Ultimate Road Trip Guide: Egypt

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Why traveling through Egypt with kids is a must

Egypt is a huge country with a population of around 105 million people, 90 million of them live near the Nile. It’s a country high on many families bucket list as its a cradle of civilization, filled with ancient wonders. Egypt is a destination you’ll never forget, leaving you wanting more! That’s why I’ve written the ultimate family road trip guide: Egypt.

Best age to visit Egypt

There isn’t an appropriate age or stage to visit Egypt, but it will be more fun for kids if they know a little bit about ancient Egypt. If you wait until your youngest has learned about Egypt at elementary school, they’ll probably engage more. The pyramids will be more interesting for kids that don’t speak the guide’s language if they’ve heard the stories about the tombs filled with mummies and gold before.

Another thing that’s good to know that if you want to book a tour that some companies have age restrictions. Sometimes as high as 12+, but also 5+. Search for family tours and book the one that best suits your family.

Also note that Egypt isn’t a stroller friendly country. Be prepared to carry your toddler around most of the time.

What to wear in Egypt

Egyptians generally wear conservative clothing. Being a guest in another country means that it’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t wear. With Egypt’s hot climate that can be a problem.

It goes without saying that when you’re visiting Mosques or Churches that you should dress appropriately. With kids you can be a little less strict, but don’t let them wear short shorts and tank tops or sleeveless shirts to places of worship. And keep those knees covered, whether you’re a kid, man or a woman.

When visiting cities like Cairo, Aswan or Luxor you’ll see men wearing t-shirts or long sleeves and long trousers. Few women are fully veiled but loose veils and abayas are very common streetwear. Wearing t-shirts in these cities and their sites is not frowned upon. As a woman keep your shoulders covered and preferably also your knees.

In places like Edfu or Kom Ombo people are dressed more conservative. We wore long sleeves and long trousers, skirts or dresses in these towns.

At beach towns and cities like Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh you can wear shorts and sleeveless shirts at resorts and on and around the beach. But be respectful and leave your midriff-baring tops at home.

Whenever I’m in doubt before starting a day of exploring I just bring scarfs and cotton button-ups for everyone, just to be on the safe side.

Egypt: a safe family travel destination

We’ve all seen the images of a full Tahrir Square, with people protesting for president Mubarak to stand down. It’s been years since the Arab Spring of 2011. There has been more stability since 2014, but over one third of the country lives below the poverty line. While the infrastructure in and around Cairo can be compared to Middle Eastern Countries like Jordan, nationwide the safety standards aren’t as good. The current administration is investing in the infrastructure all over the country, but it will take some time to get up to speed.

It’s no surprise that with all the news we’ve seen on our tv screens over the years, tourism took a nose dive. And that is truly unfortunate! The people of Egypt are generally kind and welcoming people and it’s a cultural gem that deserves a visit. We’ve visited Egypt for 10 days in 2021 and felt perfectly safe. Just like any other country that’s depended on tourism there are scammers here, but that’s definitely not a reason to avoid traveling to Egypt with your family. And just like anywhere else in the world: don’t walk around with your valuables or flaunt what you have. Be sensible and you’ll be fine!

Terrorist attacks

Security warnings for Egypt vary by area, so check them out before you book. Most of the sights are easy to reach safely. The last known incident dates back to 2019.  When people ask me if it was safe to travel to Egypt with kids, I remind them that terrorist attacks can happen anywhere in the world. Remember those in New York, Nice, Madrid and Berlin? Did it make you stop traveling? Sadly, it’s the world we live in nowadays.

That said I will share some other safety tips with you, to help ease your mind and hopefully get you to plan the trip and use this ultimate road trip guide: Egypt with kids.

Touts and scammers

Touts and scammers can be found at most sights. Mostly at the pyramids. They’re highly pushy and annoying. Generally, I’m not a fan of ignoring people, but you’re kind of forced to do when visiting the pyramids. If you don’t, they’ll follow you around, offer to show you something or help you and of course all of that comes with a price.

But at all other places you’ll meet friendly locals, ready to help you out and very welcoming.

