# Aswan: map, what to do and when to go

The First Cataract of the Nile, with Philae, Elephantine Island, and the Nubian villages, and the base for Abu Simbel

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Aswan: how do you get from the airport to the city?** Aswan International Airport (ASW) is about 25 km south-southwest of the center, on the west bank, beyond the High Dam, with domestic flights, such as those from Cairo.
- **Aswan: do you need a visa?** Entry rules for Egypt depend on nationality: some travelers can get a tourist visa on arrival, others through the official portal visa2egypt.gov.eg before the trip, and some need a consulate; check before buying the ticket.
- **Aswan: how do you arrive by train or by cruise?** The station is at the northern end of the center, a few hundred meters from the river, and is the end of the main line of Egyptian National Railways (ENR).

## Philae, the Nubian Museum, and the souq
Set out early by taxi or tuk-tuk, with a fixed price, to the Philae landing, south of the old dam, to arrive at opening time, 7:00.
- Philae Temple
- Nubian Museum
- Aswan High Dam
- Temple of Kalabsha
- Sharia as-Souq

## The west bank, Elephantine, and Gharb Soheil
Cross early, by public ferry, from the center side to the west bank and climb to the Tombs of the Nobles right at opening, before the strong sun: Mekhu and Sabni and Sarenput II, with the guard who has the key, and then the dome of Qubbet el-Hawa for the view of the islands.
- Gharb Soheil
- Tombs of the Nobles

## Philae Temple
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-templo-de-philae
One to two hours
The sanctuary of Isis, begun by Ptolemy II and expanded until Roman times, is Aswan's main monument and can only be reached by boat, from the landing south of the old dam. Besides the main temple, with the birth room where Isis nurses Horus, there are the temple of Hathor and Trajan's Kiosk, roofless, at the water's edge. The whole complex was dismantled and rebuilt on the island of Agilkia between 1977 and 1980, and the original island, submerged, lies a few hundred meters away. Look for the crosses carved over the reliefs, from the time when the temple became a church. Open 7:00 to 16:00; the ticket for a foreign adult costs 550 EGP, and access to the panoramic terrace costs 200 EGP extra (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026). In the evening there is a sound and light show, with sessions in different languages depending on the day.
Check access

## Elephantine Island
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-ilha-elefantina
One to two hours
The border island, inhabited for more than five millennia, has at its southern tip the ruins of the temples of Khnum and Satet, old houses excavated by the German mission, and two nilometers, the stairways that measured the height of the flood. The Aswan Museum, in the same compound, displays statues, sarcophagi, and ram mummies, the animal of the god Khnum. After the site, it is worth walking through the Nubian villages of Siou and Koti, in the middle of the island. Open 8:00 to 16:00, with a ticket of 200 EGP for a foreign adult (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026). The public ferry leaves from the Corniche, opposite.
Check access

## Nubian Museum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-museu-nubio
One to two hours
The best place to understand Nubia and what the High Dam did to it. Across three floors, the collection runs from prehistory to the rescue campaign of the 1960s, with thousands of pieces, and the main hall shows the traditions and crafts of the Nubian villages in dioramas. The garden works as an open-air museum, with part of a Fatimid cemetery, a cave with prehistoric engravings, and the reconstruction of a Nubian house. Open 9:00 to 17:00, with the ticket office open until 16:00; on Thursdays and Fridays it reopens from 18:00 to 21:00. Ticket of 400 EGP for a foreign adult (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026).
Check access

## Gharb Soheil
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-gharb-soheil
One to two hours
A Nubian village on the west bank, with houses painted in strong colors, guesthouses, restaurants serving Nubian cuisine, and craft shops. It formed about a hundred years ago, when the old dam was built and first raised. The visit is usually by boat, in the late afternoon, combined with dinner; it is an inhabited village, and asking permission before photographing people and interiors is part of the visit.
Check access

## Tombs of the Nobles
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-tumulos-dos-nobres
One to two hours
About a hundred tombs cut into terraces on the hill of Qubbet el-Hawa, on the west bank, opposite the center, where governors and priests of the Old and Middle Kingdoms were buried. The most visited are the complex of Mekhu and Sabni and that of Sarenput II, with well-preserved paintings; the person who opens the doors is a guard with the key. From the top, at the sheikh's dome that gives the hill its name, the view takes in the river, the islands, and the desert. You get there by the public ferry from the center's bank; the climb is on foot, under the sun.
Check access

## Aswan Botanical Garden
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-jardim-botanico-de-assua
Up to half an hour
It occupies the whole of El Nabatat Island, the former Kitchener's Island, turned into a garden by Lord Kitchener, who owned it, and later handed to the government as a botanical research institute. It has palm trees, trees brought from India, and many birds, and is popular with local families on weekends. You can only reach it by boat or felucca, landing on the southeast side of the island.
Check access

