Places to Visit in Egypt: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea

The short answer: Egypt's main places fall into four groups: Cairo and Giza, for the pyramids, the new Grand Egyptian Museum and the old city; Luxor and Aswan, linked by the Nile and its temples, with Abu Simbel further south; Alexandria, on the Mediterranean; and the Red Sea and Sinai coast around Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab. Emirates and EgyptAir fly non-stop from Dubai to Cairo in around 4 hours 15 minutes, Air Arabia flies non-stop from Sharjah, and Etihad from Abu Dhabi in about 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours. Our 9-day Nile cruise tours run from AED 3,838, and a combined Egypt and Jordan tour runs from AED 7,621.

This guide lists Egypt's main places by region, with what to see, how far each one is from its hub, how long to allow, and the entry fees we could confirm. Egypt's state-run sites raised several foreign-visitor ticket prices through 2025 and 2026, and sources often disagree on the exact current figure, so every fee below is marked with where it came from; confirm it again before you travel. If you need the visa itself, see our Egypt visa for UAE residents guide; this one is about where to go once you're there.

Egypt at a glance

	Egypt from the UAE
Flight time	About 4 hours 15 minutes non-stop, Dubai to Cairo; a little under 4 hours, Abu Dhabi to Cairo
Main gateways	Cairo International (CAI), plus Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Luxor for the coast and the south
Visa	Most UAE residents use Egypt's e-visa or visa on arrival; see our Egypt visa guide
Currency	Egyptian pound (EGP); foreign-visitor tickets at major sites are often quoted in EGP with a USD or EUR equivalent
Getting between regions	Domestic flights (EgyptAir and others) between Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea coast; a Nile cruise or sleeper train between Luxor and Aswan
Our tours	Nile Jewel (9 days, from AED 4,389) and Nile Adventure (9 days, from AED 3,838), both with a Nile cruise; Egypt and Jordan combined, 15 days, from AED 7,621

Cairo: pyramids, museums, and the old city

Cairo and Giza, effectively one sprawling metropolitan area, hold most of Egypt's best-known sights within an hour of each other. Two to three days covers the pyramids, the main museums and a morning in the old city; see the suggested plan after this section.

The Giza pyramids and the Sphinx

The Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, with the Great Sphinx below them, sit on the edge of the city, about 30 to 45 minutes from central Cairo depending on traffic. General admission to the plateau (the exterior of all three pyramids, the Sphinx viewing area, the panoramic viewpoint and the internal electric bus) is reported at 700 EGP for foreign adults in 2026 listings. Entering the pyramids themselves costs extra and is a separate ticket for each: the Great Pyramid of Khufu's interior is capped at a few hundred visitors a day and sells out in the October-to-April high season, with reported 2026 prices ranging widely, from around 500 EGP to 1,500 EGP depending on the source, so check the current figure at the visitor centre; Khafre's interior is cheaper, reported at around 280 EGP, and is usually easier to get into on the day. Half a day covers the plateau; add time if you plan to go inside a pyramid, since queuing and timed slots apply.

Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser

Saqqara, Egypt's oldest stone pyramid complex and the burial ground for ancient Memphis, sits a further 30 to 45 minutes south of Giza. The Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Old Kingdom's first major stone monument, is the main draw; a February 2026 price list gave a base foreign-adult ticket of around 600 EGP and an all-inclusive ticket (adding the Serapeum, several tombs and other smaller sites) at around 1,000 EGP, though a separate 2026 tour-operator guide quotes a lower, conflicting figure for the main site alone, so treat these as a range rather than a fixed number. Half a day covers Saqqara on its own; many visitors combine it with Giza as a single full day, since both sit on the same side of the city.

