Arrive as the gates open and the plateau glows gold before the crowds roll in. With the right timing, you can step inside the Great Pyramid itself and stand in the King's Chamber.

The boy king's entire collection finally lives under one roof, steps from the pyramids. Walk the Grand Staircase lined with colossal statues, then lose yourself among the gold.

These elegant two-masted sailboats carry only a handful of cabins, so you drift between temples at the river's own pace. Mornings bring village markets and sandbanks; evenings bring dinner on deck under the stars.

Rise at dawn over sugarcane fields, the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings. Watching ancient Thebes wake up from above is a memory you will carry for years.

Step down into painted corridors where the colors still look freshly brushed after 3,000 years. Nefertari's tomb, often called the Sistine Chapel of Egypt, is worth every moment.

One hundred and thirty-four stone columns rise like a petrified forest, each carved from base to crown. Come late in the day, when the light turns honey-colored and the hall feels like a cathedral.

Ramses II carved four 65-foot likenesses of himself into a mountainside, and the whole temple was later moved, block by block, to save it from the rising Nile. Seeing it in person is pure awe.

Cross the river by boat to brightly painted homes, share hibiscus tea with a local family, and hear the Nubian language spoken at home. This is the heart of southern Egypt.

Some of the world's most vibrant reefs lie just offshore, bursting with butterflyfish, anemones and soft corals in every color. Snorkelers and divers alike will find the water warm, clear and endlessly fascinating.

Sail between granite boulders and Elephantine Island as the sky turns pink over the desert. Finish with tea on the terrace of the Old Cataract, where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile.

The Temple of Isis sits on its own island, reached only by water. Arriving by small boat as the temple comes into view is one of Egypt's most romantic approaches.

Begin at the Citadel, where the silver domes of the Muhammad Ali Mosque crown the skyline, then wander Al-Muizz Street past minarets and madrasas. Finish in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar among brass lanterns and spices, with mint tea at El Fishawy, pouring since 1797.

Founded by Alexander the Great and once home to Cleopatra, this breezy Mediterranean city has a soul all its own. Explore the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Citadel of Qaitbay, then finish with fresh-caught fish along the Corniche.

Spinner dolphins rest in this horseshoe-shaped lagoon each morning, in a protected reef where visitor numbers are carefully managed. Slip into the clear water and watch them twirl and play.

Visit the world's oldest stone monument and the painted tombs of the nobles, then continue to Dahshur's Bent and Red Pyramids. You will often have these ancient sites nearly to yourself.

Deep in the Western Desert near the Libyan border, Siwa is a world of date palms, olive groves and Amazigh traditions all its own. Stay at a desert ecolodge lit entirely by candles and firelight, then climb the crumbling mud-brick fortress of Shali at sunset.

Turquoise salt pools ringed by white crystal shores let you float as effortlessly as in the Dead Sea. Follow with a dip in Cleopatra's Spring and an afternoon among the dunes of the Great Sand Sea.

Alexander the Great crossed the desert to consult this oracle and, legend says, left convinced he was the son of a god. Standing in the temple's ruins above the oasis, you can feel why the journey drew him.

The Red Sea's southern coast is a haven for marine life, with sea turtles grazing the seagrass beds of Abu Dabbab Bay and, with luck, a gentle dugong gliding past. It is the perfect reward after days of temples and tombs.

Step inside the Sphinx temple, reserved for permit holders, with an expert guide or renowned archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass.

Tutankhamun's treasures and the Solar Boat Museum in the calm before opening or after closing.

Climb down into a newly unveiled tomb and hear the discoveries straight from the people making them.

Spend an hour each in the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I once the day visitors have gone.

Arrive at the Temple of Isis by motorboat after public hours, as the stone turns gold.

Go behind the scenes to see how engineers moved and saved these colossal temples.