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
Red Sea
The best time to visit Hurghada is April to May or September to November. The sea is then between 25C and 30C and the air is warm without the midsummer heat. Hurghada works all year, though. Winter is mild and windy, with cooler water. Summer is hot but the sea is at its warmest. Here is each month, plus wind, crowds and the 2027 holiday dates.
Winter, December to FebruarySummer, June to August| Winter, December to February | Summer, June to August | |
|---|---|---|
| Air, daytime high | About 21C to 23C | About 33C to 34C |
| Sea | About 22C to 23C. Most people want a thicker wetsuit | About 29C to 31C, the warmest of the year |
| Wind | Comes and goes. Some days are calm, some blow hard | Steady afternoon breeze that takes the edge off the heat |
| Crowds and prices | Peak at Christmas and New Year, busy in the February half-term | European school holidays fill the resorts in July and August |
| Pairs with Luxor? | Yes. Ideal temple weather | Hard. Luxor reaches about 41C |
| Best for | Sun without heat, a Nile trip with a few beach days | Swimming, snorkelling and diving in warm water |
The short answer
For a beach week, go in April, May, September or October. For a Nile trip with Hurghada at the end, go between October and April. Winter is better for the temples than for swimming.
April to May and September to November are the best times to visit Hurghada. The sea is 25C to 30C, warm enough to stay in for a long snorkel. Daytime highs sit around 27C to 32C.
May and September are the value months. The water is warm, the days are long, and rates have not caught up with the conditions.
If your trip includes Luxor or a Nile cruise, the answer moves to October to April. That is when the temples are comfortable. October and April are the months when both halves work well.
Here are typical daytime highs and sea temperatures for each month. Air figures are long-term averages, and the sea figures match our month pages.
January: air 21C, sea 22C. February: air 22C, sea 22C. March: air 25C, sea 23C. April: air 28C, sea 25C.
May: air 31C, sea 27C. June: air 33C, sea 29C. July: air 34C, sea 30C. August: air 34C, sea 31C.
September: air 32C, sea 30C. October: air 30C, sea 28C. November: air 27C, sea 26C. December: air 23C, sea 23C.
The sea lags the air. It is coolest from January to March and warmest in August.
Winter in Hurghada is mild, with highs of about 21C to 25C. It is pleasant for walking and sitting in the sun. It is cool after dark, so bring a jacket.
The sea drops to about 22C to 23C. You can swim, but most divers and snorkellers want a thicker wetsuit from December to March.
Winter is the right time to pair Hurghada with Luxor or a Nile cruise. The temples are at their best, and the beach days come as a rest at the end.
Christmas and New Year are the most expensive weeks of the year. February half-term from Europe also lifts prices for a week or two.
Summer highs in Hurghada are about 33C to 34C, with a sea breeze. That is far easier than Luxor, which reaches about 41C at the same time.
The sea is the reward. It reaches 29C in June and 31C in August, which is close to bathwater. Snorkelling and diving are easy, and many people dive in a shortie.
European charter traffic picks up in July, and school holidays fill the resorts in August. Prices on the coast rise with that demand, while inland prices stay at their lowest.
June is the sweet spot of summer. The water is already warm and the school holidays have not started.
Hurghada is windy for much of the year. At Hurghada airport the wind averages about 12 knots, mostly from the north-north-west. That figure comes from Windfinder observations between 2000 and 2026.
Spring is the windiest time and the main kite season. The wind is most reliable from spring to early autumn. In midwinter it comes and goes, with some days that give kiters nothing.
El Gouna, about 20 minutes north, is the main kite spot on this coast. Its shallow water over sand makes it a good place to learn.
The same wind affects everyone else. A strong day cancels offshore boats, including the long runs to the Abu Nuhas wrecks. Plan a diving week around four or five boat days, and book key trips early in your stay.
The priciest weeks are Christmas and New Year. February half-term and Easter are busy too, and so are July and August, when European families arrive.
The best value is in May, June and September. The sea is warm, the resorts are quieter, and rates sit below the peaks.
Egyptian holidays matter on the coast as well. Coastal hotels fill with Egyptian families at Eid. In 2027, Eid al-Fitr is expected on 9 or 10 March and Eid al-Adha on 16 May.
Ramadan in 2027 is expected from about 8 February to 8 or 9 March. In the resorts, life runs much as normal. In Hurghada town, opening hours change for the month.
The El Gouna Film Festival runs each autumn in El Gouna. In 2026 it ran from 15 to 23 October. It is an industry festival first, so check the organiser's site for public screenings.
The Abu Simbel sun festival on 22 February and 22 October is a long way south. From Hurghada it means a long trip via Luxor and Aswan, so it suits a Nile itinerary better than a beach week.
October and April are the best months to combine the two. The temples are comfortable and the sea is about 25C to 28C. In December and January the temples are perfect, but the sea is cool.
Luxor is about four hours from Hurghada by road. That makes it easy to end a Nile trip on the coast without another flight.
We sell the tours of one Egyptian operator, Memphis Tours. Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea runs eight days from US$2,040 per person, with two nights on the coast. The Nile Cruise and Hurghada runs ten days from US$2,310. Cairo, a Nile Cruise and Hurghada runs eleven days from US$2,560. Both longer tours spend three nights in Hurghada.
October or May. In October the sea is about 28C and the air about 30C. In May the sea is about 27C, the air about 31C, and prices are lower.
Mild rather than warm. Daytime highs are about 21C to 23C from December to February, and evenings need a jacket. The sea is about 22C to 23C.
Yes. The sea is about 22C in January. Many people find it fresh, and divers and snorkellers usually wear a thicker wetsuit.
August, at about 31C. July and September are about 30C. The sea is coolest in January and February, at about 22C.
Yes, for much of the year. The wind averages about 12 knots at the airport, from the north-north-west. Spring is the windiest time and the best for kitesurfing.
May, June and September are usually the best value. Christmas, New Year, February half-term, Easter and the European summer holidays are the busiest and priciest times.
It is hot, about 34C by day, but the sea breeze helps. The sea is about 31C. It is also busy with European school holidays.
Summer for swimming and diving, winter for sun without heat and for pairing with Luxor. Spring and autumn give you most of both.
Read the current US State Department and UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt before you book. Our is Hurghada safe page points to both.
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.
8 days · Nile & Red Sea
No boat on this one. Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a night in Luxor for both banks, two nights on the Red Sea, then back to Cairo for the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Royal Mummies.
from US$2,040 / per person
10 days · Nile & Red Sea
Egypt in three parts: two days in Cairo, three nights sailing Aswan to Luxor, then three nights on the Red Sea with nothing scheduled. The temples first, the sea afterwards.
from US$2,310 / per person
11 days · Nile & Red Sea
The 10 day Nile-and-Red-Sea route with one more day in Cairo at the end, spent on the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Royal Mummies. Two days in Cairo, three nights on the river, three on the sea.
from US$2,560 / per person
