Tour Overview
This private day trip takes you from Luxor to Aswan and back by first-class train, with a guided tour of the Aswan High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Isis at Philae. We collect you from your Luxor hotel and take you to the station, a private car and Egyptologist guide look after you in Aswan, and lunch is at a restaurant in the city. Train tickets and entrance fees are included.
Tour Highlights
- Ride the first-class train along the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, watching the farms, palm groves and villages of Upper Egypt from your seat.
- Stand on the Aswan High Dam, the 1960s project that ended the yearly Nile flood and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.
- See the Unfinished Obelisk still lying in its granite quarry, abandoned when the stone cracked, and learn how the ancient masons cut and moved such huge blocks.
- Cross by boat to Philae, the island temple of the goddess Isis, which UNESCO moved stone by stone to higher ground to save it from the rising water.
- Spend the day with your own Egyptologist guide and private car in Aswan, with lunch, train tickets and entrance fees already arranged for you.
Tour Route
Is a day trip from Luxor to Aswan worth it?
Yes, if you are staying in Luxor and have only one day for Aswan. In a single day you see the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple, three of the main sights of the city. It is a long day with a train journey at each end, so it suits travelers who are comfortable with an early start.
If you can spare a night, Aswan rewards a slower visit: a felucca sail at sunset, a Nubian village on the West Bank, and the temples of Abu Simbel further south. A day trip gives you the essentials; an overnight trip or a cruise gives you the atmosphere as well.
Why go from Luxor to Aswan by train?
The railway follows the Nile almost all the way, so the journey itself is part of the trip. First class gives you a reserved, comfortable seat and spares you a long day in a car. We book the tickets, handle the station transfers in Luxor, and have a private car waiting for you in Aswan.
What do you see in Aswan in one day?
The day covers three sites that show three sides of Aswan: modern engineering, ancient stonework and late temple building. Your Egyptologist guide is with you at each one to explain the history.
- The High Dam: the 20th-century dam that created Lake Nasser and forced the rescue of Nubia's monuments, including Philae and Abu Simbel.
- The Unfinished Obelisk: a giant granite obelisk abandoned in its quarry, which shows exactly how the ancient Egyptians cut stone.
- Philae Temple: the temple of Isis on Agilkia Island, reached by boat, with fine Ptolemaic and Roman reliefs and a view over the water.
Should you stay overnight in Aswan instead?
If Abu Simbel is on your list, yes. The 2-day Aswan and Abu Simbel tour from Luxor covers this same day and adds the temples of Ramses II the next morning. Our Aswan travel guide helps you plan more time, and the 4-day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor joins the two cities by river.
Tour Itinerary
A long day that starts and ends on the train, with the three classic sights of Aswan and lunch in between.
We collect you from your hotel in Luxor and drive you to Luxor railway station, where you board the first-class train to Aswan. Your train tickets are booked for you in advance, so there is nothing to arrange at the ticket office.
The line runs south beside the Nile for the whole journey. From your window you see sugar cane, date palms, mud-brick villages and the river appearing between the fields. It is a calmer way to travel than the road, and a good time to rest.
In Aswan, your guide and private car take you first to the High Dam, built between 1960 and 1970. It controls the Nile, produces electricity for much of Egypt and holds back Lake Nasser. Your guide explains why it was built and how it changed farming, villages and monuments along the river.
In the ancient granite quarries of Aswan lies an obelisk that was never lifted. Cut most likely in the time of Queen Hatshepsut, it cracked while still attached to the bedrock and was left where it was. Finished, it would have been the largest obelisk ever made, about 42 meters long.
A sit-down lunch at a restaurant in Aswan, included in the price. It is the main break of the day, out of the sun, and a chance to ask your guide questions before you head out to the island temple of Philae for the afternoon.
A short boat ride takes you to Agilkia Island, where Philae now stands. The temple honored Isis, mother of Horus, and it was one of the last places where the old religion was practiced. Its oldest part dates to Nectanebo I; most of what you see was built by the Ptolemies and the Romans.
Your guide and car take you back to Aswan station for the first-class train north. In Luxor you are met at the station and driven to your hotel. Train tickets, the guide, the car, lunch, water and entrance fees are all covered; you only need money for tips and personal extras.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
The tour starts at your hotel in Luxor. We pick you up and take you to Luxor railway station for the first-class train to Aswan, and at the end of the day we meet you off the return train and drive you back to your hotel. Tell us your hotel name when you book.
The price includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Luxor, first-class train tickets from Luxor to Aswan and back, a private air-conditioned vehicle, a private Egyptologist guide, lunch at a restaurant in Aswan, entrance fees for the sights listed, bottled water, and all service charges and taxes. Tips are not included.
It is a private tour, so the guide and the car in Aswan are only for your group. The cost of the guide and vehicle is shared by everyone in the group, so the price per person drops as the group grows. Prices also change by season, from {price} per person.
Not on the same day. Abu Simbel lies far south of Aswan, near the border with Sudan, and there is no time for it alongside the two train journeys. If you want to see it, choose our 2-day Aswan and Abu Simbel tour, which adds a night in Aswan and the Abu Simbel visit the next morning.
Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.
