Grand Tour of Egypt & Five-Star Nile Cruise

Your journey begins at London Heathrow as you meet the Tour Manager and the rest of our group before boarding a direct flight to Cairo.

On arrival, we transfer to the five-star Cairo Sheraton, a modern riverfront hotel, where we have dinner and spend our first night.

Over dinner we meet our specialist tour guide, an expert Egyptologist, who will guide us throughout our cultural holiday as we visit Egypt's many sensational sights.

• Dinner

After an early breakfast, we travel by First Class rail to the port city of Alexandria where we are transferred to our hotel.

Next, we set out on a sightseeing tour with our specialist guide who shows us the highlights and hidden gems of Alexandria - the city's ancient catacombs, the Alexandria lighthouse, Roman theatre and the impressive monolith, Pompey's Pillar. We stop for lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, renowned for its fresh seafood. Our next visit is to the impressive Library of Alexandria, the world's most famous library of Classical antiquity. Regarded as a cultural epicentre of the ancient world, the library is outstanding not only for its priceless collection of Classical literature but also for its architecture.

Returning to our hotel this afternoon, the rest of your day and evening is free to relax, explore and dine independently.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Departing Alexandria this morning, we first drive to the historical site of the El Alamein battlefield, regarded as one of the significant British victories of World War Two. After time to reflect at El Alamein, our excursion continues towards Cairo, stopping for a guided tour of the beautiful village of Wadi El-Natrun enroute.

Wadi El-Natrun is a desert valley and village with 12 lakes and a fascinating history which our guide describes to us. This was an important site in ancient Egypt as the area was rich in mineral salts which were widely used in the mummification process. Later it became a sanctuary for Christians fleeing Roman persecution and a monastic order was formed. Of the dozens of original monasteries here, only four have survived.

Arriving in Egypt's capital this afternoon, we are transferred to our five-star hotel in West Cairo, within a few miles of the Great Pyramids. This evening, you are free over dinnertime, and besides a choice of local eateries, the hotel has four restaurants which offer Asian, Mediterranean and international cuisine.

• Breakfast

Today brings another cultural highlight of the holiday as we set out on a full day of touring Egypt's phenomenal pyramids, the city of Cairo and the Great Egyptian Museum.

The most well-known is the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to have survived to the modern day and remain largely intact. Our expert Egyptologist guide shares their knowledge of this spectacular tomb, and about the Great Sphinx - one of the most recognisable statues in the world - which stands beside the iconic pyramids it was created to guard.

Today's tour ends with a visit to the new Great Egyptian Museum where, with entrance included, you are free to explore the many breathtaking treasures. This long-awaited archaeological museum is the largest in the world and houses important artefacts of ancient Egypt. Among other treasures, it showcases the entire Tutankhamun collection. We transfer back to our hotel in the afternoon and enjoy an evening at leisure.

• Breakfast

Leaving our hotel after an early breakfast this morning, we embark on a train journey through the heart of Egypt from Cairo to Luxor in Upper Egypt, arriving in the evening. With a picnic lunch provided, we gain an insight into daily life along the Nile from the train windows as we pass through bustling towns and view low-lying hills.

Luxor has a rich history, with some of Egypt's most important monuments, and was the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. On arrival, we check into our five-star hotel on the east bank of the Nile, overlooking the longest river in the world.

Featuring excellent facilities including an outdoor pool, our hotel has a restaurant which offers Middle Eastern and international cuisine. If you'd like to explore the city this evening, Luxor's restaurants, shops and cafés are only a short taxi ride away.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Today marks the start of a four-night cruise along the Nile and, after breakfast, we transfer from the hotel to our five-star cruise ship, which combines comfort with a touch of luxury. Our journey from Luxor to Aswan will take us to significant landmarks of the Nile that tell the story of this historic part of the world.

After lunch, we explore the East Bank of the Nile. Constructed nearly 2,000 years ago, the ancient Karnak Temple complex is the largest of its kind in Egypt and was one of Ancient Egypt's most sacred sites during the rule of several Pharaohs. We also visit the striking Luxor Temple, built by the pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, which is in the heart of the modern town. One of the temple's most impressive features is the Avenue of Sphinxes, now fully excavated, which once linked the site with the temples at Karnak, nearly two miles to the north.