Self-driving in Egypt

If you’re unsure if you should self-drive through Egypt with kids, don’t! Book a road trip tour with a reputable agency, with a driver and/or a guide. I would definitely not recommend driving by yourself in Cairo, so absolutely make sure you’re with a driver while exploring Cairo with kids. For us this was the only road trip we didn’t self-drive and I was happy with that decision. We never could’ve managed the crazy city traffic ourselves.

All the drivers we had, were fabulous drivers! They can expertly navigate through local traffic. Just make sure to bring your own child car seat and when booking a driver make sure there are enough seatbelts in the car for all of you.

Best time to travel

The best time of year to travel to Egypt with kids is during the winter months or the shoulder seasons. Avoid summers if you can, because temperatures can reach more than 40 degrees Celsius. November to April are the busiest months there. Expect large crowds at the popular sights. My overall tip is to check out the sights during the early morning or near the end of the day. Check the closing times if you choose to visit the sights around the end of the day. Always make sure that you don’t have to rush while there, or worse, don’t have enough time to check out the sight of your choice.

Egypt in the summer months

As I mentioned, I advise you to avoid traveling to Egypt during the summer, because of the intense heat. At most sights, like the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Abu Simbel near the border with Sudan or the pyramids of Giza near Cairo, there’s little to no shade. If you have no other choice but to visit Egypt during summer, please make sure you visit all the sights as early in the morning as possible. And bring enough sunscreen, hats, umbrella’s and water as you can.

Visit the indoor sights, like museums, during the hotter parts of the day (or better yet, spend those in a pool).

Road tripping through Egypt with young children

Like I mentioned before, we didn’t road trip the country by ourselves. We booked a multiple day tour with tour guide which included transportation by car (with driver), plane and cruise ship. And when traveling with kids, that is the best option in my opinion. Every major site can be found along the Nile River and Delta and enjoying the country from the Nile on a river cruise is a must.

Cairo however, has to be explored by metro or car. It’s a massive metropole and without a driver you’ll get lost in no time. And I’ll guarantee you that even the most experienced driver will have problems navigating through a city like Cairo for the first time. The metro is a great second option, just avoid rush hours when it gets extremely crowded.

To get from Cairo to either Aswan or Luxor it’s best to take the plane or sleeper train.

We usually end our family road trips at a beach town or city to close off the exploring part and have some downtime in the pool or sea. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time for that this trip. Because we didn’t want to visit Egypt during the summer heat, we had to pick a school holiday in September, which didn’t give us enough time to do it all. But years ago, Thijs stayed at Sharm el-Sheikh. This was way before we had kids, and he shares his experience with you at the end of this guide.

On the road with an Egyptologist

Egypt is like an open air museum. With so much ancient history to explore you should invest in an experienced and knowledgeable guide: an Egyptologist. Simply put, an Egyptologist studies or has studied the history and culture of Egypt. When you book a tour make sure you book it with an Egyptologist to make the most out of your excursion. Seeing the best ancient Egyptian sites with your family with a guide is highly recommended.

Top tip

My teen and I (we left dad and little brother at home) booked our entire trip with Egypt Eye Tour. We couldn’t have made a better decision. As soon as we booked the communication started via email. Owner Sameh was our contact and was also with us while in Cairo. He asked me about our interests and made the best itinerary we could’ve hoped for. A few weeks before the trip he gave us his phone number, so we could easily reach him and he met us at the airport late at night to drop us off at our hotel and share some information about our first full day in Egypt, before we went to bed.

The hotels were great, the cruise ship was good, but most of all the kindness, service and guided excursions were top notch! We will definitely come back to Egypt as a family. And we will book with Egypt Eye Tour again, to revisit some of the highlights and to check out places we missed out on this time, like Alexandria and Port Said.

This promotion is not part of a partnership or affiliate deal and we paid for the whole trip ourselves. We just really loved our time with Egypt Eye Tour and highly recommend Sameh and his team.

Egypt’s highlights

Where do I even begin? There are so many historical and architectural wonders of Ancient Egypt to explore. Marvel at the pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza, hop aboard a Nile Cruise or felucca and stop at temples like Karnak, Kom Ombo and Hatshepsut. And don’t just use Cairo as a starting and ending point of your ultimate family road trip through Egypt. Stay a few days to get a glimpse of this magnificent capital. And no road trip in Egypt is complete without ending it with a bang by enjoying a short family vacation at Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada. To relax at the beach after days of exploring all that Egypt has to offer.

