Best things to do in Aswan, from Philae to the Nubian village

The best things to do in Aswan are on or across the water. Philae's Temple of Isis sits on an island you reach by motorboat, the Botanical Garden fills Kitchener's Island, the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil is a boat ride upstream, and the classic hour here is spent on a felucca (the Nile's wooden sailing boat) between granite boulders. Aswan is quieter than Luxor and has fewer big-ticket temples, which is exactly why a spare day here is worth more than a spare day almost anywhere else on the river.

The catch is the clock. Aswan's open-air sites close their gates to new visitors at 15:00 every day of the year, the light is fierce from late morning, and a cruise that arrives in the afternoon has already lost half the day. Below: what to see, what it costs at the official gate, what to book and what to leave to a felucca captain.

Best things to do in Aswan: the shortlist

If you have one day, do the first four. If you have two, add the rest and Abu Simbel.

1. Philae Temple (EGP 550, plus the boat): the one temple in Aswan you should not skip, and best early, before the tour coaches.
2. A felucca round Elephantine and Kitchener's Island: an hour or two of sailing past the Tombs of the Nobles and the Aga Khan Mausoleum on the West Bank. Booked versions start from $15.
3. The Nubian village (Gharb Soheil) by motorboat or felucca: painted, domed houses and a meal or a tea stop.
4. The Nubian Museum (EGP 400): Nubia's story under one roof, and open on Thursday and Friday evenings.
5. The High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk (Obelisk EGP 220): both sit on every standard tour and every cruise programme.
6. Kalabsha (EGP 200), a temple by the High Dam reached by boat, much quieter than Philae.
7. The West Bank: the Tombs of the Nobles at Qubbet el-Hawa (EGP 200) and the Monastery of St Simeon in the desert above them (EGP 100).
8. Abu Simbel as a long day trip, or by Lake Nasser cruise.

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Philae Temple: ticket, boat and timing

Philae is the Temple of Isis on Agilkia Island. The ticket is EGP 550 for a foreign adult (student EGP 275, free under 6), it opens at 07:00 and the last entry is 15:00. A "temple panorama" add-on costs EGP 200. Buy at the gate or on the ministry's shop: egymonuments.com/details/PhilaeTemple.

The island is reached only by motorboat from the Shellal (Marina Philae) landing, and the boat is not in the ticket. Boats are hired per boat, not per seat: agree the price and the waiting time before you step aboard. Guided tours include the boat, which is half the reason to book one.

How to do it:

• Early is everything. Cruise groups reach Philae from about 07:30–08:00 (Sonesta and Mövenpick schedules), so being at the gate for the 07:00 opening puts you ahead of them.
• The cheap way is a taxi to Shellal, the boat, the ticket and an hour on the island. The Philae half-day group tour (from $45, 4.7 from 326 reviews) adds a guide and transport; the private Philae tour with entry (from $68) includes the ticket in its title. Read "includes" on every listing before comparing prices.
• The classic morning circuit is the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae in about four hours: the private version from $70 is one of the most-reviewed Aswan tours on GetYourGuide (4.6 from 428).

Phones photograph free at ministry sites; check at the gate for other cameras. Drones are illegal without Ministry of Defence permission.

High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Kalabsha

The High Dam is a stop on every tour and cruise programme for its view over Lake Nasser on one side and the river on the other. It has no ministry ticket, so you won't find it on the official shop. Expect a short photo stop; the interest is the scale and the lake behind it, where the Lake Nasser cruise ships moor (they cannot pass the dam and run a separate fleet).

The Unfinished Obelisk (EGP 220, last entry 15:00) is the giant obelisk left lying in its granite quarry in town. Thirty minutes is plenty; it works best on the way to or from Philae.

Kalabsha (EGP 200, last entry 15:00) is the temple most visitors miss. It stands on the lake shore beside the High Dam and is reached by boat, so it needs a boat fare agreed on the spot, like Philae. It is the temple to add if Philae felt busy. Lake Nasser cruises stop here as well.

Felucca rides around Elephantine and Kitchener's Island

Aswan is the best felucca water on the Nile: granite islands and the rocks of the old cataract. The classic loop goes round Elephantine Island and Kitchener's Island (the Botanical Garden), past the Tombs of the Nobles and the Aga Khan Mausoleum on the West Bank. Our Aswan felucca guide has the routes in detail.

A felucca is hired per boat, so a private sail is the norm. On the quay you agree the price per boat and the duration before boarding; there is no posted official fare. Ask for life jackets. Pre-booked private sails on the platforms cost about $15–30 and save the haggling:

Today GetYourGuide's Elephantine and Botanical Garden sail (from $15, 2 hours, 4.7 from 129 reviews) is far cheaper than Headout's Aswan felucca with hotel pickup (from $60, no reviews yet). The Headout price includes transfers, so the boat, length and inclusions differ; compare the "includes" lines before you choose. For a longer afternoon, the felucca with an Egyptian meal (from $42.50, 1.5 hours) adds food.

Elephantine itself has an archaeological site with temple ruins (EGP 200, open from 08:00, last entry 16:00). The Botanical Garden is not a ministry site; pay at the gate. Tip the captain about US$5–10 per group if the sail was good.

Nubian village and the Nubian Museum

Gharb Soheil, the Nubian village most tours visit, is reached by motorboat or felucca from Aswan. The draw is the brightly painted, domed houses, a tea or lunch stop in a family home, and the boat ride itself. Some homes keep caged crocodiles for photos; you can say no.

