Egypt at Christmas and New Year: Three Trips

We offer three holiday trips over December, Christmas and the New Year. Each pairs Cairo with a five-star Nile boat and starts with the Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. The seven-day December trip is the shortest, the eight-day Christmas trip is the only one that reaches Abu Simbel, and the eight-day New Year trip is the only one with a free day in Cairo.

Key Takeaways

• All three trips spend the first two days in Cairo: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum on day 2.
• The Christmas trip sails from Luxor to Aswan; the December and New Year trips sail from Aswan to Luxor.
• Only the Christmas trip visits Abu Simbel, on day 7, by private vehicle from Aswan.
• Only the New Year trip has a free day, day 7 in Cairo, where optional excursions such as Alexandria or a Nile dinner cruise can be arranged on request.
• December averages 24.3 °C by day in Luxor and 24.2 °C in Aswan, against 20.4 °C in Cairo.

The three trips side by side

In all three itineraries you fly between Cairo and the Nile cities, so the Cairo days and the boat days are separate halves of the trip. Browse them with the other trips on the Christmas and New Year tours page.

Day by day

In Cairo. Day 1 is arrival, with a representative at the airport. On day 2 the Giza Plateau comes first, with the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, and the Grand Egyptian Museum in the afternoon, where, according to the Christmas trip's page, the complete Tutankhamun collection is together for the first time since it was found. To compare that museum with the others, read the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum or NMEC.

On the Nile. The December and New Year trips fly to Aswan on day 3 for Philae Temple and the High Dam before boarding, then visit Kom Ombo and Edfu, the West Bank of Luxor and finally Karnak and Luxor Temple. The Christmas trip runs the other way: it flies to Luxor, sees Karnak and Luxor Temple, boards the boat, then visits the West Bank, Edfu, Kom Ombo and, in Aswan, Philae and the High Dam. Our guide to Aswan to Luxor or Luxor to Aswan explains how the two directions differ.

The ending. The Christmas trip uses day 7 for Abu Simbel, which the page describes as two temples cut into the mountainside by Ramses II, one for himself and one for Queen Nefertari, and then flies from Aswan to Cairo. See how to visit Abu Simbel for the other ways to get there.

The weather in December and January

Average daily high and low, in degrees Celsius.

Days are mild and nights are cool, especially in Luxor, where the average low drops to 7.8 °C in December and 5.9 °C in January. The Christmas page notes that the sun deck in December is the pleasantest place on the river. For the rest of the year, see the best time for a Nile cruise, month by month, and for the holiday itself see Christmas in Egypt.

Choosing between them

• You want the shortest trip: the 7 Days Egypt Tour in December.
• You want Abu Simbel: the 8 Days Egypt Christmas Holiday.
• You want a day with nothing scheduled: the 8 Days Egypt New Year Tour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which trip reaches Abu Simbel? The 8 Days Egypt Christmas Holiday, on day 7.

Which trip has a free day? The 8 Days Egypt New Year Tour, on day 7 in Cairo.

How many nights are on the boat? Four on the Christmas trip and three on the December and New Year trips.

Which direction does each sail? The Christmas trip sails from Luxor to Aswan; the other two sail from Aswan to Luxor.

How warm is Luxor in December? The average daily high is 24.3 °C and the average low is 7.8 °C.