Aswan Travelers Recommend

A gateway between southern Egypt and Africa since antiquity, Aswan boasts 

ancient and cultural attractions, beautiful Nile scenery, and an easy charm. With three days in the city, you can enjoy its highlights, discover local culture, and take day trips or cruises along the Nile Valley or to Lake Nasser’s temples. Here’s how.

Day 1: Cover the Must-Sees

Start the day with a private tour to Aswan’s showstoppers: the island Temple of Philae, the Aswan High Dam, and the Unfinished Obelisk—a 3,500-year-old pillar unmoved from the quarry where it was first carved. In the afternoon, journey south to Lake Nasser to visit the Temple of Kalabsha, or sail across the Nile and ride a camel to 7th-century St. Simeon’s Monastery. This evening, take a horse-and-carriage tour through Aswan’s bustling streets and peaceful gardens and watch the city lights twinkle to life. Alternatively, devote your trip to a 3-night Aswan-to-Luxor Nile cruise. Tour the High Dam and Philae Temple and spend the next two days sailing the Nile downstream to see the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu and Luxor’s treasures.

Day 2: Abu Simbel, Luxor, or Edfu and Kom Ombo

Devote your second day to a day trip from Aswan. The most popular option is Abu Simbel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking Lake Nasser that can be done in a morning by air or on a day trip by car. Other options include the Ptolemaic-era temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo—the latter dedicated to the crocodile-headed god, Sobek—both among Egypt’s best-preserved. Alternatively, choose a private tour to Luxor, once the seat of ancient Egypt’s pharaohs. Follow the Nile to discover the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, and the sphinxes and columns of Karnak. Most tours include transport and entry fees, while some also include lunch.

Day 3: The Nile, Nubian Culture, and Night Lights

Spend your last day enjoying Aswan’s culture and leisure activities. Explore the Nubia Museum to learn about the Nubian peoples who settled in Aswan after their homelands were flooded by Lake Nasser, and perhaps ride a boat to the Nubian villages on Aswan’s west bank and Soheil Island. Alternatively, take a felucca sailboat ride on the Nile, gliding by farms and palms, watching birdlife, and enjoying lunch on board. Later, get a dose of Nubian culture with dinner at a family home, or wrap up your stay with a Philae Temple Sound and Light Show—a dazzling collision of ancient history and cutting-edge lighting and effects.

Traditional wooden sailing vessels known as feluccas have been a fixture on the Nile River for centuries. Board a felucca from Aswan, one of the best places to take a Nile cruise with its scenic shoreside landscapes and fascinating ancient sites. Before you set sail, read below to find out your options for felucca cruises in the city.

Half-Day Cruises

On a half-day felucca cruise from Aswan, you can expect to float past palm-topped islands and riverside settlements. Some half-day cruises stop at Elephantine Island, a mostly rural island that is home to the ancient ruins of Abu. Other half-day cruises make stops at Kitchener's Island, the site of Aswan Botanical Gardens, and Soheil Island, where you can learn about the Nubian lifestyle. To see the river at its most glorious, opt for a sunset tour.

Full-Day Cruises

On full-day felucca cruises, you’ll have more time to truly relax as you float languorously down the Nile, passing some of the river’s cataracts (rocky stretches that create small rapids). Full-day cruises typically stop at a Nile River island, where participants either have free time to explore or can take a guided tour. Most full-day cruises include lunch on board, and the unhurried pace means visitors have the chance to chat with their guide about the history and culture of the surrounding area.

With two days to explore Aswan, there’s time to do more than visit the ancient sights in and around the city. From Abu Simbel day trips to local Nubian neighborhoods and Nile sunset cruises, here’s how to get the most out of 48 hours in the city.

Day 1

**Morning:**Start by ticking through Aswan’s major sights with a half-day sightseeing tour. View the Aswan High Dam and Unfinished Obelisk—still lying in the quarry where it was abandoned 3,500 years ago. Then, finish with a tour of the Temple of Philae, an island gem considered one of Egypt’s most beautiful. 

**Afternoon:**Having covered Aswan’s headline acts, make tracks for some off-the-beaten-track gems. Explore the Temple of Kalabsha beside Lake Nasser on a private tour, or visit St. Simeon Monastery. Getting to this medieval fortress-church on Aswan’s west bank is an adventure in itself, involving a boat trip and camel ride.

**Evening:**Unwind with a sunset horse-drawn-carriage ride along Aswan’s riverfront gardens and boulevards, or board a felucca sailboat for a cruise on the Nile to admire the glinting waters and silhouetted palms. Alternatively, head for a Sound and Light Show at Philae Temple: a cavalcade of illuminations and dramatic storytelling that brings its long history alive. 

Day 2

**Morning:**Earmark today for visiting some of the great antiquities reachable from Aswan. Topping the list for most is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Abu Simbel on Lake Nasser. Travel by air or road to marvel at its statue-fronted temples, relocated to escape the Nile floodwaters. Otherwise, venture north to the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo or onward to Luxor to see treasures such as Karnak and the Valley of the Kings.  

**Afternoon:**If you chose a predawn departure for Abu Simbel, you’ll be back in Aswan with the afternoon free to explore further. Take things easy with a felucca sailing cruise to enjoy the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener’s Island, or opt to visit the city’s Nubian Museum to view its age-old sculptures and archaeological finds. 

**Evening:**Focus on the present-day city on your last night with an authentic Nubian dinner experience. Visit a Nubian family home for a home-cooked supper of dishes such as ‘bird tongue’ pasta soup and Nile perch, and gain firsthand insight into your hosts’ ancient culture as you dine.

Aswan beckons with age-old temples, medieval ruins, lush gardens, and colorful Nubian villages, all set against a stunning River Nile backdrop. While there’s much to see, with careful planning you can cover the city’s ancient history and rich culture in one day. Check out our tips for squeezing the most from a 24-hour stay. 

Morning: Top Sights

Begin with a roundup of Aswan’s three highest-profile sights. Set out on a half-day tour to the Aswan High Dam, built in the 1960s to prevent the Nile’s annual floods, before heading for the ancient granite quarry that still holds the Unfinished Obelisk. Marvel at this enormous pillar, still half-hewn from the rock but abandoned 3,500 years ago due to a large crack in its stone. Next, ride a boat to the island Temple of Philae, an exquisite complex dating from 690 BC and dedicated to the goddess Isis. 

Afternoon: Ruins, Gardens, and Museums

With Aswan’s top sights in the bag, this afternoon is ideal for casting your sightseeing net wider. Perhaps take a felucca boat cruise to Kitchener’s Island and stroll around its shady botanical gardens, or ride a camel to the 7th-century St. Simeon’s Monastery. Alternatively, head to Lake Nasser to roam the water’s-edge Kalabsha Temple. Other options include the Nubian Museum and its repository of household artifacts and monuments dating from the seventh century BC, or motorboat trips to Nubian villages on the banks of the Nile or Soheil Island to learn about this ancient ethnic community.

Evening: Lights, Sights, and Dinner

Come dusk, it’s time to relax and focus on Aswan’s scenery and cuisine. The Sound and Light Show at Philae Temple is an evening showstopper, so book an admission ticket that includes convenient round-trip hotel transfers. Marvel at the illuminations as you walk through the temple, and admire the lights reflected in the island’s waters. For something gentler, take a horse-and-carriage ride through Aswan, trotting along its Nile-side boulevards as the sun sets. Otherwise, sit down for a home-cooked dinner at a local Nubian family home, relaxing in the courtyard and learning about their way of life over staples such as Nile perch and roast chicken.