The most 20 top rated Attractions to visit in Egypt

Egypt, the ancient Pharaohs’ home, is a destination full of dazzling temples and tombs that awe visitors. But it’s not all historic sites and tourist attractions. There are vast tracts of desert for 4WD adventures, the Red Sea’s world-class coral reefs and wrecks for divers, and cruising on the famed Nile River for all types of travelers.
Beachgoers flock to Sinai or the Red Sea Coast to soak up the rays, while archaeology buffs flock to Luxor.
For city slickers, Cairo is unbeatable, while Siwa oasis and the southern town of Aswan offer a taste of the slow pace of the countryside.

With so much to see and do, Egypt allows visitors to plan trips that combine culture, adventure, and relaxation all in one.
Plan your trip with Al Sahel Travel you can check our list of Egypt’s top attractions and places to visit also we recommend you to know 9 Traditional Dishes Don’t Miss in Egypt:

1- Giza Pyramids

The Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, the last surviving wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.
These tombs of the Pharaohs Cheops (Khufu), Chephren (Khafre), and Mycerinus (Menkaure), guarded by the enigmatic Sphinx, have awed travelers throughout the ages and are usually at the top of most visitors’ lists of tourist attractions to see in Egypt and are often the first sight they head to after landing.
Today, on the outskirts of Cairo‘s sprawl, these megalithic memorials to deceased pharaohs remain awe-inspiring sights and an unmistakable highlight of any Egypt trip.

2- Saqqara

Everyone has heard of the Pyramids of Giza, but they are not the only pyramids Egypt has. Saqqara, a day trip from Cairo, is a vast necropolis of tombs and pyramids that were used during every era of pharaonic rule.
It is best known for its Old Kingdom Step Pyramid, which demonstrates how Ancient Egyptian architects advanced their engineering knowledge to finally create a true pyramid shape.
Beyond the Step Pyramid, however, there is much more to see, with some of the surrounding tombs, such as the Mastaba of Ti, displaying some of the finest tomb paintings in the country.
The nearby Dahshur pyramid site is home to the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid, which should be included on any Saqqara visit.

3-Explore Islamic Cairo

The atmospheric, narrow lanes of Cairo‘s Islamic Cairo district are densely packed with mosques, madrassas (Islamic schools of learning), and monuments dating from the Fatimid to the Mameluke eras.
The labyrinth shopping “Khan el-Khalili” can be found here, where coppersmiths and artisans still have their tiny workshops and stalls are laden with ceramics, textiles, spices, and perfume.

A maze of roads surrounds the market, housing some of the most beautiful preserved architecture from the old Islamic empires.
There is a wealth of history to be discovered here. Visit Al-Azhar Mosque and the dazzling Sultan Hassan Mosque, and don’t forget to climb to the roof of the ancient mediaeval gate of Bab Zuweila for the best views of the district’s minarets.

4- Coptic Cairo

Coptic Cairo is a neighborhood in Cairo. Cairo is one of the country’s most important Christian sites.
This district, which dates back to the conquest of Egypt by the Achaemenid Empire in 525 BCE, is home to Cairo’s oldest surviving church, synagogue, and mosque, as well as the excellent Coptic Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Coptic Christian art and antiquities.
A section of the Fortress of Babylon’s walls, which were repaired and expanded during Roman rule, is also still standing and serves as the district’s entrance.
Visit the Hanging Church with Al Sahel Travel, which houses a beautiful collection of icons and was constructed half over a Roman-era water wheel (hence the church’s name).

5- Egyptian Museum

Cairo’s Egyptian Museum is a treasure trove of the Pharaonic world and one of the world’s great museum collections. The faded pink mansion in downtown Cairo houses an array of exhibits.
It’s a jumbled mess, with little labelling and a severe lack of chronological order. Instead, around every corner here is some wonderful piece of ancient art or statuary that would be the highlight of any other museum.
The highlight of the museum is the haul of golden treasures discovered in Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

6-Alexandria

Alexandria has a rich history that few cities can match. This seafront city, founded by Alexander the Great, home of Cleopatra, and razzmatazz renegade city of the Mediterranean for much of its life, has an appealing days-gone-by atmosphere that can’t be beat.
Although there are few historic remnants of its illustrious past to see today, Alexandria’s long seafront Corniche road leading to its fort (sitting on the site where its famous ancient lighthouse once sat) remains a favorite summer destination for Egyptians and foreign visitors alike to capture cooling sea breezes.
Underwater archaeological projects in Alexandria have infused the museums with interesting exhibits. The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a modern interpretation of Alexandria’s famed ancient library, and among the town’s historic sites are catacombs site.

you can visit Alexandria during your Cairo tours in Egypt with Al Sahel Travel.

