A 10-day Egypt itinerary should focus on Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and a Nile cruise. This route covers the country’s most important ancient sites, including the Giza Pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and the temples of Upper Egypt, while keeping travel time manageable for first-time visitors. Having been born in Cairo, I’ve designed this itinerary to reflect how travel actually works on the ground. In practice, that means 3 to 4 days in Cairo, followed by Upper Egypt and a Nile

What Are the Best Non-Touristy Things to Do in Cairo? The best non-touristy experiences in Cairo are: Wandering Gamaliya’s literary alleys where Naguib Mahfouz set his Cairo Trilogy Having your coffee grounds read at 200-year-old El Fishawy café Following the coppersmiths’ hammers in the hidden Nahhasin workshops Playing backgammon (tawla) with locals in a neighborhood ahwa Taking a 5:30 AM sunrise felucca with fishermen on the Nile These five connect you to Cairo’s real soul