Best Time to Visit Egypt

Average Monthly Highs in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan

The table compares average monthly high temperatures in degrees Celsius for Cairo in the north, Luxor in middle Egypt and Aswan in the far south. The Cairo figures are the 1991 to 2020 averages from ClimatesToTravel, and the Luxor and Aswan figures come from the same publisher. Read a row to see how far the south runs ahead of the capital in any month.

The gap between Cairo and the south is the single most useful number here. In January Cairo averages 19 C while Luxor sits at 22.8 C and Aswan at 23.1 C. By July Cairo is at 35.1 C and Aswan at 41.9 C. The same winter week that feels mild in Cairo feels warm in Aswan, and the same summer week that feels hot in Cairo feels punishing in Aswan, which is why the southern sites dominate the October to April advice.

How to Read the Table

Three patterns matter for a tour decision. First, the comfortable band. From November to March every high in the table sits at 25 C or below in Cairo and no higher than 30.2 C in Luxor and Aswan, which is why Wikivoyage calls November to March the most comfortable months for travel in Egypt. Sightseeing days at Karnak or the Valley of the Kings are long and outdoors, and a 29 C afternoon is far easier to work through than a 41 C one.

Second, the summer wall. From June to August Luxor and Aswan average above 41 C every single month, peaking at 41.5 C in Luxor and 41.9 C in Aswan. Kom Ombo, on the cruise route between them, has June as its hottest month at 41.2 C. A luxury itinerary softens this with an air-conditioned ship and early starts, but the heat sets the day's shape.

Third, the shoulders. April and October are the crossover months. Cairo reaches 28 C in April and 30.1 C in October, while Luxor sits at 35 C and 35.5 C. These are workable temperatures for most visitors and they sit outside the deepest winter crowds. They also sit inside the khamsin window, which the seasons section below covers, and inside the lock closure that runs from April to mid-October.

• November to March: no city above 30.2 C in the table, the most comfortable travel window
• June to August: Luxor and Aswan above 41 C each month, the hardest stretch for temple visits
• April and October: mid-30s in the south, the shoulder months with the khamsin risk in spring
• Cairo sees only about 55 mm of rain a year, so rain is never the deciding factor

Winter: October to April, the Main Season

Winter is when Egypt is at its best and at its busiest. The preferred season for Nile cruises is October to February, and Wikivoyage calls November to March the most comfortable months. Cairo highs stay below 26 C through most of the winter, Luxor averages 22.8 C in January, and Saqqara sees 15 to 25 C from November to February. This is also the Luxor hot air balloon season: a balloon guide names October to April as the best flying window, with calm early-morning air before the day heats up.

The cost of the comfort is demand. Christmas and New Year are the peak, and the catalog prices reflect it. The 8-Day Cairo Aswan Luxor Private Tour at $1,800 carries a $200 per person supplement from December 20 to January 2. The 5-Day Dahabiya Nile Cruise at $1,750 adds an unspecified fee from December 20 to January 7, and the 5-Day Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise and the 8-Day Private Egypt Nile Cruise Tour both list Christmas, New Year and Easter as separate pricing options. Two holidays fall inside the winter window on fixed days: Coptic Christmas on 7 January, and Eastern Orthodox Christmas on the same date. Book the peak weeks early and confirm which supplement applies to your dates.

Inside the season sit the two Abu Simbel sun days, when sunrise light reaches the inner sanctuary 55 m into the Great Temple and lights three of the four statues for about 20 minutes. They fall on 22 October and 22 February, and the ministry price list shows a special ticket of EGP 1,200 for foreign adults and EGP 600 for students on those days against EGP 750 and EGP 375 normally. The same list gives opening hours of 6:00 to 17:00.

Spring: the Khamsin Window

Spring warms fast. Cairo moves from 23.9 C in March to 32.3 C in May, and Luxor goes from 29.7 C to 39.1 C. The defining risk is the khamsin, a hot desert wind that usually arrives in April but can occur between March and May. A khamsin can raise temperatures by up to 20 C in two hours with winds up to 140 km/h, and humidity drops below 5 percent during one. Wikivoyage notes that sandstorms in this window raise temperatures and dry the air.

For a tour, the practical read is that spring itineraries need slack, because a temple morning may have to move. It is also the season when the Nile locks close: locks close from April to mid-October for water management, so spring cruises after April involve transfers between boats at the locks rather than continuous sailing. The Esna barrage locks regularly delay ships, and Esna sits about 55 km south of Luxor. If sailing through matters to you, aim before April or from mid-October, or read how the transfer pattern works in the Nile river cruise guide. Alexandria is the spring exception worth knowing: Wikivoyage recommends it from March to June, with a summer average of 31 C.

Summer: Heat Above 41 C in the South

Summer is the season the table warns about. Luxor averages 41.3 C in June, 41.5 C in July and 41.2 C in August. Aswan runs 41.7 C, 41.9 C and 41.9 C across the same months, and Cairo reaches 34.7 to 35.1 C. Cairo summer can push to 38 C on Wikivoyage's figures. June is the hottest month at Kom Ombo at 41.2 C. There is nowhere on the classic route that escapes it.

