Hurghada to Cairo or Luxor in a day: is it worth it?
Two very long days holding things you cannot see anywhere else. A straight answer on the length, the tiredness, what you actually see, and how to choose.
Start with the part most sites leave out: these are very long days. You leave before dawn and get back at night, and a large part of the day is spent on the road. Book one expecting an outing and you come back exhausted and annoyed; book it knowing that, and you come back with a day you will not forget.
Cairo: the pyramids and the museum
The desert road is long, but what waits at the end of it has no substitute: the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, then the museum and the Tutankhamun collection. If you want to stand in front of the last surviving wonder of the ancient world, this is the only way to do it from Hurghada in a day.
Luxor: the largest open-air museum in the world
A shorter drive than Cairo, which is a real advantage if the tiredness worries you. Luxor gives you Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple — a density of monuments in a small area that nowhere else matches.
How to choose
- Never seen the pyramids? Cairo. No argument.
- Seen them, or worried about the drive? Luxor.
- Travelling with small children? Luxor is slightly kinder, but think hard about either.
- Have more than a day? The Cairo and desert package spreads the distance over several days instead of compressing it into one.
Things that make the day easier
- Sleep early the night before. A pre-dawn pickup is not an exaggeration.
- Comfortable shoes — you will walk more than you expect.
- A hat and water. There is very little shade at the sites.
- Bring your passport or a copy; there are checkpoints on the road.
- Small cash for entry fees paid on the ground where they are not included — listed on the trip page before you book.
Available dates for each trip are on the trips page, and you can see the seats left on every date before you book.