How To Go To Aswan
Aswan Transportation Guide
There are a plenty of options that you can choose from when it comes to traveling to Aswan. It all depends on your personal preferences. Let’s jump into the article!
Airplane
Aswan International Airport is situated about 30-40 minutes southwest of the city on the west bank. Public buses don’t go to the airport, and security on the approach road to the terminal is tight, so keep your passport and proof of ticket close.
Several airlines fly to Aswan International Airport including Egypt Air (to/from Abu Simbel, Cairo, and Luxor), Air Cairo (to/from Cairo), and Nile Air (to/from Cairo).
Train
Egypt’s passenger train service runs along the Nile between Cairo and Aswan. Travel time from Luxor is around three hours on 1st or 2nd class services.
More than five air-conditioned trains arrive from Cairo each day. The trip to Cairo takes around 13-14 hours on 1st or 2nd class services. We recommend booking your tickets in advance. Be sure to avoid buying tickets from people hanging around the station.
There are also two sleeper trains that departing at 8PM and 9:35PM from Cairo’s Ramsis train station. Prices start at $150USD for a single, or $240 for a double (Nov 2018).
Foreigners are not technically allowed to buy train tickets for non-sleeper trains from Cairo to Luxor or Aswan. You can easily circumvent this security measure by using a self-service machine or just buying your ticket on the train. Tickets bought on the train incur an insignificant surcharge of a few LE, but is a perfectly legal, legitimate, and frequent practice. Your seat will not be reserved, so you may be asked to move seats once or twice.
Aswan’s train station is on the north end of the city center, a couple hundred yards from the river. Give yourself plenty of time to buy tickets, as service at the counters can be painfully slow. Minibuses leave from outside the station (on your right as you exit the terminal), and a number of cafes and basic hotels are conveniently located on the blocks between the station and the river.
Car
If you have a car, you can now drive to Aswan from Sudan via a border crossing west of Lake Nasser, which opened January 2017. The other crossing from Wadi Halfa involves taking a daily ferry from Qustul across Lake Nasser to Abu Simbel.
Bus
1. From Cairo
You can take a bus from the Al-torjoman bus station in Cairo to Aswan, but make sure the price and date is printed on the ticket in English numbers to avoid mistakes or trouble. These buses usually run overnight, arriving in Aswan around 930am, when you can take a taxi or shared taxi to your destination.
2. From Hurghada
Star-Jet runs a bus-line that goes directly to Aswan from Hurghada. It leaves at 10pm every night, and takes approximately 9 hours with three to four 15-minute breaks along the way. It leaves from the Zahran bus station at Al-Nasr Street in Hurghada’s town center and costs 240LE.
However, many people find taking the bus a tiring experience. Alternatively, book a ticket from gobus.com.eg to Luxor, and then jump on a train or take a taxi to Aswan.
3. To/From Sudan
A bus-line now runs from Khartoum, Sudan to Aswan. Some buses stop for the night in Wadi Halfa, while others use the new border by Lake Nasser. However, this bus ride can take up to 27 hours, and costs around 500 EGP.
Boat
Dozens of cruise ships go up and down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan. The Aswan-Luxor journey takes 3 nights, while Luxor-Aswan takes 4. Boats depart from Aswan 3 days per week. These can be booked through any travel agent {including us – of course} or at the ship itself.
You can also take a boat to Wadi Halfa, Sudan, which departs once a week on Sundays. Tickets go on sale Monday for the following Sunday, and sell out very quickly.
Instead of waiting in Aswan for a week, many agents can arrange a Sudan visa, a spot on the boat (even the same day) along with help getting through the terminal.
Updated On May 06, 2020
