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• Delve into atmospheric medieval Cairo. Landmarks include Midan Hussein square with its tea houses and imposing Mosque of Sayyidna Al-Hussein, the Al-Azhar Mosque with the world's oldest university, the Museum of Islamic Art and the stunning Citadel medieval fortress.
• Spend time at one of the country's greatest attractions, the Egyptian Museum (website: www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg), housing over 130,000 exhibits, including Pharaonic and Byzantine art and sculpture, the Mummy Room and the celebrated Tutankhamun exhibition.
• Gaze in awe at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt's most visited monuments. Of the three main pyramids (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus), the largest is 137m (449ft) high and contains some 3 million blocks of stone. Explore the interiors via labyrinthine tunnels and staircases.
• Puzzle over the bewitching Sphinx, as named by the ancient Greeks, with the head of a woman and body of a lion. In the evening there are extravagant sound-and-light shows at the Sphinx and pyramids telling the story of ancient Egypt. Camels, horses and donkeys can be hired to explore the site.
• See the remains of the Old Kingdom's capital Memphis, south of present-day Cairo; Saqqara was its necropolis and its Step Pyramid is older than those at Giza, with well-preserved wall reliefs and royal tombs. Dahshur has only been open to foreigners since 1996, and is famous for its Bent Pyramid and a huge field of royal tombs.
• Explore Luxor, once the ancient city of Thebes. The spectacular Karnak Temple features colossal statues, reliefs, obelisks and halls with nightly sound-and-light shows. Luxor Temple is guarded by a huge Ramses II statue. Other highlights include Luxor Museum, filled by relics from the Theban Temples and Necropolis, and the more macabre Mummification Museum.
• Cross to the West Bank of the Nile and witness the vast Theban Necropolis, containing some of the world's finest tombs: the Valley of the Kings; Valley of the Queens; and Tombs of the Nobles. Highlights include the tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Nefertari, reputed to be the country's finest.
• Take a river taxi to Elephantine Island from Aswan. Recent excavations of this former frontier town have revealed temples and a fortress. The island's Aswan Museum contains exhibits found in Nubia and Aswan. Just south is the Island of Plants, presented in the 1890s to Lord Horatio Kitchener. He created a beautiful botanical garden from exotic imports from India and Malaysia.
• Wonder at the sheer size of the Aswan Dam, which powers and irrigates the whole of Egypt. Near Aswan is the Temple of Philae, on the Island of Philae. UNESCO moved it stone by stone to save it from the dam's waters.
• Wonder at Abu Simbel‘s magnificent Sun Temple of Ramses II, which was also rescued from flooding by UNESCO.
• Visit Kom Ombo ('city of gold'), 30km (18 miles) north of Aswan. It is a largely Nubian settlement, known for its Temple of Haroeris and Sobek. Another common stop on boat trips to and from Luxor is Edfu, also famed for the largest and best-preserved Pharaonic Temple in Egypt, the Temple of Horus.
• In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, see historic relics in the Graeco-Roman Museum and visit the Roman Amphitheatre. Other places of interest include: 15th-century Fort Quait Bey built on the foundations of the long-gone Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
• Pay your respects at El Alamein, a small coastal village 100km (60 miles) west of Alexandria and an easy day trip. Famous as the scene of a decisive Allied victory, which determined the fate of Egypt and Britain's Empire, there is a War Museum, Cemetery and Memorial.
• A great example of modern engineering, the Suez Canal links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Completed in 1869, it has repeatedly been the cause of dispute. Tours run from the city of Port Said and smaller Suez, at the top of the red Sea.
• Visit south Cairo's Coptic Museum (website: www.copticmuseum.gov.eg) to see the world's greatest collection of Coptic art. The Hanging Church, Monastery of St George and St Sergius and St Barbara churches are all in the same area. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is one of Egypt's oldest, and represents what remains of the Jewish community.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Spend time at one of the country's greatest attractions, the Egyptian Museum (website: www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg), housing over 130,000 exhibits, including Pharaonic and Byzantine art and sculpture, the Mummy Room and the celebrated Tutankhamun exhibition.
• Gaze in awe at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt's most visited monuments. Of the three main pyramids (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus), the largest is 137m (449ft) high and contains some 3 million blocks of stone. Explore the interiors via labyrinthine tunnels and staircases.
• Puzzle over the bewitching Sphinx, as named by the ancient Greeks, with the head of a woman and body of a lion. In the evening there are extravagant sound-and-light shows at the Sphinx and pyramids telling the story of ancient Egypt. Camels, horses and donkeys can be hired to explore the site.
• See the remains of the Old Kingdom's capital Memphis, south of present-day Cairo; Saqqara was its necropolis and its Step Pyramid is older than those at Giza, with well-preserved wall reliefs and royal tombs. Dahshur has only been open to foreigners since 1996, and is famous for its Bent Pyramid and a huge field of royal tombs.
• Explore Luxor, once the ancient city of Thebes. The spectacular Karnak Temple features colossal statues, reliefs, obelisks and halls with nightly sound-and-light shows. Luxor Temple is guarded by a huge Ramses II statue. Other highlights include Luxor Museum, filled by relics from the Theban Temples and Necropolis, and the more macabre Mummification Museum.
• Cross to the West Bank of the Nile and witness the vast Theban Necropolis, containing some of the world's finest tombs: the Valley of the Kings; Valley of the Queens; and Tombs of the Nobles. Highlights include the tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Nefertari, reputed to be the country's finest.
• Take a river taxi to Elephantine Island from Aswan. Recent excavations of this former frontier town have revealed temples and a fortress. The island's Aswan Museum contains exhibits found in Nubia and Aswan. Just south is the Island of Plants, presented in the 1890s to Lord Horatio Kitchener. He created a beautiful botanical garden from exotic imports from India and Malaysia.
• Wonder at the sheer size of the Aswan Dam, which powers and irrigates the whole of Egypt. Near Aswan is the Temple of Philae, on the Island of Philae. UNESCO moved it stone by stone to save it from the dam's waters.
• Wonder at Abu Simbel‘s magnificent Sun Temple of Ramses II, which was also rescued from flooding by UNESCO.
• Visit Kom Ombo ('city of gold'), 30km (18 miles) north of Aswan. It is a largely Nubian settlement, known for its Temple of Haroeris and Sobek. Another common stop on boat trips to and from Luxor is Edfu, also famed for the largest and best-preserved Pharaonic Temple in Egypt, the Temple of Horus.
• In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, see historic relics in the Graeco-Roman Museum and visit the Roman Amphitheatre. Other places of interest include: 15th-century Fort Quait Bey built on the foundations of the long-gone Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
• Pay your respects at El Alamein, a small coastal village 100km (60 miles) west of Alexandria and an easy day trip. Famous as the scene of a decisive Allied victory, which determined the fate of Egypt and Britain's Empire, there is a War Museum, Cemetery and Memorial.
• A great example of modern engineering, the Suez Canal links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Completed in 1869, it has repeatedly been the cause of dispute. Tours run from the city of Port Said and smaller Suez, at the top of the red Sea.
• Visit south Cairo's Coptic Museum (website: www.copticmuseum.gov.eg) to see the world's greatest collection of Coptic art. The Hanging Church, Monastery of St George and St Sergius and St Barbara churches are all in the same area. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is one of Egypt's oldest, and represents what remains of the Jewish community.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.