Nile trips: the best day trips and boat trips on the river

Nile trips come in two kinds: the multi-day cruise, and everything shorter. This page is about the second: day trips from Luxor and Aswan, short boat trips on the river, the long day from Hurghada to Luxor, and the trips you can add to a cruise. Each one tells you how long it takes, what the ticket costs at the gate, and which listing on the platforms is worth booking. If you want to sleep on board, start with Nile cruises instead.

Nile boat trips: what the boats on the Nile are called

Four kinds of boat carry visitors, and the names on listings are used loosely:

• Felucca: a traditional wooden sailing boat with one sail and no engine. Hired by the boat, usually for one or two hours. When the wind drops, many are towed by a motorboat; one of the best-rated Luxor sunset sails says so in its own description.
• Motorboat: the small covered boats that take you to Philae (the boat fare is not in the temple ticket), to the Nubian village or round the Aswan islands.
• Dahabiya: a two-masted sailing houseboat with a handful of cabins, usually sailing Esna to Aswan in four or five nights (dahabiya guide).
• Cruise ship: the multi-deck "floating hotels" that run between Luxor and Aswan in 3 or 4 nights.

In Cairo, "Nile boat trip" usually means a two-hour dinner cruise or a felucca at sunset; see the Cairo section below.

Day trips from Luxor: Dendera and Abydos

The two great temples north of Luxor are skipped by almost every cruise, which makes them the best reason to add a day in Luxor.

Dendera (Temple of Hathor) is a half day. The ticket is EGP 300 for a foreign adult, with EGP 100 extra each for the roof and the crypts; last entry 16:00. The ceiling colours have been cleaned, the famous zodiac on the ceiling is a copy (the original is in the Louvre), and Cleopatra appears with her son Caesarion on the rear wall. The most-booked trip is a 5-hour tour from Luxor with a felucca ride (from $65, 4.4 from 285 reviews). For a slower version, one listing sails to Dendera and back by boat in about 12 hours with lunch (from $150, 4.7 from 10 reviews).

Abydos (Temple of Seti I, with its list of earlier kings) is a full day from Luxor; ticket EGP 260, last entry 16:00. None of the three platforms sells a dedicated Abydos trip, so book it through an agency or your hotel with a private car and guide, and agree what is included before you set off. Abydos and Dendera together are a long day; some longer cruises include both, such as the Oberoi Philae 6-night programme and the SS Sudan (best luxury cruises).

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GetYourGuideHalf dayLuxor

From Luxor: Dendera Temple All-Inclusive Tour & Felucca Ride

4.4 (285)

from $65Check dates

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GetYourGuideFull dayLuxor

Luxor: Nile Cruise to Dendera Temple with Lunch

4.7 (10)

Next date: 16 Feb

from $150Check dates

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GetYourGuideFull dayLuxor

Luxor: Full-Day Shared Tour to West and East Banks

4.6 (2,229)

from $30Check dates

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GetYourGuideHalf dayLuxor

Luxor: Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple Day Tour

4.5 (2,053)

from $23Check dates

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

Luxor day tours: East Bank and West Bank

If your cruise doesn't include Luxor sightseeing, or you arrive a day early, a guided day on both banks is the cheapest good trip in Egypt: a shared full-day tour of the West and East Banks starts from $30 (4.6 from 2,229 reviews), a half-day Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut tour from $23. Tickets on top, at official prices for a foreign adult: Karnak EGP 600 (including the Open-Air Museum), Luxor Temple EGP 500, Valley of the Kings EGP 750, Hatshepsut EGP 440.

Luxor Temple admits visitors until 19:00, so you can see it lit up after a day on the West Bank. The Luxor hot-air balloon flies at dawn from the West Bank only (balloon guide); on the river, a private sunset felucca from the East Bank costs from $29 (felucca in Luxor). More in things to do in Luxor.

Day trips from Aswan: Philae, the Nubian village and Abu Simbel

Aswan's sites stop admitting visitors at 15:00 all year, so morning trips are the rule.

