Seasonal

Christmas in Egypt: What It Costs and What It's Like

Christmas in Egypt means the best weather of the year and the highest prices of the year, in the same two weeks. Rooms, Nile boats and internal flights all cost noticeably more than in early November or late February. If you can travel either side of the holidays, you get the same Egypt for less, with the same temples and quieter mornings.

What is the weather like in Egypt in December and January?

This is the best weather Egypt gets. Luxor and Aswan sit around 22-25C in the afternoon, with clear skies and low humidity. Cairo runs a few degrees cooler. Walking around Karnak or the Valley of the Kings in December is comfortable in a way it simply is not in June, when the same ground touches roughly 40C.

The nights are the part people underestimate. Once the sun drops, temperatures in Upper Egypt fall to single figures, and a boat deck or a desert camp at 6am is genuinely cold. Bring a fleece and long trousers, not just shorts. Sea temperatures on the Red Sea are around 22C, swimmable, though a windy day makes it feel less inviting.

Why does Egypt celebrate Christmas on 7 January?

Egypt has two Christmases, and only one of them is Egyptian. The Coptic Orthodox Church, which most Egyptian Christians belong to, marks the Nativity on 7 January. That is the public holiday. 25 December is an ordinary working day for most of the country, observed mainly in hotels, tourist areas and expatriate circles.

Practically, this affects two days rather than a season. Banks, government offices and many businesses close on 7 January; museums and archaeological sites stay open. The main Christmas Eve liturgy falls on the evening of 6 January, and the big cathedral service in Cairo is a security-controlled event rather than something a visitor can wander into. Smaller churches in Old Cairo are easier, and it is polite to ask before photographing anything.

How much more expensive is Christmas and New Year?

Expect a clear premium over shoulder-season rates across hotels, Nile boats and domestic flights. The Cairo-Luxor and Cairo-Aswan flights are the sharpest jump, because there are only so many seats and everyone wants the same three days. Guides and drivers are booked up too, so the flexibility you would have in February is not there. Ask for the same itinerary quoted on your dates and on a week in February, then compare the totals.

Then there are the gala dinner supplements. Most hotels and cruise boats add a compulsory per-person charge for dinner on 24 or 25 December and again on 31 December. You pay it whether you attend or not, and it is often quoted separately from the room rate, so it can appear late in a quote. It is worth reading the total rather than the nightly rate.

How busy are the sites over the holidays?

Busy, but not uniformly. The Giza plateau and the Valley of the Kings are fullest between about 9am and noon, when the coaches and cruise groups arrive together. Getting to the Valley for opening, or Giza in the first hour, changes the day; by mid-afternoon much of the crowd has gone. Abu Simbel is different: a day trip from Aswan by road or short flight, not a Nile cruise stop, and busiest when the early arrivals land.

New Year's Eve itself is quieter than people imagine. Egypt is not a country with a big public countdown. The celebration happens inside hotels and on boats, at a fixed price, with a set menu. If a memorable New Year's Eve is the point of the trip, Egypt is the wrong choice. If you want the temples in good weather and a decent dinner, it works.

How far ahead should you book?

Six to nine months is realistic for late December and early January. The small dahabiyas and the better cruise boats fill first, usually by late summer, and after that you are choosing from what is left rather than what you wanted. Domestic flights follow the same pattern. Booking three weeks out is possible, but it costs more and the choice is poor.

Book the fixed points first: the boat or the dates in Upper Egypt, then the internal flights, then Cairo. Cairo hotels have far more rooms than the Nile has cabins, so they are the easiest piece to solve late. Deposits at this time of year are usually non-refundable, so settle your dates before you commit rather than after.

Is Christmas in Egypt worth it, or should you shift your dates?

If your dates are fixed by school holidays, go. The weather is genuinely the best of the year and it makes the difference between enjoying Luxor and enduring it. Accept the premium as the price of those dates, and spend the money on a smaller boat or a better guide rather than a grander hotel.

If you are flexible, shift. Mid-January to February gives you almost identical weather at shoulder prices, and the sites are noticeably calmer. Late October and November work too. The one version we would talk you out of is a short, expensive holiday-week trip: five days at peak rates buys a rushed Cairo and one temple, and you will feel the cost more than the country.

Common questions

Do shops, sites and restaurants close over the holidays?+

Almost nothing closes. 25 December is a normal working day in Egypt, so shops, museums and archaeological sites run as usual. 7 January is the public holiday: banks and government offices shut, but hotels, restaurants and the major sites stay open. Traffic in Cairo is lighter that day, which helps.

Will it feel like Christmas?+

In your hotel, yes: trees, decorations and a set dinner. Outside it, not really. Egypt is a majority-Muslim country and 25 December passes without much notice beyond Cairo malls and tourist areas. Coptic churches decorate for early January instead. If you want a Christmas atmosphere, this is the wrong destination; if you want a warm break from one, it is a good one.

Exactly which dates carry peak prices?+

Usually from around 20 December to the first week of January, with the sharpest rates over 24, 25 and 31 December. Some boats and hotels extend the peak window to cover Coptic Christmas on 7 January. The dates vary by property, so it is worth having them in writing before you commit to flights.

What should I pack for late December?+

Layers. Daytime is shirt weather, but early mornings at the temples and evenings on deck are cold, so bring a fleece, long trousers and closed shoes. The sun is still strong at midday, so sun cream and a hat matter. Dust is constant, so a scarf is more useful than it sounds.

Is a Nile cruise worth the extra cost at this time of year?+

Yes, more so than in summer. Deck time is pleasant in December rather than punishing, and a boat solves the two hardest parts of a Christmas trip: beds in Luxor and Aswan, and transport between the temples. The trade-off is that cabins sell out earliest and hold their price hardest.

Official sources

Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.

Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ↗The ministry lists which tombs and temples currently open.
UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗It updates continuously, and most UK travel insurance follows it.

Written and checked by the Nile Trip Guide editorial team · Last reviewed 3 September 2026. Entry rules, prices and opening hours change — check anything critical against the official sources linked on this page.