Yes, a Cairo day is worth doing from Sharm El Sheikh if you want to see the pyramids and have only one holiday to do it in, and the flight is the comfortable way to do it. It costs more than the coach, but it saves the 12 to 14 hours of driving, gives you a private guide and car, and returns you to your hotel at night rather than in the early hours.
The flight trip lasts about 15 hours. The coach trip lasts 22. On the coach you will spend roughly 12 to 14 hours of that on the road, with a rest stop and checkpoints. Prices differ because one is a private day with flights and the other is a shared coach, so open each trip page for the current price. A UK passport needs the full Egypt visa for both.
The flight day, hour by hour
A private transfer takes you from your hotel to Sharm El Sheikh Airport at 04:00. The flight leaves around 06:00 and lasts about an hour, though the times follow the airline schedule on your date. Your Egyptologist guide and driver meet you at Cairo Airport at about 07:30. You reach the Giza Plateau at about 08:45 and see the Great Pyramid, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the panorama point.
At 11:00 you visit the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Lunch at a local restaurant near Giza follows at 12:15, and then the Grand Egyptian Museum at 13:30, with the Grand Staircase and the Tutankhamun galleries. At 17:00 you return to the airport, fly back at 19:30 and take a private transfer to your hotel. The group is private, with up to 15 people.
The coach day, hour by hour
The coach collects you at 00:30 and drives across Sinai and under the Suez Canal, reaching Cairo at about 08:00 after 6 to 7 hours. You are at the Giza Plateau by 08:30, at the Great Sphinx at 10:45 and in a museum at 12:00. On booking we confirm whether you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum or the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
Lunch at a local restaurant comes at 14:30. The coach leaves at 15:30 and reaches Sharm El Sheikh at around 22:30. This is the lowest-cost route to the pyramids, and it is a very long day. Be honest with yourself about how you cope with a night coach, because you will have little sleep and a full day of walking in between.
What you actually see
Giza is open ground, so you walk, stand and look, with the pyramids much larger than photographs suggest. The Sphinx and the Valley Temple take less time than most people expect. The museum is where the day slows down, with the Tutankhamun galleries being the main reason to go. One day is enough to see the main sights, but it is not enough to see them slowly, and you will leave wanting more time.
The visa point for UK passport holders
UK passport holders get a free entry stamp for the Sharm El Sheikh area, but it does not cover Cairo. Any trip that leaves the resort area, including both of these, needs the full Egypt visa. The full visa carries a fee, so check the current amount on the official Egyptian e-visa site before you fly. Pay it at the border desk on arrival, and do not take the Sinai-only stamp if you plan to visit Cairo. Check the latest advice on GOV.UK before you travel.
Which one to choose
- Choose the flight if you want a private guide, a short night and a return to your hotel by late evening.
- Choose the coach if the lowest cost matters more than comfort and you can manage a 22-hour day.
- Avoid both on your last full day, or on the day before an early flight home, because a delay on the road would put your departure at risk.
- Consider a longer Egypt tour instead if you have more than a day to spare, since Cairo rewards a slower visit with a hotel night in the city.
Booking and cancelling
Online booking closes 48 hours before departure; after that, send us a request. Cancelling three or more days ahead brings a full refund, and between three days and 24 hours brings half. On the coach, under 2s travel free and ages 2 to 11 pay half. Giza and museum tickets are included on both trips. The private flight trip is priced per person, and the price per person falls as the party grows.
Plan with us
Cairo from Sharm El Sheikh: worth it, and by air or road?
Is a day in Cairo worth it from Sharm El Sheikh? Compare the 15-hour private flight day with the 22-hour coach, and the visa point for UK passport holders.