Egypt Family Holidays

History and Culture to Explore with Kids in Egypt

Giza

Experience the riches of Giza. Easily accessible from Cairo, the Pyramids and the Sphinx are impressive enough to capture the imagination of primary-school kids, but the Pyramids can be spiced up by staying on to watch the early-evening light show. There are also eerie tours taking you inside the Pyramids; with very young children, a camel, donkey or horse ride might be a better option. And the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza finally opened in late 2025 to display the Tutankhamun collection for the first time, along with most of the Eyptian mummies.

Cairo

Investigate Cairo, where the historic Egyptian Museum has lost its Tutankhamun artefactsm to the GEM but still has more than 120,000 items from various periods of Egyptian history. Also worth visiting is the Pharaonic Village, a ‘living museum’ of ancient Egypt that includes a replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb, discovered by Carter and Lord Carnarvon, about 10km from the centre of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile.

Luxor

Don’t miss Luxor, home to an incredible third of the greatest antiquities in the world. The highlight is the Valley of the Kings, with  the tombs of most of the pharaohs of Egypt of the New Kingdom, including Tutankhamun. The best is the quite remote tomb of Thutmose III, accessed via a long ladder into a cliff face. 

We would also recommend the short hike to Deir el Medina, a ruined village that housed the artisans who built the royal tombs, together with their families – the workers’ own tombs with their lovely paintings of scenes from daily life in Ancient Egypt contrast strongly with the ceremonial paintings you’ll see in the royal tombs.

Also in Luxor, tour the sprawling Karnak temple complex with its ram sphinxes. Part of the Ancient Egyptian capital Thebes, it’s best reached by felucca (a traditional sailing boat) down the Nile, or by hiring a motor launch – less atmospheric but faster, and kids might get the chance to steer it themselves. Also popular are hot-air balloon rides over the city and forays into the Mummification Museum, where displays include a crocodile and other mummified animals.

Aswan

Head down to Aswan to see the famous High Dam that dams the world’s longest river and find out how it was constructed, and make a boat trip to the island temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. You can return to Luxor from Aswan on a 2/3-day felucca trip, stopping en route to see the temples of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the evil crocodile-god Sobok and good falcon-god Haroeris, where sacred crocodiles were once kept as pets, and Horus, dedicated to the eponymous falcon-headed god.

Sinai Desert

Cross the incredible landscape of the Sinai desert with its little Bedouin tents and villages to reach Santa Catarina, the oldest Christian monastery in existence and the smallest diocese in the world.

Red Sea Family Holidays 

Spend time on this cosmopolitan coast with its modern resorts, miles of sandy beaches, waters teeming with pretty fish for the delight of divers, swimmers and snorkellers, global restaurants and organised children’s activities. Sharm el Sheikh is the best known, but Hurghada and El Gouna are also famous for the wind-surfing and kite-surfing and for visiting lovely offshore islands such as Tawila. You might choose to base yourself here and make day-trips to Cairo, Giza or Luxor.

Watersports

Book pool-based dives for children 8+ and open-water dives for those over 10, often available at the hotels and resorts we can book for you, or with reputable local operators. You and the kids can also try your hands at sailing, jet skiing and parasailing.  


Head for Ras Mohamed National Park about 30km south of Sharm el Sheikh, one of the most talked-about diving sites in the world, for more snorkelling and diving.


Other Things to Do with Kids in Egypt

Desert Fun

Head into the desert for camel tours, horse-riding, Jeep excursions, quad-biking and sleeping out under the stars in a Bedouin tent, and a visit to one of the country's fascinating bazaars.

Theme Parks

Grab a dose of unadulterated theme-park fun at the US-style Dream Park south-west of Cairo. Designed by the Universal Studios team, it has themed zones offering everything from teacups to high-speed rollercoasters.