• Philae: EGP 550, plus the motorboat from the landing, which the ticket does not cover. A guided half-day group tour costs from $45 (4.7 from 326 reviews); a private tour adding the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk from $70.
• The Nubian village (Gharb Soheil): reached by boat, with domed, brightly painted houses. A 4-hour motorboat trip costs from $28; a shared half-day tour from $25 (4.7 from 180 reviews). Some homes keep caged crocodiles for photos; you can decline. Don't swim at the village: health advice is not to swim, wade or bathe in the Nile because of schistosomiasis (bilharzia).
• Felucca round the islands: two hours past Elephantine and Kitchener's Island from $15.

Abu Simbel is the big one: about 280–300 km south of Aswan, 3.5–4 hours by road each way. Tour transfers leave before dawn (expect an alarm around 03:30) and pass police checkpoints; the road is reported closed to tourist traffic overnight. The ticket is EGP 822, or EGP 1,272 on the sun-festival days of 22 February and 22 October; last entry 16:00.

The cheapest listing (from $40) is the most booked trip in Aswan; the $65 group tour includes the entrance fee. Compare the two "includes" lists before choosing. From Luxor, a private Abu Simbel day takes about 15 hours (from $194). The sound and light show at the temples needs an overnight stay or a Lake Nasser cruise. Full details: Abu Simbel from Aswan.

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GetYourGuideFull dayAswan

From Aswan: Abu Simbel Temple Day Trip with Hotel Pickup

4.5 (3,404)

from $40Check dates

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GetYourGuideFull dayAswan

From Aswan: Abu Simbel Group Tour with Guide & Entrance Fees

4.6 (592)

from $65Check dates

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GetYourGuide3 hAswan

Aswan: Philae Temple Guided Half-Day Group Tour

4.7 (326)

from $45Check dates

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GetYourGuide4 hAswan

Aswan: Nubian Village Tour by Motorboat

4.6 (46)

from $28Check dates

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

Edfu and Kom Ombo as a day trip

Without a cruise, you can still see the two river temples between Luxor and Aswan by road. A 6–7-hour tour from Aswan stops at Kom Ombo and Edfu and drops you in Luxor (from $132, 4.4 from 439 reviews); a 10-hour private tour does the reverse from Luxor to Aswan (from $193, 4.7 from 198 reviews). It doubles as your transfer between the two cities. Tickets: Edfu EGP 550, Kom Ombo EGP 450 including the Crocodile Museum. See Edfu and Kom Ombo.

Luxor day trips from Hurghada

The most-booked Nile trip of all is the day trip from the Red Sea to Luxor: from $94.50 with 8,801 reviews at 4.8, with similar trips from $67. Be honest with yourself about the length. Luxor is about four hours each way by road, transfers leave early and pass police checkpoints, and the day lasts about 14 hours, leaving roughly six for the sights and lunch. UK travel advice is not to drive outside main cities and resorts at night.

If you can spare one night, a 2-day Luxor trip with a hotel and a balloon flight (from $270, 1,215 reviews) halves the time on the road per sight. More on Nile trips from Hurghada.

Nile boat trips in Cairo

In Cairo the river is an evening affair. A dinner cruise of about two hours with a buffet or set menu and a show costs from about $27 (Nile Crystal) to $122.55 (Nile Maxim on GetYourGuide), depending on the boat and the seller (Cairo dinner cruises); a private felucca for an hour or two costs from about $14–25 per boat on the platforms (felucca in Cairo). The popular combination is a Grand Egyptian Museum ticket plus a dinner cruise, sold by two platforms:

Headout's combo is cheaper today, at $70 against $110 on Tiqets, but the boat, transfers and seating may differ; read both listings. The GEM sells its own tickets only on tickets.gem.eg; combos are resold tickets.

Nile cruise with excursions included: what's in, what's extra

A cruise package usually includes guided visits to the core sites: Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and the High Dam. What varies is whether the entry tickets are paid (EGP 4,060 per adult for the eight core sites if not), and which trips are sold as extras on board. Typical extras: Abu Simbel, the Luxor balloon, the Nubian village, sound and light shows. Two published examples: on Classic Collection's Semiramis II package, Abu Simbel costs £120 by road or £280 by air and the balloon £110; on the Salacia, sold by Memphis Tours, the balloon is US$129 extra.

Buying the same trips locally, or on the platforms before you travel, can be cheaper, but check the timing fits your ship's programme. Ships on direct bookings with Sonesta, JAZ or Steigenberger charge sightseeing separately.

Nile trips: questions