Cairo · Month comparison

July vs November

November ranks #1 overall vs July at #11. The single best month — perfect weather, peak culture, and the city at its most alive.

Cairo July — the Great Pyramid under a bleached summer sky at the hottest time of year

July

#11 of 12 months

Avoid

The hardest month — extreme heat, emptied tourist infrastructure, cheapest prices.

  • ↑July is the cheapest month to see the Pyramids. Budget 4-star hotels near Giza fall to EGP 3,000–5,000/night; guesthouses in Islamic Cairo and downtown can be found for under EGP 1,500. Camel ride operators and souvenir vendors are deeply negotiable when there are essentially no other tourists.
  • ↑The interior of the Great Pyramid — a constant 20–22°C regardless of external temperatures — is genuinely cool in July. The 87-metre crawl through the Grand Gallery to the King's Chamber is an unforgettable experience at any time of year, and in July it has the additional luxury of being shared with almost no one.
Cairo November — the Sphinx and Pyramids in the perfect light of a clear autumn afternoon

November

#1 of 12 months

Best match

The single best month — perfect weather, peak culture, and the city at its most alive.

  • ↑November is Cairo at its finest. Days of 24–26°C with crystal-clear blue skies, cool comfortable evenings, and essentially zero rainfall create the definitive conditions for sightseeing. The Giza Plateau is beautiful from sunrise to sunset. The light on the Pyramids and Sphinx in the afternoon — warm golden desert light at a low angle — is the photograph that ends up on every Cairo travel feature.
  • ↑The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF, typically late November, established in 1976, one of the most prestigious on the African continent) brings international filmmakers and a vibrant atmosphere to the downtown cinemas around Tahrir Square. Tickets are affordable and queues are long in a way that suggests genuine local enthusiasm.
FactorJulyNovember
Weather score
2
10
Value score
10
5
Crowd score
10
5
Events score
2
7
Atmosphere
4
9
Avg high temp38.5°C25.3°C
Monthly rain0mm4mm
Daily sunshine13.3hrs8.3hrs

July trade-offs

  • ↓July averages 38–39°C with regular peaks of 41–42°C. These are temperatures that require genuine precautions: pre-dawn starts (the Giza site opens at 7am, and July's early sun is relatively bearable before 9am), 4+ litres of water per person per day, and no outdoor exposure between 10am and 5pm. Heat exhaustion can develop within 30 minutes in direct sun at these temperatures.
  • ↓Much of Cairo's cultural and culinary infrastructure reduces operations in July. Some restaurants near tourist sites serve breakfast and evening meals only; the Khan el-Khalili bazaar thins dramatically in the afternoon heat; high-end dining spots maintain service but atmosphere is diminished without the winter crowd.

November trade-offs

  • ↓Peak season pricing is fully in effect. Top-tier Nile-view hotels (Four Seasons at the First Residence, the Kempinski Nile Hotel) run $350–$600/night. Mid-range boutique properties in Zamalek and Garden City are $150–$250. Book 6–8 weeks ahead or lose the best options.
  • ↓The most popular sites — the Giza Plateau on a morning tour, Tutankhamun's gallery at the GEM, and the Al-Muizz Street in Islamic Cairo on a Friday afternoon — see their annual peak visitor numbers. Arrive early and plan logistically.
See all 12 months for Cairo →July in detail →November in detail →
Scores compare months within Cairo. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →