The honest answer depends on whether you want to see Egypt or tick it off. Here is what fits in five, eight, ten and fourteen days.
We get asked this more than any other question, usually by people who have been quoted a four-day trip that promises Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea. It can be sold. It cannot be enjoyed.
Five days
Cairo and Giza properly, or Cairo plus two nights in Luxor. Pick one. Five days is enough for a strong first impression and not enough for the river.
Eight days
The sweet spot for a first visit: three nights Cairo, a domestic flight south, and four nights cruising between Aswan and Luxor. Nothing is rushed and nothing important is missing.
Ten to twelve days
Adds Abu Simbel, Alexandria or a few days on the Red Sea, and gives you the slower mornings that make the difference in a hot country.
Fourteen days
Now the Western Desert and Siwa become realistic, or a proper stretch of diving, or a dahabiya instead of a cruise ship.
