Give Yourself More Time Than You Think

If there's one thing first-timers get wrong, it's arithmetic.

Egypt looks compact on a map and isn't. Cairo alone holds around 20 million people, and the city rewards you for slowing down inside it. The Pyramids sit out at Giza. The Grand Egyptian Museum is its own long, glorious afternoon. Islamic Cairo — the mosques, the medieval gates, Khan el Khalili — deserves a full day and will quietly become your favourite part of the trip.
So the classic mistake is booking Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea into seven days. You'll see all four. You'll remember none of them.

Here's my rule, and it's held up over thousands of itineraries:

• Seven days: two regions. Cairo plus a Nile cruise is the pairing everyone should do once.

• Ten days: three. Add the Red Sea, or add Abu Simbel properly rather than as a dawn dash.

• Two weeks: now you can wander. Siwa, the White Desert, Alexandria.

• Fewer places, longer in each. That's the whole secret.

Step away from the sea and into the Sahara — quite literally. The Eastern Desert starts just minutes from Hurghada's city centre, and a quad bike or jeep safari through it is one of the most exhilarating activities in Hurghada.
Most tours run at sunset, which is exactly the right time. The golden light on the sand dunes is unlike anything you have ever seen. Many tours include a Bedouin camp stop with tea, dinner, stargazing, and sometimes even camel rides and traditional music.