🇪🇬Aswan
Egypt's southern frontier, where the Nile narrows between granite boulders and golden dunes, feluccas outnumber cars, and Nubian villages paint their houses blue. The slowest, easiest city on the tourist route — and the base for Abu Simbel.
Mid-range figures, per person
Per person, no flights — those are just below. The mid-range figure is researched; budget and luxury scale it, so treat the two as rough. The trip calculator and hotels below break the day down properly.
Fares are into Cairo. Luxor and Aswan have almost no long-haul service: connect through Cairo, or take the roughly one-hour domestic flight or the overnight sleeper train. Ranges are typical fares booked 1–3 months out, checked mid-2026 — school-holiday peaks run higher, and patient shoppers beat the bottom end.
Prices checked · how we work these out
Entry & visa
Most visitors do. US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and EU passport holders can get an e-visa online before flying — US$30 single entry or $65 multiple entry on the official visa2egypt.gov.eg portal — or buy one on arrival for US$30 in cash at the airport. Most people fly into Cairo and reach Aswan by train, plane or Nile cruise. Check the rules for your passport before booking.
Visa rules turn on your nationality and change often — always confirm the current requirement for your own passport with an official government source before you book.
Quick facts
Money & what things cost
Aswan is a cash town with card-only temples. Philae, Abu Simbel and the other sites take Visa or Mastercard at the ticket window, not cash; boats, feluccas, taxis, the souk and all your tips need pounds. ATMs line the corniche and the streets behind it. Most of what you'll pay for here is a boat of some kind, and boat prices are per boat, not per person — which makes Aswan cheap in a group and noticeably less so alone.
What locals earn
| Average monthly salary (national) | ≈ EGP 8,000–9,000 ($155–175) | Upper Egypt sits below the national average, and many Nubian households depend on tourism |
| Minimum wage (private sector) | EGP 7,000/month ($135) |
Food & drink
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Ful, ta'ameya or koshary at a local spot | EGP 30–80 | $0.60–1.50 |
| Nubian or Egyptian restaurant, per person | EGP 250–500 | $5–10 |
| Riverside or hotel dinner, per person | EGP 500–1,000 | $10–19 |
| Tea or hibiscus (karkadeh) at a café | EGP 15–30 | $0.30–0.60 |
Transport & boats
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Public ferry across the Nile | EGP 10–20 | $0.20–0.40 |
| Careem or taxi across town | EGP 50–150 | $1–3 |
| Felucca, one hour (whole boat, negotiated) | EGP 200–400 | $4–8 |
| Motorboat to Philae and back (whole boat) | EGP 300 and up | $6 and up |
| Shared minibus seat to Abu Simbel (ticket extra) | $20–35 |
Sights (foreign-visitor prices, card only)
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Simbel | EGP 820 | $16 |
| Philae Temple | EGP 550 | $10.50 |
| Kom Ombo Temple (on the way to Luxor) | EGP 450 | $8.70 |
| Edfu Temple (on the way to Luxor) | EGP 550 | $10.50 |
| Aswan High Dam | EGP 200 | $3.90 |
Where to sleep & what it costs
| Tier | Per night | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel or Nubian guesthouse | $10–20 (EGP 520–1,030) | Guesthouses on the West Bank and in the Nubian villages, often with a roof terrace over the river |
| Budget hotel | $20–35 (EGP 1,030–1,800) | In town, a street or two back from the corniche |
| Mid-range hotel | $40–90 (EGP 2,100–4,700) | Nile-view hotels on the corniche and on Elephantine Island |
| Luxury | $250+ (EGP 12,900+) | The Old Cataract, where Agatha Christie wrote, is the one people come for |
Been recently? Check our prices
One tap per figure. Check-ins reset whenever this guide is re-priced, so they only ever vouch for the numbers you see here.
Trip cost calculator
$112 per person per day · 4 nights of lodging (Mid-range hotel)
A rough estimate from this page’s daily budget and hotel prices — not a quote. Lodging assumes one room for the group; flights use the midpoint of the Getting there ranges above.
Getting around
- From the airport
- Aswan airport (ASW) is about 25 minutes southwest of town, across the High Dam. There's no Uber; agree a taxi price at the rank or have your hotel collect you.
- Arriving by land or river
- The sleeper train from Cairo arrives in the morning, 13–14 hours after leaving; the station is at the north end of the corniche. From Luxor it's about three hours by car or train, or three to four nights by Nile cruise with temple stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo.
- Boats
- The river is the main road. Public ferries cross to the West Bank for a few pounds; feluccas and motorboats for hire wait all along the corniche. Agree the price for the whole boat, the route and how long they'll wait before you step on.
- Careem & taxis
- Careem and inDrive work in Aswan; Uber doesn't. Useful for the Unfinished Obelisk, the High Dam and the marina for Philae, which are all a few kilometers south of town. For Philae, agree the driver's waiting time along with the fare.
- On foot
- The corniche and the souk run parallel along the river and are an easy, flat walk. Do it early morning or after 5pm; in between, the sun wins.
Map
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Neighborhoods to stay in
- The corniche
- Nile views, the souk one street back, ATMs and restaurants on the doorstep. The practical choice.
- West Bank and the Nubian villages
- Colorful guesthouses reached by boat, with dunes behind and the river in front. Peaceful and memorable, but you'll rely on boats and their schedules to go anywhere.
- Elephantine Island
- A Nubian village and a couple of hotels in the middle of the river, a ferry ride from town. Quiet nights, and a free boat to the corniche from the bigger hotels.
