Best Egypt Christmas Holiday Packages

Egypt Christmas holiday packages are private trips timed for the festive season, usually combining Cairo and the Pyramids with a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, and on some itineraries a Red Sea stay in Hurghada or Sharm El-Sheikh. You travel with your own licensed Egyptologist guide and vehicle, and each itinerary lists its hotels or cruise cabin, transfers, entrance fees and meals. International flights are not included.

Our Christmas trips start from $745 per person for a 5-day private Cairo Christmas tour. A 7-day Cairo and Nile cruise Christmas package starts from $1,650, and the 10-day Christmas tour with a cruise from $2,250. The final price depends on the hotel level, the number of travellers and the exact dates, and your quote lists everything that is included.

Yes. December is one of the most comfortable months in Egypt: days are mild and sunny, ideal for the Pyramids, the temples of Luxor and a Nile cruise, while evenings are cool and desert nights can be cold. It is also the busiest time of year, so the best hotels and cruise cabins sell out early, and booking well ahead matters more than in any other month.

It depends on your days off and what you want besides the Pyramids. Five days suits Cairo alone; seven to ten days adds a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan; the 9-day Christmas trip adds Hurghada for a beach finish. To see in the New Year as well, the 8-day Christmas and New Year package starts from $1,850 and the 12-day New Year trip with Sharm El-Sheikh from $2,700. Every itinerary can be adjusted to your dates.

Egyptian Christians, mainly the Coptic Orthodox community, celebrate Christmas on 7 January, because the Coptic Church follows the Julian calendar, in which that day corresponds to 25 December. The feast is called Eid el-Milad, the Feast of the Nativity. Hotels and resorts in the tourist areas also mark 25 December with festive celebrations, so a trip that spans both dates sees two Christmases.

With devotion and family gatherings. Many Coptic Christians fast for 43 days before 7 January, abstaining from meat and dairy. On Christmas Eve families attend a late-night church service, followed by a festive meal with traditional dishes such as fatta. Homes and churches are decorated, and people exchange greetings and gifts; the Arabic wish for Merry Christmas is Eid Milad Majid.

As early as you can: Christmas and New Year are the first dates to fill in Egypt's busiest season, so aim for at least 2 to 3 months ahead, and earlier for a specific Nile cruise or hotel. Over Christmas, New Year and Easter a 50% deposit confirms the booking, and the balance is due two days before arrival or in cash on arrival.

Cancellation charges over Christmas, New Year and Easter are higher than in the rest of the year, and the exact scale for your dates is written in your quote before you pay anything. A 5% bank fee applies to refunds. If a government or airline issues a do-not-travel warning for your dates, the tour is refunded or held as a credit for a later trip.

Yes, the school holidays make Christmas a popular time for family trips, and a private tour lets the guide set a pace that suits children. Children sharing a room with two paying adults travel free under 2, pay 25% of the adult rate from 2 to 5 and 50% from 6 to 11; from 12 they pay the adult rate. Some cruises and hotels have their own child policies, which we confirm in your quote.

Pack in layers. Light clothing works for sunny days at the sites, but bring a sweater or light jacket for cool evenings on the Nile and in Cairo, and something warmer if your trip includes a desert night. Add comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen, and clothing that covers shoulders and knees for churches, mosques and temples.