Few countries evoke the spirit of history quite like Egypt. Travelling through its golden deserts, along the fertile banks of the Nile, or under the shadow of colossal ruins feels like slipping through the pages of a timeless epic. Sometimes you feel like you’re in the pages when dining at hotels frequented by Agatha Christie while she wrote ‘Death on the Nile’.
My first trip to the heart of one of the world’s earliest civilisations was on tour with Railway Adventures and I loved it so much that I’m going back again as Tour Leader. We travelled in February – late winter/early spring, enjoying less tourists and brilliant weather for wandering around the magnificent historical sites. Any earlier it’s a bit too cool, and any later it’s a bit too busy!
Cairo: Where the Ancient Meets the Everyday
Our journey began in Cairo, a chaotic yet captivating metropolis. Amid the modern sprawl, the city’s heartbeat remains tethered to the past – it’s not unusual to see donkeys and carts at the stop lights alongside modern electric cars. Exploring Old Cairo is not just a journey into the past, it’s a lesson in how history is shaped.
Coptic Cairo is a unique enclave where early Christianity flourished long before Islam arrived in Egypt, and is home to some of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Once part of the Roman fortress of Babylon, which sat on the banks of the Nile, this area became a haven for early Christians, especially during times of Roman persecution. According to tradition, the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus) took refuge here during their flight into Egypt—a key reason the area is sacred to many Christians today.
Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO World Heritage site is a dazzling historical district that preserves the heart and soul of medieval Islamic civilization. It’s a maze of narrow alleys, ornate mosques, bustling souqs (markets), madrasas (Islamic schools), palaces, and hammams – an open-air museum of architecture, culture, and living tradition.
Face to Face with Immortality: The Pyramids & the Grand Egyptian Museum
But it’s when you’re standing on the Giza Plateau, face to face with the Great Pyramids and the enigmatic Sphinx, that you find yourself being completely awestruck. Built over 4,500 years ago, these structures were designed to outlast eternity—and so far, they have.
Nearby, the new Grand Egyptian Museum offers a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, from golden pharaohs’ masks to the mummified remains of kings, with the incredible architecture and design ensuring that the ancient world is reintroduced with modern storytelling. Spanning 490,000 square metres, this extraordinary museum is designed to house more than 100,000 artifacts that chronicle Egypt’s rich history from prehistoric times through the Greco-Roman period, and for the first time, after the grand opening in July 2025, the complete collection of over 5,000 items from King Tutankhamun’s tomb will be displayed together. This includes his iconic golden mask, chariots, and ceremonial beds.
Aswan: The Nubian Gateway
Taking the overnight train from Cairo to Aswan (and further to Luxor if you wish) is a ‘must do’ – it wouldn’t be a Railway Adventure without it! Aswan, a serene city on the Nile’s edge, historically marked the border of ancient Egypt and Nubia, and its culture still reflects that blend, but this area is known for one of the most significant archaeological rescues of all time.
On the way from the station to our wonderfully situated resort hotel on Elaphantine Island, we stopped off at the Nubian Museum to understand the story of how the region was carved up and hundreds and thousands of people on ‘the Egypt side’ were displaced for one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the modern era. When Egypt began building the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, it promised flood control, electricity, and water storage – but at a steep cultural cost. The dam would create Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the world, but the construction process threatened to submerge dozens of ancient temples and sites in Nubia, the region stretching along the Nile in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. The story of the Aswan temples’ relocation is one of the greatest feats of archaeological preservation in modern history. In 1960, UNESCO launched an international campaign—the first of its kind—to save the endangered Nubian monuments. With contributions from over 50 countries, the project became a global model for cultural cooperation and heritage preservation, and 22 major monuments and temple complexes were saved.
Philae, Abu Simbel and the Power of Preservation
We visited the two most famous ones – the Temple of Philae, and Abu Simbel, one of the most moving testaments to Egypt’s ability to preserve its past. The Temple of Philae, built by Ptolemies (Greek rulers of Egypt after Alexander the Great) in honor of Isis, the goddess of magic and motherhood, was moved stone-by-stone over 8 years and faithfully recreated, mirroring the original layout. The Abu Simbel Temples, built by Ramses II in the 13th century BCE consist of two colossal temples carved directly into a mountainside – one for Ramses II, flanked by four 20-metre statues of himself, and one for his queen, Nefertari, dedicated to the goddess Hathor. The 4-year relocation project involved cutting the temples into 1,036 blocks, each weighing 20–30 tons, and reassembling them 65 metres higher and 200 metres back from the Nile. I defy anyone standing in the midst of this wonder to not be completely overwhelmed by both the grandeur of them and the global effort to save them.
Our exploration of this area included a special walking tour of a small Nubian village that has retained as much of its culture as possible, enjoying dinner with a Nubian family in their home – a really special experience with authentic food and cultural songs. An evening dinner at the famed Cataract Hotel, one of two of Agatha Christie’s haunts while writing ‘Death on the Nile”, topped off our visit – we even got to check out the car she moved around in!
Loving this journey in words? Just imagine experiencing it in person. Booking for 2026 are now open.
Download the Egypt by Train, Boat & Plane tour brochure here.
Cruising the Nile: Egypt’s Timeless Lifeline
Sailing the Nile between Aswan and Luxor is one of the most memorable ways to witness Egypt’s living history, and we did just that for three nights – on a most comfortably appointed cruise boat. Palm-fringed villages, ancient quarries, and riverside temples like Kom Ombo and Edfu unfold like a slow-moving history book, with opportunities to join shore excursions to both – all of which we embraced with vigour! Imagine sitting on the sun deck with a refreshing beverage in hand, or watching life on the Nile from the picture window of your cabin before indulging in yet another magnificent meal!
