A country · 216 places · 15 regions

Egypt, all of it.

216 curated places across 15 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Siwa Oasis · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Cairo Governorate, Aswan Governorate, Luxor Governorate and Alexandria Governorate — read below as chapters, with 11 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Cairo Governorate · 77 places

Cairo Governorate

Overlooking Tahrir Square, this historic museum houses one of the world's most extensive collections of pharaonic antiquities. Its galleries display treasures ranging from royal mummies to statuary spanning millennia of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Egyptian Museum

Cairo Governorate, Egypt

✦ October to April · $

Hanging Church

Cairo Governorate, Egypt

✦ October to April · $

Saladin Citadel of Cairo

Cairo Governorate, Egypt

✦ October to April · $

All 77 places in Cairo Governorate →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Aswan Governorate · 21 places

Aswan Governorate

A Nile-side city in Upper Egypt at the traditional border with Nubia, where the river widens around pink granite outcroppings and palm-covered islands. The view from the west bank at dusk, across the Nile to the city's minarets and the orange-lit sand hills of the desert beyond, is among the classic Nile panoramas. Felucca sailboats navigate the gentle currents between the islands, including Elephantine Island, which carries ruins of several ancient periods. The local Nubian villages maintain a distinct cultural character, with brightly painted houses and a preserved dialect.

✦ October to March · $$

Meet Aswan All 21 places in Aswan Governorate →

Chapter III · Luxor Governorate · 13 places

Luxor Governorate

A large ancient Egyptian temple complex built primarily during the reigns of Amenhotep III and Ramesses II on the eastern bank of the Nile in what was ancient Thebes. Unlike most major temples, Luxor Temple sits within the modern city and is dramatically floodlit at night, when it can be viewed from the adjacent riverside corniche. The entrance avenue, once lined with human-headed sphinxes connecting to the Karnak Temple complex several kilometres north, is partially excavated and visible. A mosque built atop the accumulated sediment of centuries stands within the temple precinct, illustrating the layered history of the site.

Luxor Temple

Luxor Governorate, Egypt

✦ October to February · $$

Valley of the Kings

Luxor Governorate, Egypt

✦ October to February · $$

Karnak

Luxor Governorate, Egypt

✦ October to February · $$

All 13 places in Luxor Governorate →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Alexandria Governorate · 12 places

Alexandria Governorate

Egypt's Mediterranean metropolis wears its layered past casually, from the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa and Pompey's Pillar to the seafront Citadel of Qaitbay built where the ancient lighthouse stood. The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina and a corniche of faded belle-epoque cafes give the city a melancholy charm distinct from Cairo.

✦ April to June and September to November for comfortable seaside weather · $

Meet Alexandria All 12 places in Alexandria Governorate →