Eleven days: four nights in Cairo, three on a five-star Nile cruise and three all-inclusive in Hurghada, with an English-speaking Egyptologist throughout.
A representative meets you at Cairo International Airport, handles the formalities and takes you to your 5-star hotel in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Check in and take the evening off — after a transatlantic flight that is the only sensible plan.
Your private Egyptologist takes you to the Giza Plateau for the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, and the Great Sphinx. A camel ride on the plateau is included, and the view back towards the pyramids from out in the sand is the one worth having. Then the Grand Egyptian Museum, the most advanced archaeological museum in the world, with lunch at a good local restaurant in between.
A flight south after breakfast, then Philae Temple, the island sanctuary of Isis, whose setting and carving make it the loveliest temple in the country. You board your 5-star boat for three nights afterwards, with lunch on board and the sundeck for the rest of the afternoon as Aswan goes past.
Sailing north to Kom Ombo Temple, the double temple built for Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the Elder. On to Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage runs from the dock to the gates of the Temple of Horus, among the best-preserved sanctuaries in Egypt. Dinner on board as the boat carries on towards Luxor.
Across the river to the Valley of the Kings, the burial ground of the New Kingdom pharaohs, where the tomb of Ramses VI is among the most elaborately decorated open to visitors and Tutankhamun's can be added on a separate ticket. Then the Temple of Hatshepsut, set beneath its cliffs, and the Colossi of Memnon. Back to the boat for lunch and a free afternoon.
Disembarkation after breakfast, then Karnak, the largest religious complex in the world, for the forest of columns in the hypostyle hall and the sacred lake. Luxor Temple follows, joined to it by the Avenue of Sphinxes. A private vehicle then takes you across to Hurghada, about four hours, where you check in at your resort and eat by the sea.
A full day on the Red Sea. Swim, sit on the beach, or take an optional snorkelling or diving trip out to the reefs, which are among the best in the world. A desert safari inland can also be arranged.
Another open day: the spa, a walk along the marina at sunset, or the resort's own restaurants. Nothing is scheduled and nothing needs to be.
A transfer to Hurghada Airport after breakfast and a short flight north. Check in at your hotel with the rest of the day free — the city, the food, or simply resting after the coast.
The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, whose thousands of objects are the accumulated finds of more than a century of excavation. Then the Salah El-Din Citadel, the medieval fortress above the city, and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali inside it, better known as the Alabaster Mosque. A farewell lunch closes the day.
Breakfast and check-out, then a representative transfers you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.