Beautiful, laid-back Aswan…for many, this is the starting or the ending point of a Nile Cruise. For others, it is the home base for a day trip to Abu Simbel. Spread out along the banks of the Nile, Aswan is a relaxed and friendly town that provides a tranquil interlude if you've just arrived from busier Luxor or Cairo. With its palm-tree studded shorelines, feluccas that sail the Nile River, and beautiful temples, Aswan looks and feels a lot different than many other places in Egypt.
Once ancient Egypt's gateway to Africa, this is the best place to visit and base yourself for exploring the temples, monuments, and other tourist attractions in the southern reaches of Upper Egypt and the area's distinctly different Nubian culture.With just a few key places to visit, Aswan is more about relaxing than running to site to site and checking places off of your to-do list. Aside from the time you need for day trips, one day is all you need in Aswan.
Interesting Facts About Aswan:
- Aswan is located in southern Egypt.
- Aswan is one of the sunniest places on Earth.
- Rainfall is extremely rare (Aswan gets less than 1 mm of precipitation per year!) and this city receives nearly 4,000 hours of annual sunshine.
- Many of the statues, obelisks, and building materials for temples and shrines in Egypt were cut from the quarries in Aswan.
Aswan Aerial View
It also gets very hot here. Average temperatures in the summer months easily top 40°C (over 100°F).
Read also: Visiting Aswan: What to Know
Top Attractions in Aswan
Philae Temple
Start at the Philae Temple. The Philae Temple is one of the best-preserved Ptolemaic temples in Egypt, joining the list with the temples of Dendera and Edfu. The sacred Temple of Isis (more commonly known as Philae Temple) is one of Upper Egypt's most beguiling monuments both for the exquisite artistry of its reliefs and for the gorgeous symmetry of its architecture, which made it a favorite subject of Victorian painters.
More than two-thirds of the surviving buildings of the temple complex were built during the Ptolemaic period (332 to 30 BC). With the completion of the Aswan Old Dam in 1902, Philae Island became submerged underwater. The only time that the island, and the temples, were not underwater was during the summer months, when the gates of the dam were opened.
Your visit starts at the Philae Temple Marina on the mainland. There is a ticket booth where you will purchase your entrance tickets. Walk out to the boat ramp. There are numerous motorboats waiting to take you to Philae Island. Expect to pay about 700 EGP for up to eight people in one boat. It takes about 10 minutes to sail to Philae Temple. Once you arrive at the temple, it is a massive, chaotic collection of motorboats.
You can climb to the top of one of the pylons at Philae Temple at an additional cost (200 EGP per adult). You get an amazing view over the temple complex and the Nile River. To get back to the mainland, you will have to find your taxi boat.You also have the option to visit Philae Temple in the evening to watch the Sound and Light Show.
Temple of Isis, a center for the ancient cult of Isis, is the main part of the Philae Temple complex, but the island is also home to the Temple of Hathor, the Kiosk of Trajan, and various other buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods. You reach the island and its temple complex by boat, giving you plenty of Nile views on the approach and return journeys. Philae's ticket office and the pier are eight kilometers south of Aswan.
Read also: Ancient Egyptian Obelisk
Philae Temple
The Unfinished Obelisk
If it had been completed, this would have been the world’s largest obelisk. Hatshepsut ordered the construction of this obelisk to complement the Lateran Obelisk, which can be seen at Karnak Temple in Luxor. When the obelisk cracked during excavation, the project was abandoned.
Before the trip we questioned seeing the Unfinished Obelisk, because it sounded boring. Aswan's Northern Quarry is home to the famous Unfinished Obelisk-a 41-meter-long and four-meter-wide chunk of stone that was probably abandoned because of a crack in the rock. It's estimated that if completed, the obelisk would have weighed 1,168 tons and would have been the largest ever hewn. On the surrounding rock faces, you can also see the many traces of the work of ancient stonecutters.
You can easily walk to the Northern Quarry area from Aswan's downtown area. It is just east of the Fatimid Cemetery and the Nubian Museum.
