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Choose from our collection below of 5* Luxury Nile cruise boats and 5* Luxury hotels on the Red Sea Riviera.
Every vessel and hotel on this itinerary is personally inspected by Classic Holidays. The 5-star Nile cruise boats carry the Cristal Award, an international certification assessed against health, hygiene, and quality standards, and upper and middle deck cabins with balconies are included as standard at no extra charge.
11 Guided Excursions included (NO HIDDEN EXTRAS) with our highly experienced PhD qualified English-speaking Egyptologist-Guide
7 nights Nile Cruise (Full Board or All Inclusive)
7 nights Red Sea (All Inclusive)
For centuries, travellers have been fascinated by the mystical allure of the Nile. A relaxing river Nile cruise, alongside Egypt’s many archaeological wonders, provides the perfect combination for an unforgettable holiday. Our Jewels of Egypt itinerary takes you from Luxor to Aswan, visiting some of the most spectacular ancient sites in the world, including the stunning Valley of the Kings, the burial place of the Pharaohs including Tutankhamun and the breathtaking temples Karnak and Luxor.
Combine this with the wonderous Red Sea with clear blue waters, golden beaches and Luxury Hotels to create a truly relaxing holiday.
Traditional in style, with modern arabesque architecture and unique interior design, El Gouna, situated twenty kilometres North of Hurghada, offers a fine selection of hotels. All the hotels and resorts are located in idyllic settings between the majestic mountains of the desert and the clear blue waters of the Red Sea, surrounded by natural and artificial lagoons designed to form the shape of a star.
One of Egypt’s premier leisure destinations, visitors can mingle with the locals and explore the Old Town, where quaint and sophisticated shops offering both International and local products are vying for passing trade. Dining options are plentiful and varied, with restaurants, cafes, bars and local inns all within easy reach. Entertainment and sports are plentiful with an open-air cinema, go-karting, museum, an aquarium and swimming during the day.
For night owls, there are nightclubs where they can dance the night away. With an eighteen-hole Championship golf course catering to golfers in this calm and relaxing oasis, El Gouna has something for everyone.
Originally a sleepy, remote fishing village, Hurghada has become one of the liveliest and busiest resorts in the Red Sea, retaining the character and charm of bygone days. It is emerging as one of the modern treasures of Egypt for luxury holidaymakers.
The resort boasts all the facilities of a modern Egyptian city without losing its timeless desert quality. Some of the finest underwater gardens in the world offshore beckon snorkellers and divers alike to experience the beautiful corals and spectacular marine life for which the Red Sea is renowned. Hurghada has a fine selection of quality hotels with water sports facilities, including windsurfing, sailing, deep sea fishing, swimming, colourful bazaars and a lively, varied nightlife. Hurghada is a haven for water sports enthusiasts and sun seekers.
Those who want to glimpse the wonders of the Red Sea without getting wet can visit the Red Sea Aquarium. Alternatively, you can dive to dizzy depths in comfort aboard the Sinbad Submarine. Another window to the underwater world of the Red Sea is offered to you on board a glass-bottom boat.
Merging the old with the new, Hurghada has something to offer those interested in the resort’s history with excursions to Roman sites or the monasteries of St. Paul and St. Anthony.
Depart the UK and arrive at Luxor International Airport, where you are met and transferred to your 5-star Nile cruise boat. Dinner is served on board, or a light snack for late arrivals. Overnight in Luxor.
Breakfast on board, then an early morning visit to the West Bank, taking in the Colossi of Memnon, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, burial sites of the most powerful pharaohs of the New Kingdom period, including Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, and Seti I.
Breakfast and lunch are served on board as you continue south. Before dinner, visit Kom Ombo Temple, unusual in Egypt for its double dedication: the southern half to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility, and the northern half to the falcon-headed god Horus. The adjacent crocodile museum holds mummified crocodiles and artefacts from the ancient cult. Sail to Aswan and overnight.
