The best time to visit Egypt is a personal choice that all boils down to personal choice, your travel style, and your priorities. With its rich history, breathtaking landmarks, and vibrant culture, Egypt is a popular travel destination for many. However, the timing of your visit can greatly affect your experience.

Planning a trip to Egypt requires careful consideration of the ideal time to visit. Whether you prefer cooler temperatures for outdoor activities or want to avoid peak tourist season crowds, understanding the different seasons and their pros and cons will help you plan a memorable and enjoyable trip. In this article, we will discuss the best time to visit Egypt based on various factors so you can look forward to a truly unforgettable vacation.

If you are hoping to enjoy a fantastically lively and vibrant atmosphere during your trip to Egypt, then you should consider visiting towards the end of December or early in January. The atmosphere is really amazing at this time of the year, and many people would consider this to be the best time to visit Egypt. However, there are four things which you need to be aware of:

Prices

Everything costs more, including hotel accommodation, package tours and Nile River cruises. This is especially true if you visit during the Christmas, New Year and/or Easter holidays. You can save quite a bit of money and still enjoy a lively and vibrant atmosphere if you visit shortly before or shortly after the holidays.

Crowds

If you visit at any point in December, January or February, expect to encounter huge crowds of tourists at nearly all of Egypt’s popular tourist attractions. In fact at attractions such as the Giza Pyramids you’ll find that it is virtually impossible to take photos of the pyramids without having loads of other people in your photos unless you get to the site very early in the morning before the tour buses start arriving.

Hotel and Nile Cruise Availability

Hotels and Nile cruise ships are often fully booked at this time of the year, so be sure to make your hotel reservations well in advance if you are planning on visiting Egypt in December, January, or February. The same applies to Nile River cruise reservations, which should also be made well in advance in order to avoid disappointment. Egypt tour packages should also be booked well in advance.

Weather

December, January and February are Egypt’s winter months, with January being Egypt’s coldest month. If you plan on visiting in December, January and February, you can expect comfortable temperatures during the day but the evenings can be positively cold. Compared to many other countries, Egypt typically enjoys mild winters, but be sure to pack in some warm layers of clothing to wear in the evenings and a light jacket to wear on cooler days. For people who want to enjoy cool weather the winter season would be the best time to visit Egypt.

If you want to enjoy great sunny weather, and at the same time avoid the main influx of tourists, consider visiting in October, November, March, or April. For many people this would be the best time to visit Egypt.

By the time October and November arrives, the worst of the summer heat has passed and temperatures have started to drop. You can expect maximum daytime highs of around 33° C and minimum daytime lows of around 23° C. The evenings, however, can still be quite cool, so be sure to pack in a light jacket to wear in the evenings. Remember, these are maximum daytime temperatures and minimum daytime temperatures. On most days the temperatures tend to be somewhere in the middle.

All in all, October and November are great months for visiting Egypt and for visiting the country’s many archaeological sites. It is also a great time of the year to enjoy a beach holiday at one of Egypt’s coastal resorts such as Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada or Mars Alam. In fact, visiting during one of these months could very well be the best time to visit Egypt.

By the time March and April arrive, the cool winter temperatures have passed and temperatures have started to rise. Expect maximum temperatures of around 27° C and minimum temperatures during the day of around 20° C. Once again, night-time temperatures can be quite cool so pack accordingly.

In October and November tourist numbers are increasing but you will still avoid the huge crowds of tourists that are common from December to February. By the time March and April arrive many tourists have already left but because many people feel that this is the best time to visit Egypt you will still see lots of tourists visiting popular tourist attractions.

If getting the best possible deals is important to you, then we would recommend visiting anytime from the beginning of May to the end of September. On the tourism calendar this is considered to be the low season and as a result, everything tends to cost less. In May and September the weather can be very hot but providing you dress appropriately, the weather is tolerable.

In May, expect maximum temperatures during the day to range between 30 to 36 ° C while temperatures at night tend to range between 19 and 24 degrees Celsius. In September, expect daytime temperatures to range between 25 and 36° C while night-time temperatures tend to be much the same as they are in May.

If you choose to visit in May or September you also won’t encounter huge crowds of tourists. Most tourists have either already left or they haven’t yet arrived. If you can tolerate the sort of temperatures mentioned above, then either of these two months could be the best time to visit Egypt.

June July and August are Egypt’s summer months, with July being the hottest month of the year. For most people, summer is not the best time to visit Egypt. Also known as the scorching season, temperatures during the day tend to range between 34 and 40° C or even a bit higher. On the other hand, the evenings are almost always pleasantly warm.

The high temperatures which are common during the summer season can make you feel very uncomfortable when visiting popular historical sites like the pyramids, Karnak Temple, the Abu Simbel Temples, etc. If you do choose to visit during the scorching season and you are planning on visiting Egypt’s famous archaeological sites, we would recommend that you try to visit any and all historical sites early in the morning or in the late afternoon in order to avoid the worst of the summer heat.

If you can tolerate the scorching heat, and if avoiding tourist crowds is high on your agenda, then visiting during one of these three summer months could very well be the best time to visit Egypt. These are Egypt’s quietest months as far as tourists are concerned. In fact you will find that many of Egypt’s popular tourist attractions of virtually deserted during the summer months.

With all of the above having been said, the summer months can be a great time to visit Egypt for people who want to enjoy some time on the beach and some water sports on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. In fact, July is considered to be the best month for scuba diving, although scuba diving along Egypt’s coastline is fantastic regardless of when you choose to visit.

If you are willing to pay a bit more for your vacation and you want to enjoy it the most pleasant weather then the peak season, which is also known as the high season, would be the best time to visit Egypt. On the tourism calendar, the high season runs from the beginning of October to the end of April.

If you want to save some money by taking advantage of the very best possible deals, and if you can tolerate the hot weather, then the low season would be the best time to visit Egypt. The low season in Egypt runs from the beginning of May to the end of September.

Now that you know what to expect at different times of the year in Egypt will hopefully be in a better position to decide when to visit this amazing country. So, why not contact us now to begin planning your journey to the Land of the Pharaohs or even to book one of our classic Egypt tour packages today, and if you need any assistance in deciding when is the best time to visit Egypt, we will be happy to help in any way we can.