A luxury itinerary is the only comfortable way to attempt summer, and even then it changes shape. Sightseeing moves to early morning, the middle of the day belongs to an air-conditioned cabin or ship, and the Luxor balloon does not appear in the season: the flying window is October to April. Sailing is affected too, because the lock closure runs to mid-October and the preferred cruise season is October to February. Hurghada offers the summer escape: Red Sea water reaches 28 C in August against an annual average of 24 C, and the 9-Day Egypt Sleeper Train Tour builds two beach days around the temple route.

Autumn: the Season Returns

Autumn is the long run back down the table. September still reads 33.5 C in Cairo, 39.4 C in Luxor and 39.9 C in Aswan, so early September behaves like summer. By October the south drops to 35.5 C and 36.1 C, and November lands at 29.2 C in Luxor and 29.7 C in Aswan, firmly inside the comfortable band. The balloon season reopens in October, and the Nile locks reopen in mid-October, so the second half of autumn is when the full cruise pattern and the flying pattern resume together.

Two autumn dates carry weight. The Abu Simbel sun alignment falls on 22 October, and the ministry price list shows EGP 1,200 for foreign adults that day against the normal EGP 750, with the site open 6:00 to 17:00 on that list. Ramadan also moves through the calendar, and its effect on a visit is the same wherever it falls: most restaurants close until sunset, working hours shrink, and non-Muslims should avoid eating or drinking in public during the fasting day. Ramadan 2027 is estimated to run from 8 February to 8 March, and Ramadan 2028 from 28 January to 25 February, with dates following the Umm al-Qura calendar and a local moon sighting able to shift them. Museum hours shorten too, with one guide listing GEM gallery hours of 9:00 to 16:00 in Ramadan against the standard 9:00 to 18:00. For the month the fasting falls in, plan early starts and expect quieter middays.

Ramadan 2027 and Eid

Ramadan 2027 is estimated to run from 8 February to 8 March. The dates follow the Umm al-Qura calendar, so local moon sighting can shift them by a day. During Ramadan most restaurants close until sunset and working hours shrink, and the GEM gallery hours shorten to 9:00 to 16:00 according to a visitor guide.

Non-Muslims should avoid eating or drinking in public during the fasting hours. Eid dates for 2027 are not given here. If you want a private schedule with fewer closures, the 7-day private Egyptologist tour is a private licensed Egyptologist trip at a $1,500 base price, with the Cairo hotel and domestic flights extra.

Coptic Christmas

Coptic Christmas falls on 29 Koiak, which matches 7 January in the Gregorian calendar. Egypt also marks Eastern Orthodox Christmas on the same day, and Revolution Day follows on 25 January. It sits inside the October to April season, so the weather is on your side: January highs average 19 C in Cairo and 22.8 C in Luxor.

Christmas and New Year Peaks

Some operators in the catalog price the late-December peak openly. The 8-day Cairo Aswan Luxor private tour adds $200 per person from December 20 to January 2 on top of its $1,800 price. Book months ahead and confirm the supplement in writing before paying. For the cruise-only alternative, the 5-day ultra deluxe Nile cruise prices Christmas and New Year as separate options, so ask for the amount before you commit.

The Abu Simbel Sun Days

The sun reaches the inner sanctuary of the Great Temple on 22 October and 22 February. Sunlight travels 55 m into the temple and lights three of the four statues for about 20 minutes. The ministry price list shows a special sun alignment ticket of EGP 1,200 for foreign adults and EGP 600 for students, against the normal EGP 750 adult ticket.

The list gives opening hours of 6:00 to 17:00, and group tours leave Aswan around 4:00 for the 3.5 to 4 hour drive. If the sun days matter to you, check whether Abu Simbel is included or optional: the 4-day Nile cruise with Abu Simbel includes it from $690.

The Balloon Season in Luxor

A balloon guide names October to April as the best flying season in Luxor. Flights launch at dawn from a west bank airfield, and a flight lasts at least 45 minutes depending on weather. Baskets can hold up to 21 people.

High winds ground flights, so build a spare morning into the schedule. The 8-day Egypt Highlights tour includes a Luxor balloon ride on day 5 for $1,808, which makes the season question a booking question too. The safety side of ballooning is covered in the Luxor hot air balloon guide.

Nile Lock Closures

The Esna lock and the Nile locks close from April to mid-October for water management, which forces transfers between boats mid-route. The Esna barrage sits about 55 km south of Luxor and regularly delays cruise ships even in season. This is a strong argument for cruising in the October to April window, which is also the preferred cruise season.

More on routing and ships in the Nile river cruise guide.

What the Holiday Dates Cost

Only one listing prints the peak supplement as a figure. The other three name the holiday window but give no amount, so you must ask the operator. The table compares the listings that mention holiday pricing, with the card price and the stated supplement side by side.

How to Handle the Gap

Three of the four supplements have no published amount, so a card price is only a base price at the peak. Message the operator for the exact figure before you book, and get the total in writing. For a calendar that avoids the peak entirely, the shoulder weeks in late October and late February sit outside every holiday window above while staying inside the good season for a luxury Egypt tour.