Egypt Tourist AttractionsOnce renowned as the cradle of civilization and a mystical home to ancient Pharaohs, Egypt is one of the oldest and most exotic countries in the world. Thriving along the fertile Nile River while well-preserving its historic treasures, the country has today evolved into a diverse tourism hotspot. Thanks to Red Coast’s world-class coral reefs and wrecks for divers, the iconic pyramids, temples and tombs, vast tracts of desert and its modern cities that add a pinch of special charm to this incredible country. Whether the beach bums are opting for Sinai to either lounge under the sun or engage in refreshing water sports, the archaeology fanatics are digging in for curious findings in Luxor or the party lovers are indulging in the intoxicating extravaganza of Cairo, there is an abundance of places to visit in Egypt that have been attracting the serious vacationers from far and wide. Giving a powerful punch to these stunning destinations are Siwa oasis and the southern town of Aswan, the other two key Egypt Tourist Attractions that are too good to miss!
A true tribute to Egypt’s mysterious splendour is its capital city Cairo which is quite remarkable, especially in terms of strikingly bright architecture that has been standing intact with all the glitz for centuries. Travellers who step in to experience the magic of Cairo are often left awestruck with the fascinating sights of the Giza Pyramids and gleaming Nile River. The places to visit in Cairo are nothing short of magnificence; each step you take through its labyrinth of alleyways is like taking up a unique adventure that is hard to experience elsewhere. Gape in awe at the raw beauty of Pyramids of Giza, take a stroll in the streets of Old Cairo, visit the tiny shops at Khan el-Khalili to purchase authentic Egyptian products, explore the antique stores of Zamalek or soak in the exquisiteness of mosques and museums- whatever you choose, the Cairo Attractions are sure to leave you entranced.
With plenty to see, do and experience in Egypt, the country offers visitors a rendezvous with all things magical. Confused about what all Egypt Attractions should be added to your itinerary? We help you decode the topmost Egypt Tourist Places along with some of the best in the list of Cairo Tourist Attractions.
Top Tourist Places to Visit in Egypt and Cairo:
Holy Family Catholic Church
Egyptian Museum of Antiquities
The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities contains many important pieces of ancient Egyptian history. It houses the worlds largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities.
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Facing directly from West to East it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza Egypt
Citadel of Qaitbay
Alexandria National Museum
Serapeum and Pompey's Pillar
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Temple of Kom Ombo
Edfu Temple Ticket Office
Temple of Khnum
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC rock-cut tombs were excavated for the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom.
Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt the southern sanctuary
Pyramid of Menkaure
The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three main Pyramids of Giza located on the Giza Plateau in the southwestern outskirts of Cairo Egypt. It is thought to have been built to serve as the tomb of the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Menkaure.
Coptic Museum
The Coptic Museum is a museum in Coptic Cairo Egypt with the largest collection of Egyptian Christian artifacts in the world. It was founded by Marcus Simaika in 1908 to house Coptic antiquities. The museum traces the history of Egypt from its beginnings to the present day
Philae Temple
Philae is an island in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser Egypt. Philae was originally located near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt and was the site of an Egyptian temple complex.
Mokattam Hills
Giza Necropolis
The Giza Pyramid Complex also called the Giza Necropolis is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx of Giza
Memphis Tours
Saqqarah
Mosque of Muhammad Ali
The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or Alabaster Mosque is a mosque situated in the Citadel of Cairo in Egypt and was commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha between 1830 and 1848.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
Khan el-Khalili
Sidi Morsi Abu al-Abbas Mosque
Morsi Abu alabas mosque
Kom Umbu
Sharm El-Sheikh
Edfu Temple mammisi
Edfu Temple mammisi
Pyramids of Giza
This is one of the best places to visit in Egypt as it’s the number one itinerary on every tourist’s list who visits Egypt. They are ancient shaped masonry which was mostly built for the as the tomb for the country’s Pharaohs and their consorts during the old and middle kingdom. These dynasty funeral temples have enticed many travellers for centuries and still continue to be of the country’s major highlights as the main Egypt tourist places.
Al-Azhar Mosque
Al-Azhar Mosque is one of Egypt sights which is Cairo’s earliest surviving mosques. It is one of the finest buildings which were completed in AD 972 and today it is known as Al-Azhar University which is one of the leading theological centres of the Islamic world. The main entrance to the mosque is the Gate of the Barbers, and to the right is the El-Taibarsiya Medrese. The best view of the mosque’s five minarets is slicker from the central courtyard.
Old Cairo
The Coptic Museum was founded in 1908 and houses the old art of Christianity in the country up to the conversion into Islam. There are beautiful galleries which elaborate woodcarving which include the sculpture that shows the rich walls, Ptolemaic period and the decorated monastery walls. There are about 1200 items on display which can be explored for some couple of hours.
Karnak Temple
It is one of the largest religious buildings ever built which dates from 2055 B.C to 100 A.D. The temple was built in dedication to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. It also exhibits the achievements of many generations of Egyptian builders. It continued up until the Romans took control over Egypt and the ruler left his architectural mark here.
Red Sea Reef
One of the best things to do in Egypt is to take a dive in the off coast of Egypt, the Red Sea. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world to dive and see the spectacular beauty of what lies under the water. It features some of the world’s most exotic seascape with wide visibility of the coral formation on the reefs. Being an inland to thousands of sea creatures, they paint the colour of the water so palpably.
