Cairo & the Nile

Egypt works as a week: two nights in Cairo for the Giza plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a flight south and three or four nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan. The temples at Karnak, Edfu and Abu Simbel are the reason, and seeing them from a boat rather than a coach changes the trip entirely. Cairo's hotels range from the historic to the new; the river boats vary enormously and the difference matters. October to April is the season; summer in Upper Egypt is severe.