--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Aswan, Egypt | Wimup" description: "The ten best things to do in Aswan: Philae, Abu Simbel, the Nubian Museum, a felucca through the cataract and the Nubian villages, ranked and mapped." url: https://wimup.com/city/aswan type: City guide updated: 2026-10-17 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Aswan Aswan, Egypt · Africa · By Wimup Editorial, 15 min read Aswan is where Egypt stops being Egyptian and starts being Nubian. The Nile breaks into channels around granite islands here, the desert comes down to the water on both banks, and the pace drops. It is also the base for Philae and Abu Simbel. ## Quick answer Give Aswan three days. One for the islands and the west bank (a felucca at sunset, Qubbet el-Hawa, St Simeon), one for the southern circuit (Philae, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, the Nubian Museum), and one for Abu Simbel, a full day by road or a morning by air. Come between November and February: summer highs run past 41°C. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb - **Ideal length:** 3 days - **Budget per day:** $30–75 - **Language:** Arabic (Nobiin and Kenzi spoken by Nubians) - **Getting around:** Feluccas, motorboats, taxis, the Corniche on foot - **Tourism board:** [↗ Website](https://www.experienceegypt.eg/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Aswan ### 1. Philae Temple Temple · Agilkia Island, between the two dams, south of Aswan The temple of Isis, taken apart and rebuilt block by block on a neighbouring island that engineers reshaped to match the drowned original. Reached only by motorboat from the Marina landing, which is half the pleasure. Go on the first boats, or come back for the evening sound and light show. - **Time:** 2 hours including the crossing - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** First boats of the morning - **Tip:** Settle the boat fare and the waiting time before you step aboard Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Abu Simbel Temple · Abu Simbel, about 280 km south-west of Aswan Ramesses II cut two temples into a cliff and put four seated statues of himself, around 20 metres tall, across the front of the larger one. In the 1960s the whole cliff face was sawn into more than a thousand blocks and rebuilt 64 metres higher. Twice a year the dawn sun still reaches the sanctuary. - **Time:** A full day from Aswan - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** On arrival, ahead of the coaches - **Tip:** The three-hour desert drive each way is the real cost; a flight turns it into a morning Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Nubian Museum Museum · Sharia Abtal el-Tahrir, south Aswan Egypt’s answer to what the High Dam drowned: more than 3,000 objects tracing Nubia from prehistory through Kush and Christian Nubia to the villages moved in the 1960s. It opened in 1997 and won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001. The best hour in the city for context. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Midday, when it is too hot outside - **Tip:** Do it before Philae and Abu Simbel, not after Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. A felucca through the cataract Nile · Corniche el-Nil landings, central Aswan The river widens here into a channel of granite boulders and islands, and the lateen-rigged feluccas have worked it for generations. The hour before sunset is when the light and the wind are both right. Boats are hired whole and by the hour, so fix the route and the length first. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hours - **Cost:** Per boat, negotiated - **Best at:** The hour before sunset - **Tip:** Ask for the loop around Elephantine and Kitchener’s Island rather than a set time ### 5. The Unfinished Obelisk Monument · Northern granite quarries, Sharia Abtal el-Tahrir Abandoned in the bedrock when the granite cracked, this obelisk would have stood around 42 metres and outweighed anything the Egyptians ever raised. Three of its four sides were already free of the rock. Nothing else shows so plainly how the quarries worked. - **Time:** 45 minutes - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Early morning, there is no shade - **Tip:** It sits on the same road as the Nubian Museum, so pair the two Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Gharb Soheil Village · West bank, opposite Soheil Island A Nubian village of ochre, cobalt and lime-washed houses with a market lane running through it, selling basketry, spice and hibiscus. It is a working village that receives visitors, not a set, so keep to the street and ask before photographing a doorway. - **Time:** Half a day with the boat - **Cost:** Boat fare plus what you spend - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Go by boat from the Corniche rather than by road; the approach is the point ### 7. Aswan Botanical Garden Island · Kitchener's Island, west of Elephantine Lord Kitchener was given the island in the 1890s and planted it; the state has run it as a botanical garden since. Just under seven hectares of palms and imported trees on a grid of paths, ten minutes out by boat and several degrees cooler than the Corniche. