Aswan
Granite islands in the Nile at the first cataract, Egypt’s old southern frontier, with a hotel from 1899 on its cliff and Abu Simbel a short flight beyond.
- Arrival
- Aswan International · ASW
- To the city
- About 16 km south-west of the town
- Private jets
- Airport of entry, operations round the clock
- Best time
- November to March
The city
Where the river breaks on granite.
Ancient Swenett, the Greeks’ Syene, marked the end of Egypt: south of here the Nile broke over the rocks of the first cataract and Nubia began. Its quarries gave pink granite for obelisks, and around 240 BC Eratosthenes used the noon sun at Syene to measure the circumference of the Earth. Elephantine Island, now part of the town, faces the corniche, and on the plateau across the river stands the marble and limestone tomb of Aga Khan III.
Every month is rainless, so the season is decided by heat. From November to March afternoons run between 23 and 30 °C; by April they pass 35 °C, and in midsummer they reach 41. Since May 2026 the Old Cataract has been run by Mandarin Oriental, open in its historic wing while the Nile Wing is rebuilt for 2027.
- Philae The temple taken down stone by stone and raised again on Agilkia Island after the High Dam was built.
- The Unfinished Obelisk Abandoned in its quarry, it would have stood some 41.7 metres and weighed about 1,168 tonnes; work is thought to date from Hatshepsut’s reign.
- Abu Simbel Some 290 kilometres south-west on Lake Nasser, reached by road convoy or by a short flight from Aswan.
Arriving
A runway at the edge of the desert.
Aswan International stands in the desert south-west of the town, with a single runway of 3,400 metres shared with the air force.
- Jeddah 1 h 15
- Tel Aviv 1 h 30
- Milan 4 h 30
- Lisbon 5 h 50
- Palm Beach 14 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
November to March.
No measurable rain in any month. Winter afternoons, November to March, reach 23 to 30 °C; from April the heat builds to 41 °C in June and July and is still 36 °C in October.
- 23° J 0
- 26° F 0
- 30° M 0
- 35° A 0
- 38° M 0
- 41° J 0
- 41° J 0
- 40° A 0
- 39° S 0
- 36° O 0
- 29° N 0
- 24° D 0
Where to stay
On the cliff and on Elephantine.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Old Cataract, Aswan Built by Thomas Cook in 1899 on a pink granite cliff, where Agatha Christie found material for Death on the Nile; 35 rooms and suites are open in the Palace while the rest is renovated.
- Mövenpick Resort Aswan More than four hundred rooms, suites and villas among gardens and farmland in the middle of the Nile.
Where to dine
Where to book in Aswan.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Egypt. This is the main restaurant of the Old Cataract, the town’s grand hotel.
- Al Saraya Signature restaurant, Old Cataract Levantine and Mediterranean Old Cataract, Corniche
Elsewhere in Egypt
More reasons to come.
Flying to Aswan?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.