Things to do
Temples & sights
On the water
Eating & evenings
Tipping & etiquette
- Nubian villages are people's homes. Ask before photographing people or the insides of houses, and expect the request to be a small tip.
- Dress modestly in town and in the villages — shoulders and knees covered — even though Aswan feels relaxed.
- Aswan is the most laid-back city on the route, and touts here take a first 'no' more readily. Returning the courtesy — a smile and 'la, shukran' — goes a long way.
- During Ramadan, restaurants in town open after sunset and site hours shrink.
How to spend an trip to Aswan
Aswan is mostly water: the best parts are islands, the far bank and the river itself, so every plan here is really a boat schedule. Mornings for temples, afternoons for shade, sunsets on a felucca.
One day does Philae, a felucca and the souk, which is Aswan at its best. Abu Simbel needs a day of its own.
- MorningPhilae Temple at opening by motorboat from the marina, then the Unfinished Obelisk on the way back.
- MiddayThe Nubian Museum in the heat of the day.
- AfternoonA felucca around Elephantine and Kitchener's Island into sunset.
- EveningThe souk after dark, then dinner at Nubian House.
Three days is this guide's own answer, and one of them starts at 4am for Abu Simbel.
- Day 1Philae Temple at opening, the Unfinished Obelisk, the Nubian Museum at midday, a felucca at sunset.
- Day 2Abu Simbel: the 4am minibus, the temples by 8am, back in Aswan by mid-afternoon. Early night.
- Day 3A Nubian village by boat in the morning, the Tombs of the Nobles in the late afternoon, and a sunset drink on the Old Cataract terrace.
Aswan does not need five days. Three is plenty; use the rest to travel, which in Aswan usually means travel by river.
- Days 1–3The three-day plan above: Philae, the felucca, Abu Simbel and the Nubian villages.
- Day 4Board a Nile cruise downstream to Luxor, three or four nights with stops at Kom Ombo and Edfu. If you'd rather not cruise, it's about three hours to Luxor by road.
- Day 5On the river, or fly to Cairo in about an hour and a half if Luxor is already behind you.
Safety & common scams
Aswan is the calmest and least pushy stop on the Nile route, with tourist police at every site and on the Abu Simbel road. The UK's travel advice specifically leaves Aswan and Abu Simbel out of the desert areas it warns against, and the US rates Egypt as a whole at Level 2 (exercise increased caution); check both before you travel, since the regional situation can shift. Tourist vehicles to Abu Simbel pass through several police checkpoints on the way, so carry your passport. Heat is the real danger from April to October: sunstroke is easy on an exposed boat or temple.
Scams to know
- The per-person felucca — a captain agrees a price for a sail, and at the end it turns out to have been per person, or per hour for a trip that took two. Confirm 'the whole boat', the route and the time before you step on, and pay at the end.
- The Philae boat squeeze — at the marina, boatmen quote high and add a 'waiting fee' once you're on the island. Agree the round trip and the waiting time in one price, and ask your hotel what they'd expect you to pay before you go.
- 'Saffron' in the spice souk — the cheap bags of bright red-orange threads sold as saffron are safflower, which looks similar and tastes of nothing. Real saffron costs far more than anything on a souk table. Buy karkadeh and cumin here; buy saffron at home.
- Crocodile and camel photos in the villages — on Nubian village tours, a baby crocodile or a camel is handed to you for a photo, and the price appears afterwards. Decide before you hold anything.
- The taxi 'waiting' charge — a driver takes you to the Philae marina or the High Dam, then wants a new fare for having waited. Agree the whole round trip, with waiting included, before you set off.
Emergency numbers: 126 tourist police · 122 police · 123 ambulance · 180 fire · 112 unified emergency line
Phone & internet
Coverage is good in town and on the river, patchier in the desert on the Abu Simbel road. A SIM bought in Cairo or Luxor works here; Vodafone and Orange also have shops on the corniche (passport needed, about EGP 500–600, $10–12, for roughly 30 GB). Foreign tourists are exempt from Egypt's imported-phone charge for 90 days per visit, and an eSIM avoids local registration entirely.
First-timer FAQs
How many days do I need?
Three: one for Philae, the Unfinished Obelisk and a felucca, one for Abu Simbel, and one for a Nubian village and the Tombs of the Nobles. Two works if you skip Abu Simbel, but most people come partly to see it.
Is Abu Simbel worth the trip?
Yes. It's a 3am alarm and seven hours on the road for two hours at the temples, and almost nobody regrets it. Shared minibuses are the cheapest option; private cars cost more but let you leave on your own schedule; flights save the drive but not the cost. On February 22 and October 22, sunlight reaches the inner sanctuary — spectacular, and packed.
Nile cruise from Aswan or from Luxor?
Either works; the boats do both directions. Starting in Aswan and ending in Luxor puts the biggest sites at the end. Three nights from Aswan is the usual length. Standard five-star boats run roughly $350–600 per person, dahabiya sailboats roughly $1,000–3,000.
Can I sleep in a Nubian village?
Yes, several West Bank villages have guesthouses, and it's the most memorable night on many Egypt trips. Expect simple rooms, dome roofs, a terrace over the Nile, and boats as your only transport after dark.
Is Aswan too hot in summer?
From May to September, afternoons often pass 40°C (104°F). It's doable if you start at dawn, retreat to air-conditioning from noon to 4pm, and come back out for the sunset felucca — but winter is far more comfortable.
Similar cities to consider
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Turkey's laid-back third city — a waterfront promenade, a cosmopolitan Aegean history as old Smyrna, and the gateway to Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient cities on earth.
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Aswan or…?
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