By type of trip
Nile Cruises Luxor to Aswan: Routes, Boats and Prices
Classic Egypt Tours: Cairo, Luxor and Aswan Itineraries
Nile Cruise and Red Sea Holidays: Two-Week Egypt Trips
White Desert Tours from Cairo: Oases and Desert Camping
Short Breaks in Egypt: Three and Four Day Cairo Trips
Tailor-made Egypt Tours: Private Trips Built Around You
Cairo
The best time to visit Cairo is October to April. Daytime highs then run from about 19C in January to 29C in October. That is comfortable for long days at the pyramids. March and November are the sweet spots, at about 24C, with prices below the winter peak. Summer reaches 35C, but Cairo stays workable because its biggest museums are indoors. Below is each month, what it costs, and the 2027 dates that change a trip.
October to April
May to September| October to April | May to September | |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime highs | About 19C in January up to 29C in October | About 32C in May and September, 35C in July and August |
| Pyramids and Saqqara | Comfortable for most of the day | Go at opening and finish by late morning |
| Crowds | Busy to very busy, heaviest at Christmas and New Year | Quiet to very quiet |
| Prices | Mid in April and October, peak in December and January | Low all season |
| Walking Islamic Cairo | Pleasant all day | Early morning or after dark |
| Best for | First visits and long days outdoors | Short city breaks on a budget, built around indoor museums |
The short answer
Go between October and April if you can. Pick March or November for good weather without the peak price. Go in summer only if price matters most, and plan the outdoor sites for early morning.
October to April is the best time to visit Cairo. Daytime highs stay between about 19C and 29C. You can spend a full morning on the Giza plateau and still enjoy the afternoon.
Inside that window, March and November are the two months we would pick. Both sit at about 24C. Both are busy, but prices are below the December and January peak.
Cairo is easier in the heat than Upper Egypt. In July Luxor reaches about 41C, while Cairo sits at about 35C. The Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum are indoor visits. So a Cairo-only trip works in more months than a Luxor one.
These are typical daytime highs, from the same data as our month pages. Treat them as a guide, since any one year can run a few degrees either way.
January about 19C. February 21C. March 24C. April 28C. These are the cool and mild months, and the busiest.
May about 32C. June 34C. July and August 35C. September 32C. This is the hot stretch, and the quietest and cheapest.
October about 29C. November 24C. December 20C. The season builds again, and by December prices are at their highest.
Each month has its own page with more detail. Start with Egypt in March or Egypt in November if you are still choosing.
Winter is the coolest time in Cairo, with highs of about 19C to 21C. It is the best weather of the year for walking. Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili are more pleasant now than at any other time.
It is also the busiest and priciest season. Christmas and New Year are the two most expensive weeks in the Egyptian year. Book hotels and any Nile cruise well ahead.
Evenings are cool. Bring a warm layer for dinner outside, and more if you add a desert night or a cruise.
February is a good compromise. It keeps January's weather but misses the holiday peak. Half-term traffic from Europe lifts prices for a week or two in the middle of the month.
March is often the best single month in Egypt. Cairo sits at about 24C, and crowds have eased from the January peak. April is warmer at about 28C, and crowds thin after Easter.
Spring brings one weather risk, the khamsin. This is a hot southerly wind that can carry sand for a day or two at a time. It can arrive from late March and stay possible into April. It rarely ruins a trip, but it can flatten the view across the plateau.
If a clear photo of the pyramids matters to you, give yourself two chances at Giza. A flexible day in the plan covers a sandy morning.
Cairo in summer is hot, about 32C in May rising to 35C in July and August. It is still workable if you plan around the middle of the day.
The trick is to swap the order of your day. Do the pyramids, Saqqara and the Citadel early. Spend the hot hours in the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is air-conditioned. Walk the old city again after dark.
In return you get the lowest prices of the year and the quietest sites. June and July are the quietest months of all.
Drink more water than feels sensible and treat shade as compulsory. Heat exhaustion is a real risk in July and August.
September is still hot at about 32C, but the second half of the month is easier than the first. Prices often lag behind the cooling weather by two or three weeks. That makes late September good value.
October drops to about 29C and November to 24C. Both are busy. Prices climb through October as the season starts, so the first half is usually better value than the second.
