Best Times to Visit

Weather

Warm all year and dry all year, but hottest between June and September. Negligible rainfall, except on the coast. In April the hot, dusty Khamsin wind blows from the Sahara. (For more information, see Climate in Egypt).

Travellers are advised to bring linens and lightweight cottons during summer, with warmer clothes for cooler evenings and winter.

Festivals

Egypt is famous for its many festivals and religious carnivals, also known as mulids. They are usually associated with a particular Coptic or Sufi saint, but are often celebrated by all Egyptians irrespective of creed or religion.

Ramadan has a special flavour in Egypt, celebrated with sounds, lights (local lanterns known as fawanees) and much flare that many Muslim tourists from the region flock to Egypt during Ramadan to witness the spectacle.

The ancient spring festival of Sham en Nisim has been celebrated by Egyptians for thousands of years, typically between the Egyptian months of Baramouda (April) and Bashans (May) following Easter Sunday.

Public Holidays

The following holidays are celebrated across the country, with the government offices and ministries closed.