Are you planning your trip to Egypt? These are 20 classic and off-the-beaten-path bucket list experiences you shouldn’t miss.
Altogether, we spent almost a full year travelling Egypt from the East to the West and from the North to the South in just the last three years. After seeing many of the country’s major attractions and even more of its lesser known destinations, these are our 20 bucket list Egypt experience you cannot miss.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on one or two regions to maximize your Egypt trip experience.
- Visit classic sites: Great Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, and take a Nile cruise.
- Explore offbeat spots: Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic/Coptic Cairo, Mount Sinai sunrise, Siwa salt lakes.
- Try cultural activities: pottery in Tunis Village, Nubian Village visit, and relax at the Blue Lagoon.
- Key Takeaways
- A Few Words of Advice on Planning Your Trip to Egypt
- 6 Classic Experiences You Cannot Miss: From The Great Pyramids to the Ancient Temples of Luxor
- 14 Off-the-Beaten-Path Bucket List Experiences in Egypt
- Visit the New Grand Egyptian Museum
- Explore Islamic Cairo & Coptic Cairo
- Visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Experience Egypt’s National Dish Koshary at Abou Tarek’s
- Make Your Own Pottery in Tunis Village
- Catch the Sunrise on Mount Sinai
- Explore Egypt’s First Pyramid
- Plunge in the Salt Lakes of Siwa Oasis
- Go Second-Hand Shopping in Zamalek
- Dive in the Blue Hole
- Have a Beer at Café Riche
- Follow in the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
- Visit the Nubian Village in Aswan
- Disconnect in the Blue Lagoon
- The Bottom Line
- FAQs
A Few Words of Advice on Planning Your Trip to Egypt
When putting together an Egypt itinerary, sooner or later, you will be confronted with a sad reality: the is too many amazing things to see in Egypt to do it all in one go.
Egypt is a huge country, ranking at #30 in the world by land area and #13 in the world by population. Add to the sheer scale of the country some 5,000 years of history and you get today’s mix of major cities, diverse cultures and religious and plenty of historical sites from imposing pyramids to the most impressive temples.
So when planning your Egypt trip, please do not try to fit everything in all at once. Popular attractions can easily occupy a full day of your trip and travel times between cities can be very long. Therefore, we advise you to pick an area or two of the country and make the best of your time there.
The general areas to pick from for your Egypt trip are:
- Lower Egypt (Alexandria, Cairo, Giza, etc.)
- Upper Egypt (Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel etc.)
- the Western Desert (Siwa Oasis)
- and the Sinai Peninsula (Mount Sinai).
Once you have made your picks, you are all set to find the best bucket list experience for your Egypt adventure.
6 Classic Experiences You Cannot Miss: From The Great Pyramids to the Ancient Temples of Luxor
There has been plenty of Egypt blog posts written already, that highlight all the indispensable sights in Egypt you definitely cannot miss. But let’s be honest. By now, we are dead-sure that the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Valley of the Kings are on most people’s Egypt bucket list already.
In this article, we would like to focus on some lesser know attractions and activities in Egypt that you might not have thought about visiting yet.
These are 6 classic experiences that we will not discuss in detail, but should be on your Egypt bucket list already:
- The Great Pyramids of Giza: The Great Pyramids, the greatest of which being the Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), are a must for every first-time visitor to Egypt. It can get very busy though, so keep an eye out for the alternative we will propose later on.
- The Old Egyptian Museum: The Old Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo is a must for every Egypt lover. From this year onwards, though, it’s got major competition. More on that later.
- A Nile Cruise: From an hour-long cruise on the Nile River in Cairo to multi-day trip up the Nile to Luxor or Aswan, this one is a no-brainer, too.
- The Valley of the Kings: The Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple in Luxor are some more of Egypt’s can’t-miss destinations. This collection of tombs and temples in the desert house no lesser than King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
- The Temples of Abu Simbel: Any good Egypt itinerary ends with a visit to the giant statues of Abu Simbel in the far South of the country – and rightfully so.
