Combining Egypt with Europe: Greece, Italy or Turkey?

Is it easy to combine Egypt with Europe?

Yes. Cairo is a short flight from most of southern Europe, and an open-jaw ticket from Australia (into Europe, home from Cairo, or the reverse) means you rarely need to backtrack. For Australians and New Zealanders making one big trip, adding Egypt to Europe is often cheaper and less tiring than two separate long-haul journeys.

The three most popular pairings each have a story. Greece and Egypt share the age of Alexander and the Ptolemies; Italy holds the Roman side of the tale, with more ancient Egyptian obelisks standing in Rome than in any other city outside Egypt and one of the great Egyptian collections in Turin; and Turkey, the old Byzantine and Ottoman capital, has an obelisk of Thutmose III standing in Istanbul's Hippodrome. Our obelisks guide traces where they all ended up.

Greece, Italy or Turkey: how do they compare?

Turkey and Greece are the shortest flights; Italy is the richest add-on for museums; all three work best in spring or autumn.

Flight times and carriers are typical at the time of writing; EgyptAir and the national airlines of each country have served these routes, and schedules change by season.

When is the best time to combine Egypt and Europe?

Spring and autumn: the Mediterranean summer, when most Australians head to Europe, is Egypt's hottest season, with Luxor and Aswan often above 40°C. In April, May, late September and October, both are warm and the Greek islands are open, though Egypt is already getting hot by late May. If you are tied to the European summer, do the Egypt part first or last at a gentler pace: early starts, an afternoon rest every day, and a cruise rather than hotels so the heat is spent on deck. Our Egypt in July guide explains how to make the hottest months work.

A winter combination also works: Egypt in its peak season from November to February, paired with Rome or Istanbul, which are cool but uncrowded, rather than the Greek islands, where many hotels and ferries wind down from November to March.

Sample itineraries for each pairing

Give Egypt at least seven to nine days, then add the European half at the speed you like.

Egypt and Greece, 16 days

• Days 1–3, Athens: the Acropolis and its museum, the Agora, and a day to Cape Sounion.
• Days 4–7, an island: Santorini, Naxos or Crete by ferry or flight, then back to Athens.
• Day 8: fly to Cairo.
• Days 9–16, Egypt: Giza, the GEM and Saqqara; a short Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan; Abu Simbel; fly home via the Gulf. Add a night in Alexandria, Egypt's Greek city, if you can.

Egypt and Italy, 17 days

• Days 1–4, Rome: the Forum, the Vatican Museums with their Egyptian galleries, and a walk past the obelisks of Piazza del Popolo and St Peter's Square.
• Days 5–7, Florence or Turin: Turin for the Museo Egizio, one of the most important Egyptian collections outside Cairo.
• Day 8: fly to Cairo.
• Days 9–17, Egypt: as above, with an extra day in Luxor.

Egypt and Turkey, 15 days

• Days 1–7, Egypt: Cairo, then Luxor and Aswan by air.
• Day 8: fly Cairo to Istanbul.
• Days 9–12, Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and Topkapı Palace, a Bosphorus cruise.
• Days 13–15, Cappadocia: fly there for the cave churches and a sunrise balloon, then fly home.

For a shorter Egyptian component, our 4-day Cairo and Pyramids stopover slots between two European cities; for a fuller one, Essential Egypt in 8 days covers Cairo, Luxor and Aswan.

What does a Europe-to-Cairo changeover day look like?

Treat the flight to Cairo as half a day, not a full one, and plan nothing in Egypt until the next morning. A typical Athens to Cairo day:

• 8.30am: a last visit in Athens, such as the Acropolis Museum, which opens early.
• 11am: taxi to Athens airport, about 40–60 minutes.
• 2pm: depart for Cairo; about two hours in the air.
• 4pm: land at Cairo International; visa or e-Visa check, meet-and-assist, bags.
• 5.30–6.30pm: arrive at a Giza hotel, depending on traffic; dinner with a view of the pyramids.
• Next morning: the pyramids at opening.

From Rome, the flight is longer and Egypt is usually an hour ahead, so a midday departure lands in the late afternoon or early evening. From Istanbul, timings are similar to Athens. For travellers routing back to Australia from Cairo, our Cairo layover guide explains what fits into a connection.

Visas, Schengen days and tickets

Plan the entry rules for each country separately, and use Egypt to break up your Schengen time if you are spending a long time in Europe.

• Schengen: Greece and Italy are in the Schengen area, where Australians and New Zealanders can currently visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Days in Egypt or Turkey do not count. The EU's new Entry/Exit System and its planned ETIAS pre-travel authorisation are being phased in, so check the latest on Smartraveller or SafeTravel before you travel.
• Turkey: has its own entry requirements, which have changed for Australians over the years; confirm before booking.
• Egypt: e-Visa or visa on arrival at the time of writing; see Egypt visa for Australians.
• Tickets: a multi-city ticket from Australia (for example Sydney to Rome, Cairo to Sydney) with a separate Rome to Cairo flight is usually simplest. Book the intra-Europe and Mediterranean flights to leave generous connection times.
• Cruises and ferries: some eastern Mediterranean cruises call at Alexandria or Port Said, but a port day is too short for Egypt's highlights. At the time of writing there are no regular passenger ferries between Greece or Italy and Egypt.

If you are weighing Egypt with Jordan instead, see our Egypt and Jordan travel guide.

Which pairing should you choose?

Choose by what you want from the European half.

• Classical history and the Ptolemies: Greece, with a night in Alexandria. Read Alexander the Great in Egypt before you go.
• Museums, art and food: Italy, with Turin's Egyptian museum as the bridge between the two halves.
• The shortest hop and a big city contrast: Turkey, with Istanbul's Byzantine and Ottoman monuments and Cappadocia's balloons.
• Beaches after the temples: the Greek islands in late spring or early autumn.
• Limited leave: keep Europe to one city and give Egypt the time; the Nile cannot be rushed.

We plan the Egypt section in full and can book the connecting flights; start with our trip planner.