Top 10 Attractions to Visit in Egypt

Egypt, house of the pharaohs' pyramids, a veritable open-air museum of gigantic sculptures and enchanting frescoes, home of the Red Sea and the resplendent Nile, is a destination full of landscapes straight out of an Aladdin count. Plan your itinerary with this list of the top 10 attractions to visit in Egypt.

Tourist Attractions Map of Egypt

The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx

Pyramids of Giza

Counting the must-see attractions in Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx should be in the top 1 position. They are Egypt's most iconic landmarks.

Built over 4,500 years ago, the three pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure rise from the desert plateau on the west bank of the Nile and form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the largest and most impressive, once standing 147 meters tall. The Pyramid of Khafre looks almost as big thanks to its higher position and still shows traces of its original smooth casing. The smallest, the Pyramid of Menkaure, is thought to be built for a queen.

Watching over them is the Great Sphinx, a colossal statue with the body of a lion and the face of a pharaoh, symbolizing strength and wisdom. Known locally as Abu al-Hol (“Father of Terror”), it has guarded the plateau for millennia.

Tip: Visit early morning or at sunset for cooler weather and fewer crowds. The evening sound-and-light show is also a memorable way to see the pyramids.

The Egyptian Museum

Egyptian Museum

Located in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian Museum houses more than 120,000 artifacts spanning thousands of years of history. Founded in 1857 by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, it remains one of the most important museums in the world.

Inside, you will find everything from delicate pharaonic jewelry to imposing statues, colorful vases, and rare child mummies. Since the museum is not air-conditioned, it's best to schedule your visit in the morning and consider hiring a guide to fully appreciate the details behind the collection.

The Grand Egyptian Museum(GEM Complex)

Inside the Grand Egyptian Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum has an attractive exterior whose design takes the pyramid as its theme, with a huge triangular cone front gate and multiple glasses in the shape of a triangle, just like a modern pyramid located in Giza, which could be one of the best choices to go to when finished visiting of the Giza Pyramid Complex.

With 45,000 exhibits gathered from almost all of the museums in Egypt, the GEM allows you to travel the long history through prehistory, the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom and the Late and Roman period. The most important is the first exhibition of the Tutankhamun galleries, which may hopefully open to the public on the first day of November in 2025.

Abu Simbel Temples

The Abu Simbel Temples were carved directly into a sandstone cliff during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II (13th century BC). The main temple is guarded by four colossal statues of the pharaoh, each over 20 meters tall, making it one of the most iconic images of ancient Egypt.

Next to it stands the smaller yet equally stunning Temple of Hathor, dedicated to Queen Nefertari, Ramses II’s beloved wife.

A unique phenomenon occurs here twice a year, on February 22 and October 22. It is called the Abu Simbel Sun Festival, when the sun's rays go through over 40 meters of passageway and illuminate the sanctuary's inner statues.

The Temple of Karnak

Temple of Karnak

In ancient Egypt, the temple of Karnak was the most important religious complex. Its construction took more than 1000 years, between the 12th and 20th dynasties. This national treasure of Egypt is the result of the confrontation between many rulers who, during the different successions, each in turn wanted to mark their era and adorn the magnificent sanctuary. The temple of Amun-Ra, the temple of Khonsu, and the temple of the Feast of Thutmosis III are also located within the Karnak temple complex. Karnak Temple is the most beautiful of all the sites you'll discover in Luxor, with an avenue of human-headed sphinxes, Luxor dromos, a colossal statue of Ramses II, open papyrus umbel capitals of the Hypostyle Hall and the obelisk of Thutmosis I at Karnak which will not let you down.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a floodplain in western Egypt, where for many centuries, Egyptians dug deep rock tombs for pharaohs and nobles. The tombs were decorated with vivid paintings describing the crossing to the world of the dead, life after death, or even the sun's path. This valley is a burial place for pharaohs of the new empire, such as Seti I, Ramses II, and Tutankhamun, the child King. Queens and high priests from the 18th to the 20th dynasties were also buried there. Visiting the interior of the extravagantly decorated tombs made of vivid paintings, gold-covered wood, and hieroglyphics of funerary rites is an experience not to be missed.

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

The Temple of Luxor, or "Sanctuary of the South" in Egyptian, was built on the east bank of the Nile in 1400 BC on the orders of Amenhotep III. Located in the modern part of the city center, this gigantic complex bears witness to Egypt's development over the centuries. Various pharaohs, such as Amenhotep IV, Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses II, modified the Luxor Temple, which was once dedicated to the rejuvenation of royalty. During your visit to Luxor Temple, you will feel like little ants in front of the immensity of the skulls and pillars of the buildings, especially the statues of Ramses II at the entrance through the first pylon of Luxor Temple. If you have enough time to visit the temple, do not miss the Avenue of the Sphinxes at night, which could be the best time to feel their mystery with the help of the light.

Red Sea

As well as the northern Mediterranean, the eastern Red Sea offers Egypt a different kind of vibrant landscape. Blue waves decorate the sandy beaches with white spray and some gifts brought from the sea, playing tricks on the seagulls to make them hover over the medieval citadel on Pharaoh's Island, where you can climb the wall to the top and have the same visual angle as the seagulls. Far away is the glittering, unmarked ocean, and below, the deep blue water with your rippling reflection makes you wonder what the underwater world would be like. You can head to Ras Muhammad National Park to witness the world beneath the Red Sea. First are the coral reefs at the shallow end, a little deeper you can see the brightly colored marine fish wiggling around the offshore reefs; while diving into the area with less sunlight can reach, is the vessel wreck covered with algae, which has become a comfortable home for fish and sea urchins, as lively as the land.

The Great Library of Alexandria

Also known as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a huge library built to recommend one of the largest libraries in the world, which used to be the palace to the art of Muses, the capital of knowledge and learning, the great Library of Alexandria. Although most of the ancient books and records have been lost, today's Library of Alexandria is by no means inferior. With a capacity of 8 million books and a reading room of 20,000 square meters for all kinds of people to read and learn, it lives up to its name as one of the great intellectual and cultural centers of the twenty-first century. You can feel its charm even before you enter the main hall, which is artistically designed as an unfolded scroll with words and images from ancient Egypt, inviting you to enter and learn more about the glorious history of art and knowledge. Inside, the bookcases are aligned with the computers you can use and the museums wait to visit. Choose a book from the shell and sit in front of the table with the rustling sound of the book page, as if time has returned to college time.

Philae Temple

Located on Agilkia Island near Aswan, the Temple of Philae is one of Egypt's most beautiful ancient sites. As most Egyptian temples are in the desert, Philae Temple is surrounded by clear blue waters. Dedicated to the goddess Isis, it was a major center of worship during the Greco-Roman period. The temple complex is admired for its elegant courtyards, towering colonnades, and finely carved reliefs that depict scenes of gods and pharaohs.

In the 1960s, when the construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge it, UNESCO launched an ambitious project to dismantle and move the entire temple to higher ground on Agilkia Island. This feat of engineering allows visitors to see nowadays' well-preserved complex.

This is Egypt, whether it is the temples and pyramids full of historical mystery, or the golden sands of the great desert reaching down to the beaches and enchanting underwater world, there are always many attractions to see during your trip to Egypt. Start planning your trip with odynovo and take full advantage of this enchanting country.