Fourteen days is the only structure that includes Abydos and Dendera without sacrificing time at the main sites. Abydos — the Temple of Seti I, containing the finest painted reliefs in Egypt and the famous King List that documents the sequence of pharaohs — is 160 kilometres north of Luxor and requires a dedicated half-day. The Temple of Hathor at Dendera (the best-preserved zodiac ceiling in ancient Egypt, in near-perfect condition) is on the road from Luxor to Abydos. Both are accessible as a day trip from Luxor with an early departure.

Cairo gets five days covering the full pyramid circuit and both historic cities. Luxor gets three days, including Abydos and Dendera. The Nile cruise covers Edfu and Kom Ombo over four nights. Aswan gets two days with Philae and the Nubian village. Abu Simbel closes the trip on Day 13.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Cairo

 — Private airport transfer. Hotel check-in. 

Day 2: Giza & the Grand Egyptian Museum '

— Giza Plateau: the three pyramids, the Sphinx, the Valley Temple. Grand Egyptian Museum: full Tutankhamun collection, Royal Mummies, Old Kingdom halls. 

Day 3: Saqqara & Dahshur

 — Step Pyramid of Djoser and Imhotep Museum at Saqqara. Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid at Dahshur — the two monuments that explain everything at Giza. 

Day 4: Coptic Cairo & Islamic Cairo

 — Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Coptic Museum. AlMuizz Street, Citadel, Muhammad Ali Mosque. Khan el-Khalili. 

Day 5: Islamic Cairo Full Day

 — Ibn Tulun & Al-Azhar Quarter — Mosque of Ibn Tulun (879 AD), Gayer-Anderson Museum, Al-Azhar Mosque and its surrounding Fatimid quarter. A full day on foot through the oldest layers of Islamic Cairo.'

 Day 6: Fly to Luxor — West Bank 

— Domestic flight to Luxor. Valley of the Kings (three tombs). Temple of Hatshepsut. Colossi of Memnon.

Day 7: Abydos & Dendera — off-circuit day 

— Depart Luxor at 7:00 am by private car. Dendera: the Temple of Hathor, whose inner sanctuary ceiling preserves the Egyptian Zodiac in its original position (the one in the Louvre is a cast). Abydos: the Temple of Seti I — the finest painted reliefs in Egypt, in colours that have survived 3,300 years. The Osiris chapel. The famous Abydos King List: a carved register naming every pharaoh from Menes to Seti I. Return to Luxor by evening. 

Day 8: Karnak & Luxor Temple — board cruise 

— Karnak: Great Hypostyle Hall, Sacred Lake. Luxor Temple at dusk. Board the Nile cruise ship. Departure overnight. 

Day 9: Edfu & Kom Ombo 

— Temple of Horus at Edfu (best-preserved in Egypt). Temple of Kom Ombo (double sanctuary, Crocodile Museum). 

Day 10: Arrive Aswan — Philae Temple 

— Disembark. Philae Temple by motor launch. Unfinished Obelisk. 

Day 11: Aswan — Nubian Village & the Nile 

— Nubian village by felucca. Afternoon at leisure — the view from the Old Cataract hotel terrace across the First Cataract is, on its own merits, worth an afternoon. 

Day 12: Free day in Aswan 

— Optional: Wadi el-Sebua and the temples of Lake Nasser by boat (full day excursion, available on request). Or a free day in Aswan. 

Day 13: Abu Simbel 

— Depart 5:00 am. The Great Temple and the Temple of Nefertari. Return to Aswan. 

Day 14: Departure 

— Transfer to Aswan airport. Domestic flight to Cairo for international departure.

A Note on Abydos and Dendera 

Most Egypt itineraries of any duration omit Abydos and Dendera because they require a dedicated departure from Luxor and a full day. That is a significant omission. The Temple of Seti I at Abydos holds painted reliefs that were not yet fully understood when Howard Carter was excavating Tutankhamun's tomb — they are extraordinary and almost always quiet. If you have 14 days in Egypt, this is the day that separates the trip from every other Egypt trip you will hear described.