The Grand Egyptian Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), beside the Giza pyramids, opened to the public in November 2025 after years of delay and was reported to be fully operational through 2026, with more than three million visits in its first seven months and foreign visitors making up the majority of them. 2026 visitor guides put foreign adult general admission at 1,450 EGP, with a reduced rate of about 730 EGP for children and students and free entry for children under 6; a guided gallery tour costs more, reported at 1,950 EGP for foreign adults. Tickets are sold only online in advance, by timed entry slot, through the museum's own official platform rather than at the door, so book ahead rather than turning up on spec. Allow at least half a day; the collection, including Tutankhamun's full treasure displayed together for the first time, easily fills a full day for anyone with a strong interest in ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir

Cairo's original antiquities museum, in Tahrir Square, still holds a large collection that has not moved to GEM. A 2025 guide put foreign-adult admission at around 450 EGP, though an earlier, undated report gives a lower figure, so the current price should be confirmed locally; the museum is generally open daily, with the ticket window closing an hour before the galleries do. Two to three hours is enough for most visitors, more if you want to see every hall.

Islamic Cairo: the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili

The Citadel of Salah al-Din, on a hill above the old city, holds the Mohamed Ali (Alabaster) Mosque and sweeping views over Cairo; reported foreign-adult entry (mosque included) ranges from around 300 EGP to 550 EGP across different 2026 sources, so the figure is worth confirming at the gate. Below the Citadel, the lanes of Islamic Cairo hold dozens of free-to-enter mosques and madrasas; Khan el-Khalili, the city's historic covered bazaar, is free to wander, with bargaining expected on everything from spices to jewellery. Half a day covers the Citadel; a further half day suits Khan el-Khalili and the surrounding streets, best done as a single old-city day.

Coptic Cairo

South of the old city, Coptic Cairo holds some of Egypt's oldest Christian sites within a few minutes' walk of each other: the Hanging Church, built over a Roman gatehouse, is generally reported as free to enter, with a donation box rather than a ticket booth; the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Church of St Sergius, nearby, are reported by at least one guide to carry a small fee, though this is not consistently confirmed, so check on arrival. Two to three hours covers the cluster on foot.

Things to do in Cairo: a two- to three-day plan

A practical split for a first visit: day one for Giza and Saqqara together, since both sit on the same side of the city; day two for the Grand Egyptian Museum, booked in advance for a morning or early-afternoon slot; and day three for the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Citadel and an evening in Khan el-Khalili, with Coptic Cairo added if you have the energy. Nile dinner cruises and felucca sails are widely sold as an evening add-on and need no advance ticket beyond the operator's own booking.

Luxor: Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the west bank

Luxor, about 670 km south of Cairo by road, is reached far more practically by EgyptAir's frequent domestic flights (around an hour) or by overnight sleeper train. Karnak Temple, the largest religious complex in ancient Egypt, and Luxor Temple, linked to Karnak by the restored Avenue of Sphinxes, sit on the Nile's east bank; 2026 figures attributed to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities put foreign-adult entry at around 600 EGP for Karnak and 500 EGP for Luxor Temple. On the west bank, the Valley of the Kings, burial ground of New Kingdom pharaohs including Tutankhamun, charges a general ticket reported at around 750 EGP, covering the site and a rotating selection of standard tombs; Tutankhamun's own tomb is a further ticket at around 700 EGP, and Seti I's tomb, one of the valley's largest and most finely decorated, is a separate premium ticket at around 2,000 EGP. The Temple of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh's terraced mortuary temple nearby, is reported at around 440 EGP, and students with valid ID generally pay about half the adult rate across these sites. Two full days covers both banks at a reasonable pace.

Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Nile cruise between them

Aswan, a further 200 km or so south of Luxor along the Nile, is Egypt's southernmost major tourist city and a noticeably more relaxed, Nubian-influenced place than Luxor. Its own sights, Philae Temple on an island reached by boat, the Unfinished Obelisk still lying in its ancient quarry, and the High Dam, are usually included on a standard Nile cruise itinerary or visited independently from the city in half a day; each charges its own entry, in roughly the same range as Luxor's sites, so confirm current prices locally or through your cruise operator. Abu Simbel, the colossal rock temples of Ramses II and Nefertari, sits about 280 km further south, reached by a roughly 3-hour road convoy or a short domestic flight from Aswan; reported foreign-adult entry runs around 750 to 830 EGP on a normal day, rising to around 1,200 EGP on the twice-yearly Sun Festival dates (22 February and 22 October), when the sun aligns with the temple's inner sanctuary.

A Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, typically sold as a 4-night, 5-day package (shorter and longer versions also exist), is the classic way to see Kom Ombo and Edfu's temples along the way, as well as Luxor and Aswan themselves, without repeated road transfers; most run southbound from Luxor to Aswan. Our Nile Jewel and Nile Adventure tours, below, both build a Nile cruise into a 9-day Egypt itinerary from Dubai.

Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt's Mediterranean port city, sits about 220 km north-west of Cairo, 2.5 to 3 hours by road or a similar time by train, and suits a day trip or overnight rather than a long stay for most Cairo-based visitors. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern library and museum complex built near the site of the ancient Library of Alexandria, publishes its own admission fees: a Main Library ticket at 150 EGP for non-Egyptian adults, or an inclusive ticket at 300 EGP that adds the Antiquities and Manuscripts Museums. Beyond the library, Alexandria's seafront Corniche, the 15th-century Qaitbay Citadel (built on the site of the ancient lighthouse) and the Greco-Roman quarter give the city a different character from Cairo's: quieter, more Mediterranean, and worth half a day to a full day depending on how much of the coastline you want to walk.

The Red Sea and Sinai: Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab

Egypt's Red Sea and Sinai coasts are where most UAE residents go for a beach-and-diving trip rather than a history-first one. Hurghada, about 6 to 7 hours from Cairo by road or a short domestic flight, is Egypt's best-known Red Sea resort town, built around diving and snorkelling on its offshore reefs, boat trips to Giftun Island, and desert excursions by quad bike or camel. Sharm El Sheikh, on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, centres on Naama Bay and the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park, with a more built-up resort strip than Hurghada. Dahab, a smaller, more laid-back town about 85 km (under 2 hours by road) north of Sharm, is built around diving too, most famously at the Blue Hole, a sinkhole reef a short drive north of town, inside a protected area with a small entry fee; it is also a common base for an overnight trek up Mount Sinai. None of these three needs more than light planning beyond booking a hotel and, for diving, a licensed dive centre.

Siwa and the White Desert: for a longer trip

Siwa Oasis, Egypt's most remote major oasis, near the Libyan border, lies about 300 km (some 4 hours) inland from Marsa Matruh on the Mediterranean coast; from Cairo it is a long day's drive by way of Alexandria and Marsa Matruh, or an overnight bus. Siwa's own sights, the mudbrick ruins of the Shali fortress and Cleopatra's Spring, are generally free to visit, while the rock tombs of Gebel el-Mawta (the Mountain of the Dead) charge a small fee. The White Desert, a national park of wind-carved white chalk formations north of Farafra Oasis, is usually reached via Bahariya Oasis, 4 to 5 hours from Cairo by road, and is visited as an organised multi-day 4x4 desert safari with an overnight camp among the formations rather than a single-site day trip; reported entry fees are nominal, usually bundled into the safari operator's price. Both suit a longer trip or a specific interest in the desert rather than a first visit to Egypt.

A short route, and flights from the UAE

For 5 to 7 days from the UAE, Cairo (2 to 3 days for the pyramids, GEM and the old city) plus a short Nile cruise or a Luxor-Aswan add-on by flight is the classic first-time route; a Red Sea or Sinai extension suits a longer trip or a second visit focused on diving and beaches rather than history. Our Nile Jewel (9 days, from AED 4,389, departing 14 and 28 November 2026) and Nile Adventure (9 days, from AED 3,838, departing 7 November and 5 December 2026) tours both build this route, with a Nile cruise included; for a longer trip that adds Petra and Wadi Rum, our Egypt and Jordan tours run 15 days from AED 7,621 (departing 7 November and 5 December 2026) or from AED 8,429 (departing 31 October, 14 and 28 November 2026).