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Ticketed, plus the boat - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Fold it into the felucca hour; most boatmen will wait at the landing ### 8. The Aswan High Dam Landmark · Sadd el-Ali, 13 km south of Aswan Built between 1960 and 1970, 111 metres high and 3.8 km across the valley, it ended the annual flood, created Lake Nasser and drowned Nubia. The viewpoint gives you the scale and little else, which is why it works best as one stop on a circuit with Philae and Kalabsha. - **Time:** 30 minutes - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** On the way to or from Philae - **Tip:** Photography is restricted in places; follow what the guards indicate ### 9. Qubbet el-Hawa Tombs · Cliff above the west bank, opposite Elephantine A terrace of rock-cut tombs cut for the governors who ran Egypt’s southern frontier and led the trading expeditions into Africa. Harkhuf’s walls record four of those journeys. The climb is part of the reward: the whole cataract opens up from the top. - **Time:** 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Late afternoon, for the light on the cliff - **Tip:** A stairway runs up from the landing; carry water, there is no shade on it Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. Monastery of St Simeon Monastery · Deir Anba Hadra, desert behind the west bank A fortified Coptic monastery a kilometre into the desert, abandoned in the twelfth century and still standing on two terraces: church, cells, refectory, ovens and presses. Reached by boat, then a short walk or a camel up the sand. - **Time:** 1.5 hours with the approach - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning, before the sand heats - **Tip:** Arrange for the boat to wait; there is nothing at the landing Links: [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best temples and monuments in Aswan Five more, most of them lifted out of the water and rebuilt on higher ground. 1. **Temple of Kalabsha** (Roman · Ticketed · New Kalabsha, by the High Dam): The largest free-standing temple of Egyptian Nubia, raised under Augustus for the god Mandulis and moved here in 13,000 blocks in 1970. 2. **Beit el-Wali** (13th c BC · Ticketed · New Kalabsha): A small rock-cut temple of Ramesses II moved to the same headland. The battle reliefs in the forecourt still hold traces of their paint. 3. **Kiosk of Qertassi** (Roman · Ticketed · New Kalabsha): A Roman kiosk of four papyrus columns and two Hathor columns standing alone above the lake. Five minutes, and the best view on the headland. 4. **Temple of Khnum** (Ptolemaic · Ticketed · Elephantine Island): The ram-headed god who controlled the flood was worshipped on Elephantine for three thousand years. What stands is largely Ptolemaic, on far older foundations. 5. **The Nilometer** (Ancient · Ticketed · Elephantine Island): A stairway cut down to the river to read the flood, and with it the coming year’s taxes. Marked in hieroglyphic, Roman and Arabic numerals. ## Best ways to get on the Nile in Aswan Four trips, from a few pounds for the local ferry to four nights on Lake Nasser. 1. **Seheil Island** (Rock inscriptions · Ticketed · Upstream of the old dam): A granite island in the cataract carrying hundreds of rock inscriptions, among them the Famine Stela, a Ptolemaic text about a seven-year drought under Djoser. 2. **The public ferry to Elephantine** (Minutes · Local fare · Corniche el-Nil): The local boat from the Corniche costs a few pounds and runs through the day. The cheapest thing on this page, and the one Aswan actually uses. 3. **A Nile cruise to Luxor** (3 to 4 nights · Downstream · Cruise moorings, Corniche): Boats sail downstream over three or four nights, stopping at Kom Ombo and Edfu on the way. Standards vary widely, so book the boat rather than the brochure. 4. **A Lake Nasser cruise** (3 to 4 nights · Upstream · High Dam moorings): The other direction: several nights south past Kalabsha, Wadi el-Seboua and Amada to Abu Simbel, with a fraction of the traffic of the Nile itself. ## Best museums in Aswan Three small ones, once the Nubian Museum is behind you. 1. **Aswan Museum** (Antiquities · Ticketed · Elephantine Island): The old excavation house on Elephantine, holding what the island’s digs turned up, including the mummified ram of Khnum. 2. **Crocodile Museum, Kom Ombo** (Opened 2012 · Ticketed · Kom Ombo, 45 km north): Opened in 2012 beside the double temple, with dozens of mummified crocodiles from the surrounding sands laid out in one lit case. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Animalia** (Private · Small fee · Elephantine Island): A Nubian family’s own museum on Elephantine, explaining Nubian life, the flooding of the villages and the wildlife of the river. ## Best restaurants in Aswan Five rooms, from a Nubian terrace on the water to the most formal dining room in Upper Egypt. 