Country guide

Egypt

The Pyramids, Luxor's temple banks and Nile cruises, plus Red Sea reefs; October to April dodges the desert heat.

Currency

EGP

Language

Arabic

English

Widely spoken

Payment

Cash preferred

Power

Type C / F

230 V, 50 Hz

Dialing

+20

Destinations

Egypt

Abu Simbel

Four 20-metre pharaohs cut from a cliff, then cut again into blocks and lifted clear of a rising lake.

✓ best Nov-Mar

Egypt

Alexandria

The city Alexander founded and Cleopatra ruled, now a faded, sea-sprayed Mediterranean port whose ancient wonders lie mostly underwater.

✓ best all year

Egypt

Aswan

Where the Nile runs between granite islands and golden dunes, and Egypt gives way to Nubia.

✓ best Nov-Mar

Egypt

Cairo

Four thousand years of pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic building stacked inside one sprawling, chaotic, endlessly alive metropolis on the Nile.

✓ best Sep-May

Egypt

Fayoum

Fossil whales lying in open desert, two hours from Cairo.

✓ best Oct-Apr

Egypt

Hurghada

The Red Sea's busiest dive harbour, with reefs a short boat ride from the hotel jetty.

✓ best Oct-May

Egypt

Luxor

Ancient Thebes, still standing: Karnak on one bank of the Nile, the Valley of the Kings cut into the cliffs on the other.

✓ best Nov-Mar

Egypt

Mount Sinai (St Catherine)

Climb by starlight to the mountain of the Ten Commandments, then come down to one of the oldest working monasteries on earth.

✓ best all year

Egypt

Sharm El Sheikh

Some of the Red Sea's richest coral, starting a few fin-kicks from the hotel beach.

✓ best Oct-May

Climate zones, month by month

Egypt has 9 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.

Abu Simbel Lake Nasser →

Jan

23°

11°

0mm

0d rain

Feb

25°

12°

0mm

0d rain

Mar

30°

16°

0mm

0d rain

Apr

35°

21°

0mm

0d rain

May

39°

25°

0mm

0d rain

Jun

40°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

41°

27°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

41°

28°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

39°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Oct

36°

23°

0mm

0d rain

Nov

30°

17°

0mm

0d rain

Dec

24°

12°

0mm

0d rain

✓ Best Nov-Mar · ✗ Avoid May-Sep

Watch for Apr-Oct extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Alexandria Mediterranean Coast →

Jan

18°

10°

61mm

8d rain

Feb

19°

10°

35mm

5d rain

Mar

21°

12°

13mm

3d rain

Apr

24°

14°

3mm

1d rain

May

27°

18°

1mm

1d rain

Jun

29°

22°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

31°

24°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

31°

24°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

30°

23°

1mm

0d rain

Oct

28°

19°

8mm

1d rain

Nov

24°

15°

37mm

4d rain

Dec

20°

11°

53mm

6d rain

✓ Best all year

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Aswan Nubia →

Jan

23°

10°

0mm

0d rain

Feb

26°

12°

0mm

0d rain

Mar

30°

16°

1mm

0d rain

Apr

36°

20°

0mm

0d rain

May

40°

25°

0mm

0d rain

Jun

42°

27°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

42°

28°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

42°

28°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

40°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Oct

36°

22°

1mm

0d rain

Nov

30°

16°

0mm

0d rain

Dec

25°

11°

0mm

0d rain

✓ Best Nov-Mar · ✗ Avoid May-Sep

Watch for Apr-Oct extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Cairo →

Jan

19°

10°

5mm

1d rain

Feb

21°

11°

4mm

2d rain

Mar

24°

13°

6mm

1d rain

Apr

28°

16°

1mm

1d rain

May

32°

19°

0mm

0d rain

Jun

35°

22°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

35°

24°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

35°

24°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

33°

23°

0mm

0d rain

Oct

30°

20°

1mm

0d rain

Nov

25°

16°

4mm

1d rain

Dec

21°

12°

3mm

1d rain

✓ Best Sep-May

Watch for Jul extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Fayoum →

Jan

20°

7°

22mm

2d rain

Feb

21°

7°

19mm

1d rain

Mar

24°

10°

25mm

1d rain

Apr

30°

13°

4mm

0d rain

May

34°

18°

0mm

0d rain

Jun

38°

21°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

39°

23°

1mm

0d rain

Aug

39°

23°

1mm

0d rain

Sep

37°

22°

1mm

0d rain

Oct

32°

19°

7mm

1d rain

Nov

26°

14°

10mm

1d rain

Dec

22°

10°

8mm

1d rain

✓ Best Oct-Apr · ✗ Avoid Jul-Aug

Watch for Jun-Sep extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Hurghada Red Sea →

Jan

22°

12°

1mm

0d rain

Feb

24°

12°

1mm

0d rain

Mar

26°

15°

1mm

0d rain

Apr

30°

19°

0mm

0d rain

May

34°

23°

0mm

0d rain

Jun

36°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

37°

28°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

38°

28°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

35°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Oct

32°

22°

2mm

0d rain

Nov

28°

18°

2mm

0d rain

Dec

24°

13°

1mm

0d rain

✓ Best Oct-May

Watch for Jun-Sep extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Luxor Nile Valley →

Jan

23°

7°

3mm

0d rain

Feb

25°

9°

0mm

0d rain

Mar

30°

13°

2mm

0d rain

Apr

35°

18°

0mm

0d rain

May

39°

22°

1mm

0d rain

Jun

41°

25°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

41°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

41°

26°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

39°

23°

1mm

0d rain

Oct

36°

20°

1mm

0d rain

Nov

29°

13°

1mm

0d rain

Dec

24°

9°

0mm

0d rain

✓ Best Nov-Mar · ✗ Avoid May-Sep

Watch for Apr-Oct extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Mount Sinai (St Catherine) Sinai →

Jan

14°

2°

3mm

1d rain

Feb

15°

2°

2mm

1d rain

Mar

19°

6°

4mm

0d rain

Apr

24°

10°

4mm

0d rain

May

28°

14°

0mm

0d rain

Jun

31°

16°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

32°

18°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

32°

18°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

31°

16°

0mm

0d rain

Oct

26°

12°

1mm

0d rain

Nov

20°

7°

3mm

0d rain

Dec

16°

4°

4mm

0d rain

✓ Best all year

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Sharm El Sheikh Sinai →

Jan

22°

13°

1mm

0d rain

Feb

22°

14°

0mm

0d rain

Mar

25°

16°

1mm

0d rain

Apr

30°

20°

0mm

0d rain

May

34°

24°

1mm

0d rain

Jun

37°

27°

0mm

0d rain

Jul

38°

27°

0mm

0d rain

Aug

38°

28°

0mm

0d rain

Sep

35°

27°

0mm

0d rain

Oct

32°

23°

1mm

0d rain

Nov

27°

19°

3mm

1d rain

Dec

23°

15°

1mm

0d rain

✓ Best Oct-May

Watch for Jun-Sep extreme heat risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions