Aswan walking tour & city guide

The Nile

Felucca sailboats glide between Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden on Kitchener's Island. Colorful Nubian villages on the west bank welcome visitors. The Aswan souk is full of spices and baskets.

Temples

The Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis, was moved to an island to save it from flooding by the Aswan High Dam. Abu Simbel, with its giant statues of Ramses II, is a day trip to the south.

A day in Aswan

Take a felucca sailing boat around Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden in the afternoon light. Visit a colorful Nubian village on the West Bank.

Philae Temple, on an island, is reached by boat. Many visitors also make the early trip to Abu Simbel, about three hours south.

Good to know

Aswan is more relaxed than Luxor and has a strong Nubian culture. The winter is warm and sunny.

The sound and light show at Philae is popular in the evening.

The pace of the south

Aswan is the most relaxed city in Egypt, and many travelers find it their favorite. The Nile is narrow and beautiful here, with granite boulders, palm trees and sand dunes on the West Bank. In the evening, sit on a terrace by the river and watch the feluccas tack back and forth. The spice market on Sharia as-Souq is full of hibiscus, cumin and baskets of dates, and the Nubian Museum explains the culture of the region before the dam.