## Unfinished Obelisk
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-obelisco-inacabado
Up to half an hour
In the ancient quarry on the east side of the city, the largest known obelisk of ancient Egypt still lies attached to the rock. Attributed to Hatshepsut, it was abandoned when the granite cracked; it would have been about 42 meters long and weighed 1,168 tonnes. The tool marks and the ocher lines explain how the stone was cut. Open 7:00 to 16:00, with a ticket of 220 EGP for a foreign adult (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026).
Check access

## Aswan High Dam
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-represa-alta-de-assua
Up to half an hour
The earth-and-rock dam, 3.8 km long and 111 meters high, that holds back Lake Nasser, built between 1960 and 1970 with Soviet support. At the top of the wall there is a lookout over the lake and the monument to Egyptian-Soviet friendship, shaped like a lotus flower. The visit is short and is done together with Philae or Kalabsha.
Check access

## Temple of Kalabsha
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-templo-de-kalabsha
One to two hours
On the New Kalabsha promontory, by the High Dam, stand temples moved from Nubia before the flooding. The main one, dedicated to the Nubian god Mandulis and built in the reign of Augustus, was moved in 1962 and 1963; beside it are the temple of Beit el-Wali, of Ramesses II, and the small Kiosk of Qertassi. Open 7:00 to 16:00, with a ticket of 200 EGP for a foreign adult (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026).
Check access

## Monastery of St. Simeon
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-mosteiro-de-sao-simeao
One to two hours
The ruins of a large Coptic monastery in the desert of the west bank, surrounded by a high wall and arranged on two terraces, with a church, a cave, cells, a refectory, oil presses, and ovens. The church still has remains of paintings, and the walls hold Coptic and Arabic graffiti. You get there on foot or by camel from the Tombs of the Nobles. Open 7:00 to 17:00, with a ticket of 150 EGP for a foreign adult (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026).
Check access

## Aga Khan Mausoleum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-mausoleu-do-aga-khan
Up to half an hour
The tomb of Aga Khan III, built between 1956 and 1960 in a style inspired by Fatimid mausoleums, high on the west bank; since 2025 it also holds Aga Khan IV. A red rose is left on the tomb every day, a custom begun by his widow, the Begum Om Habibeh. Just below is the family's winter house, designed by Hassan Fathy. The interior of the mausoleum has been closed to the public since 1997, and the building is seen from afar, from the river or the Corniche.
Check access

## Sehel Island
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-ilha-de-sehel
One to two hours
A large island between the city and the old dam, with Nubian villages and hundreds of inscriptions carved into the granite blocks by travelers going to or returning from Nubia, among them the Famine Stela, from the Greco-Roman period. The visit requires a private boat and goes well with a trip to Gharb Soheil.
Check access

## Sharia as-Souq
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/assua/#g-lugar-sharia-as-souq
Up to half an hour
The market street, which starts near the station and runs south parallel to the Corniche, with spices, karkadeh, henna, dates, baskets, and Nubian fabrics, as well as fruit and vegetables for local trade. For a calm stroll, late afternoon is cooler.
Check access

**Aswan: how do you get from the airport to the city?**
Aswan International Airport (ASW) is about 25 km south-southwest of the center, on the west bank, beyond the High Dam, with domestic flights, such as those from Cairo. There is no public bus to the terminal: the way in is by taxi, with the fare agreed before getting into the car, or by hotel transfer. Ride-hailing apps work in the city, but the driver sometimes tries to renegotiate the fare by message before arriving.

**Aswan: do you need a visa?**
Entry rules for Egypt depend on nationality: some travelers can get a tourist visa on arrival, others through the official portal visa2egypt.gov.eg before the trip, and some need a consulate; check before buying the ticket.

**Aswan: how do you arrive by train or by cruise?**
The station is at the northern end of the center, a few hundred meters from the river, and is the end of the main line of Egyptian National Railways (ENR). Luxor is 3 or 4 hours away; Cairo, about 10 hours more. The air-conditioned express trains have first and second class, and in April 2026 the route between Cairo and Aswan cost US$80 in first and US$65 in second for foreigners. There is also a private overnight sleeper train, run by Watania, booked on the company's website. ENR tickets are bought on the website or at the station, in advance. Cruise ships dock along the Corniche and make the trip between Aswan and Luxor in 3 to 4 nights, with stops at the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu. These are packages with meals, not scheduled boats. Above the High Dam, Lake Nasser has its own cruises, which run from Aswan to Abu Simbel.

**Aswan: how many days should you stay?**
I'd stay three days in Aswan, and two are enough for anyone who leaves Abu Simbel out. The first is for Philae, right at opening, and the Nubian Museum in the afternoon, to learn Nubian history before entering the villages; the evening is for the souq. The second is for the river: the Tombs of the Nobles early, Elephantine next, and the late afternoon at Gharb Soheil, with dinner in a Nubian village. I'd give the third to Abu Simbel, leaving before dawn, because it is the most impressive temple in southern Egypt and can't be done in half a day. Anyone arriving or leaving by cruise to Luxor can fit in Kom Ombo along the way, without spending a day of Aswan on it.