Booked options, cheapest first: the shared half-day village tour (from $25, 4.7 from 180), the motorboat tour (from $28, 4.6 from 46) and the village trip with a camel ride (from $40, but rated 4.1). If you want Philae and the village in one go, the High Dam, Obelisk, Philae and Nubian Village tour (from $98, 6 hours) packs the whole classic day into one booking.

The Nubian Museum (the ministry spells it "Nubia Museum") is the indoor half of the Nubian story and the one big Aswan sight most cruises leave out. Ticket EGP 400 (student EGP 200); it opens at 09:00 with last entry 16:00, and on Thursday and Friday it reopens 18:00–20:00 (last entry). That evening slot is the coolest way to see it (official page).

Things to do in Aswan at night

Aswan's sites stop admitting by 16:00 at the latest, so evenings need a plan:

• Philae sound & light: USD 20 (children 6–12 USD 11), shows at 20:00 and 21:00. The language depends on the day: English at 20:00 on Friday and Monday; French at 20:00 Tuesday to Thursday; multi-language headsets (about ten languages) at 20:00 on Saturday and Sunday and on several 21:00 shows. The Shellal boat is extra. Times are on soundandlight.show; the operator says dates can change. The Philae sound & light tour with entrance fees (from $58) sorts out the boat and transfer, though it rates only 4.2.
• The Nubian Museum on Thursday and Friday evenings, as above.
• A late-afternoon felucca timed for sunset, then dinner on the Corniche (the riverside promenade).
• The souq (market street) in the town centre for spices and evening strolling. Haggle with a smile, and dress modestly.

There are no hot-air balloons in Aswan. Balloons fly only from Luxor's West Bank; if you are starting from Aswan, book a cruise that includes the Luxor flight, such as the 4-day cruise from Aswan with Abu Simbel and a balloon (from $580). The balloon guide explains the dawn pick-up.

Aswan tours to Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is about 280–300 km south of Aswan, 3.5–4 hours by road each way. Tour transfers leave before dawn (pick-ups around 03:30 are normal) and pass police checkpoints; the road is reported closed to tourist traffic overnight. The temples' ticket is EGP 822, or EGP 1,272 on 22 February and 22 October, the sun-alignment days, with last entry 16:00.

Abu Simbel from Aswan

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Budget, most reviewed

The cheapest seat (from $40) with 3,404 reviews and 4.5 stars. A 10-hour day; check whether the EGP 822 ticket is included.

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From Aswan: Abu Simbel Temple Day Trip with Hotel Pickup

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Best value with the ticket

From $65, and its title promises the guide and entrance fees. If the $40 seat leaves out the EGP 822 ticket, the real gap is much smaller than it looks.

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From Aswan: Abu Simbel Group Tour with Guide & Entrance Fees

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Private car and guide

From $128, your own timings; worth it for families and anyone who hates a coach at 03:30.

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From Aswan: Abu Simbel Day Tour with Private Guide and Car

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Short flights also link Aswan and Abu Simbel (about 45 minutes); check the airline. To see the Abu Simbel sound & light show you must stay the night there or arrive on a Lake Nasser cruise. Full details are in the Abu Simbel guide.

What to do in Aswan for a day

Aswan in one day works if you treat 15:00 as a deadline and the evening as a bonus.

With a second day, do Abu Simbel early or spend it on the West Bank: the Tombs of the Nobles (07:00–16:00), the walk or ride up to St Simeon, and Kalabsha by the High Dam. The private all-inclusive Aswan highlights tour (from $128, 8 hours) is the easy way to fit most of it in with a guide.

Things to do in Aswan with kids

• Ministry sites are free for children under 6; students need a student ID and must be 24 or under for half price.
• A felucca and the Nubian village boat ride are the easy wins for children; keep both short in the heat.
• The sound & light show has a child price (USD 11 for 6–12) but runs late, at 20:00 or 21:00.
• No swimming in the river, ever. Use the pool.
• In summer, sightsee from 06:00 to 10:00 and stay in the shade at midday; the long Abu Simbel road day is hard on young children, so a private car or the flight makes more sense.

Aswan tour from Luxor or Cairo, and when to go

From Luxor: the train takes about 3–3.5 hours (Luxor 06:10 → Aswan 09:25 on the Abela sleeper train 86). The private Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan day from Luxor (from $193, 10 hours, 4.7) visits the two river temples on the way; the reverse, Aswan to Luxor via Edfu and Kom Ombo (from $132), doubles as your transfer north. More on those stops in our Edfu and Kom Ombo guide.

From Cairo: flights take about an hour and a quarter (EgyptAir, Air Cairo, Nile Air). The Abela sleeper leaves Giza in the evening and reaches Aswan in the morning; the fare is US$157.50 for a single cabin or US$115.50 per person in a double (abelatrains.com). A packaged option is the 2-day Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel trip by air (from $815). For the Cairo end of the trip see things to do in Cairo.

When to go: October to April. Winter days in Aswan are about 23 °C in January, but nights drop to about 10 °C, so pack a layer for the felucca and the sound & light show. June to August averages about 42 °C by day, and it essentially never rains. Our when-to-go guide covers crowds and holidays.

Money: carry a card and some cash. You'll need cash for feluccas, the Philae boat, taxis and tips, so draw it in town.

Aswan questions