Unfinished Obelisk
Read also: Where to Stay: Aswan, Egypt
Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan
The Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel is a historic, 5-star resort in Aswan. It was built in 1899 and the impressive guest list includes Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Tsar Nicholas II, Jimmy Carter, Princess Diana, just to name a few. Agatha Christie wrote portions of her novel Death on the Nile while staying here. We were able to dine at the Terrace Restaurant in 2019 and we really enjoyed the experience. This is one of the best things to do in Aswan.
The ornate façade and lush gardens surrounding the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan (the Old Cataract Hotel) are one of Aswan's major river bank landmarks, and impossible to miss if you're taking a sightseeing sailing trip around Aswan aboard a felucca. If you want to do an "Agatha" but don't have the money to stay here, the hotel's terrace is the de rigueur place to have high tea in town.
Nubian Museum
Aswan's rather fantastic Nubian Museum is one of Egypt's best and a must for anyone interested in the history and culture of both ancient and modern Nubia. It documents the riches of a culture that was all but washed away with the building of the Aswan Dam and creation of Lake Nasser. The artifacts in the museum collection include a statue of Ramses II, a statue of Amenras, the head of the Shpatka, and the black granite head of Tahraqa.
Don't miss the slumping mud-brick mausoleums of Aswan's Fatimid Cemetery just behind the Nubian Museum. The cemetery caretakers are happy to take visitors on a tour, and can point out the most interesting mausoleums for you.
Felucca Ride on the Nile River
In the afternoon, cruise on the Nile River by felucca. The price for a felucca ride is negotiable and prices can be all over the place. What you pay really depends on your negotiating skills. Since we were traveling with a guide, our felucca ride was arranged ahead of time. Our guide arranged for us to have a one-hour felucca ride.
The best way to discover Aswan's charms, and the most relaxing sightseeing experience, is to hop aboard a felucca (traditional sailboat) and view town from the watery highway that once made Aswan an important trading post. You'll have no problems finding a captain willing to take you on a river tour.A typical short tour of around two hours sails in a loop around the islands of the central Aswan area, with great views of the rippling desert dunes of the west river bank, the lush palm-tree-sprinkled islands, and the city on the east bank.
For longer tours, make a half-day or full-day felucca itinerary and plan for a swimming stop along the way, plus stops at some of the central Aswan tourist attractions, such as the archaeological site on Elephantine Island, Kitchener's Island, and the west bank sites of the Monastery of St. Simeon and Tombs of the Nobles. You can also head south, up the river, and out of central Aswan on a day-long felucca trip to Seheyl Island. The island is home to a Nubian village and a cliffside covered in inscriptions.
Felucca on the Nile
Nubian Village
Some people love this, some people think that this is a tourist trap. We enjoyed this, but part of the reason why we liked it was the boat ride to get here. The Nubian Village is small and it doesn’t take long to walk through it. One of the most popular things to do in the Nubian Village is to go inside one of the homes, drink tea, and learn about life here. Some homes have pet crocodiles on display.
Qubbet el-Hawa
If you like the idea of climbing to the viewpoint at Qubbet al-Hawa, do this now.
On the west bank of the Nile River sits the tombs of the nobles. It’s a steep walk to get to the highest point, but from here, the view of Aswan is amazing.
Day Trips from Aswan
Aswan is a handy home base for several day trips.
Abu Simbel
If you have time for only one day trip from Aswan, pick a visit to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is one of Egypt’s most striking monuments. Built by Ramses II, and saved from destruction by a remarkable UNESCO rescue project in the 1970s, Abu Simbel is not only a triumph of ancient architecture, but also of modern engineering. The mammoth scale of the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor sitting on the banks of Lake Nasser trumps everything else in Egypt and has to be seen to be believed. Most people come to Abu Simbel by tour. To get from Aswan to Abu Simbel, you can go by land or by plane.
