleeper-train nights, is from €1,309.
Overview
For travellers with a week to give, this journey distils Egypt to its greatest hits without rushing them. Cairo opens with the Egyptian Museum; a full day on the Mediterranean takes in Alexandria; then the sleeper train carries you to Luxor for the temples of the living and the tombs of the dead. You return north for the Pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and the medieval heart of Islamic Cairo. Private throughout, with your own Egyptologist and four- or five-star hotels.
Itinerary
Cairo & the Egyptian Museum
- Private airport welcome and transfer to your hotel
- Afternoon at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir
- Evening orientation with your guide
Alexandria day trip
- Drive to the Mediterranean coast
- Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar and the Citadel of Qaitbay
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina and a seafront seafood lunch
Coptic Cairo & overnight train to Luxor
- Hanging Church and Old Cairo in the morning
- Evening transfer to the station
- Sleeper train south with private cabins
Luxor East Bank
- Karnak temple complex and the avenue of sphinxes
- Luxor Temple at the city's heart
- Check in to your Luxor hotel
West Bank & train to Cairo
- Valley of the Kings and the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
- Colossi of Memnon
- Evening sleeper train back to Cairo
Giza & Saqqara
- Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx
- Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara
- Panoramic plateau viewpoint
Islamic Cairo & departure
- Saladin Citadel and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali
- Khan el-Khalili bazaar
- Private transfer to the airport
Included & not included
Included
- Private Egyptologist guide throughout
- 6 nights' accommodation in 4- or 5-star hotels
- Sleeper-train berths Cairo↔Luxor (both directions)
- All entrance fees to sites and monuments
- Lunch on each touring day
- Private air-conditioned transfers
- Hotel pickup & drop-off
- Bottled water every day
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egypt entry visa
- Tipping (gratuities)
- Personal expenses
- Optional extras — Abu Simbel, camel rides, dinner cruise, drinks
Comfort & pace
Good to know
How much walking should I expect?
A comfortable amount — temple complexes such as Karnak involve an hour or two on foot over uneven ground. We pace each day and rest in the heat.
Are the overnight trains comfortable?
Yes. You have a private sleeper cabin with dinner and breakfast served aboard, so the long transfers happen while you rest.
Can I extend with a Nile cruise?
Absolutely — many guests add a 3 or 4-night cruise between Aswan and Luxor. Tell us your dates and we will tailor the extension.
How demanding is Egypt Highlights Deluxe?
The walking on Egypt Highlights Deluxe is moderate, as on any journey built around monuments. Nights: Hotels in Cairo and Luxor, and two nights on the sleeper train — hotels instead on the flight version. By road: A day trip from Cairo to Alexandria and back by road. There are no pre-dawn starts.
Can we fly instead of taking the sleeper train?
Yes. Egypt Highlights Deluxe is also arranged with domestic flights in place of the two sleeper-train nights, with those nights in hotels instead — from €1,309 per person. Ask for the flight version when you enquire.
Is this journey right for you?
- Travellers who would rather see four things properly than twelve badly
- Anyone who wants a licensed Egyptologist beside them, not a headset and a flag
- Couples and families for whom pace, comfort and privacy decide whether a trip works
- Visitors marking something — a honeymoon, an anniversary, a milestone birthday
- Anyone looking for the lowest price on Egypt — we are not the cheapest and do not try to be
- Coach tours, shared group departures and itineraries sold by the seat
- Hostels, dormitories and hop-on backpacking routes
- Travellers who would rather organise the logistics themselves
What this journey is, without exception
Every operator in Egypt uses the word luxury. These are the specifics behind ours — checkable before you pay for anything.
A licensed Egyptologist, not a guide
Every journey is led by a guide licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism with a degree in Egyptology. They are with you at the monuments, not waiting in the car park — and they are yours for the day, answering your questions rather than reciting to forty people.
Your party only
No shared coaches. No fixed departure dates. No strangers on your itinerary. If you are two people, the vehicle, the guide and the pace belong to two people.
Built around you, then written down
We design the itinerary from your interests and your dates — not from a catalogue page. You receive it in writing before anything is paid, and it changes as often as you want it to until it is right.
One price, itemised
The quote lists what is included and what is not, line by line, before you commit. Your Egyptologist, private air-conditioned transfers and lunch on touring days are inside the price on every journey, and entrance fees are inside it on every multi-day one. Where something sits outside — monument tickets on a day tour, for instance — it is named on the page you are reading, at the rate the ticket office charges, not discovered at the end.
Reachable while you travel
You have a direct line to the people who planned your journey for the whole time you are in Egypt — not a call centre, and not a number that stops answering after the deposit clears.
Time protected, not filled
A day with four sites crammed into it is a cheaper day to sell and a worse day to live. We plan around light, heat and crowds — the Valley of the Kings at opening, the Egyptian Museum when the coaches have gone — and we leave the afternoon alone.
On price, plainly
Kemet sits at the upper end of the Egyptian market and we are comfortable saying so. A private Egyptologist for a week costs what it costs; so does a car that is yours alone and a room that faces the river rather than the car park. What we will not do is quote low, then recover the difference through optional extras, shopping stops and an itinerary that quietly turns into a group. Every price on this site is a per-person starting point for a private journey, and the written quote that follows is the price you pay.
Preparation reading
Guides to help you prepare for this journey.
Egypt Travel Guide
Everything you need to plan a trip to Egypt — visa requirements, the best time to go, getting around, top destinations, culture and practical essentials.
Best Time to Visit Egypt
Egypt's best travel season is October to April, when Nile Valley temperatures are mild and monuments are comfortable to explore. Here is what to expect season by season and destination by destination.
Getting Around Egypt
How to travel between Egypt's cities and sites — domestic flights, the sleeper train, Nile cruises, the Cairo Metro, taxis and private transfers explained.
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Talk to a local expert
Our team lives and breathes Egypt travel. Share what draws you here — we'll help you design the journey that fits.