Cairo for the festive city buzz, Luxor & Aswan (on a Nile cruise) for warm winter sightseeing, and the Red Sea — Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab — for sun and snorkelling. There's no single right answer: Egypt at Christmas splits into culture and warmth. Most of our guests pair a few days in Cairo and a festive Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan with some Red Sea beach time. Add the Western Desert for adventure, or Alexandria for a European-flavoured winter break.
BEST FOR: Winter sun, temples, festive Nile cruises, beaches
WEATHER: 18–24°C days, cold nights; Red Sea sea ~23–24°C
VIBE: Hotel decorations, gala dinners, Coptic churches, NYE parties
BOOK BY: September–October — Christmas dates sell out first
Christmas is quietly one of the best times of the year to be in Egypt, and it's why we field so many December enquiries. The weather flips in your favour — warm, dry sightseeing days in the south, cool starry evenings, and just enough festive buzz in the big hotels to feel Christmassy without the northern-hemisphere cold. This is a where-to-go roundup: the destinations we actually send guests to for Christmas and New Year, and why each one works. If you'd rather read about local traditions, Coptic Christmas on 7 January and what the season really feels like on the ground, that's all covered in our full Christmas in Egypt guide. Here, we're focused purely on the places — and how to combine them.
1
Best Places to Spend Christmas in Egypt
Egypt divides neatly into two Christmas moods: culture and warmth. Cairo, Luxor and Aswan serve up pharaonic sightseeing under near-perfect winter skies, usually paired with a festive Nile cruise. The Red Sea — Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab — trades temples for sunshine, snorkelling and lazy beach days. Most guests combine the two. Here are the eight destinations we recommend most for the festive season, and who each one suits.
1. Cairo
Cairo is the natural start to any Christmas trip. The Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum are far more comfortable in December's mild 18–21°C than in the summer heat, and the city's five-star hotels go all-in on decorations, festive markets and lavish gala dinners on the 24th and New Year's Eve. It's also the best base for experiencing Coptic Christmas services if you stay into early January. Set up near the Nile or the Pyramids and fill your days with our Cairo day tours, then dig into the wider list of things to do in Cairo.
2. Luxor & Aswan
If you only have time for one region at Christmas, make it the south. Luxor and Aswan enjoy the driest, sunniest, most reliable winter weather in the country — ideal for full days at Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Philae Temple without a drop of rain. The atmosphere is calmer and more historic than the coast, and the low winter sun makes the temples photograph beautifully. We break the region down in detail in our guide to Christmas in Luxor & Aswan, and most travellers see both cities on a Luxor and Aswan Nile cruise.
3. A Festive Nile Cruise
A Nile cruise over Christmas is our single most-booked festive experience, and for good reason. You wake up to a new temple most days, the sun decks are warm by midday, and the boats lay on Christmas Eve dinners, carol evenings and New Year's Eve galas on board — all while drifting between Luxor and Aswan past Edfu and Kom Ombo. It's the most effortless way to blend sightseeing with celebration. See how the festive sailings work in our Christmas Nile cruise guide, or browse the full fleet of Nile river cruises.
4. Hurghada
Hurghada is the Red Sea's most family-friendly Christmas base: easy direct flights, big all-inclusive resorts, and a sea that still sits around a swimmable 23–24°C in December. It's the pick for guests who want Christmas Day by the pool, snorkelling trips out to Giftun Island, and a resort that handles the festive dinners for them. There's plenty to fill the days beyond the beach — see our things to do in Hurghada — and you can day-trip inland with our Hurghada day tours, including the long but worthwhile run to Luxor's temples.
5. Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm El Sheikh offers the same winter sun as Hurghada with slightly warmer water and world-class diving on its doorstep at Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran. The strip around Naama Bay stays lively over the holidays, with a wide choice of restaurants and busy New Year's parties. It leans more toward couples and divers than young families. We cover both coastal resorts together in Christmas in Hurghada & Sharm El Sheikh, and you can plan excursions with our Sharm El Sheikh day tours.
6. Dahab
For a low-key, boho Christmas, Dahab is our pick. This laid-back diving town on the Sinai coast swaps mega-resorts for beachfront cafés, the famous Blue Hole, and a slower pace that appeals to independent travellers and backpackers. It's not the place for glitzy galas, but if your idea of a perfect Christmas is snorkelling in the morning and a bonfire on the sand at night, it's hard to beat. Explore it with our Dahab day trips, from Blue Hole snorkelling to a run up to Saint Catherine's Monastery.
