Train Experience
If you really enjoy train travel, this may be a journey to take. Despite some of these downsides, it all makes for an interesting travel experience. So choose your own adventure!
Booking at Aswan Train station
An evening walk on previous day is enough for find the railway station and making an advance booking. We recommend to book the train which start at 7.30 am or at least before that. Because next train is at 3 pm only to Cairo. we can partially book the ticket to Luxor and it have a seat number. The train ticket price is about 30 LE per person for foreigners. Be sure to have a printed ticket with you on board the train.
A Day in Luxor
Your inclusive tours during the Nile cruise will have already taken you to Luxor’s star attractions along the West Bank (Valley of the Kings and Temple of Hatshepsut) and the East Bank (Karnak & Luxor Temples).
Additional plan
You could easily disembark and head out to Hurghada later that same afternoon, which we have mentioned as an additional plan. Yet we’d instead recommend considering an extra night in Luxor. This will allow time to explore other attractions around the city that were not included on the cruise excursions. It will also give you a moment to relax before immediately rushing off the train/ cruise to catch a bus.
There are now two buses from Luxor to Hurghada running each day. The Luxor to Hurghada bus timetable is 8:00 am and 3:30 pm. The Luxor “bus station” is next to the train station. It’s not really a bus station though and rather a small parking lot in front of a small white office building where you can purchase your Go Bus tickets. But you can now also purchase Go Bus tickets online on their website. Ticket prices from Luxor to Hurghada run a modest 90 LE.
Luxor Museum (100 LE) is a great option to either fill that afternoon or the following morning. Also, after a full week of heavy touring around the country, take some time off to just relax. If taking our recommendation and staying at the Achti Resort, their Nile-front pool will certainly aid in this.
Where to Stay in Luxor: A 5-Star Resort for free
We recommend staying at the Achti Resort formally Sheraton. This 5-star property features an amazing pool right on the Nile! The Achti was formally a Sheraton property and hence you could redeem Gulf bank points. Although this Nile resort has since changed ownership, incredibly low prices have remained. You can currently find rates as low as KD15 per night. Where else in the world can you stay at a 5-star resort for such amount? This is another fantastic value to experience luxury for less. Yet don’t pay that or whatever it’s listed for today. We instead recommend staying there for free!
Egypt Travel Hack: How to Stay for Free
Staying at the 5-star Hotel for almost free is easy to do using Gulf Reward points. I and My wife were using Gulf Bank Credit cards in Kuwait even we were not caring about its reward points. To regulate and for easy accountability we were using a single credit card over the years. It has been regularly used for small to big shopping, air tickets and even small monthly expenses. Whenever salary is credited to my bank I would pay full amount to avoid any fines. We suddenly found it is worthwhile. When checked it got about 5000 reward points and can be redeemable to any air ticket or hotel bookings. I compared to bookings. com and found I can book a five-star hotel with food for 1.5 KD only. (Pro tip: consider converting them to airline miles to use towards a flight to Cairo.)
Note: If using this credit card recommendation to easily acquire Gulf bank points to stay at 5 star hotels for free, you must know that the credit card is free for the first year but carries a KD 30 annual fee after that. You can avoid that fee by canceling the credit card within 12 months. You still keep all the points. Also, only use this strategy if you are able to pay off the credit card in full each month. Otherwise the high interest charged could outweigh the free hotel stays.
Free Nile View Upgrade: One benefit of coming to Egypt in the middle of the March while this property is empty is that you’ll likely get a free upgrade to a Nile view room.
Late Check-out: The Achti Resort also allowed a super-late check-out at 3:00 pm at no extra charge which will be very convenient if following the remainder of our suggested itinerary, given that the only bus to Hurghada leaves in the late afternoon.
Extended tour: Hurghada Red Sea Resorts – Luxury for Less
By now you will have spent a full week touring some of Egypt’s most famous sites, mostly in style. And while it’s hopefully been an inspiring trip-of-a-lifetime, you’re likely going to be tired. The heat, the touts, and the madness of Cairo may be starting to wear you down a bit. This is now the perfect time to end your Egypt vacation with a relaxing all-inclusive stay at a Red Sea resort in Hurghada. The bargains here are amazing. And during the summer months, there are some particularly incredible rates to take advantage of. As said earlier Luxor is the entry point for Hurghada. You could either select this 7 day trip in line with your flight schedule, before or after your visit to Cairo.
All inclusive resorts are typically shunned by anyone visiting Egypt. We’ve actually never stayed at an all inclusive resort during trip . But in Egypt, it just felt right to continue sprucing up our trip with a little luxury, and it was so worth it given the incredibly low prices. You can have an all-inclusive experience here for less than the cost of a 3 star hotel bed in most places in India!
Hurghada Red Sea One Week Itinerary
This sample itinerary begins with “Day 8” and picks back up right from where the prior itinerary left off, from the entire two week Egypt itinerary.
Day 8 (cont.): Arrive from Luxor to Hurghada by bus and transfer by taxi to check into resort. Have dinner, followed by drinks at the bar.
Day 9: Enjoy breakfast at the onsite restaurant. Take a dip in the pool and join the scheduled bocce ball tournament. Have lunch on the beach and take an afternoon snorkel. Sit back in one of the beach cabanas and order a beer (or seventeen beers, up to you). Freshen up before enjoying dinner al fresco. Then go play a game of pool in the billiards room before the nightly show in the theatre. Wind down the night at the onsite club or relax with a cocktail in one of the lounges.Day 10: Repeat
Day 11: Repeat
Day 12: Repeat
Day 13: After breakfast, check out and taxi to the airport.
Other Things to Do in Hurghada
There’s really a lot to keep you busy on the resort property itself. But if you’re like me and have a hard time sitting still, not to worry as there are other things to do in and around Hurghada. So after you’ve rested and relaxed for a day or two, consider some additional excursions offered in the area. Here’s just a few recommendations to get you started:
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in the Red Sea: Scuba diving in the Red Sea is rather incredible, but you’ll need to budget an extra $66 (20 KWD) for a 2-dive trip all day trip (including equipment).
Go back to first page...