HomeCairo to Abu Simbel Tour: 8-Day Egypt Journey by Sleeper Train
.jpg "Cairo to Abu Simbel Tour")
.jpg "Cairo to Abu Simbel Tour")
Memphis Tours' Cairo to Abu Simbel tour is the most complete 8 day Egypt itinerary available — a journey through five of Egypt's greatest cities in the precise sequence that reveals the full arc of ancient and classical civilisation, from the first pyramids on the Giza plateau to the last great rock-cut temples of the New Kingdom at Abu Simbel.
Cairo Your 8 day Egypt itinerary begins in Cairo, where a private Egyptologist guide leads you through the Great Pyramids of Giza — the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World — the iconic Sphinx, the Valley Temple, and the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to Tutankhamun's complete golden treasures and over 100,000 ancient artefacts. You also explore the medieval bazaars and mosques of Khan El Khalili in Islamic Cairo.
Luxor Flying south to Luxor — the world's greatest open-air museum and the ancient capital of the New Kingdom pharaohs — your private guide covers Karnak Temple, the largest religious complex ever built, the ceremonial Luxor Temple, the royal necropolis of the Valley of the Kings, the breathtaking terraced Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and the Colossi of Memnon on the West Bank plain.
Aswan + Abu Simbel Continuing south to Aswan, guided visits reveal the island temple of Philae — dedicated to the goddesses Isis and Hathor — and the ancient Unfinished Obelisk still resting in its quarry. The centrepiece of this Cairo to Abu Simbel tour then follows: an early-morning guided excursion to the UNESCO twin temples of Abu Simbel, where four 20-metre colossal statues of Ramesses II guard his Sun Temple carved from the sandstone cliffs, and the adjacent Temple of Queen Nefertari — one of the only ancient monuments ever raised in honour of a royal woman — stands nearby. Both were relocated stone by stone through a UNESCO engineering marvel to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
Cairo · Return The cruise disembarks and you fly back to Cairo, completing the core 8 day Egypt itinerary. Every hotel, domestic flight, full-board cruise cabin, private Egyptologist guide, and entrance fee is fully managed by Memphis Tours.
Optional · Alexandria For travellers wishing to extend their Cairo to Abu Simbel tour, Memphis Tours offers an optional Alexandria day trip or overnight extension — visiting the legendary Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the ancient Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, the ruins of the Roman Pompey's Pillar, the medieval Citadel of Qaitbay on the Mediterranean, and the atmospheric seafront Corniche. Alexandria adds a completely different civilisational dimension — Greek, Roman, and early Christian — to the pharaonic journey you have just completed.
- Airport pickup/dropoff and assistance upon arrival and departure
- All transfers via private air-conditioned vehicle
- Accommodation for 3 nights in Cairo, including daily breakfast
- Accommodation for 1 night in Luxor, including daily breakfast
- Accommodation for 1 night in Aswan, for including daily breakfast
- Accommodation for 2 nights on sleeper train (half board basis)
- Private sightseeing tours in Cairo, Luxor & Aswan
- Sightseeing tour to Abu Simbel Sharing our group in air-conditioned vehicle
- English-speaking tour guide
- Entrance fees to all sites specified on the itinerary
- All meals specified on itinerary
- Bottled water during outings outside of hotel or cruise ship
- Portage as needed
- All service charges and taxes
Note: Egyptian trains are designed and maintained according to standards of quality determined by the Egyptian Railway Authority. The sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor takes about 10 hours, and the journey from Aswan to Cairo takes about 12 hours. To reduce your travel time, you can upgrade your trip package for about $295 per person to travel by domestic flight instead (about 1.5 hours).
- International airfare.
- Entry visa to Egypt.
- Any optional tours.
- Personal spending.
- Tipping.
Arrive at Cairo International Airport, where your Memphis Tours representative meets you inside the terminal, assists with passport control and baggage, and escorts you to your private air-conditioned vehicle.
Transfer to your hotel, where a welcome drink awaits and your representative walks you through your Cairo to Abu Simbel tour — including how the overnight rail sectors work and what to pack for them. The remainder of the day is at leisure.
Overnight in: Cairo – Hilton Pyramids Golf Hotel
Meals: None
Visits: —
Signature Experience: Welcome drink on arrival and a private pre-journey briefing covering your rail sectors
Good to Know: Final hotel confirmation is issued with your travel documents before departure.
After breakfast, meet your private Egyptologist and travel to the Giza Plateau to explore the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, with time at the panoramic viewpoint. Lunch follows at a local Egyptian restaurant, then you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum and its complete Tutankhamun collection.
In the early evening, return to your hotel to collect your luggage, followed by a private hotel-to-Giza railway station transfer. Your representative will assist you with boarding the Cairo–Luxor sleeper train. Dinner is served aboard the train as you travel south along the Nile.
