Egypt has been drawing travellers for thousands of years, and it’s easy to see why. From colossal pyramids rising out of the desert to temples where sunlight still performs tricks carved into stone millennia ago, this is a country where ancient history feels startlingly alive. If you’re planning a trip to Egypt, here are the five places that deserve a spot on your itinerary.

1. The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx

No list of Egypt’s top attractions could start anywhere else. The Pyramids of Giza, just outside Cairo, are the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, and standing beneath the Great Pyramid of Khufu is an experience that photographs simply cannot prepare you for. Alongside the pyramids sits the Great Sphinx, its weathered limestone face gazing east across the Giza plateau. Visit at sunrise or sunset for softer light, smaller crowds, and some of the most spectacular views in Egypt.

2. Luxor: The Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple

Often described as the world’s greatest open-air museum, Luxor sits on the site of ancient Thebes and is packed with monuments. On the west bank, the Valley of the Kings holds the tombs of pharaohs including Tutankhamun, their walls still vivid with colour and hieroglyphs. On the east bank, Karnak Temple’s forest of towering columns is one of the largest religious complexes ever built. A hot air balloon ride over Luxor at dawn, with the Nile and temple ruins spread out below, is an unmissable way to take it all in.

3. Abu Simbel and its Sun Festival

Carved directly into a mountainside by Ramesses II, the twin temples of Abu Simbel are among Egypt’s most awe-inspiring sights, all the more remarkable for having been relocated stone by stone in the 1960s to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Twice a year, on 22 February and 22 October, sunlight aligns perfectly with the temple’s inner sanctuary to illuminate the statues within, in a phenomenon known as the Abu Simbel Sun Festival. It’s an extraordinary display of ancient engineering and astronomical precision, and one well worth timing a trip around.

4. Aswan and the Nile

Aswan is Egypt at its most relaxed. Sail past Nubian villages and granite islands on a traditional felucca, browse the colourful Nubian markets, or visit the elegant Philae Temple, set on its own island in the Nile. Aswan is also the perfect base for day trips to Abu Simbel and a peaceful contrast to the busier sites further north. A Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor is one of the most scenic ways to see Egypt, drifting past riverside villages, date palms, and temples that have barely changed in appearance for thousands of years.

5. Cairo and the Egyptian Museum

Egypt’s sprawling capital deserves more than a fleeting stopover. The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square houses an extraordinary collection of antiquities, including much of Tutankhamun’s treasure, while the winding lanes of Islamic Cairo and the historic Khan el-Khalili bazaar offer a completely different side of the country, full of colour, spice, and noise. Cairo is chaotic, atmospheric, and unmistakably Egyptian.

See it all for yourself

Reading about these five places is one thing, seeing them in person, at the right moment, is another entirely. That’s why we’ve put together a one-off, seven-night Egyptian Pyramids & Sunset Experience, departing 19th October 2027 and timed precisely to include the extraordinary Abu Simbel Sun Festival. It’s a rare chance to combine Egypt’s greatest sights with one of its most spectacular ancient phenomena, on a small-group trip designed for travellers who want to go beyond the ordinary.

Spaces are limited and this departure won’t run again. Get in touch to secure your place → info@untravelledpaths.com.

Written by James Chisnall