Top Egypt Sightseeing and Main Attractions 2025 Update

By Hesham Elgammal on 31 Mar 2025

Egypt Sightseeing

The beautiful country of Egypt, known for its imposing pyramids and huge deserts, is so much more. Beyond the Pyramids of Giza and the iconic Sphinx Cat sculpture, this country has a lot many tourist attractions to offer. Tourists from around the world find themselves surprised at the wondrous sights.

Amidst the most attractive places to visit in Egypt, the cities of Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan experience the highest tourist footfall every year. Within these three cities, there are various diverse sights to see, and in this article, we will learn about the top few. So let’s get started!

Cairo Sightseeing

Egypt’s capital city, Cairo houses some beautiful sights, and no Egypt sightseeing can be complete without visiting some of the most iconic places and tourist hotspots in the region. Among the top sights, the following are a must-visit.

• Pyramids of Giza: The Giza Necropolis, or the Pyramid complex of Giza, is, as the name suggests, home to the famous Pyramid of Giza. Additionally, it also houses the Great Sphinx Sculpture, the Pyramid of Menkaure, and the Pyramid of Khafre.

This site was integrated into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979 and is also one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is located along the edges of the western desert. The complex construction took place between 2600 BC and 2500 BC, and along with the pyramids, it also houses some cemeteries.

 

• Egyptian Museum: Housing hundreds of thousands of Egyptian artifacts, the Egyptian Museum, also referred to as the Cairo Museum, was one of the must-visit places in Cairo. The museum has a collection of 120,000 artifacts, some of which are put on display while others are stored safely in the storerooms.

The structure of the museum was constructed in 1901 by an Italian construction company, Garozzo-Zaffarani, and designed by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon. The museum welcomed visitors till March 2019; however, it is anticipated to be superseded by the Grand Egyptian Museum of Giza soon.

 

• Old Cairo is a historical region in Cairo, Egypt, that has the remains of towns from the Islamic era and the fortress architecture from Roman times before Cairo was established in AD 969. It was formerly known as Al-Manshuriyyah before being renamed as Al-Qahira, “Cairo.”

Additionally, it is regarded as a component of “Historic Cairo” or “Islamic Cairo” and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Due to the plethora of mosques it has, Cairo is often referred to as “Qahira Al-Moez” and the “City of a Thousand Minarets.”

Luxor sightseeing

Luxor is another epic Egypt sightseeing destination for tourists, and the following are among the top sights to see.

• Temple of Karnak: The temples of Karnak, also known as Karnak or the Temple Complex of Karnak, are an essential part of Luxor sightseeing. This complex incorporates various temples, chapels, and other monuments important to the period. The complex was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. Its construction started under Senusret I’s rule in the Middle Kingdom and lasted into the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The region surrounding Karnak served as the center of devotion for the God Amun and the 18th Dynasty Theban Triad.

 

• Valley of the Kings: Also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, this valley is known as the place where rock-cut tombs were gouged for the nobles of the civilization. Through various excavations, over 63 tombs have been discovered in this valley located on the West Bank of the Nile. As the burial place of royalty, the tombs here are decorated with ancient scenes depicting Egyptian mythology and giving insights into the funeral practices prevalent at the time.

 

• Temple of Queen Hatshepsut: The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is located in the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. The construction of this complex started during the rule of the eighteenth-dynasty king, Pharaoh Hatshepsut. The complex consists of three enormous terraces and is the site of KV20, the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut. Known as an architectural marvel, the three terraces rise over the floor of the desert and reach into the cliffs of nearby hills. The temple’s axes reflect its twofold functions: the east-west axis served to receive Amun-Burque, Re’s, while the north-south axis represented the pharaoh’s lifetime from crowning to rebirth.

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Aswan sightseeing

Aswan is another Egyptian city rich with Egyptian sightseeing. This city has many beautiful monuments, a large number of which are a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.

• Abu Simbel Temple: Comprising two rock-cut temples, the Abu Simbel Temples are a place that will give you the full “The Mummy” movie feel. Situated on the banks of Lake Nasser and the border of Sudan, this UNESCO World Heritage site forms part of the Nubian Monuments. When Ramesses II was the pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty in the 13th century BC, the twin temples were first chiseled from the mountain. They serve as a permanent memorial to Pharaoh Ramesses II and as a reminder of his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Their enormous exterior rock relief figures have gained international prominence.

 

• Philae Temple: The Temple of Isis at Philae, which was constructed sometime during the reign of Ptolemy II, honors Isis, Osiris, and Horus. Portraits from Egyptian mythology depicting Osiris being revived by Isis, giving birth to Horus, and being mummified following his demise may be seen on the temple walls.

 

• The Unfinished Obelisk: The largest known ancient monolith, the incomplete obelisk, can be found at Aswan, Egypt, in the northern section of the ancient Egyptian stone quarries. Reginald Engelbach 1922 conducted a thorough analysis of it. There are numerous more places in Egypt to explore, and anyone who loves a historically enriched trip would find a trip to Egypt incredibly illuminating. Full of stories from the past, this destination is somewhere no one can get bored. Starting with these destinations, you can cover some essential sights of Egypt.

Full of places, both modern and ancient, Egypt provides ample exploration and enjoyment opportunities. The country, with its wide assortment of sights, has something in store for everyone.  The best way to visit the major sights in Luxor and Aswan is to board the Nile River cruise

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This article was updated and re-written in part by Hesham El Gammal; on March 31th, 2025 + fact-checked.