Overnight in: Sleeper train, Cairo to Luxor
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (served aboard the train)
Visits: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Valley Temple, Grand Egyptian Museum
Signature Experience: Watching the Nile Valley slip past your window as the overnight train heads for Upper Egypt
Rail Note: Your journey is approximately 14 hours in a private two-berth sleeper compartment with a washbasin; shared washrooms are located at each carriage end. Dinner and breakfast are included. One suitcase plus hand luggage per guest is accommodated in the compartment.Cairo to Abu Simbel Tour: 8-Day Egypt Journey by Sleeper Train
Breakfast is served in your compartment before you arrive in Luxor, where your private Egyptologist meets you at the station. Cross to the West Bank to descend into the painted burial chambers of the Valley of the Kings, continue to the terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and pause at the Colossi of Memnon.
After lunch, return to the East Bank for Luxor Temple and the vast Karnak Temple Complex, where the Great Hypostyle Hall's 134 columns still carry traces of their original color. Check in to your hotel on the Nile.
Overnight in: Luxor – Steigenberger Nile Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple Complex
Signature Experience: Both banks of ancient Thebes in a single private day, timed to reach the tombs before the midday heat
Optional Premium Experience: Sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the West Bank can be arranged at additional cost, weather permitting.
Good to Know: This is a full day with a station start. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are essential
Travel south along the Nile by private air-conditioned vehicle, a journey of roughly five hours through the farmland and villages of Upper Egypt — a stretch of Egypt most fly-in itineraries never see.
On arrival in Aswan, visit the Unfinished Obelisk lying in its ancient granite quarry, still attached to the bedrock that cracked beneath it. Continue by motorboat to Philae Temple on its island setting, rescued stone by stone from the rising waters of the High Dam. Check in to your hotel.
Overnight in: Aswan – Tolip Hotel Aswan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Visits: Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple (Isis Island)
Signature Experience: The overland Nile Valley drive between Luxor and Aswan, with your Egyptologist pointing out village life and riverside temples along the way
Good to Know: Motorboat transfer to Philae Island is included. Journey time is approximately five hours with comfort stops
A breakfast box is provided for a 4:30 am departure and the three-and-a-half-hour drive across the desert to Abu Simbel — the southernmost point of your Cairo to Abu Simbel tour. Here you explore the Great Temple of Ramses II, its four colossal seated figures carved into the cliff, and the neighbouring Temple of Queen Nefertari — both relocated in their entirety to save them from Lake Nasser.
Return to Aswan in the afternoon, with time to rest before your private transfer to the station. Dinner is served aboard as the overnight train carries you north to Cairo.
Overnight in: Sleeper train, Aswan to Cairo
Meals: Breakfast (box), Dinner (served aboard the train)
Visits: Great Temple of Ramses II, Temple of Queen Nefertari
Signature Experience: Standing before the colossi of Abu Simbel, Egypt's most remote and most photographed temple façade
Good to Know: Abu Simbel is operated as a shared group excursion with an accompanying guide; all other touring on this itinerary is private. This is the longest day of the journey — an early start followed by an overnight rail sector — so plan a restful afternoon in Aswan between the two.
Rail Note: Your journey is approximately 11 hours in a private two-berth sleeper compartment with a washbasin; shared washrooms are at each carriage end. Dinner and breakfast are included
Breakfast is served in your compartment as the train reaches Cairo. You are met at the station and transferred privately to your hotel, where your room is available for check-in and the day opens up in front of you.
This is your recovery chapter — the itinerary deliberately leaves it unhurried after four days of touring. Rest by the pool, or head out with your guide to Sakkara's Step Pyramid and the ancient capital of Memphis, the oldest stone monuments on your whole route.
Overnight in: Cairo – Hilton Pyramids Golf Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Visits: —
Signature Experience: A deliberately open day in Cairo, yours to spend at rest or on a guided excursion
Optional Premium Experience: Half-day private tour to the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Sakkara and the ruins of Memphis can be arranged at additional cost.
Good to Know: Your hotel room is ready on arrival from the station, so you can shower and change before deciding how to spend the day
Your second flexible day. Stay in Cairo at your own pace — the hotel, the bazaars, or a return visit to a site you want more time with — or travel to the Mediterranean for a full day in Alexandria.
The Alexandria excursion takes in the Qaitbay Citadel standing on the foundations of the ancient Pharos lighthouse, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina built in tribute to the lost Great Library, and the multi-level Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. You return to Cairo in the evening.
Overnight in: Cairo – Hilton Pyramids Golf Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Visits: —
Signature Experience: The choice is yours — a second unscheduled Cairo day, or Egypt's Mediterranean city
Optional Premium Experience: Full-day Alexandria excursion visiting Qaitbay Citadel, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, available at additional cost. An overnight Alexandria extension can also be arranged.
Good to Know: The Alexandria day trip involves approximately three hours' driving each way and is best booked in advance.
Enjoy breakfast and a relaxed final morning, closing your 8 day Egypt itinerary. Depending on your flight time, luggage storage can be arranged at the hotel should you wish to spend a few last hours in the city.
Your private air-conditioned vehicle and representative collect you at the appointed time and transfer you to Cairo International Airport, where you are assisted through check-in and security for your onward flight.
Overnight in: —
Meals: Breakfast
Visits: —
Signature Experience: Private departure transfer with airport check-in assistance
Good to Know: Standard check-out is 12:00. Late check-out is subject to availability and a supplement
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