After checking in, we had a very special treat organised by Railway Adventures – a private Felucca cruise, complete with drinks and snacks, to watch the sunset – before returning to the boat for dinner.
Luxor: The World’s Greatest Open-Air Museum
After breakfast on the boat in Luxor and checking out we transferred to our brilliantly located hotel with rooms and balconies overlooking the Nile. Located on the site of the ancient city of Thebes, which was the capital of Egypt during its most powerful dynasties (especially the New Kingdom, c. 1550–1070 BCE), Luxor has the richest concentration of ancient wonders anywhere in Egypt, perhaps the world. Wherever you turn, you’ll be awestruck and slightly breathless – our hotel was the beginning of that!
On Luxor’s East Bank, the towering stone columns of Karnak Temple, connected to the graceful symmetry of Luxor Temple by the Avenue of Sphinxes, testify to Egypt’s architectural genius. On the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings offers a glimpse into the richly decorated tombs of pharaohs, including the famous Tutankhamun. Standing in the cool, decorated tomb corridors, it’s hard to believe these colors and carvings have endured thousands of years. Nearby, the Temple of Hatshepsut, a stunning terraced edifice built into the cliffs dedicated to one of Egypt’s few female pharaohs, tells the story of the revered role of women in ancient Egypt.
While here, we opted to do a sunrise hot air balloon adventure over the Valley of the Kings and it was truly one of those “pinch me” moments – something that stays with you forever! With our incredible balloon pilot expertly navigating us along the bank as the sun rose, we had a first hand aerial view of the magnificent Valley and the network of ancient tombs we were due to visit later that morning.
A special dinner at The Winter Palace, the Luxor ‘home’ of Agatha Christie while she wrote “Death on the Nile” was another highlight. Sitting in the opulent dining room of what is now a Sofitel Hotel, I couldn’t help but let my mind drift back to the days when tombs were being discovered and unearthed to reveal the history of civilisation.
A highlight of our time here was getting off the tourist trail and visiting the Temple of Dendera, one of Egypt’s best-preserved and most fascinating ancient sites – dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of love, beauty, music, fertility, and motherhood. Not on most tour itineraries due to its location, 60 km north of Luxor on the west bank of the Nile, it was not going to be absent from ours!
Unlike the grand temples of Karnak and Luxor, which reflect the power of state-sponsored religion, Dendera feels more intimate and mystical. One of the most complete temples in all of Egypt, featuring beautifully preserved reliefs, astronomical ceilings, and vivid paintwork, it’s a celebration of divine femininity, cosmic order, and the enduring connection between heaven and earth. The survival of its detailed reliefs and inscriptions offers a rare window into late ancient Egyptian theology, with Greek and Roman layers that show how deeply Egyptian tradition endured—even as empires changed.
Luxor isn’t just about majestic ruins—it’s about legacy. It was the heart of Egypt at its peak and is a place where myth, faith, and power were carved into stone, designed to last for eternity.
Alexandria: Egypt’s Mediterranean Jewel
Back on the rails, we headed north, via one night stopover in Cairo, to Alexandria. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, Alexandria was once the crown jewel of the ancient world—a hub of learning, culture, and commerce. As Egypt’s second-largest city today, it offers a unique mix of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and modern Arab influences, all set along the breezy Mediterranean coast.
Most famous for the Great Library of Alexandria, once the most extensive library in antiquity, housing hundreds of thousands of scrolls and attracting scholars from across the ancient world, it was sadly destroyed in stages over centuries. However, it remains a powerful symbol of lost knowledge. We visited the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern architectural marvel opened in 2002 near the site of the ancient library – it’s more than just a library – it includes museums, art galleries, a planetarium, and a manuscript restoration lab. Very impressive!
We explored the multilevel tombs with spiral staircases, sarcophagi, and wall carvings at the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, a fascinating blend of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman funerary styles, dating from the 2nd century AD; and visited the Roman Amphitheatre, a surprisingly intact Roman theatre with marble seating, and Pompey’s Pillar, a towering column misnamed in medieval times – it actually honors Emperor Diocletian.
A great treat for our group was a ride on the historic Alexandria tram. Established in 1863, it’s one of the oldest operating tram systems in the world and the oldest tram system in Africa, making it a living piece of Egypt’s urban history. Beginning as a horse-drawn system, it was electrified in the early 20th century, and reflects Alexandria’s cosmopolitan past, developed during the period when the city was a melting pot of Egyptian, European, and Levantine communities.
El Alamein: Where Silence Speaks of Sacrifice
A moving part of our itinerary was a visit to El Alamein War Cemetery, one of the most poignant and historically significant British Commonwealth memorials in Egypt, and the final resting place of many Australian soldiers. It was particularly moving for one of our travellers, who was able to pay a private visit to her beloved Grandfather’s grave – thank you to the Australian Office of Veterans Affairs for their assistance in providing the coordinates, in what is a sea of lost life. We’ll be keeping this in our itinerary to give other descendants of these brave men the same special experience that Sarah had.
Why you should get on board this special tour
Travelling through Egypt isn’t just about ruins and relics. It’s about understanding how a civilisation shaped human history – through mathematics, medicine, architecture, and governance. It’s about recognising that history isn’t static; it lives in the people, language, and rhythms of modern Egyptian life. From the mysterious hieroglyphs that whisper from stone walls to the bustling markets where spices and stories are traded alike, Egypt offers a connection to humanity’s earliest ambitions and achievements.
Whether you’re a history buff, a traveller, or a dreamer, Egypt leaves a permanent mark – not just in memory, but in your sense of what it means to be part of an enduring human story. Discover the full itinerary and start planning your Egyptian escape with Railway Adventures today. Spots are limited – book now here: railwayadventures.travel/tours/egypt-by-train-boat-plane
