Luxury Egypt in 14 Days: Mena House, Old Cataract & a Boutique Nile Cruise

Luxury in Egypt is not about gold taps. It means seeing the Sphinx before the coaches arrive, having an Egyptologist who knows you well by the end of the first day, and coming back to hotels that have hosted travellers for more than a century. This itinerary is built around three of them: the Marriott Mena House beneath the Great Pyramid, the Sofitel Winter Palace in Luxor and the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract in Aswan.

Between them, you sail from Luxor to Aswan on a boutique ship with fewer than 30 cabins, where suites are larger, the food is better and stops are timed around the crowds. A senior private Egyptologist travels with you from Cairo to Aswan, so each site builds on the one before instead of starting from scratch with a new guide.

The pace allows one main experience a day and real time to rest. We include the extra-ticket sites that make a difference, such as the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari, plus a day trip to the superb temples of Dendera and Abydos, which few visitors reach.

Journey highlights

• Four nights at the Marriott Mena House, with the Great Pyramid in view from the gardens
• Inside the Great Pyramid and a full day at the Grand Egyptian Museum
• One senior private Egyptologist from Cairo to Aswan
• Tombs of Seti I and Nefertari, two of the most beautiful in Egypt
• Day trip to Dendera's painted ceilings and the Osireion at Abydos
• Boutique luxury Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan
• Two nights at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, where Agatha Christie stayed
• Abu Simbel by private flight or chauffeured drive

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Arrive in Cairo, Marriott Mena House

   VIP meet-and-assist at the aircraft door or gate, a fast-track visa and immigration service, and a private transfer to the Marriott Mena House. Your room or suite looks towards the pyramids, which are lit at night. A welcome dinner can be arranged on the terrace.

2. Day2

   Giza Plateau and inside the Great Pyramid

   Meet your Egyptologist after breakfast and walk to the plateau as it opens. Go inside the Great Pyramid to the King's Chamber, see the Sphinx before the coaches arrive and stop at the panoramic viewpoint. The afternoon is free for the Mena House pool and gardens.

3. Day3

   A full day at the Grand Egyptian Museum

   With an Egyptologist who knows the collection well, take time over the Tutankhamun galleries, including the gold mask, the shrines and the chariots, and the Grand Staircase of royal statues. See the reassembled Solar Boat of Khufu. Lunch at the museum and a slow afternoon in galleries most visitors rush through.

4. Day4

   Saqqara, Dahshur and Islamic Cairo

   Visit Djoser's Step Pyramid and the Serapeum, where huge granite sarcophagi held the sacred Apis bulls, then go to Dahshur for the Red and Bent Pyramids. In the late afternoon, see the Citadel and the alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, then have dinner near Khan el-Khalili.

5. Day5

   Fly to Luxor, Sofitel Winter Palace

   Take the one-hour flight to Luxor and check in to the Sofitel Winter Palace, the Victorian riverfront hotel where news of Tutankhamun's tomb was announced in 1922. At dusk, walk to Luxor Temple and along the restored Avenue of Sphinxes.

6. Day6

   Valley of the Kings, Seti I and Nefertari

   Cross the river early for the Valley of the Kings, including the tomb of Seti I, the longest and most richly decorated in the valley, and Tutankhamun's tomb. Continue to the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Nefertari, whose painted walls look almost new (visits are limited to about 10 minutes). Finish at Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari.

7. Day7

   Dendera and Abydos day trip

   Drive north to Abydos (about 3 hours), where the Temple of Seti I has some of the finest reliefs in Egypt and the mysterious Osireion lies behind it. On the way back, visit the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, whose rooftop chapels and newly cleaned astronomical ceiling are a highlight. Return to the Winter Palace in the evening.

8. Day8

   Balloon at dawn, Karnak, embark your cruise

   Start with an optional sunrise balloon flight over the West Bank. After breakfast, explore Karnak in depth, including the open-air museum many visitors miss. Board your boutique luxury ship in the afternoon for a cocktail on deck as it leaves Luxor.

9. Day9

   Esna and Edfu

   Sail south through the Esna lock. At Esna, visit the Temple of Khnum, whose ceiling recently regained its original colours after restoration. Continue to Edfu for the Temple of Horus, ideally visited late in the day when the tour groups have gone.

10. Day10

    Gebel el-Silsila and Kom Ombo

    Cruise the most scenic stretch of the river, where sandstone cliffs close in at Gebel el-Silsila, the quarry that supplied the great temples. In the late afternoon, visit Kom Ombo's double temple as the light turns gold.

11. Day11

    Aswan: Philae and a private felucca

    Visit the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae's Temple of Isis on its island. In the afternoon, sail on a private felucca past Elephantine Island and Kitchener's Island, with tea served on board. Final dinner on the ship.

12. Day12

    Abu Simbel, Sofitel Legend Old Cataract

    Fly to Abu Simbel (about 45 minutes), or travel by private car if you prefer, to see the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertari. Return to Aswan and check in to the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract. Watch the sun set over the First Cataract from the terrace.

13. Day13

    Nubian Aswan at leisure

    Take a morning boat to a Nubian village and the Nubian Museum, which tells the story of the people displaced by Lake Nasser. Spend the afternoon at the Old Cataract's spa and pool, or take high tea on the terrace that appears in Death on the Nile.

14. Day14

    Fly to Cairo and depart

    Fly Aswan to Cairo (about 1 hour 20 minutes) for a VIP-assisted connection to your flight home. A day room near the airport can be arranged for late departures.

Where you’ll stay

Destinations on this journey

Cairo & Giza · Luxor · Aswan · Abu Simbel