The best time to visit Luxor
Luxor has one season that works and one that is endured: from October to April you walk the temples, from May to September you run into them before nine.
- Best
- November and February–March
- Busiest
- December–January: European holidays
- Worst
- June–August: 40–45 degrees
Luxor is a desert with a river, and that decides everything: from November to March it is twenty to thirty degrees and dry, and the tombs are done all morning; October and April are the shoulder, up to thirty-five in the afternoon but bearable in the morning; from May to September it is forty and more, the temples are empty because nobody lasts, and prices halve. The best months are November and February–March: warm, without the New Year crowds and without the heat.
Luxor gets next to no rain, so the month that works is set by temperature in the valley, not the holiday calendar. Below is month by month, with what is genuinely done in each.
The season
Twenty to thirty degrees by day, ten to fifteen at night, and dry air that makes the heat bearable. The west bank is done all morning without rushing, Karnak in the afternoon without dizziness. Within the season there are differences: December and January bring the European holidays, full boats and the highest prices; November and February–March have the same climate with half the people. The balloon flies almost every morning, because winter winds are light.
Endurance
Forty and more from noon to five, in a valley without wind or shade. Tombs are done from opening until nine, temples at night under floodlights; in between you sleep. Hotels and cruises halve their prices, the temples are empty, and that is the only reason to come — with a clear plan to do nothing between nine and five. Anyone who cannot stand heat does not come, and no saving changes that.
Month by month
If you only get one — November
Balloon, boat and wind
The balloon is cancelled in wind, which happens rarely in winter and more often in March and April — which is why it is booked for the first morning so the second stays in reserve. Do not count on it in summer: in 2026 flights were suspended from June to the end of August because of the heat. Luxor–Aswan cruises sail all year; in winter they are full and expensive, in summer empty and cheap, with a deck unusable from one to five. The level of the Nile has not been a problem since the dam.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is the best time to visit Luxor?
November, then February and March. Twenty to twenty-eight degrees by day, dry, without holiday crowds and with the balloon flying almost every morning. December and January have the same climate with twice the people and the highest prices.
Can Luxor be done in summer?
It can, with a plan: tombs from opening until nine, temples at night under floodlights, the pool and air conditioning between. Forty and more from noon to five is no exaggeration. Prices are halved, the temples empty.
Is it cold in winter?
By day no — twenty to twenty-five. At night yes: in January it drops to six to eight, and the dawn balloon and a boat deck need a jacket. Hotels rarely have heating, so ask before booking.
Ready for Luxor?
Where to next
Luxor in 2 days
→Two days in which the west bank starts at seven because there is no shade, and Karnak waits until three in…
Aswan · 181 km
→A town on the Nile where the river has granite islands and cataracts, the people are Nubian and the temples were moved from where they were drowned
How well does Luxor suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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