Cairo · Egypt
January
Peak comfort season — 19°C, blue skies, and the Pyramids at their most walkable.
Best match
#2 of 12 months
January is one of the best times to visit Cairo.
Climate
High
19.1°C
Low
9.4°C
Rain
5mm
Sun
7.2hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Cairo
Weather
Outstanding
Value
Very good
Crowds
Good
Events
Good
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in January
- ↑January delivers Cairo's finest sightseeing conditions. At 19°C highs and 9°C overnight, the Giza Plateau is comfortable from 8am until sunset. The light on the Pyramids in the late afternoon is extraordinary — a warm, golden angle that makes the limestone glow. The Sphinx, lit by the low winter sun, photographs better in January than in any other month.
- ↑The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square is manageable in January, with international visitor numbers lower than they'll be in spring and autumn. With 170,000 artefacts on display, including Tutankhamun's complete burial collection, a focused 4-hour visit is feasible without peak-season scrum.
- ↑Felucca sailboats on the Nile are at their most pleasant in January — a 90-minute sunset sail from the embankment near the Four Seasons is one of Cairo's most atmospheric experiences, with the Zamalek island in the background and the evening call to prayer echoing across the water.
What you sacrifice
- ↓January is now broadly considered peak season alongside November and October, meaning popular sites require advance booking. The Giza sound-and-light show books out for weekends 2–3 weeks ahead, and well-regarded Egyptology-focused tour companies — like Egypt Tours Portal or On the Go Tours — need 4–6 weeks lead time.
- ↓Nights can be genuinely cold by Cairo standards (9°C). Egyptian buildings are not insulated for cold and many hotels and restaurants are not well-heated, making evenings on outdoor terraces distinctly chilly without a mid-layer.
How January compares to November (best month)
| Factor | January | November ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 9 | 10 |
| Value | 7 | 5 |
| Crowds | 6 | 5 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (18°C)Jordan (12°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (19.8°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Lima (26.2°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Cairo, not across destinations. Methodology →