Africa

Egypt in March

Excellent touring conditions and softening prices. Khamsin desert winds can occasionally blow through with sand and haze.

BestWarm, Cairo highs near 75F (24C), Luxor near 86F (30C)

Giza pyramids, Egypt — EgyptPhoto: Ricardo Liberato, CC BY-SA 2.0

The straight answer

March is one of the best months of the year to visit Egypt. Excellent touring conditions and softening prices. Khamsin desert winds can occasionally blow through with sand and haze.

Weather: Warm, Cairo highs near 75F (24C), Luxor near 86F (30C)
Crowds: 3 of 5
Prices: 3 of 5

What March is like in Egypt

March brings warm, excellent touring weather, with Cairo near 75F (24C) and Luxor near 86F (30C). Crowds thin and prices soften after the winter peak. The one wild card is the khamsin, a hot desert wind that can blow sand and haze through for a day or two.

It suits families on spring break, couples, and anyone who wants good weather at better prices. Build a little slack into your plans in case of a dusty day. Watch the Ramadan dates for the year, since they shift and can shorten site hours. If you want cooler air in the south, February is the safer bet.

Make the most of March

What is especially good about Egypt this month.

Value before the heat

Prices ease while the weather is still great, which makes March one of the best-value months for a full Cairo and Nile trip.

Evenings at Luxor Temple

Warmer days make the temple's evening hours a treat. It glows after dark and the air is cooler.

Red Sea add-on

The water on the Red Sea coast is warming up, so a few days of snorkeling at Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh fits nicely after the monuments.

What to pack for March

A light scarf or buff to cover your face if a khamsin wind blows
Sunglasses that wrap around to keep out dust
Breathable long sleeves for sun protection
A refillable water bottle

Our timing tip

Plan the big outdoor sites for early morning in March, and keep one flexible day in case a khamsin wind turns the sky hazy.

Book Egypt for March.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Egypt
Opens a hotel search for Egypt in March, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for March
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in Egypt
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
Rentals on Vrbo
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in Egypt
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Egypt for March. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in March

Ramadan in Egypt

Dates shift about 11 days earlier each year; check the current window

Sites stay open, often with shortened hours, and tourist restaurants and hotels serve through the day, while many local eateries close until sunset. Evenings are the reward: lantern-lit streets, festive iftar energy, and late, lively nights, especially in Cairo.

Things to do in Egypt

Full guide

The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx

Arrive at opening to beat both the heat and the buses. Entering a pyramid is a separate ticket and a hot, tight crawl; the panorama viewpoint at the plateau's edge is the classic photo.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Grand Egyptian Museum

The vast new museum beside the Giza plateau, built to showcase the Tutankhamun collection and tens of thousands of artifacts. Pair it with the pyramids across a full day.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Valley of the Kings, Luxor

The standard ticket covers a rotating selection of three tombs; the special-ticket tombs, when open, are worth the extra. Go at opening, the tombs hold heat by midday.

Tickets and tours →

Karnak and Luxor temples

Karnak's hypostyle hall is ancient Egypt at maximum scale; Luxor Temple glows after dark and stays open into the evening, the best two hours of a hot day.

Tickets and tours →

A Nile cruise or felucca sail

Three to four nights between Luxor and Aswan hits Edfu and Kom Ombo en route. Cruises run year-round; in summer, the boat's air conditioning becomes the strategy.

Tickets and tours →

Abu Simbel

Ramses II's colossal cliff temples near the Sudanese border, moved block by block above the rising lake in the 1960s. Most visitors fly or convoy from Aswan at dawn. Twice a year, in late February and late October, the rising sun reaches the inner sanctuary.

Tickets and tours →

Beat the crowds

Be at the gates at opening time everywhere: the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and Abu Simbel are transformed at 6am to 8am, both for crowds and for heat, and the tour-bus wave lands mid morning.
Skip the December and January crush by traveling in October, November, February, or March: the weather is nearly identical and the tomb queues are not.
Buy the special-entry tickets where they exist, in the Valley of the Kings especially: they cost more, cap numbers, and put you in quieter tombs while the crowds cycle through the standard three.
Do Luxor Temple and the bazaars at night: both are open late, gorgeously lit, and far cooler, which frees your dawn hours for the sites that close in the afternoon.

Know before you go

Egypt's monuments have no off-season: the pyramids, temples, and tombs open every day of the year, shifting to earlier or shorter hours in summer and during Ramadan. The season question is heat and crowds, not access.
Summer strategy is a real system, not a hardship: major sites open by 6am to 7am, and the working pattern is monuments at dawn, air conditioning or the pool from late morning, and bazaars or illuminated temples after sunset. Luxor and Aswan midday from June through August is for napping, not touring.
During Ramadan, expect somewhat shortened site and museum hours, many local restaurants closed until sunset (hotels and tourist restaurants stay open), reduced alcohol availability outside hotels, and wonderful festive evenings. Dates shift about 11 days earlier each year.
Tombs rotate: the Valley of the Kings keeps a changing subset open to manage humidity damage, so the exact tombs you see depend on the current rotation, and headline tombs sometimes close for conservation. Treat any specific tomb as a hope, not a promise.

Egypt in March, quick answers

Is March a good time to visit Egypt?

March is one of the best months of the year to visit Egypt. Excellent touring conditions and softening prices. Khamsin desert winds can occasionally blow through with sand and haze.

What is the weather like in Egypt in March?

Warm, Cairo highs near 75F (24C), Luxor near 86F (30C).

Is Egypt crowded in March?

Crowds in Egypt are moderate in March; timed bookings still help at the biggest sights.

What is happening in Egypt in March?

Ramadan in Egypt (dates shift about 11 days earlier each year; check the current window).