How to get around

My family and I like to use Expedia for flights. And if we don’t have a camper waiting for us at our destination we always opt to book a flight and hotel, at least for the first night. Just to ease the start of our family vacation. This time we hired a tour operator to arrange it all. But if you choose to book everything yourself, Expedia is a good starting point.

To book your transport via a bus company, we recommend using a website called Get Your Guide. There you’ll find airport transfers from Cairo International Airport to the centre of Caïro. They will show all the deals bus companies offer and you can make your pick based on reviews by customers.

Trains in Egypt

You can get from Cairo to Luxor and Alexandria by train. We don’t have any experience with it, but friends have and they say it’s a great and cheap option. They compare it with traveling by train through South East Asia, so I would definitely like to try it next time. We love to travel by train, because it’s better for the environment than flying, but also because of the views. You get a glimpse of Egypt you wouldn’t get from a plane.

Cruising in Egypt

Cruising the Nile is a bucket list item for many. Including us. The cruise ships take you from Aswan to Luxor, or the other way around, and will stop at all the major sights. Fall asleep in one town and wake up in the next. It’s a really comfortable and convenient way of travel.

Want to take a more environmentally conscious decision? You can also book a felucca or dahabiya trip from Aswan to Luxor. Less comfortable, but the better choice when it comes to fumes and less food waste.

Read more: Nile Cruise with kids

Epic family road trip through Egypt

This ultimate road trip guide of Egypt starts in Cairo and then leads you all the way down the Nile to Abu Simbel at the border with Sudan. After that you’ll travel back north to visit Sharm el-Sheikh, before flying back home from Cairo. Basically you only cover a really small part of this huge country. But since a lot of Egypt is desert land, you still cover quite a bit if you follow our itinerary. With teens it’ll take you 2 weeks. 2,5 if you like to travel slow. With younger children I would spend 2,5 to 3 weeks on this road trip.

Rough itinerary of this ultimate road trip guide: Egypt

After arriving in Cairo spend 3 days to explore the city. After that visit Giza and Saqqara in 1 day and then fly or take the train to Aswan. From there drive to Abu Simbel first. Then drive back to Aswan and explore this city and its treasures for another day or 2 before boarding your cruise ship or felucca. Via the Nile you’ll travel from Aswan to Luxor in 4 days. Spend 3 days in Luxor and then fly off to Sharm el-Sheikh. Chill out for 3 days and end your family vacation in Egypt here.

And now it’s time to present to you: the ultimate road trip guide: Egypt for families. A round trip of a total distance of roughly 3000 km. Take it slow and admire all that amazing Egypt has to offer.

Cairo

After landing at Cairo International Airport it will take you about an hour to get downtown if you take the public bus. If you’re getting picked up by a travel agent or if you’ve booked the airport shuttle it’ll take you about half an hour. It’s time to explore Africa’s second-most populous city.

Umm al-Dunya (‘mother of the world’), as locals call their capital city, has a lot to offer visitors. You can get a taste of everything here. There’s a coptic, but also an islamic quarter. Most of the population is Muslim, but about 10 per cent is Christian and the majority of them belong to the Coptix Orthodox Church. Both quarters offer different vibes. And both are also different from the vibe in downtown Cairo. Get a little taste of all Cairo has to offer in just a view days.

Archeological evidence suggests that Cairo and the larger Egypt is a cradle of civilization. Ancient Egyptians made important contributions to things like the development of mathematics, engineering and writing and astronomy. Learn about all that and more at the Egyptian museum.

Honestly, you can spend weeks in Cairo and see and experience new things everyday. But for a first time visit as part of your ultimate road trip of Egypt with kids, start out with 3 days, before moving on.

Top things to do in Cairo with kids

Cairo is a massive city, don’t expect to be able to visit all its highlights in 3 days. Visit sights in different areas of the city to get a great first taste of what this city is like. Spend some time in Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo and downtown. Top things to do in Cairo with kids include:

• learning about Egypt’s history at the Egyptian Museum
• shopping at Khan el-Khalili
• checking out the views of the city (and on a clear day of the pyramids) from the Citadel
• visiting Muhammad Ali Mosque or Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qala’un Mosque
• visiting the Hanging Church on top of the roman era Babylon Fortress

Now this list may not seem like a lot for a 3 day itinerary of Cairo with kids. But if you want to take some time at each place it will be more than enough. Keep in mind that you need to travel between all these places of interest.