Abu Simbel
Kom Ombo and Edfu
The Temple of Kom Ombo is a double temple that was constructed for two sets of gods. One half of the complex is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god who is associated with fertility of the land along the Nile River. The Temple of Edfu is the largest temple dedicated to the god Horus. Kom Ombo is located 60 km north of Aswan. Edfu sits 64 km north of Kom Ombo (124 km north of Aswan).
You can just visit Kom Ombo or you can combine Edfu and Kom Ombo into a day trip from Aswan. If you have plans to cruise the Nile River, a visit to Kom Ombo and Edfu should be included in the cruise. You can also visit Kom Ombo, Edfu, and Esna on the drive between Aswan and Luxor.
With More Time
The Aswan High Dam
The Aswan High Dam sits 16 km south of Aswan. The Aswan High Dam was constructed in the 1960’s. However, once the dam was completed, a giant reservoir of water was created, and it was named Lake Nasser.
Aswan High dam 4k Quality #egypt #cairo #nile
New Kalabsha
New Kalabsha sits right next to the Aswan High Dam, so it’s worth a visit here if you will be out this way.
Aga Khan Mausoleum & Monastery of St. Simeon
Sitting on the cliffs of the west bank of the Nile River are the Aga Khan Mausoleum and the Monastery of St. Simeon. The mausoleum holds the tomb of Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, a charitable leader who had strong ties to Aswan. Nearby is the Monastery of St. Simeon.
The gloriously photogenic Monastery of St. Simeon sits between the sand dunes on the Nile's West Bank. Standing on the monastery's fortified walls, overlooking the undulating dunes, gives some sense of the isolation the monks who lived here must have faced.
Aga Khan Mausoleum
Other Attractions in Aswan
- City Sightseeing: Aswan is Egypt's most southerly city and its most laid-back.
- Elephantine Island: Peppered with palm tree plantations and sloping villages of colorful mud-brick houses, Elephantine Island is Aswan's major tourist attraction.
- Aswan Botanical Gardens: Often included on sightseeing felucca trips, Aswan Botanical Gardens cover a small six-hectare island (often referred to as Kitchener's Island) just west of Elephantine Island.
- Tombs of the Nobles: This series of rock tombs chiseled out of the West Bank's cliffs were where Elephantine Island's governors, priests, and other grandees were buried during the Old and Middle Kingdoms.
- Souq Area: Slap in the center of Aswan's downtown district, Sharia el-Souk is a souvenir-hunter's dream.
- Wadi al-Subua: Wadi al-Subua's main tourist attraction is the bulky Temple of Ramses II, which contains some excellent statuary and a lovely melding of ancient Egyptian reliefs and later Byzantine Christian paintings.
Where to Eat in Aswan
- For good Nubian food and beautiful views of Elephantine Island, go to Al Dokka restaurant.
- For panoramic views of Aswan, have dinner at Panorama Restaurant at the Movenpick Resort.
- 1902 Restaurant, another restaurant at the Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel, gets rave reviews.
Where to Stay in Aswan
- Sofitel Legend Old Cataract. This historic hotel is our top pick for Aswan, if you can afford the high price.
- Movenpick Resort. This is where we stayed and we had a great experience, but this hotel does get mixed reviews.
- Nuba Dool Guest House. This highly-rated guest house offers rooms with views of the Nile River at a budget price. It is located on Elephantine Island, so you will have to ride a shuttle boat to get here.
| Attraction | Description | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Philae Temple | Well-preserved Ptolemaic temple | Accessible by boat, Sound and Light Show available |
| Unfinished Obelisk | Largest obelisk if completed | Located in Aswan's Northern Quarry |
| Abu Simbel | Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor | Can get from Aswan to Abu Simbel, you can go by land or by plane |
| Nubian Museum | Documents the culture of ancient and modern Nubia | Statue of Ramses II, a statue of Amenras, the head of the Shpatka, and the black granite head of Tahraqa |
| Aswan High Dam | Modern Egypt's most lauded and yet controversial building project | Its building took 42.7 billion cubic meters of stone |
Popular articles:
tags: #Egypt
