Where to stay

The modern town between Karnak and Luxor Temple, with big Nile-front hotels, restaurants and the souq. The easiest first base.

Quiet villages, sugar cane fields and small hotels at the foot of the Theban hills, minutes from the tombs. Calm, rural and close to the balloons.

Hotels and cafés along the river facing Elephantine, near the souq and the station. Practical and lively in the evening.

A green island in the river with Nubian villages, a big hotel and ancient ruins. Free ferries and hotel boats link it to the corniche.

Painted Nubian houses on the West Bank above the first cataract, reached by boat. Simple, colourful and good for one or two nights.

Aswan’s grand 1899 hotel on its granite bluff. Mandarin Oriental took over in May 2026: the historic wing stays open while the Nile Wing is renovated until July 2027.