Independent guidenile.guide is an independent guide to Nile cruises, tours and things to do in Egypt. We are not the website of any cruise ship, hotel group, tour operator, museum or Egyptian authority. Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
EN

CruisesNile cruise · 3 days, 2 nights

3-day Nile cruise: what 2 nights from Aswan to Luxor really covers

A 3-day Nile cruise is 2 nights, usually Aswan → Luxor, on part of a ship's 3-night run. It makes sense when your flights are fixed; otherwise the 3-night cruise costs less and sees more.

Stretch of the Nile

Luxor – Aswan

Nights
2 (platforms count calendar days)
Usual direction
Aswan → Luxor, downstream
Ship
"5-star ship or similar", name not given
Our pick
from $590, 4.5 from 76 reviews
Most-reviewed listing
from $1,000 with a balloon flight, 4.3 from 657
3 nights instead
from $450 on the platforms
Entry fees
EGP 4,060 per adult for all eight core sites, if not included

Updated 19 October 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

3-day cruise (2 nights): what you can book

11 options · Prices checked on 19 October 2026

Starts in

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →See everything on Tiqets →

A 3 day Nile cruise is a 2-night cruise. Agencies sell it by putting you on a ship for part of its 3-night run from Aswan to Luxor; neither Sonesta nor Mövenpick publishes a 2-night programme of its own. You still see most of the core sites, but you lose time, not just a night: the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu share one day, and the last morning in Luxor decides whether you see Karnak at all.

For the bigger picture of cruise lengths, see how many nights you need.

What a 3 day 2 night Nile cruise really is

The ships run a weekly loop: 3 nights downstream from Aswan to Luxor, 4 nights upstream from Luxor to Aswan. A 2-night package slots into that loop, so the date and the ship are set by whichever vessel the agency uses that week. Listings say "5-star ship or similar"; ask for the ship's name, your cabin deck and the entry-fee list before you pay.

Most 2-night listings start in Aswan, on the downstream run, which is the 3-night half of the loop. On the upstream side ships need four nights, so a 2-night from Luxor covers only part of that run.

3 day Nile cruise itinerary: Aswan to Luxor in 2 nights

The day-by-day below follows the ships' published 3-night timetables, minus the last night. Times vary by ship and agency.

2 nights from Aswan to Luxor: the usual shape

  1. Day 1

    Aswan

    Board around noon; High Dam and Philae in the afternoon if the ship plans it (Philae admits visitors until 15:00)

    Moored in Aswan

  2. Day 2

    Kom Ombo

    Kom Ombo early (about 07:00–09:00), then Edfu after lunch

    Sails on towards Esna; the lock is usually passed in the evening or at night

  3. Day 3

    Luxor

    West Bank from about 07:00–07:30: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon; Karnak and Luxor Temple only if your package includes them

    Leave the ship in Luxor

LuxorLuxorValley of the KingsValley of the KingsKarnakKarnakEsnaEsnaEdfuEdfuKom OmboKom OmboAswanAswanPhilaePhilaeHigh DamHigh Dam
  1. 0 kmLuxorStart or end of every standard cruise. Ships moor along the East Bank and at private docks south of town; Karnak, Luxor Temple and the West Bank are visited from here.
  2. 50 kmEsnaAbout 50 km upriver. Ships pass the Esna lock (two ships per lockage), often at night; many ships stop here overnight without visiting the temple.
  3. EdfuBetween Esna and Kom Ombo. The Temple of Horus is visited by horse carriage or coach from the quay, usually in the morning.
  4. Kom OmboRiverside temple, open for entry until 20:00: upstream ships stop at dusk, downstream ships come early in the morning.
  5. 200 kmAswanAbout 200 km by river from Luxor. Philae, the High Dam and a felucca or motorboat round Kitchener's Island; last night of a dahabiya trip at the Aswan bridge dock.