Once our enlightening guided tour concludes, we return to our ship where we are served dinner this evening.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today begins with a relaxing day of cruising down the Nile, enjoying breakfast while we sail.

After lunch onboard our luxurious ship, we disembark to explore the West Bank of the Nile by coach. First, we embark on a guided tour of the spectacular Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a beautiful mortuary temple dedicated to the longest ruling female of Ancient Egypt. Later, we continue to see the Seti I Tomb, the burial place of Pharoah Seti I, where entrance is included so you can explore at your own pace. This magnificent site is considered one of the finest examples of Ancient Egyptian art and one of the most extensively decorated.

Returning to the ship, there's a chance to relax and soak up the atmosphere of the Nile before another sumptuous dinner on board, after which we set sail overnight to Edfu via Esna.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast on our cruise ship, we arrive in the town of Edfu in Upper Egypt. Here, we tour the beautiful Temple of Edfu, also known as the Temple of Horus (the falcon-headed God) whom the Egyptians equated with the Greek God, Apollo.

We hear more about this fascinating site and the creation myth associated with the temple from our specialist guide. The second largest and one of Egypt's best preserved, Edfu was uncovered from the sand by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette in the 1860s.

We return to our ship for lunch after which there is an afternoon excursion to the Kom Ombo Temple, an extraordinary double temple which is completely symmetrical. We return to our ship later, with time to relax on the spacious deck before dinner is served on board.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

During breakfast this morning, we sail to Aswan, enjoying views of the riverbanks from our ship. On arrival after lunch, we tour the impressive High Dam, the fascinating Philae Temple which dates to the cult of Isis, and the Unfinished Obelisk, an example of the incredible stone masonry of the ancient Egyptians.

Later this afternoon we board a traditional wooden sailing boat, known as a felucca, for a relaxing trip to Kitchener Island, which was presented to Lord Kitchener in the 1890s as a reward for leading the Egyptian army's successful campaigns in Sudan. Lord Kitchener made this small island his home and filled it with exotic flowers and rare plants from as far as India and Malaysia.

We return to our ship, the Movenpick MS Sunray, before sitting down to a final dinner on board.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The penultimate day of this holiday features another very special highlight. Abu Simbel is one of Egypt's most famous landmarks, and today we visit this remarkable temple complex, carved during the reign of Pharoah Ramesses II to immortalise himself and honour the gods. To avoid the crowds, the midday heat and a long journey by road, we leave our cruise ship early this morning for a short flight directly to Abu Simbel.

On arrival, we visit the colossal twin temples, situated on Lake Nasser. These ancient monuments were discovered just over 200 years ago and, in 1963, were rescued from destruction in the largest heritage operation in history thanks to the efforts of UNESCO and many countries across the world.

After touring this unforgettable site, we fly back to Cairo where we are transferred by coach to our first hotel.

• Breakfast

Back in Egypt's capital, Cairo, we are taken on a guided tour of the city this morning. We visit the Coptic Museum, which contains the world's largest collection of Coptic Christian artefacts and traces the history of Egypt.

We also visit the intriguing Coptic Hanging church - also known as the Suspended Church - and the Jewish Synagogue. According to local folklore, the synagogue is located on the site where baby Moses was found.

Returning to our hotel at the end of this morning's excursion, the rest of your day is at leisure until this evening. Then, we are taken by coach to a restaurant overlooking the Nile, which specialises in chargrilled Middle East and Mediterranean cuisine, for a final dinner with our group and Egyptologist guide.

• Breakfast, Dinner

This five-star tour of Egypt has taken us from the historic capital of Cairo, where we saw major landmarks including the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, to the archaeological treasures of the Mediterranean port of Alexandria and the battle site of El Alamein. Aboard our five-star cruise ship, we witnessed many gems along the Nile - the temple complex of Abu Simbel and the outstanding temples of Edfu (the falcon-headed god), Kom Ombo, Karnak and Luxor.

After an early breakfast at our hotel, we are transferred to Cairo's international airport for our direct flight back to London Heathrow, where your holiday comes to an end.

• Breakfast