Read more: 10 things to do in Cairo with kids

Giza

After three days in the city it’s time to move along. Not far, because the next stop is Giza. This is where you’ll find the last of the 7 ancient world wonders: the Great Pyramid of Giza. The passage of time has destroyed all but this one. While most people think the sphinx and the famous pyramids of Giza are located in Cairo, this is not the case. Giza is not part of Cairo, but a city in its own right, that’s absorbed as part of the Cairo metropolis. Giza is also known as Gizeh or Gizah. It can be found about 17 kilometres southwest of downtown Cairo.

Start as early in the day as you can. Not just to avoid the heat, but also to avoid the inevitable large crowds and with a little less touts and scammers around. The site is open from 8 am to 4pm. Check out the pyramids first, and don’t forget to drive or hike up to the viewpoint to get a good look at the three pyramids and one of the three satellite pyramids.

After that head on down to the Sphynx, with a face of a man and body of a lion. The face of the sphinx, or rather: what’s left of it, was based on that of Khafre. The structure is part of the pyramid of Khafre, which is the pyramid that is a little smaller than Khufu’s great pyramid.

Saqqara

Drive to the town of Saqqara in 40 minutes to see another pyramid. Over 100 pyramids have been identified by Egyptologists. One of the most iconic being the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Built for King Netjerykhet (now known as Djoser or Zoser) around 2650 BC and is the first pyramid made of stone.

What’s so special about this pyramid? It’s known as the earliest example of an Egyptian pyramid. His architect Imhotep started building it as a square and later changed it to rectangular.

Over centuries of time numerous tombs were built in Saqqara, with the most prominent landmark being Djoser’s pyramid. So after admiring this pyramid, take a stroll to check out some other marvels at this site.

Aswan

To get to the next city in this ultimate family road trip guide of Egypt, you have to drive back to Cairo first. And take either the sleeper train to Aswan, which can be relaxing after a day of exploring the pyramids at Giza and Saqqara in the heat. Or take the plane and stay at a hotel in Aswan as soon as you arrive.

Sleeper train

The sleeper train arrives at Aswan around 9.30am. That’s too late to drive to Abu Simbel and roam around there. I’ll get into the reason for that a little later. If you arrive by train spend the day exploring Aswan, drive back and forth to Abu Simbel the next day and on the third day you explore the rest Aswan has to offer.

Flight

If you arrive in Aswan at night after an evening flight, get up real early the next morning to go to Abu Simbel and spend the two days after that in Aswan.

Aswan is located in southern Egypt and is incomparable to Cairo. With its colorful houses and palm-tree studded shorelines, coming from Cairo you’ll welcome the slower pace and calmer vibes of Aswan.

After the construction of the Aswan High Dam, the homeland of the Nubian People was flooded by Lake Nasser. That’s why a lot of Nubians resettled to Aswan.

There’s lots to do in this city, so here are some of the best things to do in Aswan with kids:

• take a motorboat to Philae Temple
• see Hatshepsut’s unfinished Obelisk lying in the bedrock
• take a felucca ride on the Nile
• start your Nile cruise here
• check out the colorful houses of the Nubians

Read more: 10 things to do in Aswan with kids

To be honest, I almost left the last tip out. Please only do it like this: go off the beaten path. Ask your guide to drive around town to some unknown backstreet and admire the colorful houses on an evening stroll. Without bothering the Nubians. I will tell you why.

Respecting the locals and animals on your travels

While in Aswan I asked my guide to take us to the Nubian Village. He warned me that it was a tourist trap, but in my stubbornness I went against his advise. I was shocked at the sight of this town. What was once a normal neighborhood was now filled with spices and souvenirs and totally overrun with tourists. Unlivable for the Nubian people.

