Egypt in December: what to expect

December is the coolest, clearest month of the Egyptian winter and the best sightseeing weather of the year along the Nile. Days are warm and dry in Luxor and Aswan, mild in Cairo, and the only real rain falls on the Mediterranean coast. Nights are cold everywhere inland, so a jacket matters more than you would expect.

Daylight is short: roughly 10.5 hours, with sunset near 17:00 in Cairo and only a little later in the south. Temples and tombs close early, so plan to be at the gate for opening and treat the afternoon as travel time. Morning haze in Cairo and the Delta usually lifts by mid-morning.

December is high season from the first day to the last, and the final ten days are the busiest and most expensive window of the Egyptian year. Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan, Luxor and Aswan hotels, and Red Sea resorts all fill for Christmas and New Year, often with minimum-stay rules and gala-dinner supplements on 24 and 31 December.

The first ten days of December give you the same weather for noticeably less money and thinner crowds at Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the Grand Egyptian Museum. If your dates are fixed to the holidays, book cruises, sleeper-train berths and holiday-week flights several weeks ahead; walk-up space is unlikely.

December has no major public holiday in Egypt, so the month's activity is commercial rather than national: Christmas and New Year programming at hotels, Nile cruises and resort towns. Expect gala dinners, concerts and set menus in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea, usually by reservation only.

Coptic Christmas falls on 7 January, just after the month ends, and brings church services and a quieter travel day. Lunar dates such as Ramadan and the Eid holidays move each year and do not fall in December 2026; check locally before booking around any religious date.

The Nile Valley is the reason to come now. Luxor and Aswan are dry and comfortable, and you can sightsee all day rather than hiding from the heat. Base in Luxor for Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the west bank, then move south to Aswan for Philae and a day trip to Abu Simbel. A Nile cruise between the two is at its most popular — and most expensive — in this month.

Cairo and Giza work well as a three-night start: the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo, with cool mornings and short daylight. The Red Sea is the winter alternative: Hurghada, El Gouna and Sharm el-Sheikh are sunny and diveable, though windy, and Dahab suits a slower stay. Alexandria is mild but the wettest place in the country, so keep it short and flexible. The Western Desert oases are cold at night and need a check on access and permits.

Pack for two climates in one day. Inland, December mornings and evenings are genuinely cold: a warm mid-layer, a windproof jacket, long trousers and closed shoes for dusty sites. By midday you will want a light long-sleeve shirt and sun protection — hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen — because the winter sun is still strong at temple sites with no shade.

Add a scarf or wrap for mosques and for the desert wind, a refillable bottle, and a small torch or phone light for dimly lit tombs. On the Red Sea, bring a short wetsuit or rent one, plus a windproof layer for boat days. Layers beat a heavy coat, and a swimsuit is worth packing even in winter if you are heading to the coast.

November is nearly as good and slightly cheaper, with warm, clear weather and the season in full swing. January is the coolest month of the winter and still excellent for the Nile Valley, but New Year prices carry into the first days and Coptic Christmas falls on 7 January. February stays ideal for temples and brings the Abu Simbel sun festival on 22 February. If you are weighing the whole year, October and March are the shoulder months with similar weather and lower prices.