Most visitors head straight for the Giza Pyramids, so follow their cue. Book a private tour and marvel at the biggest—the Great Pyramid of Cheops—as your Egyptologist guide explains how it was built and why. Then, admire the neighboring pyramids and Great Sphinx before seeing the incredible ancient Egyptian barge at the plateau’s Solar Boat Museum.

With Giza done, venture south to the age-old necropolis of Saqqara. Admire its Step Pyramid—the world’s oldest pyramid—before visiting the Memphis Open-Air Museum, filled with the remnants of ancient Egypt’s capital. View the relics, including a gigantic fallen statue of Ramses II, before exploring nearby Dahshur, another pyramid-studded burial ground.

Take in Giza’s sound-and-light spectacle tonight. Watch lasers and projections bathe the pyramids in color as a narrator charts their story to music. Alternatively, set off on a camel or horse trek on the Giza Plateau to view the pyramids at sundown.

Set your sights on Cairo today, perhaps beginning with a tour of the Egyptian Museum to see some of its 120,000 ancient finds, including the treasures of Tutankhamun. Some tours round out a visit here with an optional River Nile felucca sailboat ride or souvenir-hunting time at Cairo’s Khan El Khalili bazaar.

If you’re already on a full-day Cairo tour, head for the old city to view the Saladin Citadel, Coptic churches, Ben Ezra Synagogue, and other historical highlights. Otherwise, take a break from sightseeing and kick up the dust on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the desert of the Giza Plateau.

If you missed an ATV ride earlier, grab your chance this evening: The sun setting over the pyramids and Cairo’s cityscape will make it extra memorable. Or, combine a last dash of sightseeing with a romantic dinner on a River Nile cruise.