Best Time to Visit Shubra al Khaymah

Winter and spring: the easy months

From November to April, Shubra al Khaymah is at its most comfortable. Days are mild, and January is the coolest month, with nights down around 7°C. That surprises people. Pack a proper jacket for evenings, especially if you're out late near the Nile. Rain is rare and light. A shower now and then is the most you'll see, with November the dampest of the lot.

This is the time for walking. Shubra al Khaymah is a dense, busy northern suburb of Greater Cairo, and the streets are best on foot when it's cool. You can wander the markets, stop for koshari (rice, lentils and pasta with tomato sauce) and ride the metro into central Cairo without melting. Day trips to the Giza pyramids or Islamic Cairo are also far more pleasant now.

Travelling with kids? March and April are a good pick. Days are warm but not harsh. Expect a dusty, hazy sky at times in spring, when the khamsin wind (a hot, sandy wind) can roll through.

Summer: hot and dry

June, July and August are rated Poor, and that's fair. July and August tie for the hottest highs at 39°C, and August has the warmest nights at 23°C. It doesn't rain at all, and the sun shines for twelve hours or more. Afternoons are heavy, and the concrete holds the heat after dark.

If you have to come, do your sightseeing in the evening. Cairo stays awake late in summer, and cafés and street food stalls fill up once the sun drops. Spend midday indoors, in a mall or a museum such as the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. May and September are Fair, so they're a little easier, but still hot.

Crowds, events and when to go

Shubra al Khaymah isn't a resort area, so it has no tourist high season in the usual sense. Most visitors pass through on the way to Cairo's big sights, and those sights are busiest from October to April. The suburb itself gets crowded around holidays, when local families are out and about.

Ramadan, the fasting month, moves about eleven days earlier each year. Days are quiet, and after sunset the streets come alive with iftar (the evening meal) and lanterns called fanous. It's a lovely time to be here if you don't mind restaurants being shut by day. Eid al-Fitr, which ends Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha bring more family crowds and busy transport.

For the best mix of weather and ease, aim for late October, November or March.