The best time to visit Egypt

Discover the best time to visit Egypt

The best time to visit Egypt is Spring or Autumn. Find out all the details and a month by month comparison in this blog post.

Best time, months, temperatures to visit Egypt

By common consent, mid-March until mid-May and mid-September until mid-November are the best times to travel to Egypt. In these transition months, temperatures stay within pleasant limits. The Summer months, especially July and August will see average (!) temperatures of 94° F / 34° Celsius and more, while the winter months will be quite cool, especially at night (down to 50°F / 10°C).

So, what’s better? Spring or Autumn in Egypt? If you can take your pick, then Autumn will be better, as a hot sand wind, the Khamsin, occurs in the first half of the year (from around April to May). Don’t think of it as a constant sand storm, but rather short bouts that last a few hours. Still, the sky will be quite dusty, while you usually have a clear blue sky in autumn.

The best time to visit Egypt by region

Egypt is quite the large country (390,000 square miles) and it’s probably no big surprise the climate varies a bit from region to region. As you will probably travel around a bit (read my perfect 14 days Egypt itinerary for some inspiration), it pays off to look at the differences.

The best time to visit Cairo

Most international flights will arrive in the capital of Egypt and most tourists will want to spend some time there.

Roughly 80 miles away from the coast, Cairo still benefits (a bit) from the Mediterranean climate prevalent in North Africa, and is usually far cooler than Luxor or Aswan in the desert below. We are talking about a temperature difference of 5-10°F (3-5°C).

To give you a good impression: While the average temperature in Luxor can reach up to 106° F (41°C) in August, the temperature in Cairo will usually “just” be around 94° F (34°C) during that time of the year.

In winter, rain might even occur (though it’s usually just a short drizzle that barely reaches the ground), and temperatures will be quite cold at night in Cairo. During my last stay in Mid-March, I was glad I brought a jumper for the evenings. With 59°F (15°C) in the evening, you don’t want to run around in shorts and t-shirts (just in case, read my guide on what to wear in Egypt). If you are visiting just Cairo, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, as cooler temperatures actually mean less of a crowd. In this case, I’d only try to avoid July and August and pack accordingly if you plan to visit Cairo in January or December.

Still, April or October are probably the best months to visit Cairo, as both Luxor and Hurghada/Sharm El-Sheik won’t be too hot around that time yet. That way, you have pleasant temperatures during your whole trip.

Best time to visit Luxor and Aswan

Both Luxor and Aswan are located deep down in the Sahara desert. While the River Nile shrouds the Ancient Egyptian cities into a small band of greenery, it does not really help to cool down the temperatures. March, April, October, and November offer a good mixture between not overly hot days and pleasantly warm nights.

You should really avoid visiting Luxor or Aswan in July or August. The areas around the big temples and especially the valley of the Kings or Abu Simbel will heat up to a point where even drinking tons of water and carrying an umbrella will avail you little. Expect to feel like entering a furnace, where even the best air-conditions in a bus are prone to fail under stress.