Best Time to Visit Cairo: Weather, Ramadan and Museums

When is the best time to visit Cairo?

Go in November, March or early April. Cairo then averages highs of about 23°C to 28°C with almost no rain, so early mornings at Giza and long museum days are comfortable. December to February are cooler, near 19°C to 20°C by day and 10°C at night, while June to August average about 35°C.

Cairo is a desert-edge megacity, and its seasons are about heat rather than rain: the whole year averages under 25 mm. The figures on this page are the Egyptian Meteorological Authority’s 1981–2010 averages for Cairo, published by the WMO. Experience Egypt, the official tourism site, puts Egypt’s moderate winter at November to March and summer at May to September.

Your trip probably mixes three kinds of day: open-air sites such as the Giza plateau, Saqqara and Dahshur, which are hard work in summer; big museums such as the Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which are not; and walks through Islamic and Coptic Cairo. The best months are the ones where all three are pleasant.

Below you will find the monthly numbers, each season’s trade-offs, how sight hours change with the season and in Ramadan, the dates that matter, the FCDO’s advice and a verdict by traveller type. Plan the days afterwards with the Cairo 3-day itinerary.

What is Cairo’s weather like month by month?

Average highs rise from 19.0°C in January to 34.8°C in July, and lows from 9.7°C to 23.3°C. Rain is rare: the wettest months, January to March, average about 4 mm to 6 mm, and June to August record none. March, April, October and November are the comfortable transitions between cool winters and hot summers.

The table uses the EMA’s 1981–2010 normals for Cairo. Rain days are the authority’s average number of days with measurable rain; even February, the month with the most of them, averages fewer than four.

Two numbers matter most for planning. The Giza plateau opens at 07:00 (egymonuments.com), before the day’s heat builds, so an opening-time start works even in July; and winter nights near 10°C mean a jacket for early pyramid visits from December to February.

Is winter a good time to visit Cairo?

Yes. December to February average highs of 19°C to 20°C and lows near 10°C to 11°C, so you can spend all day at Giza, Saqqara and the museums without a midday retreat. Experience Egypt puts average winter daytime temperatures at around 20°C. The trade-offs are cold early mornings, the occasional shower and Ramadan from February 2027.

January is the coolest month, at 19.0°C by day and 9.7°C at night (EMA via WMO). Rain, when it comes, is light, about 4 mm to 5 mm a month. A light waterproof and a warm layer cover both.

Winter is the season to combine the open-air necropolises: the Giza plateau (07:00 opening, 16:00 last entry), Saqqara (08:00 opening, 16:00 last entry) and Dahshur (08:00 opening, 16:00 last entry) are all comfortable through the day (Giza; Saqqara; Dahshur). Days are short, so start at opening rather than late morning.

If you are continuing to Upper Egypt, winter is also Luxor’s main season; see best time to visit Luxor.

Why are March, April, October and November so good?

They balance warmth and comfort. March and November average highs of about 23°C to 25°C, and April and October about 28°C to 30°C, with little or no rain. Mornings at Giza are mild and evenings pleasant for the Nile or Islamic Cairo. November adds the Cairo International Film Festival, held 11–20 November 2026.

Spring warms fast: from 23.4°C in March to 28.2°C in April and 31.9°C in May (EMA via WMO). Early April is as warm as most visitors want for long outdoor days, and by May you need dawn starts. Ramadan may overlap late February and March 2027, as covered below.

Autumn cools in the opposite direction, from 33.1°C in September to 29.7°C in October and 24.7°C in November. The 47th Cairo International Film Festival runs from 11 to 20 November 2026, according to the festival, which gives its address as the Cairo Opera House (CIFF).

If your plan extends south, two dates fall in these months: the Abu Simbel sun alignment on 22 October, when the official ticket costs EGP 1,272 instead of EGP 822 (egymonuments.com), and Luxor’s National Day on 4 November (MoTA).

How do you handle Cairo in summer?

Split each day in two. From June to September highs average 33°C to 35°C and nights stay above 21°C, so do Giza or Saqqara at opening, spend midday in a museum and go out again in the evening. The Grand Egyptian Museum keeps its galleries open until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

July averages a 34.8°C high and August the warmest nights, at 23.3°C (EMA via WMO). Experience Egypt describes summers as hot, especially in the deserts and the south, so if Luxor and Aswan are on your list, summer gets harder the further south you go.

Museums are the summer refuge. The Grand Egyptian Museum’s official ticketing site lists gallery hours of 09:00–18:00 on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 09:00–21:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with last entry an hour before the galleries close; the visit includes the Tutankhamun galleries and Khufu’s Boats Museum. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization adds a Friday evening session, with last entry at 20:00 (egymonuments.com).

The metro is useful for cross-town trips: Cairo Metro lists Sadat station for Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum, Mar Girgis for Coptic Cairo, and Giza station as handy for buses to the Pyramids (Cairo Metro). See getting around Cairo.

How do sight hours change through the year and in Ramadan?

Most of Cairo’s ticketed sites keep the same hours in summer and winter, with last entry at 16:00. Ramadan brings earlier last entry at several: 15:30 at Giza and Saqqara, 15:00 at the Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and 14:00 at the Coptic Museum. The Citadel opens an hour later in summer.

The table lists adult foreign-visitor prices and hours on egymonuments.com, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ official platform, checked on 16 October 2026 (see its pages for the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel and the Coptic Museum); the Grand Egyptian Museum sells its own tickets through its official site, which did not display prices when we checked. Students aged up to 24 with valid ID pay roughly half on egymonuments.com.

Tickets are dated and non-refundable, and the platform asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing (egymonuments.com FAQ). Buy each day’s tickets once the plan is fixed, and see are the Pyramids of Giza worth it for how much time to give the plateau.

Which events and holidays affect a Cairo trip?

Ramadan matters most: the FCDO says dates vary by year and should be checked, and its North Africa pages put the next start in February 2027. Sites close earlier, while the metro runs until 02:00. The Cairo International Film Festival, 11–20 November 2026, is the main autumn event. Book rooms early for both.

The FCDO’s Egypt advice says eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight hours in Ramadan is considered culturally insensitive and that dates should be checked before you travel; its Morocco and Tunisia pages give February 2027 for the next start (FCDO). Cairo Metro runs 05:00 to midnight on regular days and 05:00 to 02:00 in Ramadan (Cairo Metro), which helps with late evenings out after the fast is broken.

For the evenings, see Ramadan travel planning; for the full city programme, things to do in Cairo.

What risks should shape your Cairo dates?

Heat from May to September is the seasonal risk. The FCDO adds that terrorist attacks could be indiscriminate, that protests can change quickly, that touts target tourist areas and that women should take care in taxis at night. It also reports regional strikes since 8 July 2026. Cairo and Giza are not under an FCDO area warning.

The FCDO’s Egypt page was updated on 4 August 2026 with information on regional tensions, including strikes and retaliatory attacks across the region since 8 July and a drone strike that damaged two ships off Damietta on 29 July. Its area warnings cover North Sinai, the Libyan border and most of the Western Desert, but they exclude the part of Giza Governorate north-east of the Bahariya Oasis (FCDO warnings).

The FCDO safety page advises avoiding large gatherings and demonstrations, being cautious with touts and scammers in tourist areas, sharing your driver’s details and live location when taking a taxi alone, and reporting crime to the tourist police on 126. Cairo Metro reserves women-only carriages in the middle of its trains (Cairo Metro).

Before you fly, check the FCDO entry page and our Egypt visa on arrival guide, and choose refundable rooms while the regional situation remains unpredictable.

Which months suit which kind of Cairo trip?

First-timers should aim for November, March or early April. Families and anyone planning long days at Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur should prefer December to March. Museum-focused travellers can go any time, using the Grand Egyptian Museum’s late openings in summer. Combine Cairo with Luxor and Aswan between November and February.

Weather figures are the EMA’s 1981–2010 Cairo averages; hours come from egymonuments.com and the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Travellers who struggle with heat should treat June to September as museum season and plan any plateau visit for the 07:00 opening. For neighbourhood choice, which matters more in summer because short trips home save energy, see where to stay in Cairo.

So when should you go to Cairo?

Book November or March if you can choose freely: warm days, cool nights and almost no rain for Giza, the museums and Islamic Cairo. Early April, late October and December to February are close behind. Visit between June and September only with dawn starts and museum afternoons, and check the FCDO again before you fly.

Our ranking: November and March first; late October, December, January, February and early April second; May and September third; June to August last for outdoor sightseeing, although the museums work all year.

Then build the days with the Cairo 3-day itinerary or the Cairo 7-day itinerary, choose a base in where to stay in Cairo, and see the Cairo destination guide for background and budgets.