Things to do in Aswan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Aswan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, ideal temple, felucca and desert days with cool evenings and peak prices.
Good shoulder months, warm and manageable with early starts and better availability.
Worst months, daytime heat regularly approaches or exceeds 40C.
Hot borderline months, workable for veterans who start at dawn and rest midday.
What's on
- Abu Simbel Sun Festival 22 February
Sunrise lights the inner sanctuary statues for about 20 to 25 minutes, arrive by 5am and book weeks ahead.
- Abu Simbel Sun Festival 22 October
Second yearly alignment, with folkloric performances in Abu Simbel and Aswan and intense crowds inside.
- Coptic Christmas 7 January
Church celebrations, with Aswan's Coptic cathedral by the Corniche a local landmark.
- Aswan International Women's Film Festival spring, dates vary
Respected women's cinema festival, worth overlapping if dates align, confirm the year's dates first.
- International Sculpture Symposium winter, dates vary
Open air granite carving symposium whose works fill a sculpture park near the quarries.
- Sham el-Nessim spring, day after Coptic Easter
National spring picnic day when Aswan families fill gardens, islands and feluccas.
Best things to do in Aswan
Philae Temple
Ptolemaic temple to Isis rebuilt on an island, reached by motorboat, and best seen at opening before cruise groups.
Nubian Museum
Museum of Nubian history from prehistory to the Lake Nasser rescue, best visited before the villages and Abu Simbel.
Elephantine Island
Old ruins, two living Nubian villages, painted houses and car-free lanes to wander for half a day.
Animalia
Small Nubian-run nature and culture museum on Elephantine covering birds, house life and local heritage.
Gharb Soheil
Rainbow-painted Nubian village for tea in a family home, music, crafts and a proper meal, best late afternoon.
Sunset on the Nile
Aswan's defining daily ritual, watching feluccas and pink West Bank cliffs from the water at sunset.
Tombs of the Nobles
Old and Middle Kingdom governors' tombs with vivid daily life scenes and the best panorama in Aswan.
Aswan Botanical Garden
Shaded island garden of palms and acacia planted under Lord Kitchener, reached by felucca.
Where to stay in Aswan
Elephantine Island
best overall base
Car-free Nubian villages, farms and ruins, a five minute ferry to the Corniche and the best guesthouses.
Southern Corniche / Old Cataract quarter
luxury and first-timers
Grand hotel end of the Corniche by the Nubian Museum, facing Elephantine, with easy taxis and Philae transfers.
Heissa & Bigeh Islands
retreat and couples
Total quiet, temple views, boats on call and stars, but every town dinner needs a boat plus taxi.
Gharb Soheil
budget immersion
Staying in the painted village itself for family hospitality, home cooking, music and the river beach.
Think twice about
- Northern Corniche around the station and souq entrance
Not dangerous, but noisy, traffic choked and dusty, with the city's most relentless boat, carriage and tour touting.
- Airport road / El Khazzan industrial fringe and far southern sprawl
Isolated and unwalkable with nothing nearby, dependent on negotiated taxis for every move.
- A Nile cruise boat as your only Aswan base
Boats moor in shifting stacks, follow the cruise timetable and leave on sailing day whether you have seen Aswan or not.
Best restaurants in Aswan
1902 Restaurant
Soaring Moorish revival dining room from 1902 serving French influenced fine dining for a celebration dinner.
The Terrace
Old Cataract terrace for a sunset drink or light dinner facing Elephantine.
Oriental Kebabgy
Egyptian grills served on a Nile terrace at the Old Cataract.
King Jamaica Restaurant & Café
Consensus favourite on Elephantine for Nubian molokhia, tagines and mixed grill at sunset, cooked fresh.
Onaty Ka
Claypot tagine in a Nubian family setting in Gharb Soheil, arranged through your host before you arrive.
Solaih Nubian Restaurant
Nubian tagines on an island terrace facing Philae, reached only by boat for dinner at dusk.
