Cairo Travel Forum

Hi - we're planning to go to Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan. I'm sure you can spend a lot more time in Cairo than we have so I was wondering if 5 days will be enough? Also, is October or November a better time to go (weather-wise and crowd-wise)? Thanks.

Hi,

October/November is a perfect time to visit since the crowds are thinner than in the summer months. The temperature is also cooler compared to the summer.

Spending 5 days is more than enough for a visit to Cairo.

Have a fantastic time!

Janet

LOL... 5 days in Cairo for sure will be enough, be careful city is very dirty and noisy, perhaps danderous, I prefer Alexandria, much more to see.
Be careful with paupers and the food.
October and Nov is nice for the see, cities are better in Jan-Feb, not so hot. Luxor is very interest place so I would spend 2 days their.

October -Feb are the cooler months and so very suitable. Cairo particularly can get very cold. Weather-wise perfect. Crowd-wise less good as this is when tourists prefer because of the weather, but only the monuments like tombs can be crowded. the temples are large so there is room to wander without too much difficulty.
Is 5 days for Cairo alone? If you plan carefully you should get a good general picture. One day for Museum. One for Pyramids and Saqqarah. One for the Citadel and Islamic Cairo. Coptic Cairo and Centre. Evenings you can go to Khan el Khalili. A trip on the Nile by boat in early evening is nice too..

Thanks all. I figured 5 days would be fine. Now if I can just decide what other area to go to. I really want to go to Abu Simbel (which is why I chose Aswan and Luxor) but am still undecided....

BTW, Ellie - I live in Bombay and am quite used to all of the things you mentioned. Am not at all worried about Cairo.

Aswan is lovely but if you are interested in the historical sights there is not much to see in Aswan. The Nubian Museum is very nice, and the quarry with the unfinished obelisk We did the quarry and Philae in one day. From there go to Abu Simbel. We spent one night there , saw the temples by day and sound and light in the evening, then returned to Aswan.
Luxor needs more time. Both the Temple of Luxor and Temple of Karnak need a full day to get the most out of them The Valley of the Kings, Medinat Habu and Memnon's colossi, plus the Mausoleum of Hatchepsut will take a full day. We didn't manage to go to the Tombs of the Nobles or the Queens, as only had the two nights in Luxor. So allow at least 3 days if not longer.

Thanks uglyscot. I wasn’t too interested in staying in Aswan, just using it as a base. Can you tell me how you went? Did you go from Cairo (to ?)? If yes, overnight train? Where did you stay in Luxor? Does it make sense to fly Cairo to Abu Simbel? Then what is the best way back to Luxor?

We flew to Aswan but didn't leave the airport and got an early flight to Abu Simbel. We went to the temples and then back in the evening- all on foot from Nefertari Hotel [see my tips], and got the early flight next day. At Aswan we stayed at the New Cataracts Hotel which had wonderful views.
I'm not sure if you can fly from Aswan to Luxor, or maybe there are buses.

We did 8 days as follow:

2 days in Cairo
5 days in Nile cruise (Luxor to Aswan)
1 final day in Cairo.

We found 3 days in Cairo more than enough.
Cruising down the Nile was the best part of the trip.

We went during October - it was great.
Hot but not too much. Beautiful clear days and not many tourists.

I hope this helps.

Homer

I have been to Egypt 6 times by now and have spend a lot of days in Cairo and the city still suprises me, but 5 days will be more than enought to visit the highlights, you can even go to Alexandria for a day!

I disagree with former posters that Aswan has not much to offer. There is Philea Tempel and Kalabsha Tempel. The Broken Obelisk/Granite quarry has not much to offer, as far as I am concerned! I would skip that! The Nubean Museum is excellent! Don't miss it and reserve at least half a day! Elephantine Island has some good archeology and if you want to have a moment of peace Kitcheners Island is your place to be. Go there by felucca... MAGIC!
A visit to a Nubean Village is also very nice, if alone for the boat trip to get there!

We went to Abu Simbel twice. First time by road: early rise, arrive in a crowd, just 1,5 hours to see the Tempels and get rushed back again. Never again!! We thought.
2nd time we got there by cruise. 4 day Lake Nasser cruise: excellent!! We had the Tempels to our own and all the time to explore the site and visit the exquisit Sound and Light show over there. The best Sound and Light in Egypt!

If you do not have 4 days to spare for a cruise a flight is your best option. But reserve well before you are going! Last minute flights are hard to get. I never met someone who was so lucky to get a last minute flight to Abu Simbel.

Good luck, Dora.

I totally agree with Dora.
There was so much beauty in Aswan we felt we could've spent at least another day there.
Unfortunately, it is usually just a lay over on the end or begining of a cruise.

I agree about the temple and the felucca ride was incredible!
The tranquility and peace of the place was magical.

Listen to Dora!