7. Alexandria
Alexandria brings a more European flavour to Christmas. Egypt's Mediterranean city has a genuine Coptic and Catholic community, historic churches, and a moody winter coastline that feels a world away from the desert. Days are cooler and wetter than the south, so pack a jacket, but the fresh seafood, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the faded Belle Époque streets make a memorable one- or two-day add-on to a Cairo trip. Reach its sights on our Alexandria day tours.
8. The Western Desert
For something completely different, the Western Desert oases — Bahariya and the surreal White Desert — are magical in December's cool daytime temperatures. Camping among the chalk formations under a freezing, star-filled sky on Christmas night is unforgettable, though it's strictly for the adventurous, as the nights are genuinely cold. It works best as a two- or three-day extension from Cairo, usually built into a longer festive itinerary. See how it fits alongside the classics in our wider Egypt tour packages.
Planning your dates? We'll match them to the best experience.
Tell us when you can travel and we'll suggest the ideal route and season — usually within the hour.
Because late December and early January are peak season, the smoothest way to travel is on a ready-made festive package that bundles internal flights, a guide, hotels and the cruise into one price — with the Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve dinners already arranged. Our seasonal itineraries typically combine Cairo, a Nile cruise and often a few Red Sea days, and they're released and filled months ahead of the holidays.
★ Ready to lock in your dates? Our Egypt Christmas & New Year packages combine Cairo, a festive Nile cruise and the Red Sea — but the best dates and cabins go early. Browse Egypt Christmas & New Year packages Egypt Christmas & New Year packages
Not sure which month suits you? Ask a local.
We'll tell you honestly what the weather and crowds are really like for your travel dates.
December delivers Egypt's best sightseeing weather. Expect warm, dry days of roughly 20–24°C in Luxor and Aswan, a slightly cooler 18–20°C in Cairo, and Red Sea daytime temperatures in the mid-20s with a sea around 23–24°C — swimmable for most. The catch is the nights: once the sun drops, the desert and the Nile turn genuinely cold, so layers and a warm jacket are essential. For the full monthly picture, see our guide to Egypt in December, and for how the festive season compares across the year, our best time to visit Egypt guide.
4
Book Early: Christmas Dates Sell Out First
This is the one piece of advice we repeat every year: Christmas and New Year are the busiest, first-to-sell dates in the entire Egyptian calendar. The best Nile cruise cabins, the popular resorts and internal flights around 24 and 31 December are often gone by September or October. If you've set your heart on a festive cruise or a specific hotel, treat early booking as non-negotiable — prices only rise as the dates fill, and genuine last-minute availability over the holidays is thin to non-existent.
★ Want a Christmas trip built around you? Tell us your dates and travel style and we'll design a private festive itinerary — Cairo, cruise, coast and all the celebrations sorted. Plan a tailor-made Egypt tour Tailor-made Egypt tour
Discover ancient wonders and festive cheer on a 4-day Nile Cruise Christmas & New Year tour from Aswan to Luxor, an unforgettable Egypt in December Ch...
Step into a magical 5-day Egypt Christmas tour aboard a luxurious Nile cruise, sailing through history from Luxor to Aswan, wrapped in festive spirit...
It depends on your priorities. For warm-weather sightseeing, Luxor and Aswan — usually on a Nile cruise — are unbeatable. For a festive city break with galas and Coptic services, choose Cairo. For sun, beaches and snorkelling, head to the Red Sea: Hurghada for families, Sharm El Sheikh for divers, and Dahab for a laid-back vibe.
Yes. December brings warm, dry, sunny days ideal for temples and the Pyramids, cool festive evenings, and hotels that lay on Christmas decorations, gala dinners and New Year parties. You get winter sun and world-class sightseeing at once — just book early and pack layers for the cold desert nights.
Absolutely. The Red Sea stays warm through December, with air in the mid-20s°C and a sea around 23–24°C — swimmable for most people. Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab all deliver sunny pool-and-snorkel holidays over the festive week. Our Red Sea travel packages are built for exactly this.
Both dates matter. International hotels and resorts celebrate on 25 December, so you'll find full festive programmes then and on New Year's Eve. Egypt's Coptic Christian community, however, celebrates Christmas on 7 January with midnight mass and church services — atmospheric if you stay into the new year.
As early as you can — ideally three to six months ahead. Christmas and New Year are Egypt's peak dates, and the best cruise cabins, resorts and internal flights around 24 and 31 December sell out first, often by September or October. Booking early also locks in lower prices.
Very much so. December's cool, dry weather makes the Luxor-to-Aswan sailing one of the most comfortable of the year, and the boats add festive dinners, carol nights and New Year galas on board. You combine sightseeing and celebration in a single trip. Just book early, as festive cruises are the first to fill.