7- Visit Luxor

The Nile-side town of Luxor in Upper Egypt is famous for the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, and the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut.
This is ancient Thebes, the power base of the New Kingdom pharaohs, and it contains more sights than most people can see in a single visit.
The modern city of Luxor, with its vibrant market, the two temples of Karnak and Luxor, and the museum, are all located on the east bank of Luxor. The west bank’s lush farmland and barren cliffs are home to the vast majority of Luxor’s tourist attractions, with so many tombs and temples that it has been dubbed the world’s largest open-air museum.

Spend a few days exploring the tombs’ Luxor temples wall art and marveling at the colossal columns in the temples, and you’ll understand why Luxor continues to fascinate historians and archaeologists.

you can visit Luxor during your tours in Egypt with Al Sahel Travel.

8- Nile Cruise

The Nile is what defines Egypt. A multi-day cruise between Luxor and Aswan on this famous waterway that saw the rise of the Pharaonic era is a highlight of many visitors’ Egypt trip.

Nile Cruising is also the most relaxing way to see the temples that dot the river’s banks between Luxor and Aswan, and sunrise and sunset over the date-palm-studded river banks, backed by sand dunes, are among Egypt’s most tranquil vistas.
The Temple of Kom Ombo and Edfu’s Temple of Horus in Aswan, where all the Nile cruise ships stop, are the two most famous sights on a Nile Cruise.

If you prefer a less crowded and slower experience and don’t mind a little “roughing it,” you can also cruise the Nile by felucca (Egypt’s traditional lateen-sailed wooden boats), which allows you to create your own itinerary.
The majority of Nile cruise itineraries depart from Luxor or Aswan, but feluccas can only be chartered from Aswan for multi-day trips.

you can book your Nile cruise trip with Al Sahel Travel

9- Aswan

Aswan on of the Egypt’s most tranquil town, is situated on the Nile’s winding curves. Backdropped by orange-hued dunes, this is the ideal place to unwind for a few days and soak up the laid-back atmosphere.
Cross the river by ferry to Elephantine Island and explore the vibrant streets of the Nubian villages.

Nubian Village in Aswan

Then, on the east bank of Aswan, ride a camel to the desert monastery of St. Simeon. After that, unwind at one of the riverboat restaurants while watching the lateen-sailed feluccas pass by.
Make a point of boarding a felucca at sunset and sailing around Aswan’s islands. By far Aswan’s most popular activity and the most relaxing way to see the sights.

There are numerous temples nearby, including Philae Temple on its island, but one of Aswan’s most popular activities is simply sitting back and watching the river life go by.

you can visit Aswan during your Nile cruise trip between Luxor and Aswan with Al Sahel Travel.

philae

10- Abu Simbel

Even in a country strewn with temples, Abu Simbel stands out. This is Ramses II‘s great temple, with colossal statues guarding the entrance and an interior lavishly decorated with wall paintings.
Abu Simbel is not only famous for its megalithic proportions, but also for the incredible engineering feat performed by UNESCO in the 1960s, which saw the entire temple moved from its original location to prevent it from being submerged under the rising water of the Aswan high dam.
Exploring Abu Simbel today is as much about admiring the international effort to save the temple complex as it is about gaping in awe at Ramses II’s awe-inspiring building works.

you can visit Abu Simble temples during your Nile cruise trip between Luxor and Aswan with Al Sahel Travel.

abu simbel temple

11- Abydos Temple

One of Ancient Egypt’s most fascinating artistic treasures is the Temple of Osiris in Abydos.
The temple, begun by Seti I, is located within a vast necropolis site where archaeological excavations are still taking place. There are several other temple remnants to see here, but the Temple of Osiris is the main reason most visitors come.
Its hypostyle halls, adorned with papyrus-headed columns, house some of Egypt’s finest relief-work, with various scenes depicting the pharaoh and the gods of Ancient Egypt.
Because the temple is located north of Luxor and is not on the main Nile cruise ship route, it receives far fewer visitors than the temples in Luxor and the Nile-side temples to the south.

you can visit Abydos Temple during your Nile cruise trip between Luxor and Aswan with Al Sahel Travel.

12- Hurghada

Egypt’s Red Sea coastline has swaths of sand for visitors who want to take a break from temple-seeing.
During the winter, the resorts scattered along the coast surrounding Hurghada come alive as European families arrive on package vacations.
Hurghada and El Gouna are the two main resort towns, with Marsa Alam, a smaller and still developing town, much further south.

you can visit Hurghada with Al Sahel Travel.

13- White Desert

White Desert National Park, located in the Western Desert, just south of Bahariya Oasis, is Egypt’s strangest natural wonder. Surrealistically shaped chalk pinnacles and massive boulders loom over the desert plateau, creating a scene that looks like icebergs stranded in a sandscape.
This breathtaking landscape looks like something out of a science fiction film and is a popular destination for 4WD desert trips and overnight camping, both of which can be easily organized in Bahariya Oasis.
This is the ultimate strange playground for desert fans and adventurers, while anyone who’s had their fill of temples and tombs will enjoy the spectacular natural scenery.

you can visit the white desert with Al Sahel Travel.

