What can I do?
Gaze into the starry sky from a ship moored on the Nile. Haggle for jewellery, rugs or rose essence in labyrinthine souks. At sunrise, climb Mount Sinai, where Moses was said to have received the Ten Commandments. Enjoy pyramids and pharaonic splendour.

What can I see?
Bellydancers shimmy to drums and twirl canes on their hips. Marvel at the High Dam, which contains 18 times the material of Cheops' Great Pyramid. Peruse the Egyptian Museum: Tutankhamen's gold mask and sarcophagus stand out among the 120,000 displays.

What can I try?
Crash a wedding: passers-by are welcome during the lavish processions. Sip coffee, play backgammon and smoke fruit-infused tobacco from a shisha (water pipe) in a sidewalk café. Dive the Thistlegorm wreck, the Elphinstone reef and other Red Sea sites, some of the world's best.

What are the highlights?
Giza's pyramids and the Sphinx loom near Cairo and the ancient capital, Memphis. Luxor – in Upper Egypt – also dazzles with monuments, including the massive Karnak Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings. One of the original Wonders of the World, the Alexandria Library now shelters under a sleek $220m Scandinavian-designed structure.

What are the options?
Ride a donkey to the Valley of the Kings or take a dawn hot-air balloon flight over Luxor, as the Nile ribbons below. Glide its waters in a felucca (traditional wooden sailboat), touring Elephantine Island, the Botanical Gardens and the Aga Khan Mausoleum.

When's the best time to go?
Avoid summer's blistering heat and the month of Ramadan. October–April are ideal, though prices rise about 30% from November–February.

What's it really like?
Intense: both the ancient grandeur and the frenzied pace of modern life

Who wouldn't enjoy it?
The crowds and insistent peddlers can overwhelm shy travellers.