Family travel in Egypt
Almost as far back as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by Ancient Egypt. I remember wandering the British Museum with my mum and brother, as an enthusiastic Egyptologist told us about hieroglyphics.
Even today, whenever I’m in Paris I make a beeline for the Egyptology wing of the Louvre rather than fighting the crowds around the Mona Lisa.
Unsurprisingly, my first travel outside Europe was a tour of Egypt, sailing along the Nile in a felucca visiting a string of ancient temples and tombs, discovering the step pyramids at Saqqara and the great pyramids, as impressive in reality as I’d hoped.
I also rode a camel and tried my first scuba dive, as we finished our trip at the Red Sea. Since then, I’ve been back to the Sinai peninsula to explore the desert and head underwater again – and whenever I remember the trips, I wonder why I haven’t been back since.
Because my daughter isn’t much younger now than when those mummies first sparked my interest.
Like most of north Africa, children are especially welcome so I think family travel in Egypt is hard to beat when it comes to entertaining kids and adults, especially on a tailor-made tour.
It’s worth checking the Foreign Office advice on whether the main tourist areas are safe to visit – although after political unrest, you may be sharing the highlights with fewer people than I did on my visit back in 1999.
If you’re planning your own family holiday, don’t miss these six must-sees.
1. The Pyramids
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen them, standing under the great Pyramid and gazing up… and up… and up is an incredible feeling.
Not as isolated as the photos suggest, it’s still easy to turn your back on the sprawl and enjoy their timelessness – as well as visiting the Sphinx nearby.
2. The Nile
The heart of Egypt, taking a cruise along the Nile is the most enjoyable and often the most practical ways to get around, stopping at riverside temples including Luxor and Karnak.
Even a short ride in a felucca is incredibly relaxing as you sail along a landscape that seems barely to have changed for centuries.
3. The Valley of the Kings
Famously the home of Tutankhamun’s final resting place, this valley – along with the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Nobles – was where Egypt’s pharaohs and royalty were buried over the centuries in fabulously opulent tombs.
4. Abu Simbel
About the only thing more jaw-dropping than the colossal statues at the temple of Ramses is the fact that everything was moved when the Aswan Dam was created, to avoid being submerged.
You can also take the sleeper train Cairo to Aswan if you’re looking to head straight here after seeing the Pyramids – certainly a memorable family travel experience!
5. Relax by the Red Sea
With some incredible marine life and corals, I’d head to the Sinai peninsula around Sharm El Sheikh for great luxurious family hotels, as well as the Sinai desert to explore – I climbed to the top in time for sunrise (with some help from a camel) but might avoid that until my daughter is a bit older.
6. Cairo
Cairo might be manic and crowded but the Egyptian Museum is still unmissable and the city is a great place to haggle for souvenirs – best with a guide.
The exhibits are moving to a purpose-built new Grand Egyptian museum in Giza that’s due to open full in mid 2024: some of the highlights were briefly currently on show in London at the Tutankhamun exhibition.
Images: Depositphotos
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