Avalon Waterways

Daily Itinerary

1. Day 1

   Cairo

   Egypt

   

   Cairo, where five thousand years of civilization press upon the present with relentless intensity, is anchored by the Great Pyramid of Giza — the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, already ancient when Cleopatra walked in its shadow. The Egyptian Museum's overwhelming treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun, and the medieval labyrinth of Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO-listed district of a thousand mosques and medieval caravanserais, offer a lifetime of discovery in a city of twenty million souls. October through April brings the most tolerable temperatures. Luxor, with its Valley of the Kings, is a short domestic flight or overnight train journey south.

2. Day 2

   Cairo

   Egypt

   

   Cairo, where five thousand years of civilization press upon the present with relentless intensity, is anchored by the Great Pyramid of Giza — the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, already ancient when Cleopatra walked in its shadow. The Egyptian Museum's overwhelming treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun, and the medieval labyrinth of Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO-listed district of a thousand mosques and medieval caravanserais, offer a lifetime of discovery in a city of twenty million souls. October through April brings the most tolerable temperatures. Luxor, with its Valley of the Kings, is a short domestic flight or overnight train journey south.

3. Day 3

   Cairo

   Egypt

   

   Cairo, where five thousand years of civilization press upon the present with relentless intensity, is anchored by the Great Pyramid of Giza — the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, already ancient when Cleopatra walked in its shadow. The Egyptian Museum's overwhelming treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun, and the medieval labyrinth of Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO-listed district of a thousand mosques and medieval caravanserais, offer a lifetime of discovery in a city of twenty million souls. October through April brings the most tolerable temperatures. Luxor, with its Valley of the Kings, is a short domestic flight or overnight train journey south.

4. Day 4

   At Sea

   Slovenia

   

5. Day 4

   Cairo

   Egypt

   

   Cairo, where five thousand years of civilization press upon the present with relentless intensity, is anchored by the Great Pyramid of Giza — the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, already ancient when Cleopatra walked in its shadow. The Egyptian Museum's overwhelming treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun, and the medieval labyrinth of Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO-listed district of a thousand mosques and medieval caravanserais, offer a lifetime of discovery in a city of twenty million souls. October through April brings the most tolerable temperatures. Luxor, with its Valley of the Kings, is a short domestic flight or overnight train journey south.

6. Day 5

   Luxor

   Egypt

   

   Luxor is the greatest open-air museum on earth — the modern city occupying the site of ancient Thebes, capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom's golden age when pharaohs such as Hatshepsut, Tutankhamun, and Ramesses II built temples of a scale and beauty that still stagger the imagination. The East Bank holds the incomparable complexes of Karnak and Luxor Temple; across the Nile, the West Bank conceals the Valley of the Kings, where sixty-three royal tombs were cut into the limestone beneath the pyramid-shaped peak of Al-Qurn. A felucca sunset sail on the Nile, with the cliffs of Thebes glowing amber, is among travel's most transcendent moments. October through April offers the ideal climate.

7. Day 5

   Durnstein

   Austria

   

   Dürnstein is the jewel of the Wachau — that UNESCO-protected stretch of the Danube where medieval villages, baroque spires, and precipitous terraced vineyards create the most picturesque river landscape in Central Europe. The blue-and-white tower of the Augustinian monastery and the dramatic ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in 1192 define a skyline of romantic perfection. The surrounding vineyards produce some of Austria's greatest Grüner Veltliners and Rieslings; tasting rooms open directly onto the river path. May through October offers the finest conditions, with harvest season in September an especially memorable time to visit.

8. Day 6

   Venice

   Italy

   

   Venice, a historic port city, captivates with its unique canals and rich cultural heritage. Must-do experiences include visiting the iconic Basilica di San Marco and indulging in local delicacies like risotto al nero di seppia. The best time to visit is during the mild, vibrant spring months when the city comes alive with festivals and outdoor activities.

9. Day 6

   Edfu

   Egypt

   

   The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved pharaonic temple in Egypt — a colossus of golden sandstone rising above the Nile's western bank, its towering pylons, hypostyle halls, and sacred inner sanctum surviving almost intact after two millennia beneath the desert. Built between 237 and 57 BC under Ptolemaic rulers, it offers the clearest window into ancient Egyptian temple ritual that archaeology has preserved. The colossal granite statues of Horus at the entrance remain among the most striking sculptures of the ancient world. October through April brings ideal conditions: warm days, cool evenings, and the gentle rhythms of a Nile cruise.

10. Day 7

    Aswan

    Egypt

    

    Aswan, Egypt's sunniest city and its ancient southern frontier, offers the Nile at its most scenic — wide, blue, and studded with felucca-dotted islands where temples emerge from the water's edge like visions from another age. The Temple of Philae, rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser and reassembled on a new island, is a jewel of Egyptian antiquity; Elephantine Island harbors ruins spanning predynastic times to the Roman era. For the full pharaonic experience, a sunset felucca ride to the Aga Khan Mausoleum rivals any luxury on the Nile. October through April offers the most comfortable temperatures; Abu Simbel is a short flight south.