After breakfast, visit the High Dam, built between 1960 and 1971 to control the Nile’s annual flood and generate electricity for the region; the Unfinished Obelisk, which gives a rare glimpse into the process of ancient stone-cutting; and the Temple of Isis on Philae Island, relocated stone by stone before the dam submerged its original site. Lunch is on board, with the afternoon at leisure. An optional sound and light show at Philae is available in the evening (approximately £55 per person).
There is an optional early morning visit to Abu Simbel (approximately £120 per person by road or £280 per person by air). The twin temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari, cut directly into a sandstone cliff on the banks of Lake Nasser, are among the most impressive monuments in Egypt. After lunch on board, enjoy a relaxing boat trip around Elephantine Island and on to the Botanical Gardens on General Kitchener’s Island. Dinner and overnight in Aswan.
The morning is at leisure. After lunch on board, set sail north to Kom Ombo for a brief stop, then continue sailing overnight.
After lunch, visit Karnak Temple, the largest religious complex ever constructed: its Great Hypostyle Hall contains 134 columns rising to 23 metres, each covered in hieroglyphic reliefs. A short drive brings you to Luxor Temple, begun by Amenhotep III and later extended by Ramesses II, and connected to Karnak by a 3-kilometre processional avenue of sphinxes. Return to the boat for dinner and overnight in Luxor.
An optional early morning hot air balloon ride over Luxor is available (approximately £110 per person), offering a view of the West Bank temples and the green strip of the Nile valley at dawn. After breakfast on board, check out and transfer by road to your Red Sea hotel. The drive from Luxor to Hurghada takes approximately 4 hours, and to El Gouna approximately 4.5 hours.
Six full days at your all-inclusive Red Sea resort, at whatever pace suits you. The Red Sea offers some of the world’s most accessible coral reef snorkelling from the beach or by boat, and the water temperature stays warm enough for comfortable swimming throughout most of the year. Hurghada and El Gouna both offer a range of water sports, from windsurfing and sailing to glass-bottom boat trips for those who prefer to stay dry. The resort restaurants, pools, and beach areas are at your disposal throughout.
Transfer to Hurghada airport for your return flight to the UK.
Please note: the order or content of your itinerary may be amended due to lock closures, low water levels or any other unforeseeable circumstancese.
The road transfer from Luxor to Hurghada takes approx. 4 hours, and Luxor to El Gouna takes approx. 4.5 hours.
The Jewels of Egypt tour is available from £2,389 per person, including flights from 11 UK airports, all transfers, 11 guided excursions and full board on the cruise. Departures run on Mondays and Fridays from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Bristol, Birmingham, East Midlands, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and on Tuesdays and Saturdays from Cardiff.
To get a personalised, no-obligation quote, contact our team online or call us on freephone 0800 041 8400. Our UK call centre is open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm. Use the quote form on this page if you prefer, and a specialist will call you back.
Classic Holidays has been arranging Egypt and Nile cruise holidays for over 30 years. If you want the same cruise experience paired with nights in Cairo rather than the Red Sea, the Classic Egypt Tour adds 3 Cairo nights to the 7-night cruise in a 10-night itinerary.
The choice of Red Sea resort shapes the character of the second half of this itinerary considerably. Most travellers opt for Hurghada or the nearby bays, and for good reason: the road transfer from Luxor is straightforward at roughly 4 hours, and the resort infrastructure is the most developed on the Egyptian Red Sea coast.
Hurghada has been a destination long enough to have layers. The original fishing village character is still visible in the older neighbourhoods, but the resort strip has grown into one of Egypt’s busiest coastal centres, with a wide range of Hurghada hotels, water sports, diving, snorkelling, and nightlife. The Red Sea here is clear and warm for most of the year, and the coral reef system offshore is among the most accessible in the world, including properties at Makadi Bay to the south.
