Best time to visit Egypt: Red Sea, Nile, Cairo

Egypt is a year-round destination – but the Red Sea and the Nile Valley have very different weather. In Hurghada the sea takes the edge off the heat; in Luxor, in the middle of the desert, summer days exceed 41 °C and winter nights drop below 9 °C. Cairo sits in between. We analysed the weather of 2015 to 2024 for all three places and tell you when to go where.

The short answer

• Beach holiday on the Red Sea: March to May and October to November. 24 to 31 °C by day and hardly any rain. Winter brings spring-like 21 to 23 °C; summer is hot at 34 to 35 °C, but the sea breeze makes it bearable.
• Luxor, Aswan and a Nile cruise: November to February. 22 to 29 °C by day, clear air, cool nights. From May to September it is so hot, at 39 to 42 °C, that you should only visit temples early in the morning.
• Cairo and the pyramids: October to April. 20 to 30 °C by day; in summer 37 to 38 °C.
• Combining culture and beach: November, February and March are ideal – warm enough by the sea, not yet too hot on the Nile.

Egypt's climate: Hurghada, Luxor and Cairo

Day = average daytime high, night = average low. Average of 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. A grid cell is about 25 km wide; right on the beach it is slightly milder, further inland slightly hotter.

The two charts show the difference: in Hurghada day and night are only about seven degrees apart, in Luxor 13 to 14 degrees in winter. If you take a Nile cruise in January, you will want a warm jacket on deck in the evening. We have skipped a rain chart: Hurghada averages 8 mm for the whole year, Luxor practically nothing, and Cairo about 32 mm, almost all of it in winter.

Egypt month by month

December to February

The best time for Luxor, Aswan and Cairo: 22 to 25 °C by day in Luxor, with cool nights of 9 to 11 °C. On the Red Sea it is 21 to 23 °C – warm enough for sunbathing on calm days, but the sea feels fresh. Hotels and Nile boats are heavily booked over Christmas and New Year.

March

A very good month for both: 24 °C in Hurghada, 29.5 °C in Luxor. In spring the khamsin occasionally blows, a hot, dusty desert wind that hazes the sky and pushes temperatures up for a day or two.

April and May

Proper beach weather by the sea at 27.5 and 31 °C. Luxor is already very hot at 34.5 and 39 °C, so temples are best visited in the morning. For a pure beach holiday these are among the best months.

June to September

The hot season. Hurghada sees 34 to 35 °C by day and nights no lower than 26 °C, but the sea breeze makes it bearable. Luxor reaches 40 to 42 °C – trips into the Nile Valley^* are possible but tiring, and only make sense with a start at sunrise. Cairo has 37 to 38 °C. Red Sea hotels are well booked during the summer holidays.

October and November

The second-best time on the Red Sea: 30 °C in October, 26 °C in November, and the sea is warm after the summer. In November Luxor also becomes pleasant again at 29 °C, and the Nile cruise season begins.

What works best when

Red Sea, Nile Valley and Cairo

Base map: Natural Earth

Hurghada is the best-known beach resort on the Red Sea. Coral reefs often begin right off the hotel beaches, and boat trips head to islands and dive sites. The coast is usually windy – welcome in the heat, but in winter also the reason it feels cooler than the thermometer says. For kitesurfers and windsurfers that is an advantage.

In Luxor, the temples of Karnak and Luxor stand on the east bank, the Valley of the Kings^* on the west bank. Many travellers combine Luxor with a Nile cruise to Aswan, where feluccas, the traditional sailing boats, tack between the islands. Luxor can be reached by road from Hurghada and is a popular excursion.

In Cairo, the pyramids stand on the edge of the city at Giza. The sun is strong here even in winter – go early in the morning while it is still quiet.

Ramadan in Egypt

During the fasting month of Ramadan, observant Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. It moves forward by about eleven days each year, so check whether it falls within your travel dates. In the Red Sea resorts you notice little of it; in Cairo and Luxor some opening hours change, and the evenings are lively after the fast is broken.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

In YesTrip you plan an Egypt trip with several stops: a few days in Cairo, Luxor or a Nile cruise, then the beach in Hurghada – with a map and day plan for each stop. The forecast covers your travel days, so you can see whether to move temple visits to the morning. The packing list remembers sun protection, light covering clothes, a jacket for winter nights on the Nile and the right plug adapter. If you travel as a group, you share the trip and log shared expenses.

Before you go

• Entry: Egypt requires a visa, available on arrival or online in advance, and it costs a fee. Check the current rules, including passport validity, on gov.uk.
• Flight: From London a direct flight to Hurghada takes approx. 5.5 hours, to Cairo approx. 5 hours.
• Power: 220 volts, sockets type C and F (two round pins). From the UK you need an adapter.
• Clothing: In Cairo, Luxor and at religious sites, cover shoulders and knees; swimwear only on the beach and by the pool.
• Mobile data: Roaming in Egypt is expensive. A travel eSIM is usually much cheaper.

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