**Aswan: is it worth setting aside a whole day for Abu Simbel?**
I'd give Abu Simbel a day, leaving before dawn, because it is the most impressive temple in southern Egypt and can't be done in half a day. It is about 300 km south by road, near the border with Sudan, a trip of about three hours each way. Minibus excursions leave Aswan before dawn, around 4:00 or 5:00, and return in the afternoon; there are also domestic flights to the Abu Simbel airport. The two temples of Ramesses II and of Nefertari are open 6:00 to 17:00, with a ticket of 750 EGP for a foreign adult, and 1,200 EGP on February 22 and October 22, when the sun lights up the sanctuary (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026); on those dates the temple is among the busiest of the year. To see the evening sound and light show you have to sleep in Abu Simbel. In winter, bring warm clothing: the excursion leaves before dawn and the wind from Lake Nasser makes the start of the day cold.

**Aswan: how do you get to Philae Temple?**
The temple is on an island in the lake between the dams. You take a taxi or tuk-tuk to the landing south of the old dam, buy the ticket, and hire a motorboat for the group, with the trip out, the wait, and the trip back agreed in one deal. Agree the wait to match the length of the visit, about an hour and a half to two hours with the terrace, so you don't have to renegotiate on the island; the boat charges per boat, not per person, and is paid at the end. Open 7:00 to 16:00; the ticket for a foreign adult costs 550 EGP, and access to the panoramic terrace costs 200 EGP extra (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026). The first hour has low light over the lake and fewer people.

**Aswan: how much are the tickets?**
Admission tickets are charged in pounds and adjusted often. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities page, accessed October 19, 2026, a foreign adult pays 550 EGP at Philae (plus 200 EGP for the panoramic terrace), 400 EGP at the Nubian Museum, 220 EGP at the Unfinished Obelisk, 200 EGP at Elephantine and Kalabsha, 150 EGP at the Monastery of St. Simeon, 450 EGP at Kom Ombo, and 750 EGP at Abu Simbel, a price that rises to 1,200 EGP on February 22 and October 22. Students with a card pay half at most sites. The Philae sound and light show costs US$20 per adult, according to the official shows website. Boats, feluccas, and horse carriages have no posted price: the fare comes out of the conversation at the dock and is per boat, not per person.

**Aswan: when is the best time to go?**
From November to February, Aswan has the most pleasant days of the year: in January the average high is around 23 °C and the low around 10 °C, with cool nights, and that is also when the most visitors arrive and cruises and hotels charge the most. In March and October the average highs are already 30 °C and 36 °C, and in April they exceed 35 °C; you can visit well by starting at 7:00 and keeping the middle hours of the day for rest. From May to September average highs run between 39 °C and 42 °C, open-air sites are punishing from late morning through the afternoon, and the city receives fewer tourists, with lower prices. Rain is almost nonexistent: the annual average is under 1 mm. At Abu Simbel, on the shore of Lake Nasser, the wind makes the early morning feel much colder than in Aswan, especially in winter, and February 22 and October 22 are among the busiest days at the temple.

**Aswan: is it safe?**
Aswan is considered a calm city for visitors, with visible policing at the sites, the landings, and on the road to Abu Simbel. The most likely risks are others. The first is the heat: from May to September, heatstroke and dehydration are the real problem, and bottled water, a hat, and a pause during the middle hours of the day solve it. The second is theft in the souq, with a known trick: the seller offers a scarf or a papyrus with one hand while looking for the pocket with the other; a wallet in front and a closed bag prevent it. The third is the price that changes: boatmen, carriage drivers, and drivers who do not agree the fare and ask for more at the destination. Women traveling alone report insistent stares and comments, more than contact. Do not drink tap water. Boatmen offer a stop for a swim in the Nile near Gharb Soheil, but schistosomiasis, an infection caused by a parasite transmitted in fresh water, exists in Egypt, and the health guidance for travelers is not to swim in untreated rivers, lakes, or ponds. In the rare heavy rains, such as the storm of November 2021, flash floods drive scorpions out of their burrows; so, on a rainy day, watch where you step and do not walk barefoot on open ground.

**Aswan: can you visit Kom Ombo?**
Kom Ombo is about 50 km to the north, by car on the valley road or by local train to Kom Ombo station and tuk-tuk to the temple. The double temple of the Ptolemaic period, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and to Horus the Elder, has two parallel axes and two sanctuaries. Open 7:00 to 21:00, with a ticket of 450 EGP for a foreign adult (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, accessed October 19, 2026). It is a stop for cruises to Luxor, as is Edfu, farther north; anyone arriving or leaving by cruise can fit it in along the way, without spending a day of Aswan on it.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/assua/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/assua/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/assua.md