14- Siwa Oasis

Siwa, located in the western corner of the Western Desert, is a tranquil tonic to the hustle and bustle of Egypt’s cities. This beautiful little oasis, surrounded by date palm plantations and numerous hot-water springs, is one of the most picturesque spots in the Western Desert.
Siwa town is centered on the ruins of a vast mud-brick citadel known as the Fortress of Shali, which dominates the view, with various temple remnants scattered throughout the wider oasis area, including the Temple of the Oracle, where Alexander the Great is said to have come for advice.
This is an excellent place to unwind and slow down for a few days, as well as a great starting point for exploring the surrounding desert.

you can visit Siwa with Al Sahel Travel.

15- Wadi Al-Hitan

Wadi Al-Hitan is located in the Fayoum region South Cairo, a lush and fertile depression surrounded by desert and fed by ancient canals.
The Fayoum itself is an interesting place to visit, with Lake Quorn, Tunis’s pottery village, and Pharaonic ruins scattered throughout the hinterland, but the main tourist attraction here, in the nearby desert, is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wadi Al-Hitan.
A vast fossil cache of the oldest prehistoric whales (the basilosaurus and dorodontus) was discovered among the orange dunes and jagged rocks of this desert valley, greatly aiding human understanding of whale evolution.
Some of the discoveries have been preserved, with walking trails radiating out from the visitor’s center to skeleton sites nestled in the sand.

In the visitor center, a museum dedicated to the site explains the significance of Wadi Al-Hitan and displays many of the site’s other finds, including an 18-meter-long basilosaurus whale skeleton.

you can visit Wadi Al-Hitan with Al Sahel Travel.

16- Monastery of St. Anthony

The Monastery of St. Anthony, hidden among the jagged northern mountains of the Red Sea coast, has been a working monastery since the 4th century and is still home to around 120 monks today.
Within the fortress-like compound, the Church of St. Anthony has an interior of secco wall paintings that date from the 11th and 12th centuries and are considered one of the most important collections of Egyptian Coptic art in the world. The church also houses St. Anthony’s (the father of monasticism) tomb and is a popular pilgrimage site for Egyptian Coptic Christians.

Monks lead tours of the monastery, which include visits to the church and some of the monastery’s gardens, as well as the opportunity to walk on top of the monastery’s walls.
St. Anthony’s Monastery is located in a remote area. If you don’t have your own transportation, hiring a driver from Cairo or Hurghada is the most convenient way to get here.

you can visit The Monastery of St. Anthony with Al Sahel Travel.

17- Temple of Hathor

Dendara’s Temple of Hathor was built in the late Pharaonic period and expanded during the Roman period, though Dendara itself was an important cult center from the beginning of Ancient Egypt.
A day trip from Luxor is well worth it, as the temple’s youth (in comparison to other Pharaonic temples) means it is one of Egypt’s most complete surviving temples.
The reliefs and decoration here are in excellent condition. Notable features of the Roman Emperor Tiberius’s hypostyle hall include columns topped by heads of the Egyptian god Hathor and wall reliefs of the emperor paying tribute to the Egyptian gods.

you can visit Dendara’s Temple during your Nile cruise trip between Luxor and Aswan with Al Sahel Travel.

18- St. Catherine’s Monastery

St. Catherine’s, one of the world’s oldest monasteries, is located at the foot of Mount Sinai, amid the desert mountains of the Sinai Peninsula, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments.
This desert monastery houses an incredible collection of religious iconography, art, and manuscripts (some of which are on display in the on-site museum), as well as the burning bush.
A trip to St. Catherine’s usually includes a hike up Mount Sinai to see the sunrise or sunset. Take the easier camel path, or climb the famous Steps of Repentance for better views.

you can visit St. Catherine’s Monastery with Al Sahel Travel.

19- South Sinai

The Sinai Peninsula’s South Sinai region in Egypt has a beach for every type of traveler.
Sharm el-Sheikh is a European-style resort town with a plethora of luxury hotels, international restaurants, and entertainment options galore. Many of the resorts here cater to families on one- or two-week sun-and-sand breaks, and are popular with Europeans on winter sun vacations.
Dahab in Sharm El Sheikh is a low-key beach town with a backpacker heart that is as much about desert excursions and adventures as it is about the sea. It is particularly well-known for its low-cost dive packages and for its lagoon beach area, where windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular activities.

you can visit St. Catherine’s Monastery with Al Sahel Travel.

20- Diving the Red Sea

Below the surface of the Red Sea is a world as fascinating as the temples and tombs on land.
The Red Sea coral reefs are well-known among scuba divers for their soft corals and abundance of sea life, which includes everything from colorful reef fish and nudibranchs to sharks, dolphins, turtles, rays, and even dugongs.
The most well-known diving destination is Sharm El Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, which is closest to the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park as well as the reefs of the Straits of Tiran.
Dive the sites of the Straits of Gubal in Hurghada or El Gouna on the Red Sea coast, while advanced divers should visit Marsa Alam.