Best Time to Visit Egypt

Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash

Visit Egypt between November and March. Cairo's November highs sit at 28.2°C (82.8°F), December drops to 22.3°C (72.1°F), and January bottoms out at 22.2°C (72.0°F) — daytime temperatures you can walk around in for six hours without hiding from the sun. Compare that to July at 39.6°C (103.3°F) and August at 39.0°C (102.2°F), when standing outside at the Giza plateau at noon is a genuine endurance test.

The best months: November through March

These five months are the only stretch where Egypt's daytime heat stays under 30°C (86°F). Here is what the measured data actually shows for Cairo:

• November — high 28.2°C (82.8°F), low 17.3°C (63.1°F), 3.9mm rain over 1 day
• December — high 22.3°C (72.1°F), low 12.3°C (54.1°F), 0.9mm rain over 0 days
• January — high 22.2°C (72.0°F), low 11.4°C (52.5°F), 3.7mm rain over 2 days
• February — high 20.1°C (68.2°F), low 10.2°C (50.4°F), 0.9mm rain over 0 days
• March — high 27.4°C (81.3°F), low 14.0°C (57.3°F), 1.9mm rain over 1 day

The number that matters most here is not the high — it is the gap between high and low. In January that gap is 10.8°C (19.4°F). In February it is 9.9°C (17.8°F). That means a morning at the Egyptian Museum starting at 11°C (52°F) and an afternoon at 22°C (72°F). You will leave your hotel in a jacket and be carrying it by 11am. This catches people out constantly, because "Egypt" and "cold morning" do not go together in most people's heads.

February is the coolest month in the data — 20.1°C (68.2°F) high, 10.2°C (50.4°F) low. That is roughly London in May. For walking Karnak, climbing into tombs in the Valley of the Kings, or spending a full day at Giza, it is close to ideal. The tombs themselves are unventilated and hold heat, so a cool day outside makes the inside bearable rather than suffocating.

November is the warmest of the good months at 28.2°C (82.8°F). If you want to swim in the Red Sea or spend real time on a Nile cruise deck, November gives you warmth the deep winter months do not. Its 3.9mm of rain over 1 day is the highest monthly total in the entire year — and it is still under 4mm. One day where something falls from the sky, and it will not be enough to cancel anything.

Months to avoid: June through August

The problem is heat alone. Rain is not a factor — June, July, August, September, and October all recorded 0.0mm over 0 days. Zero. Egypt in summer is not a place where you get rained out; it is a place where the temperature makes outdoor sightseeing physically limited.

• June — high 37.6°C (99.7°F), low 21.6°C (70.9°F), 0.0mm
• July — high 39.6°C (103.3°F), low 24.6°C (76.3°F), 0.0mm
• August — high 39.0°C (102.2°F), low 25.0°C (77.0°F), 0.0mm

39.6°C (103.3°F) in July means the Giza plateau — no shade, no trees, reflective sand — is only workable before about 9am. Tour operators do not schedule morning starts in summer for fun; they do it because the alternative does not work. Luxor and Aswan, further south, run hotter still than these Cairo figures.

The other summer number worth reading carefully is August's low: 25.0°C (77.0°F). That is the overnight minimum. It never really cools down. In the winter months you get a genuine reset each night; in August you do not, and heat accumulates across a multi-day trip. By day four of a summer itinerary most people have quietly cut their afternoon plans.

May, at 34.5°C (94.1°F), is the edge. It is not full summer but it is past comfortable for all-day walking. It also has 2.1mm of rain over 2 days — the joint-highest rain-day count in the year alongside January, though the total volume is trivial.

Shoulder season: October and April

These two months sit between the crowded winter high season and the empty summer, and they behave very differently from each other.

October is the better of the two: high 31.6°C (89.6°F), low 19.7°C (67.4°F), 0.0mm of rain. It is warmer than the peak-season months by 3–11°C, but the 19.7°C (67.4°F) overnight low means evenings are pleasant rather than oppressive. October is the best month of the year for combining sightseeing with Red Sea beach time — the water is still warm from summer, the air is not brutal, and the winter price surge has not started. If your itinerary is Cairo plus Hurghada or Sharm, October is arguably the strongest month on this whole list.

April runs at 30.0°C (86.0°F) high and 16.6°C (61.6°F) low, with 0.8mm of rain over 0 days. That is workable, and the 16.6°C (61.6°F) low still gives you cool mornings. April's caveat is the khamsin wind season — hot, sand-carrying winds that blow in spring. The temperature data does not show this, because wind and dust are not temperature. Some April days are fine; a khamsin day means poor visibility for photos and grit in everything.

Prices in both October and April sit below the December–February peak, and the sites are noticeably less congested. If you have flexibility and are not tied to school holidays, October is the value pick of the year.