- Red Sea Resorts: At the beginning or the end of your trip, a few days on the shore of the Red Sea round off your trip. Hurghada, Dahab and Sharm El-Sheikh are the most popular seaside destinations.
Are you having trouble deciding which Red Sea resort to go to? Find out in this extensive guide, why we prefer Dahab over Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh.
14 Off-the-Beaten-Path Bucket List Experiences in Egypt
After getting the classics out of the way, there are 14 more bucket list experiences in Egypt not everyone gets to do when visiting Egypt. And most importantly, we have done all 14 of these, so you can trust us when we say: these 14 experiences should be on yours bucket list!
Visit the New Grand Egyptian Museum
The wait is finally over! The Grand Egyptian Museum, first announced in 1992, is finally opening its doors in 2025. It’s been a long and gruesome wait and more recently, it had seemed like an impossible task to announce a date for the official opening of the museum. Finally, the official opening date for the Grand Egyptian Museum has been announced for November 1, 2025.
Last year, we had the chance to visit the main galleries of the museum as part of its soft opening and we are happy to confirm that it’s worth all its hype. While the old Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square seems crammed at times and often lacks proper explanations, the new museum has tons of space, great English explanations and top-tier interior design with an unobstructed view of (and walkway to) the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Also, we have an important nugget of information for any history buff planning to see the mask of King Tutankhamun: According to recent reports, the funerary mask is finally set to move from the Old Egyptian Museum in Central Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Explore Islamic Cairo & Coptic Cairo
While Ancient Egypt is usually the focal point of any trip to Egypt, you’d be missing out, if you didn’t at least allocate some time to learning about Egypt’s Christian and Muslim history. Egypt was one of the first country’s to have a Christian population in the 1st century AD and later also become of the first Muslim countries in the 7th century AD.
In Cairo, you can get a feel of both of the country’s largest religions, Coptic Orthodox Christianity and Sunni Islam. To learn more about Christianity in Egypt, we highly recommend visiting Coptic Old Cairo, while Islamic Cairo, or Medieval Cairo, is the place to go to learn about Islam in Egypt.
Visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, not to be confused with the ancient library of Alexandria, is a modern-age library and cultural center in Egypt’s Mediterranean Metropolis Alexandria. This homage to its ancient counterpart was first proposed in 1974 and finally opened to the public in 2002. Today, it can accommodate up to eight million books and houses one of the world’s biggest reading rooms.
While not being without criticism for its architectural design and supposed political role in the country, a visit to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a must when visiting Alexandria. Besides millions of fascinating books, the library also several museums, art galleries, cafés, restaurants and souvenir stores.
Experience Egypt’s National Dish Koshary at Abou Tarek’s
Talking about the phenomena of Modern Egypt, there is no way for you to say that you have experienced Egypt, if you haven’t tried Koshary at least once. Koshary is a fairly recent addition to Egyptian cuisine, considering that it was first mentioned in the 19th century. Today, however, it is without a doubt Egypt’s national dish.
And if you doubt that a plate of pasta, rice, vermicelli and lentils, topped with chickpeas, fried onions and three different sauces can be tasty, we have two words for you – try. it. And to try Koshary for the very first time, there is only one place to go: Abou Tarek’s in Cairo. Just search for “Koshary Abou Tarek” on Google Maps, find the eccentrically-decorated restaurant, find your seat and enjoy the show.
Make Your Own Pottery in Tunis Village
The Fayoum Oasis is located just a few hours southwest of Cairo, yet it seems that people tend to choose Siwa Oasis over it. And we think that’s a shame. Don’t get us wrong, we loved Siwa. But we also loved the Fayoum Oasis, especially Tunis Village.
Tunis Village, a small village in the Fayoum Oasis, is comparatively easy and fast to get to from Cairo by bus. It’s located in the heart of the oasis and right on the shores of Lake Qarun. It’s calm and walkable with many small stores selling locally-made handicrafts. Also, there are some great food options such as Ibis Restaurant with a great view of the wildlife on Lake Qarun.
Above all, there are many pottery workshops all around Tunis Village, some of which even give you the chance to make your own pottery. While we didn’t end up making our own pottery, we couldn’t leave the Fayoum without buying at least some plates and cups for our morning coffees.
Catch the Sunrise on Mount Sinai
The Sinai Peninsula tends to be overlooked by the casual visitor as it is far from the capital Cairo and some of the other major cities and beach resorts. If you can, however, you should absolutely make time to catch the sunrise on Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai is said to be the very mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Today, Moses mountain is a big destination for Christians pilgrims and hikers alike. The summit of Mount Sinai from St. Catherine’s Monastery takes around 4 hours and is usually done at night. This way, you will catch an incredible sunrise over the Sinai mountains right next to the chapel at the top. Trust us, it’s worth it.
Explore Egypt’s First Pyramid
While the Great Pyramids of Giza grab most people’s attention, they are by far not the only pyramids in Egypt. For a more quiet experience away from the hustle and bustle of the Great Pyramids, we recommend undertaking a detour to the archaeological sites of Saqqara and Dahshur. On these sites, you will not only encounter way less tourists, but also learn a lot more about the evolution of pyramids throughout Egyptian antiquity.
At Saqqara, for example, you can see Egypt’s oldest pyramid, the step pyramid of Djoser. This pyramid is remarkable for its step-like structure displaying how Egyptian pyramid-building progressed through the ages. Further south at Dahshur, you will find the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, both of which you can enter as a foreign tourist for just EGP 200.
Plunge in the Salt Lakes of Siwa Oasis
After raving about the Fayoum Oasis, we cannot miss out on Egypt’s most famous oasis, Siwa Oasis. Located deep in the Western desert, this unique oasis has recently taken social media by storm for its salt lakes. The salt lakes of Siwa are considered to be hyper-saline allowing you to float on the surface effortlessly while snapping photos for your travel stories.
While the salt lakes alone are already worth visiting, they are by far not the only pull of the oasis. Among a number of archaeological sites that we will elaborate on later in this article, Siwa Oasis is a great place to get to know the Siwi people, the indigenous Berber people of the Siwa Oasis. Stay at one of their guesthouses to learn how their hard work brings the oasis to life and try their unique cuisine while you are there.
Go Second-Hand Shopping in Zamalek
Egypt is adorned for its historical significance. But did you know that Modern Egypt has a lot to offer as well. To get a feel for Egypt modern urban culture, we recommend heading to Cairo’s Zamalek district for coffee and second-hand shopping.
Zamalek is a man-made island on the Nile river that houses many of Egypt’s foreign embassies along its shaded avenue. Dotted between its imposing embassies, you will also find a number of local boutique shops and cafés. Grab a specialty coffee at one of the many coffee shops (we loved the coffee at Cavun) and pick up some true second-hand bargains at the Cairo Flea Bazar. The next edition of the Cairo Flea Market will happen on October 25; don’t miss it.
Dive in the Blue Hole
Along the shores of the Red Sea, there is countless great diving spots, but none of them even comes remotely close to the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole in the Gulf of Aqaba is a blue hole with a depth of around 100 meters that has become a hotspot for the world’s best free divers.
At the Blue Hole, you can free dive, scuba dive and snorkel to catch some of the most amazing coral reefs and marine life of the world. As a trained free diver or scuba diver, you can even venture deeper into the Blue Hole to discover an underworld world only a few people get to see in their lives. The most experienced free divers and scuba divers can even make a push for the Blue Hole’s Arch, an underwater stone arch at a depth of 25 meters that has claimed many lives throughout the years.
Have a Beer at Café Riche
Within Egypt, major cities such as Cairo and Alexandria have also been a motor for modern and liberal ideas. This is also reflected in the cities’ most popular establishments such as Café Riche and Carol Bar in Cairo and the Spitfire Bar in Alexandria.
