Visit Alexandria

Visit Luxor, Egypt's open-air museum on the Nile. Explore the Karnak Temple complex (one of the largest religious sites in the world, with massive columns and obelisks), see the Valley of the Kings (ancient royal tombs including Tutankhamun's), and take a felucca ride on the river for views of the Luxor Temple (illuminated at night with sphinx-lined avenues).

Visit Aswan, a city in southern Egypt on the Nile River. See the Philae Temple (relocated to Agilkia Island after the Aswan High Dam construction), the Unfinished Obelisk (largest known ancient obelisk, abandoned due to cracks), and the Aswan High Dam (a major hydroelectric project controlling floods and providing irrigation). Take a felucca boat ride on the Nile to view Elephantine Island and the Aga Khan Mausoleum.

The Ras Mohammed reefs and the Thistlegorm wreck, at the tip of the Sinai.

The Red Sea resort coast: dive boats to the Giftun islands and dolphins in the morning.

The Blue Hole, freediving on the Bedouin beach and Mount Sinai at sunrise an hour away.

The oasis where Alexander consulted the oracle, salt lakes to float in and the mud-brick Shali fortress.

Visit Cairo, Egypt's sprawling capital on the Nile. Explore the Pyramids of Giza (ancient wonders including the Great Pyramid, the last surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), wander through the Egyptian Museum (home to treasures like Tutankhamun's golden mask and mummies), and stroll the historic Islamic Cairo district (with landmarks such as the Al-Azhar Mosque and Khan el-Khalili bazaar).

Visit Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. Cruise the UNESCO-listed canal ring (17th-century waterways with over 1,500 bridges), see masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, explore the Anne Frank House (historic hiding place during WWII), and wander the Jordaan district (picturesque streets with cafes and boutiques).