Order the sites the way the history ran
An archaeology route should connect sites across time: Saqqara before Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum before Luxor, and temple visits with a guide who can explain chronology, religion and daily life.
Saqqara and Giza, Luxor, Abydos, Aswan and Abu Simbel
Where each period is best seen
| Period | Sites | Time to allow |
|---|---|---|
| Old Kingdom | Saqqara, Dahshur, Memphis and the Giza Plateau | Two days from a Cairo base |
| New Kingdom | Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the West Bank temples; Abydos; Abu Simbel | Two or three days in Luxor, plus a day each for Abydos and Abu Simbel |
| Ptolemaic and Roman | Dendera, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae | Seen between Luxor and Aswan, by boat or by road |
| Museum collections | The Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir | Half a day each, ideally before the sites they explain |
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Who guides, and what access really means
Guides at Egyptian sites must be licensed, and many of them studied Egyptology. When you tell us your period or question, we look for a guide whose interests match it, and we say so if we can’t find one for your dates.
Some tombs and interiors need extra tickets, some open and close in rotation, and photography rules differ from place to place. We check what is open for your dates and list the extra tickets up front. We don’t sell “exclusive access”: at state-run sites it isn’t ours to promise.
Site days with time to look
Site days planned for depth
Saqqara, Memphis & Dahshur Private Tour
A deep pyramid-evolution day for travellers who want to understand what happened before Giza. Explore Saqqara, Memphis, and Dahshur with a private Egyptologist and enough time to connect architecture, kingship, and experimentation.
Luxor Two-Day Private Archaeology Route
A two-day private Luxor route that gives the East Bank and West Bank room to breathe. Ideal for travellers who want tombs, temples, Nile atmosphere, and optional premium tickets without compressing everything into one exhausting day.
Dendera & Abydos Private Temple Day
A private archaeology day north of Luxor for travellers who want two of Upper Egypt's most rewarding temple sites without rushing. Dendera offers colour, astronomy, and Hathor; Abydos offers kingship, pilgrimage, and deep historical resonance.
The two bases you will need
Cairo covers the Old Kingdom and the museums. Luxor and Aswan cover almost everything that came after.
Cairo & Giza
Pyramids, museums, the historic city and its food, inside a very large metropolis where the order of your days matters as much as the list of sights.
Luxor & Aswan
Temples, royal tombs and Nile travel from two very different Upper Egypt bases. How you move between Luxor and Aswan, by road, rail or boat, shapes the week.
Tell us which period you can’t stop reading about
Name the dynasty, the site or the question, and how many days you can give it. We’ll order the sites so each one explains the next, and list the extra tickets a serious visit needs.
EgyptMore designs and coordinates your journey. Licensed, carefully vetted local operators deliver the travel services.