Egypt Budget Tours

Budget tours use Bronze or Silver accommodation. Bronze is licensed 3-star in Egypt, which is realistically about a 2.5-star by US or European standards: a clean en-suite room with air conditioning, simple breakfast, dated fittings, often no pool. Silver is licensed 4-star in Egypt, realistically about a 3-star in the West: more space, better upkeep, usually a pool and a restaurant. Egyptian stars are awarded on facilities rather than service and finish, which is why we publish both figures instead of only the flattering one.

Because the Egyptian license and the traveler’s expectation are two different things. A hotel can hold an Egyptian 4-star license on the strength of having a restaurant and a pool while its rooms and service would rate three stars in Europe. Most operators quote the Egyptian figure and let you find out on arrival. We would rather set the expectation correctly before you book.

Roughly one Western star, and it is most noticeable in room condition, whether there is a pool, and how well the air conditioning works. Bronze suits travellers who use the hotel only to sleep and shower. Silver suits anyone who wants somewhere pleasant to come back to, and we recommend it for summer travel and for first-time visitors.

Yes. Any budget itinerary can be quoted on Gold, which is roughly a 3.5-star by Western standards, and upward through Platinum, Diamond and Elite — Elite being a genuine international 5-star. Bronze and Silver are the two tiers we use on budget tours; the four above them are the same tiers you will see on our standard and luxury itineraries. Tell us the itinerary and your dates and we will price the difference.

No. Budget tours travel between Cairo and Upper Egypt by overnight sleeper train, which saves both the airfare and a hotel night. That is a large part of why these tours cost what they do. Flights can be substituted on any itinerary for an additional cost.

You travel in a private two-berth cabin with a washbasin, with shared toilets at the end of the carriage. Dinner and a light breakfast are served in the cabin. It is comfortable rather than luxurious, it is a genuine part of the experience, and Egyptian trains do sometimes run late, so we plan the following morning with that in mind.

It depends on the length. Every itinerary under seven days runs as a private tour at the price shown — your own licensed Egyptologist, your own driver and vehicle. That covers six of the trips on this page, starting at $575. Trips of seven days and over run as a small group capped at 16, because sharing the vehicle and guide is part of what keeps the longer itineraries affordable. Any group itinerary can be run privately for a supplement — ask us.

None, but be clear about what you are buying. On a short budget tour you get the private vehicle, the private guide and the flexible timings; what you do not get is a five-star hotel or a domestic flight. The savings come from Bronze or Silver accommodation and, on the longer routes, the sleeper train. We would rather give you a private guide in a three-star hotel than a shared coach and a nicer lobby.

Breakfast every day. Lunches and dinners only where the itinerary names them. Egypt is cheap for food, so leaving meals out keeps the headline price down and lets you eat where you like — budget roughly $10 to $20 a day.

Yes, to every site named in your itinerary. Special-access tickets bought separately at the gate — going inside a pyramid chamber at Giza, or the tombs of Seti I, Ramses V and VI and Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings — are not included, and your guide can arrange them on the day.

Most nationalities buy a 30-day tourist visa on arrival for $30 per person in cash, or apply for an e-visa online in advance. It is not included in any tour price. Check the current requirements for your nationality with the Egyptian embassy in your country.

Start with how long you have. Under a week and you are choosing between Cairo with Luxor or Cairo with Alexandria. A week or more opens up Aswan and Abu Simbel, and it is worth adding the Nile cruise, which replaces two hotel nights and so costs less extra than you would expect. Ten days or more lets you finish on the Red Sea. The four groupings on this page are arranged that way.

Yes. The itineraries cover the same monuments as our more expensive tours with the same licensed Egyptologist guides. What changes is the hotel standard and the sleeper train instead of a flight. If it is your first visit and you are unsure, take Silver rather than Bronze — it is a modest difference in price and the single upgrade that most affects how the trip feels.

They work well either way. On the shorter private tours you get a guide to yourself, which suits solo travellers who want to ask questions rather than queue for them. On the longer group tours you get people to travel with. A single room carries a supplement on any itinerary since you are not sharing — ask us for the figure on your dates. If you are happy to share, tell us and we will try to match you with another solo traveller on the same departure.

The main tourist areas are well established and heavily visited, and travelling on a budget does not change where you go or how you are looked after. You will have a licensed guide with you on sightseeing days and a driver we know personally.

Three to six months ahead for October to April, when demand is highest. Summer departures can often be booked closer in and cost noticeably less, if you can take the heat.