11. Day 8

    Vilshofen

    Germany

    

    Vilshofen an der Donau is a handsome Bavarian river town where three streams converge with the Danube, its medieval market charter and Gothic Stadtturm bearing witness to eight centuries of river trade prosperity — though its most joyful claim to fame is the boisterous Vilshofen Volksfest, Bavaria's second-largest folk festival after Oktoberfest, held each June. The pastel-painted baroque townhouses and arcaded courtyards of the compact old town make for an idyllic Danube-side stroll, while the surrounding farmland and rolling hills of Lower Bavaria offer cycling routes of pastoral serenity. Summer brings the festival season; spring and autumn lend the Danube Valley its most golden and peaceful character.

12. Day 8

    Aswan

    Egypt

    

    Aswan, Egypt's sunniest city and its ancient southern frontier, offers the Nile at its most scenic — wide, blue, and studded with felucca-dotted islands where temples emerge from the water's edge like visions from another age. The Temple of Philae, rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser and reassembled on a new island, is a jewel of Egyptian antiquity; Elephantine Island harbors ruins spanning predynastic times to the Roman era. For the full pharaonic experience, a sunset felucca ride to the Aga Khan Mausoleum rivals any luxury on the Nile. October through April offers the most comfortable temperatures; Abu Simbel is a short flight south.

13. Day 9

    Cairo

    Egypt

    

    Cairo, where five thousand years of civilization press upon the present with relentless intensity, is anchored by the Great Pyramid of Giza — the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, already ancient when Cleopatra walked in its shadow. The Egyptian Museum's overwhelming treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun, and the medieval labyrinth of Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO-listed district of a thousand mosques and medieval caravanserais, offer a lifetime of discovery in a city of twenty million souls. October through April brings the most tolerable temperatures. Luxor, with its Valley of the Kings, is a short domestic flight or overnight train journey south.

14. Day 10

    Venice

    Italy

    

    Venice, a historic port city, captivates with its unique canals and rich cultural heritage. Must-do experiences include visiting the iconic Basilica di San Marco and indulging in local delicacies like risotto al nero di seppia. The best time to visit is during the mild, vibrant spring months when the city comes alive with festivals and outdoor activities.

15. Day 10

    Cairo

    Egypt

    

    Cairo, where five thousand years of civilization press upon the present with relentless intensity, is anchored by the Great Pyramid of Giza — the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, already ancient when Cleopatra walked in its shadow. The Egyptian Museum's overwhelming treasure trove of pharaonic antiquities, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun, and the medieval labyrinth of Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO-listed district of a thousand mosques and medieval caravanserais, offer a lifetime of discovery in a city of twenty million souls. October through April brings the most tolerable temperatures. Luxor, with its Valley of the Kings, is a short domestic flight or overnight train journey south.

16. Day 11

    Amman

    Jordan

    

    Amman is Jordan's ancient-modern capital, where a ten-thousand-year history unfolds across hilltop citadels, Roman theatres, and Umayyad palaces, all fuelled by one of the Middle East's finest street food cultures. Must-do experiences include exploring the Citadel, eating mansaf communally, and using the city as a base for Petra and the Dead Sea. Spring and autumn offer the most comfortable temperatures for exploring.

17. Day 11

    Amman

    Jordan

    

    Amman is Jordan's ancient-modern capital, where a ten-thousand-year history unfolds across hilltop citadels, Roman theatres, and Umayyad palaces, all fuelled by one of the Middle East's finest street food cultures. Must-do experiences include exploring the Citadel, eating mansaf communally, and using the city as a base for Petra and the Dead Sea. Spring and autumn offer the most comfortable temperatures for exploring.

18. Day 12

    At Sea

    

19. Day 12

    Dead Sea

    Jordan

    

    The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, a mineral-rich body of water on the Jordan Rift Valley floor where the extreme salinity makes floating effortless and the therapeutic muds have been prized since antiquity. Must-dos include floating in the buoyant waters, bathing in the Ma'in hot springs' thermal waterfalls, and visiting the UNESCO-listed Baptism Site. October through April offers comfortable temperatures, with spring and autumn ideal for combining the Dead Sea with Petra and Amman.

20. Day 13

    Dead Sea

    Jordan

    

    The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, a mineral-rich body of water on the Jordan Rift Valley floor where the extreme salinity makes floating effortless and the therapeutic muds have been prized since antiquity. Must-dos include floating in the buoyant waters, bathing in the Ma'in hot springs' thermal waterfalls, and visiting the UNESCO-listed Baptism Site. October through April offers comfortable temperatures, with spring and autumn ideal for combining the Dead Sea with Petra and Amman.

21. Day 14

    Dead Sea

    Jordan

    

    The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, a mineral-rich body of water on the Jordan Rift Valley floor where the extreme salinity makes floating effortless and the therapeutic muds have been prized since antiquity. Must-dos include floating in the buoyant waters, bathing in the Ma'in hot springs' thermal waterfalls, and visiting the UNESCO-listed Baptism Site. October through April offers comfortable temperatures, with spring and autumn ideal for combining the Dead Sea with Petra and Amman.

22. Day 14

    Dead Sea

    Jordan

    

    The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, a mineral-rich body of water on the Jordan Rift Valley floor where the extreme salinity makes floating effortless and the therapeutic muds have been prized since antiquity. Must-dos include floating in the buoyant waters, bathing in the Ma'in hot springs' thermal waterfalls, and visiting the UNESCO-listed Baptism Site. October through April offers comfortable temperatures, with spring and autumn ideal for combining the Dead Sea with Petra and Amman.

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