You can pay to enter the privacy of their homes. To see how they live, but also to spot crocodiles in small cages. I felt uncomfortable the half hour we were there. I felt like the people were treated like zoo animals by tourists. Taking their pictures asking them to pose. The poor camels and crocodiles looked unhappy. If you choose to come here, don’t pay to watch locked up crocodiles or to ride a stressed out camel through narrow and overcrowded streets.

Respect animals on all your travels. And always be respectful to the people. Remember that they have to make a buck and have no other choice but to sell their privacy to well-off people with the means to travel.

Abu Simbel

On your first or second day in Aswan it’s time to rise and shine very early in the morning. Abu Simbel is located about 20 kilometres north of the border with Sudan and a 300 kilometres drive from Aswan. Your day trip to Abu Simbel with kids starts and ends with a drive of about 3 to 3,5 hours, depending on how long you have to wait at checkpoints along the route. Bring your passport, because sometimes they ask for it.

Leave your hotel or cruise ship at 4.30am to arrive around 7.30am or 8am. Hire a driver, instead of taking mini buses arranged by your hotel or ship. This way you can leave a bit earlier than the mini buses do. They leave around 5am.

Temple of Ramesses II

It’s worth it, because we went inside the temple of Ramesses II (aka as Ramses II) with little people around and we exited it by being greeted by hundreds of people. Before they arrived we could enjoy the place in peace. Just remember to also take your pictures during that first half hour. We forgot and that’s why our pics are filled with other travelers.

Temple of Nefertari

Next to Ramesses II’s temple you’ll find Nefertari’s temple. Built by Ramses for his favorite wife Nefertari. Smaller, but not less impressive.

Don’t skip the small visitor’s centre where you can watch a short film about the moving of the entire temple complex from the banks of the Nile to higher ground. This was due to the flooding of the temples after the Aswan High Dam was realized. An impressive job, done by about 50 countries in 5 years time.

Read more: Day trip to Abu Simbel with kids

Kom Ombo

After exploring both Abu Simbel and Aswan it’s time to stop traveling over land and get on board a felucca or cruise for a 4 day trip on the Nile. This trip will take you from Aswan to Luxor and will stop at multiple places of interest. The first being Kom Ombo, located about 50 kilometres from Aswan.

Here you can explore the Kom Ombo temple, overlooking the Nile, which makes for a lovely view. It’s dedicated to the gods Sobek and Horus. Unfortunately, little remains of the structure because of multiple earthquakes and erosion by the Nile. The southern half, dedicated to Sobek, was partially restored at the end of the 1900s.

What makes this temple so special is that there are hieroglyphs that show surgical tools like scalpels, suction caps, dental tools and bone saws. Great for the kids! Let them find the tools depicted themselves.

You can also find the Egyptian calendar here. This calendar is divided into three seasons: flood, sowing, and harvest. Each season has 4 months and each month 3 weeks of 10 days. The 30 weeks for 12 months add up to a total of 360 days.

Crocodile Museum

Don’t skip a visit to the crocodile museum right next to the site. The kids will love it! It’s very small and filled with mummified crocs. Babies as well as huge ones are kept after glass. You’ll need only 20 minutes to half an hour here, so you can easily combine it with a visit to the Kom Ombo temples next door.

Top tip: explore the temples and the museum at night. The lighting is beautiful and makes a visit to this temple complex extra special.

Edfu

The next morning you’ll wake up in Edfu. One of the lesser known Egyptian cities with about 60.000 inhabitants. There’s one particular reason to visit Edfu and that is for a visit to the Temple of Horus. This temple was buried under sand and silt for centuries until it was discovered in 1860. This is the reason that the Temple of Horus is one of the most well-preserved sites in Egypt.

This is why my son and I enjoyed wandering around this complex very much. It was like going back in time! We were highly impressed by the detailed story of the fight between Horus and Seth. Told by filling a large wall full with hieroglyphs and detailed carvings of their struggle. All very much intact.

Taking selfies with Horus, the falcon god, was also a favorite. Not just for my son, but also for many other kids we saw there.

Esna Dam

A great part of this ultimate road trip guide of Egypt entails a 4 day cruise from Aswan to Luxor. While on the ship you’ll cross the Esna Lock. It was the highlight for us while on board our cruise ship. Sure, we really enjoyed the pool, but seeing the lock getting filled with water and emptying it is a special experience.

