The best time to visit Egypt
Cairo is workable most of the year and Luxor decides your dates. The month table, the Ramadan effect, and the two solar alignments worth planning around.
Photo · AXP Photography · Pexels
November to March, and within that November, February and March are the best value with good weather.
Upper Egypt sets the rules, not Cairo. Luxor and Aswan regularly pass 40 degrees from May to September, and the archaeological sites have no shade.
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Open the currency converter →The month table
| Month | Cairo | Luxor and Aswan | Red Sea | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Cool, some rain | Warm, perfect | Cool for swimming | Peak, priced |
| Feb | Mild | Warm, perfect | Warming | Best value |
| Mar | Warm | Warm to hot | Good | Best value |
| Apr | Warm, khamsin winds | Hot | Very good | Good, watch the wind |
| May | Hot | Very hot | Very good | Coast only |
| Jun | Hot | Punishing | Hot, good diving | Coast only |
| Jul | Hot | Punishing | Hot | Coast only |
| Aug | Hot | Punishing | Hot | Coast only |
| Sep | Hot, easing | Very hot | Very good | Improving |
| Oct | Warm | Hot, easing | Very good | Good |
| Nov | Mild, lovely | Warm, perfect | Good | Best all-round |
| Dec | Cool | Warm | Cool | Peak, priced |
What the seasons actually mean
November to March is the season, and it is when the Nile cruises run at full frequency and the sites are comfortable to walk.
December and January are the peak, with Christmas and New Year the most expensive fortnight of the Egyptian year. Cairo in January can be genuinely chilly in the evening and there is occasional rain, which surprises people.
February, March and November are our picks. Same site conditions, materially lower prices, and fewer people in front of the tomb you have queued for.
April and May bring the khamsin, a hot dry wind off the desert that carries sand and can reduce visibility for a day or two at a time. The meteorological authority issues warnings for it. It is not common enough to plan against and it is worth knowing about.
June to September is the discount, and the discount is real. If your trip is the Red Sea, Alexandria or a short Cairo stay, take it. The coast is moderated by the sea and the diving is excellent. If it is Luxor, Aswan and a cruise, do not.
The two solar alignments
Twice a year, on around 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun reaches down the length of the temple at Abu Simbel and lights the statues in the inner sanctuary. It is an engineering feat from the thirteenth century BC, and it survived the temple being cut apart and moved in the 1960s.
Both dates draw very large crowds and Aswan's accommodation books out well ahead. Plan around them deliberately, in either direction.
Ramadan, which changes the shape of a day
Sites and museums keep shorter hours, many restaurants close during daylight, and the whole rhythm of the country shifts to the evening.
It is also one of the more interesting times to be there. The iftar meal at sunset is a genuine experience and the cities are alive at night in a way they are not otherwise.
The practical version: start early, expect afternoon closures, do not eat or drink openly in the street during the day, and check the hours of anything you have travelled for.
The dates move about eleven days earlier each year against the western calendar, so check for your year.
The daily rhythm, which matters more than the month
Sites open early and that is when to be at them. Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Giza are all materially better in the first two hours, on crowds and on temperature.
The middle of the day is for the museum, the boat or the hotel. Our ten-day Egypt route is sequenced around exactly that, and it also covers the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened fully in November 2025 and reorders the Cairo half of any older itinerary.
The Nile cruise season
Full frequency from October to April. Boats do run in summer and fewer of them, and the deck in July is not where you want to be.
A dahabiya, the small sailing boat, runs a shorter season again and is worth checking directly.
Checked 21 Aug 2026.
Everything we check for Egypt →Visa on arrival · 30 days, on all five passports we check.
Short tourist stays only. Checked 21 Aug 2026; rules change without notice and the government page is the source of truth.
Check your own passport →Before you book
The ten-day Egypt route is the trip this calendar is for, and it has the museum and the cruise question.
The best time to visit Morocco covers the other end of North Africa, and our November guide explains why that month opens the season across the region.
The when to go hub collects the seasonal guides and the November month page rates the catalogue for the best all-round month here.
Seasonal patterns and site timings checked September 2026 against Egypt's official tourism site and the Egyptian Meteorological Authority. Ramadan dates move against the western calendar each year and site opening hours change with the season, so confirm both for your dates. Here is how we research and re-check guides.
