It might seem a bit difficult to squeeze a visit to Luxor or Aswan in a weekend, but if you enjoy seemingly endless train rides punctuated by beautiful scenery and glimpses of bucolic Nile-side life, then you should enjoy the 12-hour train ride from Cairo. Two trains that depart from Giza seven days a week — first-class tickets are LE 90 and second class is LE 45. Sleeper cars cost $60 (LE 340) per person, payable in US dollars. For those with tight schedules, Egyptair offers roundtrip flights for LE 1,000–1,400 from Cairo International Airport. No matter how you get there, your final destination has incredible natural scenery and sacred monuments enough to fit a weekend, or if you’re lucky and can win your boss over, a week-long adventure.

For many tourists, the Karnak Temple, with its mammoth hypostyle hall of 134 columns in 16 rows, is the highlight of Luxor. The main difference between Karnak and other monuments in Egypt is the length of time over which it was built. An estimated 30 pharaohs contributed to its construction, which started in the twentieth century BC. For nearly 2,000 years, subsequent pharaohs added to their predecessors’ work, bringing Karnak to reach a size, complexity and diversity that has not been seen anywhere else in the region or the world. This complex covers a total area of almost 100 hectares.

Karnak is best done in two trips, one during the day to truly appreciate the massive stonework and structure; and the other a night visit for the Sound and Light Show. The latter offers an concise history lesson about Karnak’s major landmarks in a far more entertaining package than your grade-school studies. Shows are available in English, German, Italian, French, Russian, Japanese and Arabic.

The standard guided tour of Thebes includes stops at the Colossi of Memnon, the Valley of the Kings (one ticket allows entrance to three tombs), Valley of the Queens (one ticket allows entrance to two tombs) and either Medinat Habu or Deir El-Bahri (Temple of Queen Hatshepsut), plus a couple of papyrus and alabaster shops where your guide will undoubtedly tell you he’s getting a special price just for you.

First-time visitors would do well with a guided tour to get the lay of the land, but history buffs and archeology buffs should look into setting up their own itineraries either alone or with a private guide.

Egypt Today Archives The Great Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, is a three-hour bus ride from Aswan.

A good way to escape the crowds is to visit the less popular sights that many tourists and package tours ignore. The Tombs of the Nobles have beautiful and well-preserved wall paintings, while at the Valley of Artisans you can see the former home of the workers and craftsmen who served the pharaohs.

Luxor also has some of the best Pharaonic museums in the nation. The Luxor Museum and the Mummification Museum are both well maintained with well-labeled and artistically lit displays. You can see the mummies of Ramses I and Ahmes I in the Luxor Museum without purchasing an additional ticket, unlike the royal mummy rooms at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The Luxor Museum also has a excellent collection of statues, including several found in a cachette at Luxor Temple.

Ruins may not seem terribly romantic, but after a long day of sightseeing, a horse-drawn carriage along the Corniche or a felucca at sunset offer distinct possibilities in that department.

In terms of accommodation, Luxor suits all budgets from zero- to five-star. If you have the time, set up one half-day tour per day: Four hours of tombs and temples isn’t so daunting when you know a Nile-side hotel pool is waiting.

About 230 kilometers upriver is Aswan, with its scenic sunsets and clear waters. If there ever a winter destination in this country, Aswan is it: During the summer, the Upper Egyptian heat is unbearable and sticky, the city at its best from October to April, when temperatures are cool enough to let you enjoy a walk on the corniche or a felucca ride at the break of dawn.

Compared to its neighbor to the north, Aswan has fewer historical sights, although they are equally as breathtaking. Chief among them are Elephantine Island, Kitchener’s Island and Philae Island.

Elephantine Island, a former ivory trading post that also earned its name from the boulders on its shore that resemble bathing elephants, is the largest island in Aswan. The Nubian villages and ruins here date back to the Pre-Dynastic period. From Elephantine’s northwest corner you can see Kitchener’s Island, a botanical garden filled with exotic plants and trees imported from all around the world. The island is named after Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener, who led a successful British campaign in Sudan against Mahdist forces in the 1890s. This place is perfect for a lazy afternoon, a nap under a tree or a picnic with friends.

Luxor Hotels

Sonesta St. George Hotel Comiche El-Nil Street Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 238-2575

Iberotel Luxor Khaled Ebn El Waleed Street Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 238-0925

Maritim Luxor Crocodile Island Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 227-4855

Pyramisa Luxor Khaled Ebn El Waleed Street Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 237-2750 or 3366

The Sofitel Winter Palace Corniche El-Nil Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 237-1189

Jolie Ville M?venpick Luxor Resort Crocodile Island Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 237-4855 www.moevenpick-hotels.com/hotels/Luxor

Sheraton Luxor Resort East Bank Al-Awameya Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 227-4955/4549

Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa 13 New Karnak Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 237-4933

Mercure Hotel Corniche El-Nil Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 237-4944

Little Garden Hotel Radwan Street off Television Street Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 227-9090/8080

Aros El-Nil for Fish El Takween El Mahany Street Luxor Tel +2 (012) 157-3434

Blue Sky Restaurant West Bank Street Luxor Tel: +2 (010) 381-2188

El Hussein Restaurant El Hilton Street Luxor Tel +2 (095) 237-8335 or +2 (012) 231-8852

Restaurant African Garden West Bank Luxor Tel: +2 (012) 661-0003

The Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel Abtal El-Tahrir Street Aswan Tel:+2 (097) 231-6001 through 5 www.sofitel.com Closed for renovation, due to reopen in May 2010.

M?venpick Elephantine Island Resort Elephantine Island Aswan Tel +2 (097) 230-3454/5 www.movenpick-hotels.com/hotels/Aswan

Pyramisa Isis Island Resort & Spa Aswan Corniche El-Nil Street Downtown Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 231-7413

New Cararact Aswan Abtal El Tahrir Street Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 231-6000/7

Basma Hotel Aswan Hill in front of Nubian Museum Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 231-0901 www.basmahotel.com

Hathor Hotel 99 Nile St. Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 230-3462

Sara Hotel El Fanadek Street Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 232-7234

Nile Hotel 15 Corniche El Nile Street Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 231-4222

Aswan El Bait El Faroni Restaurant Behind Magles El Madina El Corniche Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 233-2799

Aswan Moon Corniche El-Nil Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 231-6108

Panorama Restaurant (Nubian Cuisine) Corniche El-Nil Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 230-6169

Sound and Light shows Karnak, Philae and Abu Simbel Tel: +2 (02) 3385-2880 or +2 (02) 3384-7823 www.soundandlight.com.eg et