Christmas in Egypt is unlike anything you have experienced. No grey skies, no shopping-center crowds — just warm December sunshine, ancient temples, and a Nile that glitters in low winter light. Our Egypt Christmas tours turn the holiday season into the journey of a lifetime.
Egypt is also one of the few places on earth where you can celebrate Christmas twice. The international world marks 25 December, and Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox community — one of the oldest Christian communities anywhere — celebrates on 7 January, a national public holiday. Travel between those dates and you catch both.
Our Egypt Christmas holiday packages begin in Cairo at the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then carry you south to Luxor and Aswan, where temples and tombs sit under the clearest skies of the year. Many of our festive itineraries include an Egypt Christmas Nile cruise, with decorated decks, gala dinners and a new view from your cabin window each morning.
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Egypt has two Christmas dates. 25 December is celebrated by international visitors, Egypt’s Catholic and Protestant communities, and the entire tourism industry, with hotel and Nile cruise galas on Christmas Eve. 7 January is Coptic Orthodox Christmas Day and a national public holiday. Travelling between the two dates lets you experience both.
The Coptic Orthodox Church follows the older Julian reckoning of the Nativity, which currently falls thirteen days after 25 December — so 7 January. The date closes a 43-day Nativity fast, and the celebration centres on a midnight liturgy on the evening of 6 January, after which families break the fast together.
Yes, 7 January is an official public holiday in Egypt. Government offices and banks close, but archaeological sites, museums including the Grand Egyptian Museum, and tourist services operate normally. Cairo traffic is noticeably lighter, which makes it one of the better days of the year to visit the Pyramids.
Yes. Coptic churches welcome respectful visitors to the Christmas Eve liturgy on 6 January, though major cathedrals get crowded and may have security screening. Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, expect a long service, and stand quietly at the back. Egypt Best Vacations can arrange a guide to accompany you and explain the liturgy.
Warm and sunny rather than cold and grey — December daytime temperatures run around 20 to 21 degrees Celsius in Cairo and 24 to 25 in Luxor. Hotels, Nile cruise ships and Red Sea resorts decorate from mid-December and serve Christmas Eve dinners and New Year galas for international guests.
The most accessible sites are in Coptic Cairo: Abu Serga, built over a crypt where tradition says the Holy Family sheltered, and the Hanging Church. The desert monasteries of Wadi El Natrun sit between Cairo and Alexandria. Sites further south at Gabal El Teir near Minya and Deir El Muharraq in Assiut need a dedicated day and advance arrangement.
Egypt Christmas tours from Egypt Best Vacations cover the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Cairo, with options to add Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Alexandria, a festive Nile cruise, or a Red Sea stay in Hurghada or Sharm El-Sheikh. Packages include hotels, private Egyptologist-guided sightseeing, transfers and entrance arrangements.
Egypt Christmas tours with Egypt Best Vacations start from 625 US dollars for a 4-day Cairo holiday and run to 2,499 dollars for a 15-day package covering the Pyramids, a Nile cruise and the Red Sea. Festive Nile cruises begin at 850 dollars. Prices vary by hotel and ship category and by travel dates, and late December carries seasonal supplements.
Four to five days covers Cairo plus one highlight such as Luxor or Alexandria. Six to eight days adds a Nile cruise, Aswan, Abu Simbel or a Red Sea stay. Ten days and up lets you combine the Pyramids, the Nile and the Red Sea unhurried, and to cover both Christmas and New Year. Our festive packages run from 4 to 15 days.
December is mild, dry and sunny. Cairo averages 20 to 21 degrees Celsius by day and 9 to 11 at night. Luxor and Aswan are warmer at 24 to 26 by day but drop to 6 to 8 after dark. Hurghada sits around 23 to 24 with sea temperatures near 23. Rain is rare outside Alexandria, so pack layers rather than waterproofs.
Yes. Several Egypt Best Vacations packages span both holidays, and travelling between 20 December and 5 January covers Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and Coptic Christmas on 7 January in a single trip. If your holiday is anchored on New Year’s Eve rather than Christmas Day, see our dedicated Egypt New Year tours.
In most cases yes. Hotels and Nile cruise ships across Egypt apply a compulsory gala dinner supplement on 24 December, and a second one on 31 December for guests staying through New Year. This is standard national practice rather than an operator policy. Egypt Best Vacations quotes the supplement at the time of booking so there are no surprises at check-in.
Many do. Egypt Best Vacations runs festive Luxor to Aswan cruises of 3, 4 and 7 nights, with decorated ships and holiday meals on board. Other Christmas packages are land-based around Cairo, Alexandria or the Red Sea, so you can choose either. Ships are classified honestly as Standard, Deluxe, Ultra Deluxe or Luxury rather than all being called five-star.
Yes. The Grand Egyptian Museum is now the most important museum stop in Egypt and holds the complete Tutankhamun collection, including the golden mask. It is included in our Cairo Christmas itineraries. Allow at least three to four hours, and book tickets in advance during the festive season.
Yes. Mild weather, sights like the Pyramids that hold children’s attention, and a Nile cruise that removes daily packing all make Egypt an easy family holiday. Egypt Best Vacations runs private, family-paced festive itineraries with child-appropriate touring and hotels chosen for comfort.
Children are discounted rather than surcharged. On ground tours without domestic flights, children under 6 travel free, ages 6 to 11 pay 50 percent of the adult rate, and 12 and over pay the adult rate. On packages that include domestic flights, ages 0 to 2 pay 30 percent, 3 to 5 pay 40 percent, 6 to 11 pay 50 percent, and 12 and over pay the adult rate.
Book four to six months ahead. The window from 20 December to 5 January is the busiest in Egyptian tourism, and the best Nile cruise ships and Pyramid-view hotel rooms sell out first. Booking early secures preferred ships and hotels and the lower seasonal fare bands before they close.
Egypt is generally safe and welcoming for tourists throughout the festive season, with well-developed tourism infrastructure and visible security at major sites. Travelling with a licensed local operator like Egypt Best Vacations adds a private Egyptologist guide, vetted hotels and ships, private transfers and on-the-ground support throughout your trip.