Emirates and EgyptAir fly non-stop from Dubai to Cairo International Airport (CAI) in around 4 hours 15 minutes; Emirates runs several daily flights and EgyptAir two to four. flydubai also serves the Cairo area, but lands at Sphinx International Airport (SPX), west of Giza, not Cairo International, so check which airport your ticket uses before booking onward transport. From Sharjah, Air Arabia flies non-stop to Cairo International several times a day (its spring 2026 schedule listed around 21 flights a week). From Abu Dhabi, Etihad and EgyptAir fly non-stop to Cairo in around 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours, and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flies to Sphinx. For Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Luxor, non-stop services from the UAE change from season to season, so check airline schedules for your dates, or fly into Cairo and connect on a domestic flight of about an hour.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best places to visit in Egypt?

Cairo and Giza for the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the old city; Luxor and Aswan for the Nile's temples, usually linked by a short cruise; Alexandria for the Mediterranean coast; and Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab for diving and beaches. Most first trips combine Cairo with either a Nile cruise or a Red Sea extension.

What are the best things to do in Cairo?

The Giza pyramids and Sphinx, Saqqara's Step Pyramid, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili bazaar cover a thorough two to three days without leaving the greater Cairo area.

Is the Grand Egyptian Museum open, and how much does it cost?

Yes, it opened in November 2025 and was reported to be fully operational through 2026. 2026 guides put foreign-adult general admission at around 1,450 EGP, with tickets sold only online in advance by timed slot, not at the door.

How many days do you need in Luxor and Aswan?

Two full days covers Luxor's east and west banks. A standard Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, which also takes in Kom Ombo and Edfu, typically runs 4 nights and 5 days; add a day from Aswan if you want to see Abu Simbel.

How do you get to Egypt's Red Sea coast from the UAE?

Most UAE travellers fly to Cairo and take a domestic flight of about an hour to Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh, since non-stop flights from the UAE to the Red Sea airports change from season to season; Hurghada is also 6 to 7 hours from Cairo by road. We quote flights together with our group tours, but we do not sell stand-alone flights online.

Do UAE residents need a visa for Egypt?

Most UAE residents use Egypt's e-visa or a visa on arrival; the rules differ by nationality. See our Egypt visa guide for the detail by passport, or use our Egypt visa service if you would rather we handled the application.

Plan your Egypt trip with Holidayys

Our Egypt Nile Jewel tour runs 9 days with a 5-boat Nile cruise, from AED 4,389, departing 14 and 28 November 2026. Our Egypt Nile Adventure tour, with a felucca cruise, runs 9 days from AED 3,838, departing 7 November and 5 December 2026. For a longer trip that adds Jordan, see our Egypt and Jordan Adventure (15 days, from AED 7,621) or Egypt and Jordan Jewel (15 days, from AED 8,429) tours. If you need the visa arranged, see Egypt visa services.

For a custom route, a Red Sea extension, or flights quoted alongside any of these tours, message us on WhatsApp +971 4 589 0001 or use our contact page.

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• Egypt Nile Jewel tour (9 days)
• Egypt Nile Adventure tour (9 days)
• Egypt and Jordan Adventure tour (15 days)
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Last checked 9 October 2026 against Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ticket prices as reported in 2026 by Khaleej Times, Egypt Independent, Cairo360 and Wego, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's admission-fees page, Emirates', flydubai's and Air Arabia's route pages, and 2026 airline schedule listings. This guide is general information. Several ticket prices changed more than once in 2025 and 2026 and sources often disagree; confirm every figure at the ticket office or with your tour operator before you travel.