In Cairo, we highly recommend paying a visit to Café Riche. This café and restaurant on Talaat Harb Street first opened its doors in 1908 and has received many of Egypt’s greatest intellectuals of the 20th century. Having a glass of wine in Café Riche is a must for anyone wanting to experience Cairo’s city culture. Recently, it was announced that the café would undergo major renovations. So, if you’d like to experience its original flair, now is your time to go.
Follow in the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
Back in the Siwa Oasis, you cannot miss your chance to explore the oasis’ archaeological sites. While the oasis might be tucked away in the desert, it has drawn outside visitor. In the 4th century BC, Siwa received its most famous visitor to date in the form of Alexander the Great. Yes, Alexander the Great trekked through the Western Desert to visit Siwa. There, he visited the Oracle of Ammon for advice. While it is not entirely clear, what the oracle told Alexander, his trip to Siwa remains one of the most fascinating chapters of his life.
Today, you can step into Alexander’s footsteps at the ruins of the Oracle of Ammon to get an idea of how crazy his venture into the Great Sand Sea. Beyond the Oracle of Ammon, the Temple of Umm Ubayd and Cleopatra Spring are some indispensable sites in the Siwa Oasis.
Visit the Nubian Village in Aswan
After Muslims and Christians in Lower Egypts, Bedouins on the Sinai Peninsula and the Berbers of the Siwa Oasis, the Nubians in Upper Egypt are yet another facet of Egypt’s incredible diverse society. Egypt’s Nubians, a Nilo-Saharan ethnic group, live in Egypt’s far south starting from Kom Ombo all the way to the Egyptian-Sudanese border.
The Nubian Village in Aswan is by far the best place to get an idea of Nubian culture. Located on the West Bank of the Nile, the Nubian Village with its colourful houses offers a strak contrast to the regular Egyptian cityscapes. There, you will find charming guesthouses, local dishes and lots of handicrafts to bring home from your Egypt trip. In the Nubian Village, we not only narrowly escaped being trampled by a camel, but also discovered a full grown crocodile being held as a pet in a local’s house. So be assured, there is never a dull moment in the Nubian Village.
Disconnect in the Blue Lagoon
Travelling through Egypt can be exhausting. From its plentiful remnants of the ancient world to its lovely modern culture, the country certainly doesn’t lack things to show. Therefore, it’s only right to end your Egypt trip somewhere on the beach. While you can choose to go the conventional route by staying in a Red Sea resort in Hurghada or Sharm El-Sheikh, we have got a lesser-known recommendation for you: the Blue Lagoon.
Located between Dahab and Nuweiba on the Red Sea coast, the Blue Lagoon is a peaceful lagoon-ish that is primarily known for its prime windsurfing conditions. Dotted along its coast, you will also find simple huts, restaurants and cafés serving visitors to stay the night. At night, you can marvel at the countless stars of the Blue Lagoon’s night sky, all while truly disconnecting from the world for once. By the way, by disconnecting we really mean disconnecting. There is no reliable signal in the Blue Lagoon.
The Bottom Line
Without a doubt, with its rich history and culture, Egypt is one of the most exciting countries to travel to in the entire world. And no matter which experiences you end up going for, we are sure that your Egypt journey is bound to be a memorable experience for you. So, don’t overcomplicate things, make your picks and dive straight into your Egypt adventure.
FAQs
What should you not miss in Egypt?
When in Egypt, you cannot miss the most famous sites of Ancient Egypt including the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and the ancient temples of Abu Simbel.
What is the best thing to bring from Egypt?
Depending on where you are going in Egypt, there is many greta souvenirs to bring back home. One of our favourites is the colourful, hand-made pottery made in Tunis Village.
Which of the 7 wonders is in Egypt?
Egypt is home to one of the old seven wonders of the world, namely the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is the only one of the old wonders of the world still standing today.
What are 6 things Egyptians invented?
Egyptian civilisation is said to have contributed to many of the world’s early inventions, especially in antiquity. Some go the most memorable inventions are: hieroglyphs, papyrus paper, the postal system, paved roads, the zoo and toothpaste.
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