El Gouna sits roughly 20 kilometres north of Hurghada and is a different proposition entirely. Designed as an integrated resort from the ground up, it is built across a series of lagoons that give the town its distinctive waterway character. The architecture leans towards low-rise arabesque, and the atmosphere is noticeably quieter than central Hurghada, suiting travellers who want the Red Sea without the pace of a busier resort. The road transfer from Luxor takes approximately 4.5 hours. You can browse our full range of El Gouna hotels here to find the ideal place to stay during your trip.
Sharm El Sheikh sits at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, a separate geography from the Red Sea coast resorts above but still firmly part of the Classic Holidays Egypt programme. The diving at Sharm is world-class, particularly around Ras Mohammed National Park at the peninsula’s tip, and the resort has its own well-developed facilities. The full range of options is on our Sharm El Sheikh hotels page.
All four resort options are available on the Jewels of Egypt tour. If you have a preference, note it when you enquire, and the team will match it to your dates and budget.
The Jewels of Egypt tour costs from £2,389 per person and includes return flights from a wide range of UK airports, all road transfers including the Luxor to Red Sea transfer, airport taxes and fuel supplements, 7 nights full board on the 5-star Cristal-awarded Nile cruise, 7 nights all-inclusive at a 5-star Red Sea hotel, and all 11 guided excursions with entrance fees. An all-inclusive drinks upgrade on the cruise is available for £199 per person.
Yes. The 7 nights on the Red Sea are booked all-inclusive as standard, covering meals and most resort facilities. A half board option is available on enquiry. The 7-night Red Sea duration can also be extended or shortened to suit your schedule, subject to availability.
The standard cruise basis is full board without drinks. An all-inclusive upgrade covering house wines, beers, soft drinks and water throughout the cruise is available for £199 per person. Most Red Sea all-inclusive hotels include alcohol as part of the package, though this varies by property; our team can confirm what your chosen hotel includes when you enquire.
Classic Holidays can place you in Hurghada, Makadi Bay, El Gouna or Sharm El Sheikh. Most Jewels of Egypt departures default to Hurghada or Makadi Bay, as the road transfer from Luxor is the most straightforward at roughly 4 hours. El Gouna (approximately 4.5 hours from Luxor) is also popular. Let us know your preference when you enquire, and we will match it to your dates.
The road transfer from Luxor to Hurghada takes approximately 4 hours. The transfer to El Gouna takes approximately 4.5 hours. Both are straightforward daytime road journeys. Sharm El Sheikh requires a different routing and our team will advise on transfer arrangements when you enquire for that option.
Yes. The 7-night Red Sea duration is the standard itinerary, but it can be amended on enquiry depending on your available dates and travel preferences. A half board option on the Red Sea is also available if all-inclusive does not suit you. Contact our team to discuss a tailored arrangement.
October to April is the most comfortable period for both parts of the itinerary. Temperatures along the Nile are manageable for sightseeing, typically 20°C to 28°C, and the Red Sea remains warm enough for swimming. Classic Holidays operates guaranteed departures year-round.
Classic Holidays trades as Co-op Travel Services Ltd, an Accredited Body Member of the Co-operative Travel Consortium, and holds ABTA membership P7508 and ATOL number 12904. All flights and flight-inclusive holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. ATOL protection does not apply to non-flight holiday and travel services. For further details, see our booking conditions or visit www.caa.co.uk.
Classic Holidays when selling travel arrangements is a trading name of Co-op Travel Services Ltd. Classic Holidays is an Accredited Body Member of Co-operative Travel Consortium. (ABTA P7508, ATOL 12904).
Your Financial Protection: Book with Confidence. Classic Holidays is a Member of ABTA. ABTA and ABTA Members help holidaymakers to get the most from their travel and assist when things don’t go according to plan. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct.
All of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme but ATOL protection does not apply to non-flight holiday and travel services offered on this website. Classic Holidays will provide you with information on the protection that applies in the case of each holiday and travel service offered before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk
