The Nile's Greatest Treasure: A Traveler's Guide to Aswan

By Raphael M., a travel photographer and writer based out of New York City

Last Updated on July 29th, 2026

Aswan is about a 2 hour flight from Cairo, or an hour from Luxor. I flew from Cairo to Aswan, and while there are some direct flights from other international countries, you are most likely going to connect from either Cairo or Luxor.

I ended up leaving Aswan for Luxor by bus, but would not recommend using any bus transport in Egypt. The bus was extremely dirty, lacked AC, and the roads are plagued by blockades, checkpoints, and traffic. It took me almost 6 hours due to a police blockade, which was almost double what it was supposed to take. If you are a budget traveler, it's not the worst option; just be prepared for the conditions.

Aswan is one of the world's oldest cities in the world, dating back almost 2600 years ago. It is the southern-most part of Ancient Egypt, and was also part of Nubia, one of the oldest ancient African civilizations. Local indigenous Nubians still live here, and are best-known for their pottery and art.

The southernmost city in Egypt is most well-known for its historical sites such as Abu Simbel, Philae Temple, and the Aswan Souks. It is also the most common start-point for a cruise down the Nile River, running all the way back to Cairo. It is definitely calmer than other major cities in Egypt, and offers a getaway from the chaos of Cairo.

I chose to stay at a nicer hotel in Aswan (primarily due to my bad experience in Cairo). I stayed at the MGM Wellness Resort, located in New Aswan. About 25 minutes from downtown is this new area that is currently being developed with more hotels, and while it isn't close to the downtown area, I would choose to stay here again.

I am not exaggerating when I say that Abu Simbel is one of the greatest historical sites in the world. While its visuals are jaw-dropping in themselves, the more you learn about Abu Simbel the more amazed you become with it.

In my opinion, there are only 2 must-sees when visiting Aswan: Abu Simbel, and Philae Temple. Other things you could do are visiting the Aswan Dam, walking through the Aswan Souks, or visit a Nubian Village. I honestly would not recommend the last three, and would only advise you to take a trip to Abu Simbel and then Philae Temple, which alone would justify a trip out here.

Philae Temple is a temple complex located south of downtown Aswan. Originally, the temple was located on Philae Island, about 5 kilometers from where it currently stands. During the construction of the Aswan Dam, Lake Nasser was created, one of the nation's most vital reservoirs. International attention and investment led to Philae Temple being relocated upstream, where it would be disassembled and then reassembled by an incredible team of Egyptologists and architects.

The temple complex is massive - you could easily spend 2 hours here observing the different hieroglyphics, architecture, and lake views. I will be completely honest, I didn't have an Egyptologist take me around to the different sites, so I don't have the highest cultural understanding of this temple. However, 1 standout feature of this temple are the multitude Christian influences, found in crosses etched into the walls or Christian alters.

This temple was actually co-influenced with Christianity and traditional religion dating back to the 4th century, an incredible mark of a fascinating point in history.

How to get there:

Why Aswan?

Where to stay:

The resort was reasonably priced, there was a beautiful view of the Nile River alongside the cliffside, and plenty of amenities like a pool, a restaurant, and plenty of lounge-chairs and lawns. It definitely gave me a bit of relief from the chaos of the sites, and while it is a bit more expensive in comparison to other options, I would definitely recommend staying here.

Places to see:

Philae Temple:

The columns, the large walls, prayer rooms - this entire complex is just magnificent. The most beautiful aspect of this temple are the incredibly preserved engravings, many of which seemed well-preserved.

I even saw a couple of temple cats, and while meeting a new friend from Bend, Oregon, I took a nice photo.

Philae Temple was such a unique place, and with a deeper understanding of its history and the efforts taken for its preservation, it makes it even more memorable.

Other places to visit:

I visited a few other sites in Aswan, but I wouldn't really recommend them. Aswan Dam was the first stop on my visit in Aswan, going there directly from the airport on the advice from my driver. It was about 15 minutes from the airport, there was a fee, and there isn't really much to see. The implications of this dam where massive, as it's one of the world's largest embankment dams, produces a large proportion of Egypts electricity, and created Lake Nasser. If you have the time, stop by. If not, you aren't missing anything.

The next one is walking through the Aswan Souks, or the local marketplace. As one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, the Aswan Souks have been marketplaces for millennia, and are historically one of the most vital parts of Egypt. I had a great time at the beginning of the marketplace, walking under the awnings, lined with vendors selling clothing, Egyptian food, and knick-knacks. I even got invited by several vendors to Iftar, a meal to break their fast.

The next site is the Nubian Villages, of which are supposed to reflect the local populace of the region, and the Nubian people. While they are colorful and pretty, they are a tourist trap, and mainly for photos and touristy shopping. I'd skip this entirely.

Abu Simbel:

Arriving at the current site is just breathtaking. You need to take a boat ride to the Island, and costs about 700-1000 EGP depending on how the workers feel, much like everything in Egypt. They even tried to scam me, saying it would cost me 3000 EGP. I eventually found a group of other Chinese tourists who helped me split the costs.

It all turned a bit south at the end of the marketplace, right outside a large mosque, of which I couldn't find the name of on Google. I was approached by a group of kids selling candy and when I was asked if I wanted anything, I politely refused. The kids didn't let up, and actually followed and chased me for about 20 minutes. Even the local Egyptians were telling them to let up, but they didn't. They were grabbing at my bag, my camera, and even tried surrounding me. I'll just say that I made it out, and that I did not put myself into that situation again while visiting Egypt.

My best experience outside of Philae Temple and Abu Simbel is probably the resort, just relaxing and watching the sunset while getting some work done. Highly recommend.

For me, Aswan was filled with highs and lows. It has two of greatest historical sites in the country, has stunning views of the Nile, and was overall a delightful experience. That confrontation in the Souks was a bit of a downer on my experience in the city, but wouldn't stop me from me from visiting. I think if you visit with a guide or a larger group, you probably won't have that issue, but I can't say for sure in Egypt. If you're already in the nation, Aswan deserves to be at the top of the cities to visit.

Final Thoughts:

A tip for staying here would be to book a taxi-service for the entire day and have them drive you around the area the whole day. I found a driver at the airport and bargained with him to take me to the tourist areas and drive me back and forth from the downtown area to my hotel. It was around 3000EGP (60USD), but was well worth it for the peace of mind and convenience.

Like I said before, Aswan is actually the most common starting-place for a multi-day cruise down the Nile. This is probably the reason most people come here, but since I didn't do it (its quite expensive), I can't comment on the experience.

Because of its grandeur, I wrote a blog specifically for this site alone, which you can find below. If you can't find the time to read it, just know that this is one of the places you cannot miss in Egypt, second only to the Pyramids, arguably first (in my opinion).