What each season actually means on the ground

Winter (December–February). You will be layering. Mornings at 10.2–12.3°C (50.4–54.1°F) need a fleece or light jacket; afternoons at 20.1–22.3°C (68.2–72.1°F) need a t-shirt. Nile cruise decks get genuinely cold after sunset — the boat is moving, and there is nothing to block the wind. Bring long trousers and something with sleeves for evenings. This is also peak season, so book Abu Simbel and internal flights well ahead. Rain is negligible: December and February show 0.9mm over 0 days, January 3.7mm over 2 days. You do not need a rain jacket; you need a warm layer.

Spring (March–May). March at 27.4°C (81.3°F) is still comfortable full-day weather. By May's 34.5°C (94.1°F) you are restructuring your day — sites in the morning, indoors or by a pool from roughly 1pm to 4pm. This is when a wide-brimmed hat stops being an accessory. The 14.0°C (57.3°F) March low still means a cool early start for a hot-air balloon over Luxor.

Summer (June–August). Sightseeing happens between 6am and 9am, and again after 5pm. The middle of the day belongs to museums, hotels, and shade. With 0.0mm of rain across all three months, sun protection is the only weather planning required: high-SPF sunscreen reapplied, electrolyte tablets, and considerably more water than you think — a litre before mid-morning is a reasonable baseline. Hotel prices are at their lowest and sites at their quietest, which is the trade-off you are being offered.

Autumn (September–October). September at 35.6°C (95.8°F) still reads as summer; October at 31.6°C (89.6°F) is where it breaks. The 22.5°C (72.5°F) September low versus 19.7°C (67.4°F) in October is a small gap on paper but the difference between a sticky evening and a comfortable one. Both months are dry — 0.0mm over 0 days each.

Month-by-month

• January — 22.2°C/11.4°C (72.0°F/52.5°F), 3.7mm over 2 days. Coolest highs alongside February; the year's joint-wettest by rain-day count, which is still only two days. Peak season crowds.
• February — 20.1°C/10.2°C (68.2°F/50.4°F), 0.9mm over 0 days. The coolest month of the year and the best for long walking days. Pack a real jacket for mornings.
• March — 27.4°C/14.0°C (81.3°F/57.3°F), 1.9mm over 1 day. Jumps 7.3°C above February. Excellent all-round month with thinning crowds.
• April — 30.0°C/16.6°C (86.0°F/61.6°F), 0.8mm over 0 days. Still fine, but khamsin winds can cost you a day of visibility.
• May — 34.5°C/19.8°C (94.1°F/67.6°F), 2.1mm over 2 days. Past comfortable for midday sightseeing.
• June — 37.6°C/21.6°C (99.7°F/70.9°F), 0.0mm. Early mornings only.
• July — 39.6°C/24.6°C (103.3°F/76.3°F), 0.0mm. Hottest month of the year.
• August — 39.0°C/25.0°C (102.2°F/77.0°F), 0.0mm. Warmest nights of the year at 25.0°C — no overnight relief.
• September — 35.6°C/22.5°C (95.8°F/72.5°F), 0.0mm. Cooling but still summer in practice.
• October — 31.6°C/19.7°C (89.6°F/67.4°F), 0.0mm. Best value month; warm sea, manageable air, pre-peak prices.
• November — 28.2°C/17.3°C (82.8°F/63.1°F), 3.9mm over 1 day. Warmest of the good months. Highest rainfall total of the year, and it is under 4mm.
• December — 22.3°C/12.3°C (72.1°F/54.1°F), 0.9mm over 0 days. Cool, dry, busy. Christmas and New Year book out early.

FAQ

Is Egypt too hot in summer to visit at all?

It is visitable but restrictive. July's 39.6°C (103.3°F) and August's 39.0°C (102.2°F) mean outdoor sites work in a roughly three-hour morning window and again in the late afternoon. Red Sea resorts handle summer better than Cairo and Luxor because you are in or beside water. If your trip is museums, resorts, and diving, summer is workable and much cheaper. If it is a full temple-and-tomb itinerary, it is not.

Do I need to pack for rain in Egypt?

No. The wettest month in the record is November at 3.9mm across a single day, and five months — June, July, August, September, and October — recorded 0.0mm over 0 days. January has the most rain days at two, totalling 3.7mm. A packable shell for the odd shower is enough; a proper rain jacket is dead weight you will carry the whole trip.

How cold does it actually get on a winter night?

February's low is 10.2°C (50.4°F) and January's is 11.4°C (52.5°F). That is jacket weather, not coat weather — but it feels colder than the number if you are on a moving Nile cruise deck or crossing a hotel courtyard after dinner. Egyptian hotels are also built to shed heat, not hold it, so rooms can be chilly in December and January. Pack one warm layer and long trousers even for a winter desert trip.

What is the single best month if I can only pick one?

March, at 27.4°C (81.3°F) high and 14.0°C (57.3°F) low with 1.9mm of rain over one day. It is warm enough that mornings are not uncomfortable, cool enough for a full day on your feet at Karnak or Giza, and it falls after the December–February crowd peak but before the April khamsin winds. If cost matters more than crowds, October at 31.6°C (89.6°F) with zero rain is the better-value alternative.