Distances along the river, rounded; ships also stop at the Esna lock and sometimes moor at Kom Ombo for the night.

Circles: towns; diamonds: temples; squares: locks and dams. Green: the cultivated valley. · Map data: Natural Earth (public domain)

Day 1 is the weak point. Flights, trains and Aswan traffic eat the morning, and every Aswan site stops admitting visitors at 15:00. If you arrive late, Philae may be missed or rushed. Check the boarding time against your arrival before you book.

Day 2 is long but good: the sail from Kom Ombo past Edfu is the best daylight stretch of the trip. Day 3 is where 2-night packages differ most, so read the itinerary line for the last day.

What you miss compared with 3 nights

Put the 2-night beside the full 3-night programme on Sonesta St George (Friday from Aswan), and the difference is the Luxor night:

  • 3 nights: West Bank on day 3, a night in Luxor, then Karnak and Luxor Temple from 08:30 on day 4, after check-out.
  • 2 nights: West Bank on the last morning, then out. Karnak and Luxor Temple happen only if the agency fits them into the same day.

So the extra night buys Karnak, the biggest temple complex of the trip, at a sensible hour. It usually also costs less: the 3-night From Aswan: 4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Guide is from $450, against $590 for our 2-night pick. Our advice: book 2 nights only if your onward flight or train is fixed. If it is, take a late flight out of Luxor and spend the afternoon at Karnak on your own (EGP 600, last entry 16:00).

The 3-night version is covered in Aswan to Luxor cruise and the 4-day cruise guide.

3 day Nile cruise from Aswan: the listings compared

Two nights, three ways

1

Short trips, best value of the 2-nights

Plain 2-night cruise with guided tours, from $590 and rated 4.5 by 76 travellers.

2

Anyone who can spare one more night

The full 3-night run for less money: from $450, rated 4.3 by 654 travellers.

3

Those set on a balloon flight in Luxor

The most-reviewed 2-night (657 reviews, 4.3), but from $1,000.

The balloon listing is the trap. From Aswan: 3-Day Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon has the most reviews, yet it costs $410 more than the plain 2-night. A Luxor balloon flight booked on its own costs from about $70–96 on the platforms. Unless the extra money buys something the listing spells out, book the cruise and the balloon separately; flights leave only from Luxor's West Bank, with pick-up around 05:00–05:30 in winter and 04:30–05:00 in summer.

Aswan: 3 Days Nile River Cruise & Hot Air Balloon Ride is a cheaper balloon combination at $630, but with only 21 reviews (4.4).

3 day Nile cruise from Luxor

Three 2-night listings start in Luxor, all priced well above the Aswan versions:

Upstream ships take four nights from Luxor to Aswan, so ask the operator where you leave the ship and how you reach Aswan if it is still mid-river. For the full upstream trip see Luxor to Aswan cruise.

3 day Nile cruise from Cairo or Hurghada

No river cruise of three days starts in Cairo or Hurghada. From Cairo: 3-Day Nile Cruise with Hot Air Balloon & Flights flies you south and puts you on a 2-night cruise, from $929 and rated 3.9 from 77 reviews. With domestic flights about an hour to Luxor and an hour and a quarter to Aswan, the first and last days are mostly airports. See Nile cruises from Cairo.

From Hurghada the road to Luxor takes about four hours each way, with police checkpoints, so a 2-night cruise leaves little time on the water. Nile cruises from Hurghada covers the longer packages.

3 day luxury Nile cruise: the dahabiya option

For a small boat instead of a 5-star ship, From Aswan: 2-Nights boutique Dahabiya Nile Cruise to Luxor is from $900, rated 5.0, but from only 3 reviews. Dahabiyas are traditional sailing boats with a handful of cabins; their classic route is 5 nights from Esna to Aswan, so a 2-night trip is a taster. Ask how the boat covers the distance and what the last day includes. See dahabiya cruises.