November is one of the best months for Cairo. The weather is close to ideal, and the Cairo International Film Festival runs in the city. Days are shorter, though, so start early.
Cairo is cheapest from May to September. Hotels, guides and boats are at their lowest rates, and June and July are the quietest months.
It is busiest and priciest from December to January. Christmas and New Year top the year. February and March stay busy, with high prices, while April and October are mid-priced.
For the best balance, aim for early October, late March or April. You get good weather and lower rates than the winter peak.
Ramadan in 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 8 or 9 March. You can visit normally. Sites stay open, and hotels and tourist restaurants keep serving. Opening hours are often shorter.
At Giza, the Ministry lists normal hours of 7am to 5pm. During Ramadan it lists 8am to 4pm. Last entry is one hour before closing at both times.
The evenings are the reason to come. After sunset the streets fill, families eat together and the old city stays busy late.
Eid al-Fitr is expected on 9 or 10 March 2027 and Eid al-Adha on 16 May. Both are holidays of several days. Trains, flights and coastal hotels fill with Egyptian families, so book transport early. Islamic dates are estimates until the moon is sighted.
Coptic Christmas on 7 January is a public holiday. Sham el-Nessim, the spring festival, falls on 3 May 2027. Parks and the riverbanks are packed that day, and it is a good day to watch the city.
The Cairo International Film Festival runs from 11 to 20 November 2026 at the Cairo Opera House. It is an industry festival first, so check the organiser's website for public screenings.
The Abu Simbel sun festival falls on 22 February and 22 October each year. It happens far to the south, past Aswan. From Cairo it means a flight and a very early start. In 2027 the February date falls inside Ramadan.
Most other events change one day rather than a whole trip. If your dates fall near a holiday, mention it in your request and we will check what changes.
Most people see Cairo with Luxor, a Nile cruise or the Red Sea. In that case, let the hottest place on your route set the month. Luxor is hotter than Cairo all year, so its season is shorter.
October and March work for everything at once: Cairo, the Nile valley and a warm sea. December and January are best for the temples but too cool for a proper swim.
We sell the tours of one Egyptian operator, Memphis Tours. The Cairo Short Break runs five days from US$935 per person. Cairo and Luxor, five days, starts at US$1,480. Cairo, Luxor and a Nile Cruise, eight days, starts at US$2,135.
March or November. Both have daytime highs of about 24C. That is warm enough to enjoy and cool enough for a full day at Giza. Prices are below the December and January peak.
July and August, at about 35C by day. June is close behind at about 34C. Plan outdoor sites for early morning and spend the afternoon indoors.
Yes, if price matters most. Summer is the cheapest and quietest time. Do the pyramids at opening and spend the hot hours in the air-conditioned Grand Egyptian Museum.
May to September, with June and July the quietest months. Late September is good value too, because rates lag behind the cooling weather.
Mild by day at about 20C, cool in the evening, and very busy. Christmas and New Year are the most expensive weeks of the year. Book early and pack a warm layer.
Yes, for the evenings, which are the liveliest of the year. Ramadan 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 8 or 9 March. Sites stay open with shorter hours. At Giza, Ramadan hours are 8am to 4pm.
From 11 to 20 November 2026, at the Cairo Opera House. Check the festival's own website for public screenings and tickets.
A hot southerly wind that can carry sand for a day or two. It can arrive from late March and stays possible into April. It can hide the view at Giza, so leave a spare day.
Read the current US State Department and UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt before you book. Both are updated as things change.
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
Written and checked by the Nile Trip Guide editorial team · Last reviewed . Entry rules, prices and opening hours change — check anything critical against the official sources linked on this page.
Plan this trip
A real itinerary with real prices, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged until you say yes.
5 days · Short break
Five days in Cairo and nowhere else: Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili. Four nights in one hotel, and every sightseeing day run privately.
from US$935 / per person
5 days · Short break
Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a flight south for one night in Luxor covering both banks, and a flight back. Five days, two cities, both domestic flights in the price and every day guided privately.
from US$1,480 / per person
8 days · Classic Egypt
The route most people take first, at the length it was built for: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then a flight to Luxor and four nights sailing down to Aswan.
from US$2,135 / per person