1. **1902** (French · $$$ · Sofitel Legend Old Cataract): French cooking under the Moorish dome of the Old Cataract, and the most formal room on this stretch of the Nile. Book ahead. [Website](https://sofitel.accor.com/en/hotels/1666/restaurants/R002.html?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Panorama Restaurant & Bar** (International · $$$ · Elephantine Island): Top of the Mövenpick tower on Elephantine, which puts the whole cataract below you. Come for the sunset hour. 3. **Makka Restaurant** (Egyptian grills · $ · Central Aswan): A local grill house off the Corniche: kebab, kofta and molokhia, plenty of small plates, no view and no markup. 4. **Nubian Dreams** (Nubian · $$ · Elephantine Island): Nubian home cooking and barbecue on Elephantine, eaten on a terrace a few metres above the water. 5. **El Dokka** (Nubian · $$ · Dokka Island): A Nubian restaurant on its own island with a free boat from the Corniche. The setting does most of the work. ## Best markets and crafts in Aswan Three, and one of them trades in camels rather than souvenirs. 1. **Sharia as-Souq** (Daily · Free · Central Aswan): The main bazaar runs a block back from the Corniche: spice, hibiscus, incense, basketry and silver, at a fraction of the pressure of Cairo. 2. **The craft lane at Gharb Soheil** (Daily · Free · West bank): The village market street sells Nubian basketry, painted pottery and hibiscus by the kilo, much of it made by the households selling it. 3. **Daraw camel market** (Weekly · Free · Daraw, 45 km north): Camels walked north from Sudan are traded 45 km up the road. Market days are reported differently by different sources, so ask locally first. ## Best day trips from Aswan Three, all of them north, and all reachable and back inside a day. 1. **Kom Ombo** (Ptolemaic · Ticketed · 45 km north): The only perfectly symmetrical double temple in Egypt, split down the middle between Sobek and Horus the Elder. 45 km north on the east bank. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Edfu** (Ptolemaic · Ticketed · 105 km north): The Temple of Horus, about 105 km north, is among the most completely preserved temples in Egypt, roof and pylon and walls still standing. [Website](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Luxor** (3 hours each way · 210 km north): Three hours north by train or road. Karnak and the Valley of the Kings deserve longer than a day, so treat this as a sampler or stay the night. [City guide](https://wimup.com/city/luxor.md) ## Best neighbourhoods in Aswan Three, and only one of them has cars. 1. **Elephantine Island** (Nubian villages · Mid-river): The Nubian villages of Siou and Koti sit at the north end, above a 5,000-year-old excavation. No cars, and lanes barely wider than a doorway. 2. **The Corniche and the souq quarter** (Central · East bank): The working centre: ferry landings, the market street one block back, and the tea houses where the boatmen wait out the afternoon. 3. **West Aswan** (Nubian villages · West bank): The Nubian villages on the west bank, under the tombs and the monastery. Reached by boat, and several degrees quieter than the Corniche. ## Festivals & annual events in Aswan (2026) - **Coptic Christmas** (7 January): A public holiday across Egypt. Churches hold late services the night before, and government offices and some banks close. - **Aswan International Sculpture Symposium** (January to March): Founded in 1996 by Adam Henein. Sculptors work Aswan granite in the open air beside the Nile for several weeks. - **Abu Simbel Sun Festival (February)** (22 February): The dawn sun reaches the sanctuary of the Great Temple. Crowds gather before first light, so book transport and a bed early. - **Ramadan** (Moves each year): Daytime hours change across the city, many kitchens close until sunset, and the souq is at its busiest late into the night. - **Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha** (Move each year): Both close offices for several days and fill trains and boats first. Book any long-distance leg well ahead of either. - **Sham el-Nessim** (The Monday after Coptic Easter): Egypt’s spring holiday, older than either of its religions. Families take salted fish and coloured eggs to the riverbank. - **Aswan International Women's Film Festival** (February to April): Founded in 2017 as Egypt’s first festival built around women’s cinema. It runs about a week; the dates move year to year. - **Abu Simbel Sun Festival (October)** (22 October): The second alignment of the year, on the same principle as February and usually with slightly smaller crowds. ## Must-try dishes in Aswan, Egypt - **Nubian tagine**: Meat or fish baked in a clay pot with tomato and onion, spiced differently from the Cairo version. - **Ful medames**: Fava beans simmered overnight with cumin, lemon and oil. Breakfast, and the cheapest meal in Egypt. - **Ta'ameya**: Egypt’s falafel, made with fava beans rather than chickpeas, and greener inside because of it. - **Koshari**: Rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas under fried onion and tomato sauce. The national dish. - **Molokhia**: A thick green soup of chopped jute leaves with garlic and coriander, poured over rice. - **Hamam mahshi**: Pigeon stuffed with spiced rice or freekeh and then grilled. An Egyptian dish for occasions. - **Karkade**: Hibiscus, hot in winter and iced in summer. Aswan grows it and sells it by the kilo in the souq. - **Feteer meshaltet**: Layered pastry pulled paper thin and baked, served sweet with honey or savoury with cheese. ## Aswan transport & airports - **Aswan International Airport** (ASW): About 16 km south-west of the centre, 25 to 40 minutes by taxi. Domestic flights reach Cairo in around an hour and a half, and Abu Simbel in well under one. - **Rail** (Aswan station): Egyptian National Railways runs north to Luxor in about three hours and on to Cairo overnight. Sleeper services are sold separately from the day trains. [Website](https://www.enr.gov.eg/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Ferries and feluccas** (Per boat): Public ferries cross to Elephantine from the Corniche for a few pounds. Motorboats and feluccas are hired whole and by the hour, so fix price, route and time before boarding. - **The Abu Simbel road** (280 km): The desert highway runs about three hours each way. Tour minibuses leave in the small hours to arrive at opening; check the current departure rules locally before driving it yourself. ## Aswan at a glance - **Country:** Egypt - **Region:** Upper Egypt, Aswan Governorate - **Population:** About 400,000 in the city (2023), about 1.7 million in the governorate - **Founded:** Settled as Swenet, the ancient southern frontier town, more than 4,000 years ago - **Nickname:** The gateway to Nubia - **Language:** Arabic (Nobiin and Kenzi spoken by Nubians) - **Currency:** Egyptian pound (EGP) - **Time zone:** UTC+2 (EET) - **Calling code:** +20 (area code 97) - **Airports:** Aswan International (ASW) - **Power:** 220V, plug types C and F - **Emergency:** 122 police, 123 ambulance, 180 fire, 126 tourist police ## Interesting facts - Eratosthenes measured the Earth from a well here: at noon on the summer solstice, sunlight reached the bottom without casting a shadow. - Syenite, the rock, is named after Syene, the Greek name for Aswan, where the Romans quarried it. - Long-term rainfall is little more than a millimetre a year, and many years pass with no measurable rain at all. - Building the High Dam displaced roughly 80,000 to 100,000 Nubians, most resettled north of Aswan and around Kom Ombo in 1963 and 1964. - Agatha Christie stayed at the Old Cataract in 1937, the year she wrote Death on the Nile. The hotel opened in 1899. ## Aswan travel FAQ ### Is Aswan worth visiting? Yes, for two separate reasons. It is the base for Philae and Abu Simbel, two of the most photographed monuments in Egypt and both rebuilt stone by stone above the rising lake. It is also the one Egyptian city where the Nubian south is the culture rather than a footnote. ### How many days do you need in Aswan? Three. One for the islands and the west bank, one for the southern circuit of Philae, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk, and one for Abu Simbel. Two works if you fly to Abu Simbel rather than drive. One day covers the circuit and nothing else. ### What is the best time to visit Aswan? November to February. Daytime temperatures are comfortable for walking and the light is at its best. From June to August the average daily maximum runs past 41°C, which takes most of the day outdoors off the table. Rain is not a factor in any month. ### How do you get from Aswan to Abu Simbel? By road it is about 280 km and three hours each way across the desert, usually in a tour minibus that leaves before dawn. By air it is a short hop from Aswan International and back the same morning. Lake Nasser cruises also finish there. ### Is Aswan better than Luxor? They answer different questions. Luxor holds more standing ancient architecture than anywhere on earth and needs three days. Aswan has fewer monuments, better light and a culture of its own, and it is where people go once Luxor has worn them out. Most itineraries take both. ## Nearby guides - [Luxor](https://wimup.com/city/luxor.md): Egypt · 10 picks - [Abu Simbel](https://wimup.com/city/abu-simbel.md): Egypt · 10 picks - [Hurghada](https://wimup.com/city/hurghada.md): Egypt · 10 picks - [All of Africa →](https://wimup.com/africa): 67 cities Part of the [Egypt guide](https://wimup.com/country/egypt.md) · [Africa](https://wimup.com/africa.md) ## Sources - [Aswan tourism board](https://www.experienceegypt.eg/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Philae Temple (official site)](https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [1902 (official site)](https://sofitel.accor.com/en/hotels/1666/restaurants/R002.html?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Rail (official site)](https://www.enr.gov.eg/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.