Best Time to Visit Aswan

Winter: the sweet spot

From November to February, Aswan is at its best. Days are warm and dry, and the sun shines almost all day. In December and January, nights get properly cool, so you'll want a jumper on a felucca (a traditional sailing boat) after sunset. Sightseeing is easy. You can walk around Philae Temple on its island or climb the tombs on the West Bank without feeling cooked.

This is also high season. Nile cruises between Aswan and Luxor fill up, and the Corniche (the riverside promenade) is busy in the evenings. The Christmas and New Year weeks are the busiest of all. If you hate crowds, aim for early November or February.

March to April, and October

These are the in-between months. March is still pleasant, with warm days and cool nights. By April, afternoons get hot enough that you'll want to do temples in the morning and rest at midday. October is a surprise. It still rates Poor in our data, with highs of 38°C, so don't expect a cool autumn.

Prices and crowds ease off in these months. That makes them a fair pick if you can handle heat and want more room at the Unfinished Obelisk or the Nubian Museum.

One event worth planning around is the sun festival at Abu Simbel, about three hours south by road. It happens twice a year, around 22 February and 22 October, when sunlight reaches the inner sanctuary of Ramses II's temple. Expect a crowd at dawn.

May to September: the furnace

Summer is very hot. June, July and August all peak at 43°C, and nights barely cool off. It never rains, and the sun beats down for more than twelve hours a day. Midday is not a time for walking around. Most visitors stay inside until late afternoon.

There's an upside. Hotels are quiet and cheap, and you may have the temples almost to yourself at opening time. A dip in a hotel pool and an evening stroll through the souk (market) on Sharia al-Souq can be lovely once the sun drops. Elephantine Island's Nubian villages are also calmer then.

If you can only go in summer, plan around the early morning and after dusk. Otherwise, pick winter. It's the reason most people come, and it's easy to see why.