10 day family friendly itinerary to Egypt

Egypt was always going to be that country we’d travel around instead of staying in just one place. This 10 day family friendly itinerary to Egypt has been well curated and all experiences are personal to us. We had a list of places we wanted to see so I knew it had to be a long trip. Long, by our standards because we work full time in our 9-5 jobs so taking 10 days off at a stretch could be tricky. However, thanks to the Easter Bank Holiday, the 11 days we spent travelling around Egypt only cost us 6 days off work.

This travel guide to Egypt is our 10 day family friendly itinerary. We did the trip with our 3 year old toddler who by now, is an experienced traveller. This Egypt itinerary is suitable for families with babies, toddlers and even teenagers. I also think it is perfect for couples or groups looking to see as much but not compromise on rest.

We started our journey in Cairo and then moved to Aswan and then Luxor and eventually, Sharm el Sheikh.

It is a summary of our time in Egypt so for more detailed posts, see Where to stay in Egypt and 12 of the best things to do in Egypt.

Read this 1st – Everything you need to know before you visit Egypt

Ok let’s get into it.

10 day family friendly itinerary to Egypt

Day 1

We flew from London Heathrow to Cairo International Airport.

Once we landed, we met our guide who picked us up and drove us to our 1st hotel. We checked into Guardian Guest House hotel which was 40 mins away from the airport and a stone throw from the pyramids. Like we could actually see the pyramids from our hotel room. On day 1, we did not do much; we rested in the hotel, had the longest nap and had dinner from nearby KFC.

Day 2

Now the fun begins. Our lovely guide, Sam picked us up from our hotel at 8am and we drove to the front entrance of The Pyramids. We used the shuttles to visit the Pyramids, Sphinx and the panoramic spot as well. Since our hotel was next to the Pyramids, we could have started from the back gates which allow you to see the Sphinx first. But after much deliberation, we decided to start from the Pyramids and work our way to the Sphinx. Our welcome to Egypt was incredible and I was glad we started in Cairo. Afterwards, Sam took us to get some falafel from a spot he raved about. He was right, it was so yummy and we had it for lunch.

In the evening, we jumped in an uber and headed to Marriott Mena House for dinner. Since we weren’t staying there, we had decided to book dinner to enjoy the property. It is a beautiful hotel and we really loved the food and hospitality there. 

Day 3

For Day 3, we started a bit slow and did not leave the hotel until 11am. We left Giza and headed to Cairo. As much as people think Giza is in Cairo, it actually isn’t. Giza is west of the Nile while Cairo is east of the nile.

Our first stop was the Old Museum in Cairo. It was such a fascinating space with lots of history. We even saw a real mummy! The golden tomb of Tutankhamen still sat there at the time we went. However, we were told that from July 2025, it would be moved to the New museum. From there, we went to the Hanging Church which was built over the walls of the city in 4th Century AD. It is about 1600 years old. 

We walked through the passage where the Holy Family did when they fled Egypt. This was so surreal and wonderful. Then we went to Abu Serga, the church that was built on top of the cave where Jesus and his family lived for 3 months in Egypt. We could see the original slabs of concrete where Jesus slept.

Our last stop was Khan el-Khalil market where we also had lunch. It was nice to feel like we were within the bustle of Cairo and Sam, our guide was on hand to suggest our lunch spot.

Day 4

The earliest start to the trip yet. Our driver, Osama picked us up and it was straight to the Cairo airport to catch our 50 mins flight to Aswan.

philae temple

Once we landed in Aswan, we met our guide, Nesreen and went straight to Philae Temple. This was our introduction to the historic Egyptian temples and it was a lovely temple but we were so tired. It was only 10am so I was hoping that our hotel would be ok with an early check-in.

We headed to Movenpick Resort Aswan afterwards and they were kind enough to grant us an early check in. Once checked in, we ordered some room service and had a power nap. Later in the day, Nesreen met us at the pier and we sailed to the Nubian village. If I’m honest, this was my main reason for visiting Aswan. 

The Nubian Village

Nubian village was so beautiful with all the colourful houses and super friendly locals. They kept calling out to us “my brother”, “my sister” and saying how we had the same skin colour. Lots of cute little children running up to Adanna and saying hello to her which was heartwarming. Sam, the owner of the tour company had arranged with a Nubian family to make some traditional meals for us. We had a late lunch there, walked around the village and sailed back to our hotel just after sunset.

Day 5

We checked out of our lovely hotel, jumped in the car and headed towards Luxor. However, we had some temples to check out first. 

