By what you want from the day

Things to do in Aswan

What to do in Aswan, arranged by what you want from the day rather than by category. Ancient sites, the river, Nubia, the islands, the south — and a last group for the unscheduled things, which for a lot of people turn out to be the best of the trip.

Discover ancient Aswan

Six thousand years around a short stretch of water, three of the six sites on islands.

Philae Temple ComplexElephantine IslandThe Unfinished ObeliskQubbet el-HawaAll ancient sites

Sail the Nile

From an hour at sunset to a week between Aswan and Luxor.

A sunset feluccaA private boat for the dayA dahabiya to LuxorCompare all five

Experience Nubia

Start with the history and the language, then decide how you want to meet the living culture.

The Nubian MuseumNubian architectureVisiting respectfullyThe Nubia hub

Explore the islands

There is no bridge. The ferry costs less than a coffee and is the best five minutes of the day.

ElephantineThe Botanical GardenWhy the islands are there

Go south

Abu Simbel, the dam, and the rescued temples along the lake.

Abu SimbelNew KalabshaThe High DamLake Nasser

Slow down

This is not filler between sites. For a lot of people it turns out to be the reason they stayed.

An evening with no itineraryThe souq after sixThe best time of day