As soon as you reach the Esna Dam it’s time to keep your eyes out for the trip through the lock. Multiple cruise ships are waiting in line for their turn, because the lock only fits one ship at a time.

Selling souvenirs

And that’s the moment that something weird happens. As we were waiting, tiny boats appeared in the darkness below us. Each boat was filled with souvenirs and sellers. Soon, a cacophony of sounds filled the air as items were thrown from the water below and landed on the deck of the boat. They never missed! Either the items were thrown back to the sellers if there wasn’t any interest or money was thrown down for the items kept. We were completely fascinated by this show of flying scarves and dresses under the moonlight.

How the lock works

When it’s time for your cruise ship to enter the lock, get your camera ready. Filling the lock with water and emptying it is carried out through 4 automatic gates. The filling and emptying the lock, which takes about 6 minutes, is managed from a control tower. Surprisingly, one of the small boats and their vendors entered the lock with us. There was almost no wiggle room between them, our gigantic ship and the lock we were in. Gladly nothing happened.

All in all it was a night and experience to remember. Make sure you don’t sleep through it!

Luxor

Your cruise is officially over. You’ve arrived in the beautiful city of Luxor. Like Rome in Italy, Luxor is said to be the world’s largest outdoor museum. It harbors some of the most exotic and impressive landmarks of the world, attracting millions of tourists every year.

The Nile splits Luxor into 2 sections, the West Bank and the East Bank. In Arabic Luxor means The Palaces and that’s a good name, considering all the temples in this large city. No wonder that UNESCO labeled the entire city of Luxor with all its monuments a World Heritage Site. To this day the city surprises the world with new discoveries, almost on a daily basis.

Top things to do in Luxor with kids

Like in Cairo, you’ll need weeks if not months to discover all that Luxor has to offer. Stay 3 days to check out these top things to do in Luxor with kids:

• a visit to the city centre and Luxor Temple that can be found right in the middle of the city
• check out Karnak Temple
• enter a few of the tombs in the Valley of the King and the Valley of the Queens
• stand next to the huge Colossi of Memnon
• explore Hatshepsut Temple
• get up early for a sunrise hot air balloon ride
• hop aboard a felucca and watch the sunset

Read more: 10 things to do in Luxor with kids

Sharm El Sheikh

Ending your ultimate family road trip of Egypt with a little beach vacation is a must! By now you’ve seen and done a lot and it’s time to relax a bit. Head on out to Sharm el-Sheikh and chill out. This time there was no time to visit Sharm el-Sheikh. But years ago, before we had kids, Thijs visited Sharm El Sheikh. He shares his experience with us all.

Fly from Luxor to Sharm el-Sheikh and spend your first day at your hotel or resort for some fun at the pool, some snacks and an early nighter. You and most of all your kids will most likely need some rest after all the explorations so take it.

Sharm el Sheikh was once a quaint Bedouin fishing town. Nowadays it’s known as the scuba diving and resort town capital of Egypt’s Red Sea region. That’s why tourists from Europe fly to this city just to dive.

Flying to and from Sharm El Sheikh

Direct flight routes are available from many countries in Europe. If your country is one of them, you could also opt to fly back home from here. But check the price differences first. Arriving at one city and exiting from another will sometimes be more expensive.

Top things to do in Sharm El Sheikh with kids

But let’s get back to the must-do’s in this city. These are the top things to do with your family in Sharm el-Sheikh:

• don’t leave this town without taking a dive at one of the many coral reefs
• take a boat ride to Ras Mohammad National Park and swim and/or go snorkeling
• hike to Mount Sinai at sunrise
• visit St Catherine’s Monastery

But most of all: relax, swim and play in the sand. Sharm El Sheikh is the perfect ending of this ultimate road trip guide of Egypt!

When your family vacation in Sharm el-Sheikh is over, fly back home with your suitcases full of unforgettable family memories.

This complete itinerary will help you with the planning of your ultimate family road trip to Egypt. Egypt offers so much for all ages that it’s impossible to see it all on one trip. It makes us want to go back for more and I’m positive you’ll feel the same. Any have questions about this ultimate family road trip guide of Egypt? Shoot me a question in the comments or send me an e-mail.