Al Masry Restaurant
Local institution for Egyptian grills, kebab, kofta and pigeon, best judged at lunch as locals do.
Makka Restaurant
No frills downtown restaurant for grills, tagines and set meals at local prices, open long hours.
Outdoor things to do in Aswan
Private sunset felucca, First Cataract circuit
Private or shared felucca circuit past Elephantine, the Botanical Garden and the Aga Khan viewpoint at golden hour.
Abu Simbel Temples
Two rock-cut temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari above Lake Nasser, the great day trip south from Aswan.
St Simeon's Monastery
Camel ride across the West Bank desert to a ruined 7th century Coptic monastery above the Nile.
Birdwatching by felucca, First Cataract islands
Quiet felucca birdwatching among rocky reed-fringed islands, best at dawn in winter for migrants and Nile species.
Multi-day felucca sail toward Kom Ombo
Two to three days sailing north on a large felucca with a Nubian crew, sleeping on deck under the stars.
Nile cruise, Aswan to Luxor
Three to four night cruise north via Kom Ombo and Edfu to Luxor on a named boat with recent reviews.
Kom Ombo Temple
Double temple to Sobek and Horus on a Nile bend, paired with Edfu on the smart transfer to Luxor.
Edfu Temple
The best preserved major temple in Egypt, paired with Kom Ombo on a day trip or Luxor transfer.
Best hotels in Aswan
Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan
Victorian palace hotel in pink granite where Agatha Christie wrote, with a superb pool facing Elephantine.
BenBen by Dhara Hotels
Adults only whitewashed island hotel facing Philae, with a 24 hour boat, spa and total quiet.
Mövenpick Resort Aswan
Large resort on Elephantine with gardens, a big pool, multiple restaurants and family infrastructure.
Pyramisa Island Hotel Aswan
Dated but spacious island resort fallback, with scores trailing the top three luxury hotels.
Kato Dool Wellness Resort
Domed Nubian wellness guesthouse in the village, with home style food and hosts who arrange boats.
Eco Nubia Lodge
Eco lodge in converted Nubian houses facing Philae, with no air conditioning so best from November to February.
Basma Hotel Aswan
Reliable long running hotel by the Nubian Museum with a pool, terrace Nile views and full reception.
Anakato
Family run Nubian guesthouse with painted courtyards, terrace breakfasts and hosts who sort fair price boats.
Is Aswan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | EGP 3,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | EGP 8,000 a person |
| Splurge | EGP 20,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Philae Temple: a few days ahead
- Philae Sound & Light Show: a few days ahead
- Abu Simbel Temples: a few days ahead
- Birdwatching by felucca, First Cataract islands: a few days ahead
- Multi-day felucca sail toward Kom Ombo: weeks ahead
- Nile cruise, Aswan to Luxor: weeks ahead
- Lake Nasser cruise to Abu Simbel: months ahead
- Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan: months ahead
- Book Old Cataract, BenBen, Lake Nasser cruises and Sun Festival Abu Simbel months ahead in winter.
- Book private Egyptologists, birdwatching, 1902 and Solaih days ahead, and leave feluccas and the souq unplanned.
Is Aswan safe?
- Aswan is relaxed and safe by guide consensus, the daily issue is hassle, answered with a firm friendly no thank you.
- Bottled water only, strong sun protection, swim only where a local host swims and never in cataract channels.
Aswan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The free or ten minute felucca that becomes an hour at full price, so state duration and total price aloud first.
- Guide steered shopping stops for gold and jewellery, plus Philae boat overcharging above the posted marina tariff.
Getting around Aswan: public transport and more
- East Bank has taxis and tuk-tuks, islands need ferries or boats, and Elephantine's public ferry takes about five minutes.
- Agree taxi, boat and carriage fares in full before boarding, carry small EGP notes and have the destination pinned.
Who Aswan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Aswan your trip
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