Our first stop was Kom Ombu temple and then 2 hours away was Edfu temple which is the 2nd largest temple in Egypt. Both temples are out in the Aswan countryside. 

kom ombu temple

Kom Ombo Temple was main storage for gold in that time. It was also the main medical centre in upper Egypt. There were a lot of medical inventions and discoveries in Kom Ombo Temple which makes it very unique to the medical world. Our guide explained that it was where they succeeded in finding out the gender of babies before they were born. Contraceptive was also invented here. 

edfu temple

I thought Edfu was also very impressive. It has been in existence since 237BC, built by Ptolemy the 3rd; he was Greek and reconstructed the Temple. The Temple was built to celebrate the anniversary of gods Horus and Hathor. There is a famous lab room that has 150 recipes of essences and healing perfumes and oils. 

We spent some time learning the history with Nesreen and then it was another 2.5hrs road trip to Luxor. I think we all slept through the 2.5 hours and only woke up when the our driver announced he was in front of the hotel.

Day 6 

This was a full Luxor day. Our morning was spent visiting the “West side” Temples of Luxor. They were known for being the ones for memorials and mummifications.

hatshepsut temple

We met Micheal, our 3rd guide of the trip and our first stop of the day was Hatshepsut Temple. I loved the story behind this one because it was a female Pharaoh who had this Temple built on her behalf. It was also quite cool to see that she honoured her workers as their own Temples were built around the entrance to the main Temple.

valley of the kings

Valley of the Kings was yet another cool stop. I like that it was different from the Temples that we had started to get used to. Valley of the Kings was a burial site for the Kings of Egypt. It is where King Ramses III is buried and we visited his tomb. It’s fascinating how the hieroglyphics from that time are still so prominent. I loved looking at the colours and drawings; these people were so talented. Our last stop was Temple of Memnon which is from 1350BC. 

Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel for a well deserved lunch. After our nap, we spent the rest of the day by the pool – Adanna swam, and then we watched the sunset over the Nile to end the wonderful day. Our hotel had an entertainment evening and we just watched it from out balcony while we had room service for dinner. 

Day 7

Bright and early once again, we headed out with Micheal to see the “East side Temples”

karnak temple

Karnak Temple was the 1st one we visited and it’s the biggest temple in Egypt. We got there around 8am and were one of the first to arrive. It felt like we had it all to ourselves which made for a very enjoyable trip. The oldest temple in Karnak is from 2200 BC while the youngest is from 332 BC (the time of Alexander the Great). I would say that Karnak temple is what you imagine when you think of Egypt Temples, it is also probably the most popular. 

luxor temple

From Karnak, we made our way to Luxor Temple which surprisingly, was my favourite of the 2 east side temples. I’m not sure what it was about Luxor Temple but I think it was my favourite of all the Temples. I genuinely think timing matters and we caught Luxor Temple on a day it felt like we were the only ones there. 

We loved the walkway that is between Luxor and Karnak Temples; very fascinating to think the Egyptians would have journeyed that route to and fro like it was a casual walk in the park.

We got back to the hotel still in time for breakfast which was very much needed. Then it was a full on pool afternoon, nap time and then onto one of the highlights of the trip. I had always dreamt of a sunset cruise on the Nile and that was exactly what we did. Micheal met us at our hotel’s pier and we hopped in a felucca and sailed to the perfect spot. We watched the sun set across the sky while we chilled on the felucca. It was one of the most beautiful and romantic evenings of my life.

Days 8-10

This was where we rested. We flew from Luxor airport to Sharm el Sheikh airport and were picked up by our pre-booked driver. 

We checked into Four Seasons hotel Sharm el Sheikh and this was the start of the most epic 3 days in Egypt to round up our trip. I loved our hotel so much and they had a kids club so we spent the 3 days enjoying it.

Day 11

Very early on the 11th day, we flew back from Sharm el Sheikh to London Heathrow.

10 day family friendly itinerary to Egypt 

This was our exact 10 day family friendly itinerary to Egypt. I had done so much research before this trip and knew that I had to be organised to enjoy it. Egypt can be overwhelming so the key is to plan it really well and most importantly, use a guide. Sam from Egypt Eye Tour is incredible and I cannot shout this enough. He is an Egyptologist and he was just so kind and patient with Adanna, that it made us comfortable. He bought her a stuffed camel toy, carried her on his neck at times, chatted with her and explained things to her in a way she could understand. Sam has staff all over Egypt and we worked with Nesreen in Aswan and Micheal in Luxor. They were wonderful too so you can tell that the company’s ethos is perfect service.

For a 2 week stay in Egypt

For a longer stay (like a 14 day stay in Egypt), you can add a trip to Abu Simbel in between Aswan and Luxor. Then add Hurghada after Luxor for 3 days before finishing your trip in Sharm el Sheikh. This was supposed to be our itinerary when I started planning with 2 weeks. For families with older kids, Siwa Oasis is one other place to check out for a longer stay in Egypt.

Our Egypt itinerary was not too intense and even though we were out everyday, we limited most outings to mornings only. This meant that we had most afternoons and all evenings free to relax. However, when we got to Sharm el Sheikh, it was full on relax mode.

Bisous, Bugo x