Two felucca sails from Aswan, of one and two nights, also appear on GetYourGuide with one review or none. A felucca is a small open sailing boat, not a cruise ship. For a felucca in Aswan, a sunset sail of an hour or two is the better choice: felucca in Aswan.

3 day Nile cruise cost: what is not in the price

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →See everything on Tiqets →Prices checked on 19 October 2026

The listing price is per person and usually covers the cabin, meals and a guide. Three things often come on top:

  • Entry fees. Most listings do not say whether they are included; check "includes". The eight core sites of a standard cruise add up to EGP 4,060 per foreign adult (students half); a 2-night that skips Karnak and Luxor Temple saves EGP 1,100 of that, but you will probably want to see them. Prices are on the official ticket shop.
  • Tips. Agencies suggest roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew, plus US$10–15 per person per day for the guide.
  • Drinks on board, and extra-ticket tombs such as Tutankhamun's (EGP 700).
The sites on a standard Luxor–Aswan cruise
SiteTicketNotes
Karnak Temple (incl. Open-Air Museum)EGP 600Student EGP 300 · opens 06:00, last entry 16:00 · the Mut precinct is a separate ticket
Luxor TempleEGP 500Student EGP 250 · opens 06:00, last entry 19:00 — visit after dark
Valley of the Kings (general ticket)EGP 750Student EGP 375 · opens 06:00, last entry 17:00 summer / 16:00 winter
Hatshepsut Temple (Deir el-Bahari)EGP 440Student EGP 220 · last entry 17:00 summer / 16:00 winter
Edfu: Temple of HorusEGP 550Student EGP 275 · opens 07:00 (06:00 Sun and Wed), last entry 16:00
Kom Ombo Temple (incl. Crocodile Museum)EGP 450Student EGP 225 · last entry 20:00 — ships visit at dusk
Philae: Temple of IsisEGP 550Student EGP 275 · boat to the island not included · last entry 15:00
Unfinished ObeliskEGP 220Student EGP 110 · last entry 15:00

Official ticket prices checked on 19 October 2026. Many cruise packages include these, many don't: read the listing. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ticket shop (egymonuments.com) ↗

Most GetYourGuide bookings can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead, but multi-day cruises may differ; check the listing. From May to September average highs in Luxor and Aswan reach 39–42 °C, so a short cruise with early starts is easier from October to April: see when to go.

3 day Nile cruise: questions

How many nights is a 3 day Nile cruise?

Two. Platform listings count calendar days, so a "3-Day" cruise is 2 nights, a "4-Day" cruise is 3 nights and a "5-Day" cruise is 4 nights.

Is a 3 day Nile cruise worth it?

Only if your dates are fixed. You see most core sites, but Kom Ombo and Edfu share one day and Karnak may be left out. A 3-night cruise from Aswan costs from $450 on the platforms, less than our pick among the 2-nights at $590.

Is the 2 night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor or from Luxor to Aswan?

Mostly Aswan to Luxor, which is the shorter, downstream half of the ships' weekly loop. Listings from Luxor exist but cost from $1,000, and the upstream run normally takes four nights.

What does a 3 day Nile cruise from Aswan include?

Usually a cabin on a "5-star ship or similar", meals and guided visits to Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu and Luxor's West Bank. Entry fees are often not mentioned; check "includes" before you book.

Can I do a 3 day Nile cruise from Cairo?

Only as a package that flies you to Aswan or Luxor for a 2-night cruise, from $929 on GetYourGuide. No ship sails from Cairo on a 2-night trip.

Keep exploring

CruisesNile cruisesfrom $450 CruisesLuxor ⇄ Aswan cruisefrom $450 CruisesAswan to Luxor cruisefrom $450 CruisesLuxor to Aswanfrom $500 Cruises3, 4, 5 or 7 nightsfrom $450 Cruises4-day cruise (3 nights)from $450 Cruises5-day cruise (4 nights)from $840 Cruises7-night cruise