River Nile Cruise
Since ancient times, the Nile has been one of Egypt’s lifelines and there’s no better way to explore the country’s history than taking a cruise on the Nile. It’s one of the best ways to visit and see Upper Egypt. Most of the cruise takes the safest route on the river, the Luxor-Aswan route which halts at two of Egypt’s most important towns.
Abu Simbel
The Abu Simbel temples are two major rocks which are located at Abu Simbel on the western bank of Lake Nasser. It is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site which was carved out of mountains in the 13th century. They served as the only lasting monument for the King and Queen and celebrate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.
Siwa Oasis
Siwa is Egypt’s most isolated settlement located in the Libyan Desert with over 23,00o of the ethnic group called the Berbers. It is located on one of the old trade routes of Egypt which were an important oasis giving shade to travellers with their palm trees and provided water through its natural spring giving travellers a layoff from the desert.
Dahab
The once isolated coastal village now taunts its laid back lifestyle to a number of crowds. It is located on the Gulf of Aqaba and was turned into a hippie hangout place in the 1980’ something of an alternative resort. It offers tourist many activities such as scuba diving, snorkelling, windsurfing, jeep and camel trips making it a popular destination along the coast of the Red Sea.
Temple of Philae
The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was constructed in 690 AD in an authentic Egyptian style and structure. It is a remarkable piece of work and architecture which was relocated from its original of the Philae Island to the present location Agilkia Island. If it had not been moved, it would have been a lost monument and history of the world.
Hatchepsut Temple
The temple is also known as the Djeser-Djeseru is located in Upper Egypt and built for the Pharaoh, Hatshepsut in the Eighteen Century. It is also dedicated to Amun which served an inspiration and considered to be the incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt. In 1995, the first two levels were almost completed whereas the top was still under its construction.
White Desert
The Sahara Desert is one of the surreal-looking Egypt attractions which are desolate lunar places for few travellers. The whole region is surrounded by the formation of white chalk ranging from white to cream colour. It also shows off its smooth sand dunes of the Great sea and the cliff of the Farafra Depression.
Ras Muhammad National Park
Ras Muhammad National Park is not just a national park, it also happens to be a diving spot in Egypt. The park is located in Sinai among the mangroves and coral reefs of the Red Sea. The facade of the water is smooth and clear which makes it an ideal place for many snorkelling and diver enthusiasts to see them under water’s vitality and beauty.
Memphis
During the Old Kingdom, Memphis was the capital of Egypt and it is now one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cairo although there are not many remains left today. According to legend, the city was founded by Pharaoh Menes. The city has been abandoned and its palaces were all demolished and looted.
The Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum is another Egypt tourist spots which have mind blogging collection of antiques making it one of the world’s greatest museums. It was founded by a French Egyptologist, Agugust Mariette in 1857 and place moved to downtown Cairo in 1897. Though the collections are poorly labelled, yet any tourists can’t stop being impressed by the sheer majesty of its exhibition.
Saqqara Pyramids
The area is located 30km away south of Cairo which was used as a burial site for the old kingdom capital, Memphis. It consists of many pyramids and many other small size burial tombs, including Step Pyramid of Djoser. The monument dates back from the 27th century BC and after it was built, remained to be one of the tallest structures for 40 years.
The Khan El-Khalili Market
This market is one of Cairo tourist attractions as it is the heart of Islamic Cairo which dates from 1832. This was built by Emir Djaharks as a roadside inn to accommodate many travellers. It’s a great market place where you can find shops and vendors selling food, spices, gold, silver and copper souvenirs.
Al-Hazar Park
The park was built on a refuse dump site which was opened in the year 2005 for people to get away from the pollution and noise of Cairo. Its lush garden is built stretching over 1 kilometre in length designed in traditional geometric lines. The park includes fountains, stonework, waterways, orchard, playground with varieties of plants and flowers planted in the surrounding.
The Citadel
The well preserved medieval citadel is located on top of the Muqattam Hill with a number of museums and mosques around it. Until the 19th century, it became home to the government. It encloses a number of mosques, most famously the Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Other attractions include Citadel Prison Museum, Mosque of Sultan al-Nasir and the Military Museum.
President Palace/ Abdeen Palace
The President Palace/ Abdeen Palace is located in downtown Cairo which is an important political site, It is the principal place and Cairo sights where the government works and resides. It is said to be adorned with fascinating structure making its one of the most fascinating Palaces in the world. Though tourists are not allowed to get inside the Palace, it’s wonderful to just take a stroll and glance at the beauty of the Palace.
Tahir Square
It is a major public town square which has been a focus political location demonstration in Cairo. It became popular after the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 and its name was still officially not named. It is in the centre of the city and therefore it gets really busy with much traffic.
Museum of Islamic Art
It is considered to be the greatest and best in the world with its excellent and exceptional collection of plaster artefacts, rare woodwork, glass, metals, ceramics, textiles and crystals from all over the world. If you are looking for the best things to do Cairo is to visit the Museum. Now it houses about 100,000 objects and has organised a number of national and international exhibitions.
Baron Empain Palace
It is better known as The Hindu Palace which is a distinctive historic mansion located in the northeast central of Cairo. It was inspired by the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and it’s one of the main reasons to go and explore the suburb of Heliopolis. Though it is an abandoned place, yet it is still a beautiful place to adore.
Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Nilometer
The Nile River has always been the lifeline for the people of Egypt. It is considered to be one of the tourist places in Cairo. The Nilometer is basically an instrument that uses to measure the water of the Nile so that the farmers could predict whether to expect a famine or flood. There is another type of Nilometer which is in seen on The Elephantine Island.
